Ciriole Pasta Recipe From Beautiful Umbria
I must admit, there are so many pasta shapes and kinds, it would be pretty hard to catalogue all of them. But I’d definitely be happy to put myself up for the job, if anyone is looking to fulfil the role hit me up. I’ve started research as it is, and the Ciriole pasta recipe I am about to share with you is one I had never heard of before, and I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make!
For the sake of this post, of course, I’ll get some pre-work done and tell you everything about this Ciriole pasta. It’s very similar to spaghetti, only thicker and very much bucatini-like, minus the middle hole. I did not think I would enjoy Ciriole as I tend not to like thick pasta, but these were honestly lush. And the tomato sauce that goes with them was so good, I went for a nice little scarpetta so that nothing would go to waste. This sauce was also perfect to dip in some gnocco fritto.
The rest, with this dish, is history. You need to try and make Ciriole because they are easy to whip up – literally, they take minutes! – and require basic ingredients you will have around the pantry. So let’s dive in and check out the ciriole pasta recipe, without further ado or chatting about anything. Find another reason to visit Italy with another delicious pasta recipe!
The yummiest Ciriole pasta recipe from Umbria
What is ciriole pasta?
Ciriole is a traditional poor dish from Umbria, a region of central Italy. A beautiful region at that, if I might say so myself: home to Lake Trasimeno and Marmore Falls, it is crossed by the River Tiber, whose regional capital is Perugia (Wikipedia).
This dish, as mentioned, is a poor one, and it includes two ingredients in total – which is quite common for fresh pasta: flour and water. And their name comes from the Latin word cereus, which means literally as white as wax, because of the typical colour of eggless pasta. They are shaped like long snakes and require barely any prep time as it’s a matter of preparing the dough, rolling and cooking.
And because we are going to be serving the Ciriole alla Ternana, I will share the traditional tomato sauce to go with it as well. You are welcome!
What is their history?
I have not found much about this specific recipe for Ciriole, but what everyone remarked on was how the recipe is one of poor origins, made with ingredients that were easily available to everyone and of a long tradition.
You will soon realise there are a few different versions of this pasta, especially when it comes to what it gets served with, and claims for one to belong to a city rather than a different one. All in all, though, the ingredients for the pasta itself and the shape of it will stay the same throughout. So while the history of ciriole is unclear, their taste is most definitely what we are going to highlight.
What ingredients do I need to make this ciriole pasta recipe?
All you need to make ciriole is two ingredients, one of which is water! When it comes to flour, though, there are a couple of different schools of flour. Let me clear that, though. Some people will be using whole wheat flour, some others will use a simple 00 flour, and others will even do a mix of the two, but we have found for that to be no real deal when it comes to what works best.
We have gone with 00 flour, and it has worked beautifully. The one thing you be mindful of is the amount of water you will be adding to it as you combine them together. You want to end up with a soft and not sticky dough rather than a tough one.
How do I make this ciriole pasta?
In a bowl, mix the flour and a bit of water using a fork. You can also create what the Italians call a fountain on your counter with the flour, adding water in the middle of it. Make sure you add enough water to get the flour into a dough so that it’s not tough but also not too sticky that you can’t handle it.
Once you get all the flour incorporated, move the dough onto a flat surface and work it until it’s smooth and soft. It will take pretty much no time, maybe 3 to 5 minutes top. Don’t overwork it to try and get this extremely smooth dough, there is no need in this case.
Start grabbing bits from the dough and roll one of them between your hands until it gets to a 3-4mm thickness and long around 10-15cm. Set aside and continue until all the dough has been used up. I have actually rolled each little snake on the kitchen surface as I found it easier, so make sure you do what’s easier for you.
Boil a pot of water with salt, then cook the ciriole until they float to the surface, roughly 4-5 minutes. You can now strain the ciriole and set them aside, ready to coat them in some extremely tasty tomato sauce.
What sauce do I need to make for this Ciriole alla Ternana?
Now that the pasta is ready, you can get your sauce ready. In a separate pot, get the olive oil, garlic cloves and red chilli to warm up until they get fragrant, then add the tomato passata and the parsley (as is) and cook until thick and nice. Check the salt and add it if needed, then remove the parsley and get the pasta coated with it.
You are now ready to serve the ciriole pasta with some extra fresh parsley and freshly chopped chilli on top. Yum to the tum!
Ciriole Pasta
Ingredients
For the pasta
- 350 g durum wheat flour
- 150 g 00 flour
- 250 ml water
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
For the tomato sauce
- 400 g tomato sauce
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 1/3 red chilli
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the flours, olive oil, salt and a bit of water using a fork. Make sure you add enough water to get the flour into a dough so that it's not too tough.
- Once you get all the flour incorporated, move the dough onto a flat surface and work it until it’s smooth and soft.
- Start grabbing bits from the dough and roll one of them between your hands until it gets to a 3-4mm thickness and long around 10-15cm. Set aside and continue until all the dough has been used up.
- Boil a pot of water with salt, then cook the ciriole until they float to the surface, roughly 4-5 minutes.
- Strain and set aside.
- In a separate pot, get the olive oil, garlic cloves and red chilli to warm up until they get fragrant, then add the tomato passata and the parsley (as is) and cook until thick and nice.
- Check the salt, add if needed, then remove the parsley and get the pasta coated with it.
- Serve with some extra fresh parsley and freshly chopped chilli on top.
Shop the Ciriole pasta recipe post
So that’s the end of this ciriole pasta recipe! You can check out our other recipes including this beautiful pistachio liqueur – to die for – and this apulian friselle!
Pin this recipe for the Ciriole pasta for later!
Always looking to add some pasta to my recipe box! Looks amazing.
Yum, I can certainly see myself giving it a try. I love anything pasta related. Your photos are mouth wearing!