Umbria — strangozzi are associated most closely with the Spoleto, Foligno, and Terni provinces. The pasta name varies by village but the hand-pulled technique is consistent throughout central Umbria. Wild boar ragù is the most prestigious sauce for strangozzi.
Strangozzi (also called stringozzi, strangolozzi — the name varies by village) are the hand-pulled semolina pasta of Umbria — flat, irregular, slightly chewy ribbons made by stretching rolled pasta dough by hand rather than cutting it, producing an uneven width that is considered a virtue. The surface is rough and textured. The definitive sauce is ragù di cinghiale — wild boar braised with red wine, tomato, rosemary, juniper, and the dark Sagrantino di Montefalco that characterises the best Umbrian braises. Wild boar (cinghiale) is abundant in the Umbrian hills; the ragù is long-cooked, deeply flavoured, and slightly gamey.
Strangozzi al ragù di cinghiale is deeply, assertively flavoured — the boar ragù is dark, slightly gamey, and rich with wine and juniper; the rough semolina pasta holds the sauce in its irregular folds. It is the Umbrian hill country in a bowl: wild, unhurried, made from foraged ingredients. With a glass of Sagrantino, it is the complete expression of Umbrian terroir.
Dough: semolina rimacinata and 00 flour (50:50), water, salt — no egg. Knead vigorously 15 minutes; rest 30 minutes. Roll to 3-4mm thickness; fold and pull into rough ribbons 20-30cm long by hand. Lay on floured cloth. For the ragù: marinate diced boar shoulder overnight in Sagrantino wine, juniper, bay, rosemary. Drain; reserve marinade. Brown boar in lard with soffritto of onion, carrot, celery. Add reserved wine; reduce. Add crushed tomato; braise 2-3 hours covered. The ragù should be thick and dark. Cook strangozzi in abundant salted water 4-6 minutes; dress generously with the ragù.
If wild boar is unavailable, farmed boar (available online from specialist suppliers) is a reasonable substitute; standard pork is not. The Sagrantino di Montefalco in the braising liquid is the marker of an Umbrian preparation — its extraordinary tannin level actually helps break down the boar's tougher fibres over long cooking. The juniper berry is essential: 3-4 crushed berries added to the marinade and the braise.
Not marinating the boar — wild boar without marinade retains a very strong, sometimes unpleasant gamey note; overnight wine marinade is essential. Cutting rather than pulling the pasta — the pulled, irregular surface of strangozzi is the point; machine-cut pasta lacks the texture that holds the boar ragù. Using pork instead of boar — the flavour is entirely different; boar has a depth and slight gamey note that pork lacks.
Slow Food Editore, Umbria in Cucina; Oretta Zanini de Vita, Encyclopedia of Pasta