Busiate from Trapani (Sicily)

What are Busiate?

Busiate is a type of pasta from Trapani, a town in Sicily, an Island in southern Italy.

This pasta is not so known as some others but it has been made since the 10th century.

It is formed by twisting small pieces of dough, around a wooden skewer, creating a spiral shape.

There are different stories about the origin of the name.

Some say that it comes from the word “buso” a thin iron knitting needle used to work wool and cotton, used to prepare busiate.

Some other people say that it comes from the word “busa”, the name for a stem of a local grass, which was also used to prepare them.

Nowadays people use a pasta tool called “ferretto rod” to shape their busiate, but a bamboo skewer works the same.

Pesto trapanese and busiate

Busiate are traditionally served with pesto alla trapanese, a sauce made of almonds, tomatoes garlic, and basil.

Going back in history we know that Genovese merchant ships stopped often at the Trapani harbor to trade supplies, so the sailors from  Genova introduced the Sicilians to their own traditional basil pesto.

Busiate pasta

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Ingredients

  

• 500 g semola or semolina flour
• 250 g water

Instructions

 

• In a bowl put the flour and the water and mix them together until it becmes a dough. The dough shouln't be soft like a bread dough, it should be a little harder, otherwise it will be hard to shape the pasta.
• Cover the dough with plastic wrap and letit rest fr 30 min. If you skip the resting time it will be harder to shape the pasta.
• Grab a piece of dough, and using a rolling pin make a circle.
• Divide the circle in stripes.
• Get a stripe and star rolling it with your hands creating a thin long stripe.
• Divide the stripe in 4 inches long pieces.

  Sprinkle the working table with some flour and roll the stripes on the flour.
• Place yur bamboo skewer at a 90 degree angle.
• Place the bamboo stripe on a 45 degree angle on top of the bamboo skewer
• Wrap the tip of the dough around the skewer. Slowley coil it around the skewer, then using your palm roll the skewer back to you.
• Once the dough looks like a spiral, slip the busiate off the skewer.
• Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

  Put your finished busiate on a baking tray dusted with flour.
• You can let them dry overnight and then store them in a airtight bag for a few weeks or you can cook them right away.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a palm full amunt of salt and add the busiate. Cook for about 8 min if the pasta is fresh and for 10 o 15 min if the pasta is dried.
• Drain pasta and add sauce.
• Enjoy!