Our Pasta Programme

Calamarata con Pesce Spada alla Ghiotta

Origins: Messina, Sicily (Islands)
Bronze-extruded short wide tubes with poached swordfish, Sicilian pistachios, oregano and capers

There are plenty of pasta in Sicily that feature a combination of nuts—pistachios, pine nuts or almonds—and seafood. Swordfish, or pesce spada, in particular, is a majestic, indigenous species of fish that play an important role in the cuisines of Sicily and Calabria, where they have been historically fished. Highly prized for its meaty texture and delicate flavour, it is as quick as it is easy to prepare. Every Spring, the Straits of Messina, which carves out the borders between Sicily and Calabria, carries an abundance of swordfish passing through in pairs. Fishermen from both regions will set out to sea in uniquely constructed vessels known as passarelle, strategically going after the female swordfish knowing that her male counterpart will valiantly defend her honour, whereas a captured male will only see the slippery female fading away into the current. Alla ghiotta, which translates to “glutton’s style”, comes in a heaping plate of admittedly good things from Sicily: tomatoes, capers, olives, onions, Pistacchio verde di bronte D.O.P., fresh herbs, and savoury anchovies. The use of swordfish sets this dish apart as a thorough-bred Sicilian gastronomic tradition.

Ciccioneddos al Sugo d’Agnello

Origins: Sassari, Sardinia (Islands)
Short pasta made with semola and water, rolled over a pettine, and paired with a hearty lamb sugo and smoky shavings of Fiore Sardo D.O.P.

The island of Sardinia may be surrounded by crystal-clear waters and fresh bounty of the Mediterranean Sea, but it offers just as many delicacies from the land. Products like pecorino and the celebrated Sardinian roast suckling pig, porceddu, are the result of long-standing pastoral traditions. Among these delicacies is gnochetti sardi, a historic pasta shape that has been a staple in the kitchens and restaurants of Sardinia for centuries. While similar pasta shapes exist throughout Italy, the gnochetti from Sardinia have a unique heritage characterised by the simple ingredients of durum wheat, water, and salt. A smaller variation, known as Ciccioneddos, originates from the town of Ittiri in Sassari. These little pasta pieces are known for their sauce-trapping grooves and are traditionally rolled out for weddings and celebrations. We pay homage to the Sardinian hinterland with a hearty lamb sugo and Fiore Sardo D.O.P, a smoky pecorino imbued with flavours distinct to the island.

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 stay 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’.

Frègula con Gamberi Rossi Crudi e Stracciatella

Origins: Cagliari, Sardinia (Islands)
Hand-grown pastina made with semola and water, cooked in an intense shellfish stock and paired with stracciatella and raw gamberi rossi.

Available in limited quantities as a special only

Bearing a distinctive pebble-like appearance similar to cous cous, frègula (sometimes mistakenly Italianised as fregola) hails from the island of Sardinia, and is one of its most emblematic and rarest pasta shapes. The preparation of frègula sarda is a family rite of Sardinian tradition that has been kept alive with the use of traditional methods and tools, where finely milled granules of flour are painstakingly “grown” into tiny balls of pasta by hand in an enameled terracotta dish called a ‘scivedda’. This is achieved with the random but purposeful cycle of “wetting” and “drying”: by adding water to moisten the flour granules, alternating with more flour over the moistened granules. As this cycle is repeated, layers of flour and water build over time and each granule is grown until increasingly large frégula balls come to life under skilled hands. A work of patience, dedication and generosity, it is ultimately the rapid hand movements and intuition of the frégula maker that determine the consistency of the final product.

First documented in the 14th century, frègula’s true origins may stretch even further back to the 10th century. Some food historians believe that frègula was inspired by couscous, claiming that it was brought to Sardinia as a result of North African incursions. But the most accredited theory, as most Sardinians who are fiercely passionate about their culinary identity will tell you, would link its origin to a local tradition, the result of Sardinian craftsmanship and wisdom. Is frègula a native product obtained from the wise hands of Sardinian women or a derivation of a foreign dish brought to Sardinian soil? One cannot say for sure. But it is certain that the name frègula originates from the Latin term ‘ferculum’, which translates to crumbs—a fitting representation of its simple, rustic and rough structure, material but completely natural.