Pasta Diary

One of the main reasons we decided to come to Italy for our holiday this time was… the food!
All the yummy Italian food we love. Frode was on a mission to have a genuine gelato every day while we were in Italy. I was determined to try the Sardinian local specialties like Su Filindeu.

Pasta

1. Pici

We tried so many yummy pastas. This alone was worth going to Italy for. Mmm...

Pici

Pici is thick, hand-rolled pasta, almost like fat spaghetti (or maybe like very thick, chewy udon). It originates in the Tuscany region. I had pici last time I was in Firenze and loved it, so when we were in Pisa (also in the Tuscany region), I couldn’t wait to try it again. Naturally, this was my first pasta in Italy this time around—and it did not disappoint. It was SO good. I'm still dreaming about it.

2. Cannelloni

Cannelloni with ricotta and spinach

This cannelloni was the best! Super soft and melted in my mouth. Our first meal was simply amazing. The owner didn’t speak English, and she kept speaking to us in Italian—but with lots of hand gestures and guesswork, we think we understood maybe 30% of what she was saying. 😄

The restaurant is called Osteria 46, and it’s located about a 10-minute walk from the Tower of Pisa. There’s no coperto (cover charge) at this restaurant, which is great because 99% of restaurants in Italy do have it—meaning just by sitting down, you’re charged about 3 euros per person. Also, you’re usually expected to order bottled water, which adds another 2.5–5 euros, depending on the place.

Osteria 46 didn’t charge for either, which we didn’t think much of at the time (since where we're from, restaurants don’t charge for water or seating), but later we really came to appreciate it. And the meal was one of the best we had in Italy... setting the bar high!

Happy times

Clean plates!

3. Gnocchetti 

Gnocchetti is similar to gnocchi, except they’re smaller and often made with semolina and water. They’re typical of Sardinia, so we ate a lot of them!

Gnocchetti del golfo

4. Arrabbiata 

Tomato and pepper sauce pasta. A little spicy and very flavorful.

Arrabbiata

Another beautiful restaurant with great wine!

5. Gnocchi

Gnocchi di Patate ai Formaggi

This was a simple cheese gnocchi dish—but it was so delicious. Mmmm...

"Chjusoni" gnocchi with smoked ricotta cheese, bacon and dry tomato

Chicche di Patate con Gorgonzola e Radicchio

6. Culurgiones 

Type of Sardinian ravioli-like stuffed pasta. Depending on the region within Sardinia, the ingredients, preparation, and shapes differ. Let’s just say—they were all yummy.

Culurgiones Pomodoro e Pecorino

Cheers!

Colurgiones with semolina flour, potatoes, cheese and mint

Culurgiones Al Pomodoro (pasta filled with potatoes in tomato sauce)

7. Ravioli 

We had so many different types of delicious ravioli while we were in Italy.

Home made Gallurese ravioli with tomato sauce

Ravioli with pesto sauce

Ravioli with mushroom cream sauce

8. Bavette 

Bavette is a type of pasta narrower than tagliatelle, with a cross-section like flattened spaghetti—similar to trenette and wider than linguine. Yes, they are different from spaghetti!

Bavette allo scoglio

9. Tagliolini 

This is a long, thin, flat pasta, similar to tagliatelle but even thinner. It’s made from durum wheat semolina and eggs, often with a higher egg yolk content. The one I had was made with squid ink. Yum.

Tagliolini Neri Alla Carlofortina (Fresh squid-ink pasta with red tuna, cherry tomatoes and pesto sauce

10. Pippirioli 

This is a very fat, tubular-shaped pasta—very chewy and very yummy. One of my favorite pastas from Sardinia. I couldn’t find it in any supermarkets, so I’m guessing it’s mostly homemade.

Pippirioli di Montresta al ragu

11. Fregula 

Fregula is another Sardinian local specialty. It’s a type of semolina pasta—very small and easy to eat! I wanted to try it with seafood, but the restaurant we went to only had it with Sardinian pecorino cheese and sausage in tomato sauce. Not bad at all, but very rich! I was stuffed afterward—thus, no dessert... really wanted to try that panna cotta. :-(

Fregula Alla Campidanese

Holiday is great! 

Clean plates!!

12. Su Filindeu

On our last night in Italy, we managed to try Su Filindeu. We learned about this pasta while doing pre-holiday research. It’s a rare type of pasta from the Barbagia region of Sardinia and is traditionally eaten during the feast of San Francesco in Lula—specifically on May 1st and October 4th. These dates mark the pilgrimage and religious celebrations dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, when the pasta is served to pilgrims.

The pasta is made by pulling and folding semolina dough into very thin threads, which are laid in three layers on a tray called a fundu and dried to form textile-like sheets. The dried sheets are then broken into pieces and served in a mutton broth with pecorino sardo cheese.

Su Filindeu pasta (before cooking)

Apparently, Su Filindeu is listed on the Ark of Taste, so our expectations were high. We had seen some YouTubers rave about it, so we had to try…

The Verdict: In short—underwhelming. It almost tasted like rice vermicelli in a lukewarm chicken noodle soup. I guess if it was that amazing, it would have spread across the world like some of the other famous pastas?

Su Filindeu

13. Su Pane Frattau

Technically, this is not a pasta dish—more of a bread dish. It’s carasau bread soaked in broth and topped with tomato sauce and a poached egg. It was nice, but it tasted more like a breakfast dish.

Su Pane Frattau

So that's it for the pasta edition. Not bad for 11 days.