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The dish
What maccheroni alla mugnaia are
The «endless» pasta of Elice.
Maccheroni alla mugnaia are the speciality of Elice, a small village in the province of Pescara. The pasta, made of semolina and water, is neither rolled nor cut: a ring is formed, pierced in the middle and widened by pulling and turning it by hand until it becomes a single strand, long and thick.
The strand is cooked whole and dressed with a mixed meat ragù (lamb, pork and beef) and pecorino, or in the simplest version with garlic, oil and chilli. The name, according to tradition, comes from the millers’ wives, who always had flour to hand.
What you need
Ingredients
Serves 4.
For the pasta
- 500 g fine durum wheat semolina
- About 250 ml lukewarm water
- A pinch of salt
- Semolina for dusting
For the ragù
- 500 g mixed meat (lamb, pork, beef) in pieces
- 1 onion, extra virgin olive oil
- 1 litre tomato passata
- Half a glass of red wine
- Salt, chilli
- Grated pecorino
Step by step
Method
- Make the ragù: brown the meat in oil with the onion, deglaze with the wine, add the passata and simmer gently for 2 and a half hours.
- Knead semolina, water and salt for a long time into a smooth, elastic dough; let it rest covered for 30 minutes.
- Shape a ball, pierce the centre with your thumb and widen the hole into a large ring.
- Pull the ring with your hands, turning and thinning it little by little: it becomes a longer and thinner loop. Dust with semolina so it does not stick.
- When the strand is as thick as bucatini, cut it at one point to open the loop and coil it on a floured tray.
- Cook it whole in plenty of salted water for 8–10 minutes, drain gently and dress with the ragù and pecorino.
From our home kitchen
Tips
- Knead the dough well: the more elastic it is, the more the strand stretches without breaking.
- If the strand breaks, no problem: just keep pulling the pieces separately.
- The garlic, oil and chilli version is quicker and just as traditional.
Note: pulling the strand takes skill: the women of Elice do it in a few minutes, but the first times you need patience.
Gallery
Photos
Tap a photo to enlarge it.
Photo 1: pasta alla mugnaia, typical of Elice. Credits: Cetrone90 (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized; the menu icon is also made from it.
Tradition
History and trivia
Pasta alla mugnaia is linked to the water mills of the river Fino valley below Elice. According to tradition, the millers’ wives made this pasta with the flour their husbands ground.
Today Elice holds a summer festival in its honour, where you can watch the strand being pulled by hand and taste it dressed in many ways.
Did you know? at village festivals people compete to pull the longest strand without breaking it.