Of all the pastas being made by hand I remember while growing up, this one holds the most joyous memories and tradition for me. For Sunday Dinner or special occasions, my maternal and paternal grandmothers would sit across from each other, on their lap would be a wooden board that they used as their table top. They would chat and chat and chat and laugh (they were good friends before their children married) and laugh all the while cranking out handmade pasta, one by one they would roll the dough into ropes before cutting it and then pressing each piece onto a thick piece of straw, using both hands they would then press and roll and stretch and then meticulously wiggle each pasta strand off the straw and onto a tablecloth to dry. They were really fast at it too! Many towns in Calabria make this shape, each in their own way and each has their own name for it. I love the way the sauce gets stuck in the hole, mmmm!
Nonna’s Notes: In the old days women would spit on their palms to add moisture to the dough to roll it right. Yuk! We do NOT recommend that! LOL So please make sure you keep the pasta covered in between use either with plastic wrap or in a sealed container that holds in moisture.
Step-By-Step
