Foglie D'ulivo al grano arso

'Strascinati' is a term that encompasses all short pasta shapes dragged over a flat surface, usually from the southern regions of Italy.  Foglie D'ulivo take the shape of olive leaves, a centuries-old tree typical of Puglia. These are rustic pasta shapes that fall within this term and are made by rolling flour and water pasta dough into ‘snakes’. Then, cut into small pieces and shaped using fingers, thumb, a knife or other tools. Orecchiette and cavatelli are the most well-known types of strascinati.

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Foglie d’ulivo is one of the pasta types particularly traditional in the Monti Dauni area of Puglia. The Monti Dauni or Daunian Mountains are a mountain range in Southern Italy on the northern border of Puglia with Molise and Campania. This area is often referred to as the green soul of Puglia. Like other mountainous parts of Italy, the cuisine is based on foraged foods and peasant traditions. According to some sources, this pasta originated as badly hollowed orecchiette which were stretched so as not to throw the pasta away. Over time, foglie D'ulivo became a typical fresh pasta in its own right. 
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Burnt wheat or 'grano arso' was for a long time exclusive to peasant tradition, driven by necessity to recover the ears of wheat that had fallen to the ground and were covered by vegetation. The only way to easily collect the grains of wheat that remained on the ground was to burn the stubble, also assisting in the fertilization of the soil. The landowners allowed the farmers to collect those burnt grains of wheat which  were introduced into food such as bread and pasta in a bid to "stretch" their larder.

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Trofie di Recco 

One of the few shapes that originates from a specific place; Sori, a small town in Golfo Paradiso and Recco, Camogli in other towns of Eastern Liguria, collectively. The traditional, laborious hand-forming technique known as ‘strofinare’ or 'strufuggia' may well disappear because all the hard work is now being replicated by machinery. Those formed by hand the traditional way keep the old ways alive and reconnects any native Ligurian with their once humble origins.
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 The format is largely eggless with some variants in the past that would utilise 'farina di castagna' during lean times with experiences in food shortages while today, it is more commonly found made with soft wheat flour and water.
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Tocco de Funzi in the Ligurian dialect refers to a Genoa-styled condiment of mushrooms. While the dressing of Pesto alla Genovese is an untouchable accompaniment to this dish, this pasta adapts seamlessly with whatever types of cultivated or wild mushrooms are available (e.g. cremini, porcini, chanterelles or morels) which provides a distinction that its more common counterparts (e.g. portobello and oyster) lack in terms of earthiness and flavour.  With mushrooms being the main focus, there is little to no need for other components save for some olive oil, garlic for savouriness and fresh herbs to balance. The final result is a dish that is reminiscent of the wild forest floor and the illusion of foraging in the woods.  
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Tagliatelle al mattarello 

Bologna argues itself as the rightful birthplace of 'tagliatella bolognese' , citing a court cook of Giovanni II Bentivoglio  (a notorious bolognese nobleman), who supposedly invented the pasta in 1501 for Lucrezia Borgia as she was passing through the city. He was inspired to create golden ribbons of egg pasta from her luscious blond locks in a painting kept in the private quarters of the Vatican, by a Rennaissance painter, 

 Benetto di Biagio. Combine with the classic meat sauce, it embraces the sauce like no other. What matters is their length and thickness, a true demonstration of the skills of sfogline (traditional Italian pasta makers) and chefs who have been trying their hand at re-proposing tagliatelle for centuries. It is Pellegrino Artusi himself ruling how "short tagliatelle" is a testimony to the incompetence of those who make them and, served this way, it looks like a kitchen leftover. As for the width, the gold sample of the tagliatella bolognese housed in a wooden case, displayed at the Bologna Chamber of Commerce in the Palazzo della Mercanzia—Palace of Merchants, applies: the singular raw product measuring 7mm, and when it is cooked it must be exactly 8mm, equal to the 12,270th part of the Tower of the Asinelli, a landmark in Bologna. 

