We at Storico Fresco journeyed deep into the Italian Peninsula's vast countryside to discover and save these remarkable recipes from extinction, learning firsthand the Old World cooking techniques and rich traditions which make them so extraordinary. Inspired to recreate these pastas by hand, Storico Fresco imports premium grains, flours and cheeses from Italy, while our local organic farms use Italian seeds to grow fresh herbs and produce.
All pastas subject to seasonal change.
Bertù
Made with cotechino pork sausage, handmade ricotta, parmigiano and grana padono.
HISTORY: From the Italian region of Lombardy and specifically from the small valleys around Bergamo, this pasta is sometimes called gai which translates roughly to "donkey ears" in the local dialect. A dish of Bertù used to be served every October 7th at a feast thanking The Blessed Virgin for protecting Christian armies from the Turks at The Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve with sautéed pancetta in butter.
Casonsei
Filled with locally grown roasted beets, smoked ricotta and freshly ground parmigiano cheese.
HISTORY: Found often in Lombardy, especially in the valleys around Bergamo and Brescia, this widely known pasta has been around since the early 14th century. At various times, it might have been filled with potatoes, pears or cheese and was always on the menu at important civic celebrations and religious feasts.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve with sautéed greens or slivers of lardo with toasted pine nuts.
Cjalsons
Made with the sweet and savory flavors of raisins, figs, fresh herbs and smoked ricotta.
HISTORY: This ancient Italian recipe came from Friuli in the northern mountains of Carnia where the name means "pants" in the local dialect. Cjalsons were traditionally served on Christmas Eve but are eaten today at festivals called sagras. The first written recipe dates back to a 12th Century Baghdad physician.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve with melted butter and sage, a favorite local cheese, or smoked ricotta.
Culingionis
Made with golden potatoes, garlic, onion, mint-scented ricotta and pecorino sardo.
HISTORY: This pasta is found on the Italian island of Sardinia where locals have their own recipes for it. Culingionis might be filled with any combination of potatoes, Swiss chard, lamb or cheese and are an important part of local celebrations. In the small town of Amungia, they are served during Ferragosto, a holiday celebrating the end of harvest season.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve with a simple tomato sauce or lamb ragu.
Garganelli
Hand-rolled pasta infused with parmigiano and freshly ground nutmeg.
HISTORY: Found in Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Umbria, this pasta's name comes from the word garganel meaning "chicken's gullet" because it resembles the neck of a chicken. Legend says a cat once ate the filling for a poor housewife’s tortellini, and anxious to have a meal for arriving guests, she made this pasta using leftover pieces of dough.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve in brodos (soups) or with a meat ragu.
Lumachelle
Made with farm fresh eggs, double zero Italian flour and infused with cinnamon and lemon zest.
HISTORY: Found in Umbria and described by locals as "little snails,” this pasta originated in the Marche region of Italy. Lumachelle is usually rolled out on a stick made of willow wood called a battecca and was first served in the convents of impoverished Benedictine nuns.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve in brodos (broths or soups) or with cream sauces.
Marubini
Filled with a savory blend of roasted beef, roasted veal, pork shoulder, bone marrow and parmigiano.
HISTORY: Found in the city of Cremona in Lombardy, this pasta's name comes from the word for chestnut because both foods are large and filling. Eaten since the 15th century, this pasta is an important feast-day dish often served alongside the region's main meat dish, bolito misto.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve in brodos (soups or broths); with cream and butter; or in a pomodoro sauce.
Pi Fasacc
Made with taleggio, grana padono, handmade ricotta and herbs.
HISTORY: This pasta finds its home in Italy's northern region of Lombardy, specifically the village of Val Camonica. In the local dialect, its name means "swaddled newborns" because it resembles a baby wrapped in sheets. These hard-to-make pastas are rare today but can still be found at small festivals called sagras in the warm, summer months.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve with butter and sage or with a hearty ragu.
Sagne
Fresh hand-cut pasta made from farro flour and locally sourced eggs.
HISTORY: Found today in Marche, Abruzzo and northern Lazio, this pasta was once prescribed as a medication by doctors and used as currency to buy salt. From region to region, it differs widely in size and shape. In Lazio, it is a shaped like a rhombus and in Riofreddo it is formed into a thick spaghetti.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve with beans, meat sauces or a sauté of vegetables.
Scarpinocc
Made with a blend of spices, grana padono, garlic and bits of butter-infused bread.
HISTORY: Native to the village of Parre in Italy's Lombardy region, this pasta's name came from the word scarpa meaning "shoe" because it resembles the traditional footwear worn by locals. Too poor to afford meat, early villagers learned to mimic meat's flavor and now produce the region's only meatless Scarpinocc.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve with butter and sage sauce or with a favorite local cheese.
Sebadas
Filled with young Sardinian pecorino, fresh ricotta, local honey and lemon zest.
HISTORY: Originally from Barbagian sheep country, these fritter-like pastas are also known as seadas. Now one of the great traditional desserts of Sardinia, they were once eaten as a main course by the region's shepherds. Some areas still consider them a traditional dish to be made on Christmas and Easter.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve deep-fried in olive oil and drizzled with fresh honey, sugar or both.
Tortelloni
Filled with ricotta, fresh parmigiano and spices.
HISTORY: Most revered in the city of Bologna in Emilia-Romagna, this pillow-shaped pasta's roots can be traced back to cookbooks written in the 16th and 17th centuries. One popular version, tortelloni fagioli, is filled with white beans but variations of the recipe may contain spinach, squash or walnuts.
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve with a bolognese ragu, brown butter sage or a quick pomodoro sauce.
Turtej Cu La Cua
Filled with fresh ricotta, Grana Padano, mascarpone, Lamb's quarter, stinging nettle and Swiss chard.
HISTORY: From the city of Piacenza in the region Emilia-Romagna, cu la cua means "with the tail" in the local dialect. Traditionally this pasta was eaten every June 24 at the celebratory feast of St. John the Baptist and also after local villagers made the season's nocino (walnut liquor).
SERVING RECOMMENDATION: Serve in melted butter or olive oil; or in a meat ragu dusted with parmigiano.
Hand-Rolled Pastas
We also offer a variety of fresh, hand-rolled, non-filled pastas:
- Bastoncino - The "sticks" of grano arso pasta from Puglia.
- Battolli - Made with chestnut and whole wheat flour, battolli is a flat noodle found in the Genoan town of Uscio.
- Cappellacci - The conical shaped pasta from Campobasso made of 00 flour.
- Corzetti - The wood stamped pasta circles made from 00 flour and borage.
- Farfalle - The hand cut butterflies from made from 00 flour, beets, or borage.
- Fusilli - Spiral shaped hand rolled pasta made from 00 flour.
- Pizzoccheri - A buckwheat based noodle from the Lombardy region.