What are “ferfelloni”? Let's find out with this pasta!
This fresh pasta with ferfelloni, along with ciaudella, Pescara-style stuffed calamari, "Chicocce cacio e ova" (chickpeas with cheese and eggs), and "Scrippelle con la scrucchiata" (crispy scrawny bread) make for a perfect Sunday lunch in Abruzzo.
- 600 g fresh small scampi (30-50 g)
- 400 g stone-ground durum wheat semolina
- 20 g 4 whole ferfelloni (dried red peppers)
- 4 eggs
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 untreated lemon
- white wine
- sale
- extra virgin olive oil
- Make the spaghetti: Pour the semolina onto a pastry board, making a well in the center. Add the eggs and knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll out some pasta sheets and pass them over the chitarra. Spread the resulting spaghetti out on a flat surface and let them dry.
- Clean the scampi, keeping the heads aside; remove the black thread of the intestine.
- Pour plenty of oil into a pan and heat over low heat. Coarsely chop the ferfelloni, then fry them in the pan. Once golden brown, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on paper towels.
- Dry them from excess oil and chop them in a mortar.
- Remove the eyes from the langoustine heads and squeeze them into a bowl. Add the garlic, either crushed with a garlic press or finely chopped, and pour everything into the pan with the oil used to fry the ferfelloni. Sauté for 3 minutes, then add 1/2 cup of white wine. Once the wine has completely evaporated, remove the langoustine heads.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti alla chitarra for a couple of minutes in salted water. Drain and transfer to the pan with the sauce. Add a little of the cooking water if necessary, then stir vigorously to create an emulsion.
- Cook the pasta in the sauce for about 1 minute. Finally, add the ferfelloni and scampi and continue stirring for a couple of minutes.
- Serve with grated lemon zest.
What are ferfelloni?
Ferfelloni are dried red peppers typical of Abruzzo: they're dried in the summer sun, hung on long strings, and then enjoyed year-round. Pescara-based chef Mario Di Giovanni suggests a way to enjoy them: using them in the sauce for spaghetti alla chitarra with scampi.
Who is the chef: Born in 1988 in Pescara to a family of fishermen, Mario Di Giovanni joined Niko Romito's Accademia, then worked at the three-Michelin-starred restaurants Spazio and Reale. He is currently the chef at Castello di Semivicoli, owned by the Masciarelli family, major wine producers in Abruzzo. His cuisine is "no frills, pure, and direct. I let the garden take over. I love raw ingredients, grilled food, and the ingredients of my homeland."
