Recco, Ligurian Levante
Trofie are the short, twisted pasta of the Ligurian Levante — specifically the Recco area. Made from only semolina, water, and salt, each piece is formed by rolling a small piece of dough at an angle on the board with the palm of the hand, creating a tight, irregular helical twist. The technique takes hours to master. The twist traps pesto and thin sauces inside the coil. In the classic preparation (trofie al pesto with green beans and potato), the pasta, beans, and potato are cooked together in the same pot.
Tightly coiled semolina spirals with pointed ends, cooked with potato and green beans to achieve perfect simultaneous doneness, then tossed with fresh pesto — the Ligurian pasta trinity
{"Dough: semolina rimacinata, no egg; hydrated at 50% with warm water; rested 30 min","Tear off a piece no larger than a chickpea; roll under the palm with a diagonal angle at the start — this creates the twist","The correct trofie has a tight, springy, helical shape with pointed ends — not loose or cylindrical","For trofie al pesto: potato added to the water first (5 min head start), then pasta, then green beans in the last 2 min","Drain all three together; add pesto and a ladleful of pasta water; toss vigorously"}
{"Semolina-based trofie hold sauce better than any commercial version — the rough surface is non-replicable","The potato in the pot serves two purposes: it thickens the pasta water and becomes part of the dish","The pesto must be made fresh (never from a jar) — trofie al pesto is only as good as the pesto"}
{"Rolling straight (not diagonal) — creates a plain cylinder, not the characteristic twist","Too large pieces — they cook unevenly and the twist doesn't hold","Adding pesto to hot pasta directly from the stove — the heat kills the basil; let the pasta cool slightly first"}
La Cucina di Liguria — Massimo Alberini