Busiate fresh pasta

• 1 hour to prepare • 30 minutes to rest • Serves 4

 

Sofa allergy

When people tell me I am a hyperactive girl, I always reply they say so because they haven't met my mother.
Without being a sport-addicted (like me and my sis), she is the most energetic, never-resting, sofa-allergic person I know.

Few days ago, we were at home together, because my family was still on vacation, while I was already back to work. So, I invited her over for dinner.
- "Great, we might wash and polish all the wooden doors at your place!"
- "Mum, I was thinking more about a glass of wine and a movie"
- "Don't be silly, maybe later. Oh, we can also make some fresh Busiate pasta and have it with Trapanese pesto!"

Long story short, I gave up and agreed to ALL the MASSIVE house cleaning (no home is never too clean for your Italian mum, you know) followed by a fresh pasta lab together.
I know I am pretty good with homemade DIY creations...so why not?
Busiate have always intrigued me, and I wanted to try make it on my own!

Busiate are a traditional pasta from my mum's home city, Trapani, but is now common all over Sicily. It is a fresh pasta made from durum wheat flour.
The name comes from the word busa, a dry reed which was used to shape the pasta.
Today a darning needle or a skewer is used.

After a while, making them becomes pretty fun and relaxing, and we were able to roll about 600 g of fresh pasta in less than one hour.
Of course, that was mainly because my mother started to compete with me, stating that she was faster and her pasta looked more beautiful. That was not true, and I could not make her win.
But this is another story linked to the marvelous and catty way she is.
(Scattusidda mia. Love her so much...)

Deep clean your house and enjoy your pasta reward, my friends! Ha-ha!

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

300 g durum wheat flour
165 ml water
1 28-cm long wooden stick

1. Make a mound of flour on a worktop and create a hole in the center
2. Pour the water in the middle and begin incorporating the flour using your hand, adding bit by bit from the inside working out
3. Knead for 15 minutes until you have a stiff dough. Then, cover with a damp cloth and let sit for 30 minutes
4. When the resting time has passed, break off a piece of dough and roll into a long, thin roll about half the width of a pencil
5. Cut it into equal lengths of about 7 cm and and roll the dough again
6. Roll the skewer over the dough with an angle of approximately 45 degrees and pressing along with your fingers. Then, pull the skewer out
7. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
   It is best to let the busiate sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours to dry out a bit so that they maintain their shape when cooked. They can be cooked fresh but they may lose their shape. But do we really care, ha ha?

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.