Lorighittas
- Prepare
- 1-2 hours
- Cook
- less than 10 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4
Lorighittas are a traditional Sardinian ring-shaped pasta made from semolina and water. The dough is rolled into thin ropes, looped around the fingers and twisted to create their distinctive shape. Make sure you keep the dough wrapped as you shape each lorighitta as the dough is hard to work with if it dries out.
For a pasta sauce that pairs perfectly with lorighittas try Jonny's Lorighittas e gamberons.
By Jonny Mulyk
Method
To make the dough, tip the semolina onto a clean work surface and make a well in the centre.
Stir the salt into the tepid water until dissolved. Pour the water into the well.
Using a fork, gradually work the semolina from the sides of the well into the water. When the mixture becomes too stiff to work with a fork, use a dough scraper or a round tipped knife to chop the remaining semolina into the mixture.
Bring the dough together with your hands. Flatten it slightly, then knead by lifting the dough and pushing the heel of your hand firmly into the centre. Rotate the dough by 45 degrees each time. Knead for 5–7 minutes, until you have a tight, round ball. The surface will still have a slightly rough texture.
Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Unwrap the dough and knead again for 5 minutes. It should now feel more hydrated and become smooth and uniform. Wrap again and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
To shape the lorighittas, unwrap the dough and cut off a slice, keeping the remaining dough wrapped so it doesn’t dry out.
Cut the slice into matchstick-shaped pieces, each about 5cm/2in long and the thickness of a pencil. Roll each piece into a thin rope about 3mm/⅛in thick and 20cm/8in long.
Wrap a rope twice around your first three fingers to make two loops. Pinch the ends together and pinch off any excess dough.
Hold the joined part of the loops in one hand and twist the loops in opposite directions to form the lorighittas.
Repeat with the remaining dough. Put the shaped lorighittas on a semolina-dusted tray and leave to dry for a few minutes.
Cook your lorighittas in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain well.
Recipe tips
Standard semolina is coarsely ground, but rimacinata is milled a second time into a soft powder similar in texture to plain flour.
When rolling the dough in step 8, it's important that the piece is the same thickness all the way along as this makes it much easier to shape later.
In step 9, you might find it easier to create the two loops on the worktop, before picking them up to twist with your fingers.
