🇮🇹 Italian · Pasta
🌶️ Fusilli al Ferretto
Fusilli al Ferretto con Nduja
Fusilli al Ferretto are Calabria's hand-rolled corkscrew pasta, twisted around a thin wire, traditionally paired with the region's fiery, spreadable nduja sausage.
The 'ferretto' — a thin metal rod, traditionally a knitting needle — is used to roll and coil each individual piece of pasta into its distinctive spiral, a slow, meditative process still practiced by hand in many Calabrian households.
Ingredients
Equipment: Mixing bowl, Thin metal rod or wooden skewer, Large pot, Large skillet
Fusilli dough
- 400 g (3⅓ cups) durum wheat semolina flour, plus more for dusting
- 200 ml (¾ cup) warm water
- Pinch of salt
Sauce
- 150 g (5 oz) nduja, crumbled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 400 g (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 60 g (¾ cup) grated Pecorino, plus more for serving
- Salt, to taste
Method
- Combine the semolina flour, water, and salt into a firm dough. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth. Rest, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll into thin ropes. Wrap each rope around a thin metal rod or skewer, rolling it under your palm to create a tight spiral, then slide it off.
- Repeat with all the dough, laying the shaped fusilli on a floured tray.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook briefly, then add the crumbled nduja, letting it melt into the oil, about 2 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the fusilli for 5–7 minutes until tender.
- Drain and toss with the sauce and Pecorino.
- Serve immediately with extra Pecorino.
Chef Tips
- Nduja is quite spicy and salty — taste the sauce before adding extra salt.
- The hand-rolling technique takes practice; work steadily rather than rushing for the most even spirals.
- A clean, thin wooden skewer works well if a traditional ferretto isn't available.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Rolling the dough too thick, resulting in a heavy, dense pasta rather than a delicate spiral.
- Adding nduja over too high heat, which can cause it to separate rather than melt smoothly.
- Over-salting before tasting, given nduja's inherent saltiness.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- A good source of protein from the pasta and nduja.
- Capsaicin from the spicy nduja may provide a metabolic boost.
Cultural Note
Fusilli al ferretto is a defining shape of Calabrian cuisine, and nduja — a spreadable, spicy pork sausage from the town of Spilinga — has become one of the region's most internationally recognized culinary exports.
Storage & Serving
Storage: The sauce keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days; uncooked fusilli can be dried for room-temperature storage.
Reheating: Reheat the sauce gently, then toss with freshly cooked fusilli.
Serve with: A robust Calabrian red wine such as Cirò, Crusty bread