The Many Shapes of Pasta
/Charles de Gaulle, former WWII General and President of France, famously delcared “How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kinds of cheese?” There is no record of Mussolini (or any other Italian leader) exclaiming: how does one govern a country with more than 350 shapes of pasta!
The earliest shapes of pasta, found in reports from the 13th century, were macaroni, ravioli, gnocchi and vermicelli. Specific shapes were created for specific uses such as oil-based sauces, cream sauces, meat sauces and soups. There is long pasta, short pasta, tubular pasta, pasta for stuffing and creatively-shaped pasta. Here are a few shapes that are always in my pantry (clockwise from left): penne, linguine, ziti & fettuccine, (top to bottom in the center) strozzapreti, orecchiette and casarecce.
Some of the names of pasta are easily translatable and some have stories behind the names. Here are some popular shapes with their Italian meanings:
Bucatini: little holes - the traditional pasta for all’ Amatriciana
Campanelle: little bells
Casarecce: From 'casereccio', meaning 'homemade'
Conchiglie: shells
Farfelle: butterflies
Fettuccine: little ribbons - forever connected to Alfredo
Gemelli: twins
Linguine: little tongues
Orecchiette: little ears - popular in Puglia where it is handmade and served with sausage and rapini
Penne: pens
Ravioli: possibly from 'rapa', meaning 'turnip', which was one of the original stuffings
Spaghetti: little twine
Strozzapreti: priest stranglers or priest chokers (more about this below)
Tortellini: small little pies
Ziti: from 'zito', meaning 'bridegroom' and is typically served at weddings
My favorite name is strozzapreti, which means priest strangler or priest choker. Several stories surround the origin of this name. The pasta was typical in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria where anti-clerical sentiment was strong. Some said the name referred to the gluttonous ways of the clergy, who liked this pasta so much that they ate it so fast they would choke.
At M’tucci’s we use both fresh pasta that we make daily and dried pasta imported from Italy. We make ravioli, fettuccine, rigatoni, pappardelle, spaghettini, gnocchi and campanelle. Our dried pasta is tortelloni and fussiloni.
Despite the shape, or if the pasta is fresh or dried, there are a few simple things to remember when purchasing and cooking the pasta. Both types should be made with a rough bronze die (which produces a pasta with a rough surface that holds the sauce better) and it should be air-dried. I never buy fresh pasta, since I never know if it’s really fresh - I prefer to eat my fresh pasta at M’tucci’s. You can find good quality dried Italian pasta at Whole Foods, Keller’s Markets and Tully’s Market. Most grocery stores carry DeCecco. Although it is mass-produced, it is a good quality pasta. I think the Whole Foods brand is very good and very reasonably priced for organic pasta.
The main points for cooking (tips from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and from Chef Cory Gray):
Lots of water, at least 3 quarts and add another quart for every half pound.
Salt the water with sea salt, so it tastes like the ocean. The water is boiling when you add the salt, so don’t taste it, but add at least 1.5 T for every pound of pasta when the water boils.
Never put oil in the boiling water
Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce immediately
“I really prefer rigatoni for Bolognese sauces, the pasta has a cavity to hold the rich, thick sauce. I also love ravioli since it is a vessel that can hold anything of you can imagine and then you can create a lovely sauce to accompany it,” said Chef/Partner Cory Gray.
Here is our hard-working Italian pasta machine, turning out fresh pappardelle and campanelle.
Weekend Specials
M’tucci’s Italian
24 oz Hand Cut Porterhouse: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Balsamic Reduction $38
Pan-Seared Ono - Sweet Potato Puree, Broccolini, Sweet Pea and Duck Prosciutto Succotash $27
Pasta Della Forma: House Made Spaghettini & Piave Vecchio Cheese, Minimum of two orders, Prepared Table side - $38, Chef’s Condiments Add $3
Appetizers
Beer Battered Herbed Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms: Capers, Oil Pickled Zucchini $10
Clam Toasts & Pancetta with Fennel, Sun-Dried Tomato, White Wine Butter Broth $12
Weekend Cocktail
Butterfly Effect: Hapenny Gin, Fresh Grapefruit & Lemon Juice, Vanilla Simple and Butterfly Pea Flower Ice Cubes - Watch it Change Colors!!
