Garganelli
Hailing from Emilia-Romagna, garganelli’s
thin ridged tubes are meant to look like the
oesophagus of a chicken (which translates
to ‘garganel’, hence the name garganelli).
According to folklore, a poor nonna in the
hills of Emilia-Romagna had cut the pasta
into squares ready to fold tortellini, only
to nd that her cat had eaten all the lling.
With her family hungry and ready for dinner,
she thought on her feet (like all good thrifty
nonne do) and rolled the pasta squares over
a basket to create garganelli’s ridged shape.
This shape does require a gnocchi board
and a dowel, but if you don’t have a dowel
hanging around (I don’t), then use the end of
a wooden spoon. Garganelli are very easy to
make and the process will give you a spritely
spring in your step.
Equipment: gnocchi board, ruler, dowel or
wooden¬spoon
Level: easy–medium
62
Make your desired quantity of egg pasta
dough following the recipe on page 34.
• Roll your dough until it is 1.5 mm thick.
• Cut your sheet into 4 cm squares.
I recommend using a ruler here, as the
more exact your squares are, the easier
they are to match and roll.
• Leave the squares to slightly ‘cure’ for
5minutes, as this helps the garganelli keep
their hollow shape.
• Flour your gnocchi board – and keep it well
oured throughout the process – you don’t
want your garganelli to stick.
• Position a pasta square in a diamond shape
in front of you on your gnocchi board.
• Wrap the bottom point over and around
a dowel or the handle of a wooden spoon,
pressing down as you roll.
• Roll the dowel or spoon forward to seal the
points together, using the gnocchi board to
create a ridged pattern.
• Carefully remove the garganelli and repeat.
• Leave for 15 minutes to dry out before
cooking to help retain their shape.