Fusilli alla Molisana (Molise’s Fusilli with Spicy Tomato Sauce)

Ciao everyone and welcome back to a new post; this post is connecting to the ingredient post I made earlier today. When it comes to Molise, Italy, there are many pasta dishes using many shapes originating from the region; one of those many dishes is Fusilli alla Molisana. This dish is native to the Molise region; before talking about that, as mentioned in my previous post, fusilli is a pasta originated from this region.

The authors at Great Italian Chefs mention “fusilli pasta is made by hand-rolled, cut and wrapped around a skewer to make a spiral shape, before being served with a spicy tomato sauce or rich lamb ragù” (Great Italian Chefs). In 2018, the Kitchen with Great Italian Chefs released a recipe for Fusilli alla Molisana that takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to make. Below are the ingredients to making the pasta as well as the dish and step-by-step instructions on how to execute this dish:

Ingredients:

For the pasta dough:

• 200g of semolina flour, plus extra for dusting (0.44 pounds)
• 100ml of warm water (0.42 cups)

For the spicy tomato sauce:

• Olive oil
• 1 pinch of chilli flakes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 400g tin of chopped tomato (0.88 pounds)
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Begin by making the pasta dough.
   1. Place the semolina in a bowl and slowly pour in the water.
   2. Use a fork to bring the dough together.
2. Once the dough has come together, tip out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead for 7-8 minutes until the dough is firm and springs back when you push your thumb into it.
   1. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for at least 1 hour in the fridge.
3. To make the tomato sauce, heat a splash of oil in the pan and fry the onion with the chilli flakes until soft.
4. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened
   1. Season with salt and pepper and set aside
5. When the pasta dough has rested, lightly dust a work surface with semolina flour and roll the dough out to 2-3mm thick (you may want to divide the dough and work in batches).
   1. Slice into 6mm wide strips, then cut into 5 cm pieces.
6. Take one of the strips and place a skewer horizontally over the bottom left corner.
   1. Roll the skewer away from you and the pasts will curl around the skewer into a spiral shape.
   2. Carefully slide the shape off the skewer and place on a wire rack to dry out.
   3. Repeat until you have used up all the dough
7. Cook the pasta for 4-5 minutes in salted boiling water and reheat the sauce.
   1. Rain the pasta and mix through the sauce.
   2. Serve with an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes.

Now, I see that this is a long recipe, but the outcome is always full of delicious flavors. This is just one way of using fusilli in Molise cuisine. Another way of using this pasta shape is with lamb ragu. Why you may ask? Well, here’s the reason: Jacqui from the Pasta Project explains that “Molise has a small population and is Italy’s second smallest region after the Val d’Aosta. Here there’s lots of unspoiled land and mountainscapes and little industry. And many of the Molise population live off the land raising livestock such as pigs, cows and sheep. This is why lamb is a popular ingredient in the Molise kitchen” (the Pasta Project 2017).

When it comes to the different versions of pasta dishes using fusilli, this usually depends on the culture of the region as well as people’s preferences. E. Monteleone and other authors wrote an article talking about influences on food choices through a population sample by the Italian Taste Project; they say “food choice is influenced by many interacting factors in humans. The selection of a given food depends on the interplay of its intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics with person-related dimensions that are biological, physiological, psychological, and socio-cultural. Food choice is also subject to changes over the lifetime. Its dynamic nature is evident, varying from person to person and from situation to situation. Cultural traditions, social organizations and conditions, shared values and beliefs tend to determine common experiences, while still allowing for individual differences in food choice” (Monteleone et al. 2017, 124).

What this means is that everyone has their own way of making a certain dish due to traditions in their culture as well as different values and beliefs, but the actual ingredients are what gives meaning to a dish as well as connects to a culture. In this case, Fusilli alla Molisana can either be made with a spicy tomato sauce or with lamb ragù and it is a free choice of how people decide to make it in order to suit their cultural backgrounds. There is still meaning behind the dish since the pasta itself and its shape came from Molise.

The sources used in this post today will be in the Sources Page and below there will be images and a video from Youtube about Fusilli alla Molisana, mainly how to make the pasta as well as images of this dish and the pasta with the lamb for comparison. Stay tuned for a new ingredient and a new dish from Molise, Italy next week!

Arrivederci (See you later)!

Michelle Metcalf

How to make Fusilli Pasta

On the left is the Fusilli alla Molisana and on the right is the Fusilli with Lamb Ragu; images are from Google. Drag your cursor over the arrows as well as click and move it left to right to see the full image.