Lucia’s “Short & Thick” with tomatoes and ricotta

When we stopped in sunny Salento we were surrounded by olive trees and the sea lapped the shore in the background. Not only was the scenery beautiful, but the pasta was too. We met Lucia and her husband Mario, who welcome us into their home to show and showed us how to make a local pasta shape: Curti e Gruessi — which in the local dialect means “short and thick.” In nearby villages, this pasta is also known as maccheroni al ferretto or minchiareddi, but here in Nardò they call it Curti e Gruessi.

Ingredients

For the pasta:

400 g durum wheat semola rimacinata (fine semolina flour)
200 ml cold water

For the sauce

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
500 ml tomato passata
200g whole datterini tomatoes
200g fresh cow’s milk ricotta
Salt, to taste

Method

Make the dough: Place the semola in a large bowl or directly on a wooden board. Gradually add the cold water, mixing with your fingers. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and firm. Cover and let rest for 20–30 minutes at room temperature.
Shape the pasta: Cut off a piece of dough and roll it into a rope about 1 cm thick. Cut into 2–3 cm pieces. Using a thin rod (ferretto) or skewer, roll each piece to create a hollow center. Lightly dust with semola and set aside.
Make the Sauce: Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced red onion and cook gently until soft (about 3–4 minutes). Add the passata and the datterini tomatoes (crush them lightly with a spoon). Season with salt. Simmer for 4–5 minutes only — this is a fresh, quick sauce.
Cook & Finish: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta for 3–4 minutes, or until tender but firm. Before draining, mix 1 generous spoonful (about 2 tbsp) of ricotta with a little hot tomato sauce. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Stir in the ricotta mixture