With ceciliani canepinesi with white sauce, we start a new project to discover the Upper Lazio territory. I’ve talked about this project on two different occasions, revealing traditional and revisited recipes from the Rieti area. This time we go to Tuscia to discover new recipes rooted in folk tradition, together with the Chamber of Commerce of Rieti and Viterbo and the Centro Italia Special Company.
The story of ceciliani is a long one, rooted in the peasant tradition of Canepina, where housewives made it with just water and flour, without eggs, to create a substantial and economical pasta. The preparation is done with a rod, a tool used to shape the pasta around a wire, making it hollow and perfect for holding sauces. This method is similar to that used for other regional shapes, like the Calabrian maccheroni al ferretto.
Ceciliani pair well with robust and flavorful sauces. Some typical condiments include:
Chef Felice Arletti from the restaurant Il Calice e la Stella taught us how to prepare this traditional recipe and recommended a simple white ragù made solely of sausage, with the addition of Tuscia hazelnut granules and wild fennel flowers, typical of local cuisine.
Here are some recipes I prepared during live cooking shows on the Facebook page of the Chamber of Commerce of Rieti and Viterbo, which I know you’ll love.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 692.01 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 92.48 (g) of which sugars 3.19 (g)
- Proteins 25.73 (g)
- Fat 27.05 (g) of which saturated 0.70 (g)of which unsaturated 8.37 (g)
- Fibers 4.30 (g)
- Sodium 695.95 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 250 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Ceciliani Canepinesi
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (Mulino Profili Viterbo)
- 7/8 cups water
- 7 oz sausage
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts (chopped)
- 1 tsp dried fennel flowers
Tools
- Knitting Needle
Preparation of Ceciliani Canepinesi
First, prepare the ceciliani.
Pour the flour into a bowl and slowly add the water while kneading with one hand. Not all the water indicated in the ingredients may be needed, as it depends greatly on the humidity level of the flour. The dough should be soft, but not sticky, and smooth to the touch. Adjust by adding a little more flour or holding back some water if necessary.
Knead the dough for a few minutes on the work surface, then wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for half an hour.
Meanwhile, as the dough rests, crumble the sausage with a fork and prepare the white sauce.
Pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil into a large skillet and turn on the heat. Add the crumbled sausage and let it cook over medium heat for a few minutes. Turn off and set aside.
Take the dough and take a small portion. Cut it into pieces about the size of a traditional potato gnocchi. Flatten with your hands and take the knitting needle. Place the needle on the piece of dough and with a rotating motion, wrap the piece around the knitting needle to create hollow spirals similar to Ligurian trofie.
Proceed this way with the entire dough, placing the ceciliani onto a pasta cardboard tray as you go.
Bring water to a boil for cooking the pasta, and once it boils, salt it and add the ceciliani. Depending on their size, mine turned out particularly long, resembling Calabrian fusilli, they will cook in about 6-8 minutes.
Taste them, and once ready, drain them quickly.
Turn the heat back on under the sausage ragù and add the ceciliani, continuing to cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the fennel flowers and hazelnut granules.
Serve immediately, piping hot.
