There's more to Pasta...
.......than spaghetti and penne, a lot more.
I like to use as many different pasta formats as possible.
Each one was first created, then adopted for a specific purpose. It can be tempting to go back to versatile spaghetti and penne: they suit many sauces, and they also come in many sizes and thicknesses. But I'm for keeping alive as many as possible of the dozens of formats developed over the years.
A few days ago I made one of my favourite winter pasta sauces, a sauce of calamari braised with thinly slivered fresh artichokes. I usually I have it on fresh Tagliatelle, made with soft wheat and egg, but I decided this time to try it on the little 2 inch squares of artisan durum wheat pasta called Pettole Abruzzesi on the packet. To me Pettole means lovely golden balls of fried dough from Puglia, but that kind of thing - same word, different meaning in another region - is common here in Italy.
These pasta squares are not too thin, like a kind of more neatly shaped Maltagliati. Like all the larger thicker pasta shapes, they are so tangible and chewy that the pasta dish seems more filling and satisfying than a more lightweight shape. This makes them a great vehicle for robust dressings. They work perfectly for Pasta e Fagioli, or with chunky sauces like chickpeas with rosemary and garlic, or cannellini and clams, or chickpeas with mussels. I would use them too for a hearty sausage ragù and maybe in summer with a chunky lamb and sweet pepper sauce.
My Calamari e Carciofi sauce worked beautifully on the Pettole. It was a completely different dish from the same sauce served on Bolognese egg pasta, and on reflection I think I prefer it!