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 The cuisine of Romagna is often overshadowed by its neighbours to the west section of Emilia with a more revered food culture in the cities of gastronomy i.e. Bologna, Modena and Parma. While there does not seem to be any clear territorial segregation between the two, this region offer different types of gastronomic delicacies, Emilia cuisine based heavily on pork, and Romagna delving more into lighter fare. This dish, dressed in what is admittedly, a much lighter shade in comparison to its warmly comforting cousin, the bolognese ragu, it holds its own and has a pertinent place along the Adriatic coastline.  

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Andarinos de Usini 

Considered to be a complex shape from the town of Usini in Sassari (a northern province in Sardinia), attributing to the time intensiveness required in shaping each piece. The technique also requires time to grasp in ensuring the perimeters of its ornate form are correctly met so that its cultural ties are respectfully represented.
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 In Usini, Sardinia, Andarinos are made with local semola of durum wheat or some variety of heritage grains and prepared over a glass surface adorned with ridges to imprint the same design on the surface of the pasta. Each Andarinu sports 4-5 elegant curls which are formed patiently by practiced hands of the women in the town. There are no known machinery designed presently to mass produce this format as it can only be realized by tactile nuances of the hand.     
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Sa Fregula Sarda 

 One of the many rare shapes from Sardinia, fregula are made painstakingly by "growing" the finely milled granules of flour (semola di grano duro) into tiny balls of pasta by hand. This is achieved with the randomized but purposeful "wetting" and "drying" cycle where the moistening of the flour granules is first achieved by the addition of water (wetting) and followed by flour (drying) which results in a new layer that forms over the moistened granules. As this cycle is repeated, layers of flour and water build over time and each granule is grown until the desired size is attained. It is the rapid movements of the hand and the intuition of the fregula maker that determines the consistency of the final product. 
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 Although machines are capable of producing this tiny format, traditions are kept alive with the use of traditional methods and tools. A scivedda (enameled terracotta dish) is the main piece of this traditional production, which is used widely across the island for the preparation of bread, pasta and traditional pastry.
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Cappellacci di Zucca

 Cappellacci con la zucca is a traditional filled pasta with a recipe that has been codified since the renaissance and prepared for the house of Este of Ferrara during that period. Typically filled with yellow winter squash of a local variety, Parmigiano Reggiano and nutmeg, it bears the iconic flavour notes of sweet, savoury and sourness that are reminiscent of those enjoyed in another princely court of a neighboring region. 

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Through political marriages between members of the Este family, in Ferrara and the Gonzaga family of the Lombard city of Mantova, the geographical proximity between the two provinces led to mutual influences in both culture and gastronomy. This proliferation of food habits is mirrored by a similar preparation of Tortelli di Zucca, but this time, in the Mantuan area which features zucca Mantovana, a local pumpkin, grated Parmigiano, nutmeg and amaretti.

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Su Filindeu

Su Filindeu (or Fili di dio in standard Italian), literally meaning the threads of God, is a variety of Italian pasta prepared exclusively in the Sardinian province of Nuoro. It is the world’s rarest and most endangered pasta variety - allegedly, only a handful of women are in possession of the knowledge and skill today to produce it. It is this reason that Su Filindeu is listed as some of the most endangered foods at risk of extinction - the Ark of Taste initiated by the Slow Food Foundation has listed Su Filindeu among its ranks of endangered traditional foods.
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Although the dough is made with very basic ingredients: durum wheat semolina and water, the tactile gestures are highly nuanced and the recipe, non-existent. Su Filindeu is extremely time-consuming and hard to prepare that for the past 200 years it used to be a sacred dish, served only to those who complete a 33km pilgrimage from Nuoro to the village of Lula for the biannual Feast of San Francesco (St. Francis). Upon arrival at Santuario di San Francesco, the pilgrims are awarded with a bowl of Su Filindeu, cooked and served in a rich sheep broth with a generous portion of local sheep’s milk cheese. 
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