The typical “maccarruna” or “fileja”
are skillfully spun and cooked in onion sauce with a harmonious arrangement of flavors by expert housewives from Tropea.
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Macaroni, in the local dialect “maccarruna” or “fileja”, are a typical pasta of Tropea and its surroundings, obtained by mixing flour, warm water and a pinch of salt. The obtained dough is reduced into elongated pieces of cord, 2-3 cm long, each placed in the center of a stick, called “rinaculu”, obtained from the stem of the Disa or Sarocchio plant, in dialect “Gutamara”. The small pieces of cord are thus “spun” by rolling them with the “rinaculu” on a dry and floured surface until they are stretched by about 8 cm. They are arranged on large trays or tables covered with a tablecloth and placed in a moisture-free place to dry. The sauce is prepared by simmering the onions, with the initial addition of very little water, until they are reduced to a soft and consistent cream to which is added, almost at the end of cooking, extra virgin olive oil, salt and, of your choosing, powder of dried hot pepper.
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The pasta takes about seven minutes to cook and, as soon as they are drained, they are flavored in a pan with the sauce to which grated Parmesan cheese can be added. For four people the doses to make the pasta are one kg of flour and half a liter of water while the sauce requires, in addition to oil, salt and chilli pepper, to be dosed of your choosing, 2 kg of Tropea Red Onion. Cooking, over low heat, takes a very long time, over one hour. The entire preparation, apparently simple, is a gastronomic ritual of the Tropean housewives, which implies patience, skills and good experience for a harmonious arrangement of flavors.