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1
Sterilise a 500 ml glass jar and its lid in boiling water. Drain and allow to air-dry completely upright — no residual moisture must remain inside the jar before filling.
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2
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the culurgiones and cook until al dente — slightly firmer than the normal eating point, as the oil will continue to soften them during storage. The parcels should yield to gentle pressure but the braided seam must remain intact.
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3
Drain immediately and rest for no more than 2 minutes. This is where the dish lives or dies: the pasta surface must remain warm and open so the olive oil can penetrate; a cold surface sets and the oil will sit on top rather than absorb into the pasta.
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4
Warm the extra-virgin olive oil in a small saucepan until it is fluid and warm to the touch — not hot, not simmering. It should feel comfortably warm on the inside of the wrist.
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5
Pack the culurgiones in tight, even layers into the sterilised jar, placing a bay leaf, a few peppercorns, and a fragment of dried chilli between each layer. The jar should be filled with no large air pockets between parcels.
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6
Pour the warm olive oil over the packed culurgiones in a slow, steady stream, ensuring the oil reaches every crevice between the parcels. Every piece of pasta must be completely submerged — any exposed surface will oxidise and discolour. Top up with additional oil if necessary until the surface of the oil sits at least 1 cm above the topmost parcel.
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7
Seal the jar and rest at room temperature for 24 hours before opening. The oil will have infused the pasta and the pasta will have absorbed the oil. Serve directly from the jar at room temperature. The jar oil remaining after the pasta is consumed is suitable for dressing salads or dipping bread.