Strozzapreti
Strozzapreti is the name of a type of pasta with a peculiar twisted shape. It originated in Central Italy, in the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Marche, and Umbria. It owes its name (strozzapreti means “priest-choker”) to the fact that, in the old days, the local priest would pay regular visits to the layman and would eat a lavish meal at the expense of his hosts as a partial payment of their debts to the church. Hence, the home-made pasta dough was shaped in a twisted way, with the wishful thinking that it would go down sideways and choke the priest for his gluttony.
In reality, strozzapreti is a delicious type of pasta that retains its dressing in its folds. It is typically topped with tomato sauce and ground meat, or with mushrooms and cream. Here is the version with mushrooms and soy cream.
Ingredients
- 250 gr strozzapreti
- Pinch of rock salt, for boiling
- 1/3 cup soy cream
- 4-5 large mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic
- Handful fresh parsley
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup non-dairy mozzarella shreds
Preparation
Cook the strozzapreti pasta in abundant salted water, according to the instructions of the package. In the meanwhile, rinse the mushrooms and slice them into long strips. Thinly slice the garlic and transfer to a saucepan with a little olive oil. Heat to low. Add the fresh parsley, season with salt and pepper. Let cook until the mushrooms are soft. Then, add the soy cream and continue to cook on a low heat, stirring from time to time.
When the pasta is al dente, drain and put it back in the cooking pot. Add the mushroom sauce and stir well, keeping the heat to low. Finally, add the mozzarella shreds and mix well, until the cheese has melted.
Take off the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Buon appetito… and try not to choke!
