SUMMER SEASON (LUNCH)
Our Pasta Programme
Every season, we shine a spotlight on a series of traditional pasta shapes fabricated using traditional methods and their culinary anthropology—from the moments in history that led to them, to the regional influences that shape them from past to present.
From the North to the South, and into the Islands: partake in the fading Sardinian art of beautifully braided Lorighittas. Humble your palate to Maccheroncini borne out of necessity in Campofilone. Take a bite of the blissful Apulian union of Maritati between minchiareddhi and orecchiette. You’ll be surprised how these little parcels, strands and sheets of joy can paint a vivid picture of Italy’s astounding regional diversity.
Tortelloni con Burro e Oro
Origins: Bologna, Emilia-Romagna (North)
Large egg pasta filled with ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano D.O.P. in a dressing of butter and tomato passata (90g)
Tracing its roots back to the Italian word “torta”, meaning cake or pie, the tortelloni is a classic stuffed pasta – but not all tortelloni are equal. This northern Italian staple, made larger than its cousin tortellini, comes in a variety of shapes, textures and thickness, every characteristic determined by the sfoglini (pasta maker) who makes it; an individual thumbprint to set their moreish parcels apart from others. Mimicking the turta rustica or pie with two crusts, the squares of pasta typically encases ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs and a type of leaf vegetable such as parsley or spinach, before being sealed by skillful hands. Butter, warmed gently with herbaceous sage and passata, discreetly coats each parcel in our rendition.
Struncatura Ammollicata
Origins: Reggio Calabria, Calabria (South)
Bronze-extruded long rye pasta with anchovies, taggiasca olives, chilli and breadcrumbs
Struncatura is a long bronze-extruded pasta that resembles a thick trenette that was once the ancient cucina povera speciality of Reggio Calabria. Translated from the Calabrese dialect, struncatura means “scraps” or “crumblings” or “sawdust” and, in this case, refers to the floor sweepings of wheat milling operations in the past, where by-products of the process would carpet the mill flour which would either be swept from the floor, destined to be animal feed, or used to produce a very cheap, dark coloured pasta product, peddled to only the most destitute. Often known as a ‘poor man’s dish’ because it was prepared with low cost ingredients, it has since emerged from notoriety and earned its cult status in Lucanian gastronomy. We true to its humble origins with Mediterranean flavours of anchovies, taggiasca olives, chilli and Mollica di Pane—sauteed breadcrumbs that were considered ‘cheese of the poor’.
Rigatoni Lisci con Sugo alla Norma
Origins: Catania, Sicilia (Islands)
Bronze extruded short pasta with a Sicilian eggplant-tomato sauce, basil and ricotta salata (100g)
Is a rigatoni without ridges still a rigatoni? In eastern Sicily, the rigatone lisce proves its own identity, made by extruding pasta dough from a bronze die. Unlike its industrially made cousins with ridges that help sauces cling to its tubular body, this voluptuous iteration holds sauces just as well, thanks to its porosity. Catanian folklore lends inspiration to this dish — one involving an opera house named Norma by Vincenzo Bellini, and the other, an artist’s lunch by a Lady Marietta which he claimed was absolutely “norma”, or marvelous in Catanese. Whichever the story, this rustic summertime plate is the flagship dish of Catania.
Linguine al Limone
Origin: Salerno, Campania (South)
Bronze-extruded linguine with a light and bright sauce made using Amalfi lemons and Provolone del Monaco DOP.
This is a dish that has ambiguous roots in the deep south—or Mezzogiorno—notably in the area of the Amalfi coast and the Sorrento peninsula charaterised by its staggering cliffs, meandering coastal roads and famous beaches. The cuisine is also underlined by fresh and zesty flavours, with the lemons of Sorrento prized for its aroma and sweetness coming off the top of the list of regional produce. With its large size, thick, uneven rinds and a sugar content that verges on a slight sweetness, it is precisely these qualities that are crucial in producing the world famous Limoncello with Sorrento as the Limoncello capital of Italy. Despite its strong ties to the south, the technicality of this underrated dish bears stark resemblance to one of Rome’s most famous pasta dishes with the emulsification of cheese and water as the backbone of its execution style, but with a brighter note from the lemon’s zest and its juice. We use a long, bronze-extruded linguine that is well suited for holding light, delicate sauces. Its porous and increased surface area is the perfect utility for the emulsified sauce made using Amalfi lemons and Provolone del Monaco DOP.
Tagliatelle Verdi al Ragu Bianco d’Anatra
Origins: Bologna, Emilia-Romagna (North)
Long hand-cut egg and spinach based pasta with a white duck ragu (70g)
From a proud Bologna tradition of using only hands and the mattarello or rolling pin comes the tagliatelle, flat wide ribbons hand cut from squared sheets of egg pasta dough. After all, the name is derived from the word “tagliare” meaning “to cut”, and tagliatelle simply could not be if it weren’t. Legend has it that the pasta has its origins in 1487 traced to Bolognese master Zefirano. Eventually discovered to be a tall tale, it tells of how he invented tagliatelle to mimic the blond hair of Lucrezia Borgia to commemorate her marriage to the Duke of Ferrara. Today, tageliatelle verdi, coloured green by spinach in the dough in place of eggs, are a first course in Romagna. A ragu of braised duck leg, white wine, soffritto, and Fegato d’anatra complete this dedication to a northern Italian icon.
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