Sunday Only
Half Rack of Smoked Baby Back Ribs, Salt Water Potatoes, House Made Cole Slaw and House BBQ Sauce for $18
M’tucci’s Moderno
10 oz. Flank Steak: Crispy Saltwater Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Salsa Verde $27
Pan-Seared California Halibut: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Arugula, Roasted Artichokes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce, Prosciutto Powder $25
Shrimp & Goat Cheese Pasta: Pink Shrimp, Spicy Pepper Goat Cheese Suace, Hazelnuts and M’tucci’s House Made Spaghettini $19
Weekend Cocktail
Smoke & Mirrors: Vida Mezcal, Bigallet China China, Carpano Antica, Amaro Bilaro, Grapefruit Bitters
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five
24 oz. Porterhouse: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini, Smoked Blackberry Bone Marrow Butter $38
Pan-Seared Ruby Trout: Seared Artichokes, Grilled Escarole, Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Lemon Caper Butter Sauce $23
Porcini Mushroom Risotto: Seared Beef Medallions, Sautéed Mushrooms with Kale and Balsamic Reduction $21
Gelato: Strawberry
Sorbetto: House Limoncello/Cherry
Weekend Cocktail
The Army Navy Cocktail: Empress 1908 Gin, Orgeat Syrup and Fresh Lemon Juice
Pasta Della Forma - only at M’tucci’s Italian and only on Friday, Saturday & Sunday
A popular restaurant pasta preparation in Italy and in California is now in Albuquerque - only at M’tucci’s Italian. Pasta Della Forma (from formaggio which is Italian for cheese) is finished table side in a cheese wheel. We use Fresh House Spaghettini and Piave Vecchio, a cheese from the Veneto region near the Dolomite mountains. You have a choice of two toppings:
Mushroom Duxelle: Baby Portobello Mushrooms, Thyme, Garlic, White Wine
Roasted Red Bell Pepper/Sun-Dried Tomato Relish
Pasta Della Forma: Minimum of two people, Prepared Table side $38 Chef’s Condiments Add $3
I recommend a healthy grinding of fresh pepper. A short video shows how it’s done.
M’tucci’s Hosts Fundraising Day to Benefit Road Rage Survivor
19-year old Christina Luchetti was the victim of road rage in March, leaving her paralyzed and facing tremendous medical bills and costs to make her home handicapped-accessible. When we heard about her situation, we immediately reached out to the family and offered to host a fundraising day. We will donate 20% of sales at all three restaurants on June 14. Their goal is to raise $30,000 for the family.
“At M’tucci’s we’re a family, and we consider our community our extended family,” explained John Haas, M’tucci’s Restaurants Managing Partner. “When Christina’s situation was brought to our attention, we knew we wanted to help in any way possible. We encourage everyone to come out to any of our restaurants on June 14 in support of Christina and to give as they are able.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Christina. In addition to their fundraiser, M’tucci’s is challenging other area businesses to join in to support Christina.
“Albuquerque is a community with a big heart, and we’re honored to call it home,” added Haas. “We invite you to join us in showing that love and generosity to one of our own.”
To make a reservation for June 14 or to place an online order, visit https://www.mtuccis.com.
Live Music Returns!!
M’tucci’s Moderno and M’tucci’s Twenty-Five will resume live music on Thursday, June 17 with your favorite local musicians. See the Events listing on our Facebook pages. Thursday performances are 7:00-9:00 and Friday performances are 8:00 - 10:00.
M’tucci’s Moderno
6/17 Kirk Matthews
6/18 RJ Perez
6/24 Eryn Bent
6/25 Kirk Matthews
7/1 Kirk Matthews
7/2Lani Nash
7/8 Melissa Rios
7/9 RJ Perez
M’tucci’s Twenty Five
6/17 Melissa Rios
6/24 Kirk Matthews
7/1Lani Nash
7/8 Kirk Matthews
Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!
