Strozzapreti — 'priest stranglers' — are a hand-rolled eggless pasta from Romagna, made with flour and water alone (sometimes with the addition of a small amount of spinach or stale bread soaked in milk). The name, shared with similar shapes across central Italy, allegedly refers to the priests' habit of accepting pasta as tithe from their parishioners and eating so greedily that they choked. The Romagnol version is formed by taking a small piece of dough and rolling it between the palms or against the board to create an elongated, twisted shape roughly 5-8cm long, resembling a rolled towel or rope with a slight twist. Without eggs, strozzapreti have a chewier, more rustic texture than egg pastas — they bite back, which is their virtue. The surface is rougher, gripping sauce aggressively. Traditional pairings include a simple tomato sauce with garlic and basil, a ragù of sausage, or a sauce of cherry tomatoes and rocket (rucola). Strozzapreti belong to the cucina povera strand of Emilian cooking — the food of people who could not afford eggs for every meal — but in the hands of a skilled cook, they demonstrate that limitation breeds technique. The rolling and twisting motion must be practised: too much pressure produces flat ribbons, too little produces round worms. The perfect strozzapreto has a slightly flattened, twisted form that creates channels for sauce to nestle in.
Dough: flour and water (or flour, water, and a small amount of breadcrumb or spinach) — no egg|Knead until smooth and elastic — rest for 30 minutes|Pull off small pieces and roll between palms or against the board with a slight twisting motion|The shape should be 5-8cm long, slightly flattened, with a visible twist|The twist creates channels that hold sauce — this is functional, not decorative|Cook in well-salted boiling water for 4-6 minutes — eggless pasta needs slightly longer|Pair with robust sauces: tomato and sausage, ragù, cherry tomato and rocket|The rougher texture is an asset — it holds more sauce than smooth pasta
The Romagnol variation sometimes incorporates finely chopped spinach directly into the dough, producing green strozzapreti with a slightly silkier texture. Some cooks add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the dough for workability — this is acceptable in the eggless tradition. Strozzapreti dry well and can be stored for several days, making them a practical pasta for batch preparation. When rolling, use a back-and-forth motion with slight outward pressure — the hands should move in opposite directions to create the twist. The ideal pairing for summer is pomodorini e rucola (cherry tomatoes halved and cooked briefly with garlic, finished with a handful of rocket wilted in the heat).
Adding egg to the dough — this changes both texture and character; strozzapreti are specifically an eggless pasta. Making them too thick — they should be no more than 1cm in diameter or the centre stays underdone. Not twisting during rolling — without the twist they are just short noodles, not strozzapreti. Pairing with delicate butter sauces — the rustic texture demands equally robust sauces.
Anna Gosetti della Salda, Le Ricette Regionali Italiane (1967); Accademia Italiana della Cucina — Romagna volume