Hand-shaped Basilicata strascinati are tossed with peperoni cruschi, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and crisp breadcrumbs, combining chewy pasta with the region’s brittle sweet dried peppers.
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Strascinati are hand-dragged durum-wheat pasta related to orecchiette but usually longer and more open.
Peperoni cruschi become crisp through only a very brief contact with hot oil; prolonged frying turns them dark and bitter.
Crisp stale breadcrumbs add a traditional poor-kitchen texture and absorb the pepper-scented oil.
The sauce should remain simple so the sweet, smoky character of the dried peppers stays dominant.
Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.
Mix the pasta dough. Add warm water gradually to semolina and salt, kneading 8–10 minutes to a firm smooth dough.
Rest covered. Wrap or cover and rest 20 minutes.
Drag the pieces. Roll into ropes, cut short pieces and drag each firmly across the board with two or three fingertips.
Fry the peppers quickly. Heat oil over medium heat and fry cleaned peperoni cruschi one or two at a time for only a few seconds per side.
Cool until crisp. Lift immediately to paper and let cool before breaking into large shards.
Toast the breadcrumbs. In the same fragrant oil, cook garlic briefly, remove it, then toast breadcrumbs until golden.
Boil the fresh pasta. Cook strascinati in salted boiling water until tender with a firm bite, generally 4–6 minutes.
Toss with pepper oil. Transfer pasta to the pan with a splash of cooking water and toss through the seasoned oil.
Finish with crunch. Fold in most breadcrumbs and cruschi shards off the heat; plate with the remainder on top.
Keep dried peppers dry before frying; moisture can spit violently in hot oil.
Purchased strascinati may be used, but the fresh semolina-water version demonstrates the traditional texture.
This preparation does not require cheese; breadcrumb and cruschi character should dominate.
Approximate; depends on oil absorbed by breadcrumbs and peppers.
Dry peppers can splatter if damp; keep water away from hot oil.
Use caution when frying thin peppers because they cook in seconds.
Serve fresh pasta promptly and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
They are dried sweet peppers associated with Basilicata, briefly fried until fragile and crisp.
They are related hand-shaped pastas, but strascinati are generally more elongated and made by dragging dough across the board.
No. They should crisp while retaining a vivid red tone; dark browning usually means bitterness.
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