1) Strozzapreti: why are they called that?
During the rule of the Papal State, the priests seized the eggs from the women of the house (the famous “azdore” from Romagna), who had to solve the problem creating this particular type of pasta without eggs, with only water and flour. Tradition has it that, with each preparation, the housewives “wished” the priests to choke on the stolen eggs. This pasta shape is particularly suitable for meat and vegetable based sauces as it can completely envelop the sauce.
2) Cappelletti from Romagna: how are they different from Reggiani ones?
They differ in the filling , which contains ricotta and capon breast, as also recalled by Pellegrino Artusi in his famous “Science in the kitchen and art to eat well “. Cappelletti from Romagna can also be filled with cheese only, often with a grated lemon peel, called lean and are served in broth or with meat sauce.
3) The Romagna donut and its use for English soup.
Traditionally the donut was a collective rite: once, on the occasion of Easter holidays, bakers opened their shops to the arzdore who went there to cook the donut, a most important breakfast feast of the year. Today, this simple and rather rustic dessert is served at the end of a traditional meal or at village festivals accompanied by Albana or Cagnina wines. What does the trifle have to do with it? The Romagna recipe states that, in addition to custard and chocolate and alchermes, to be truly original from Romagna, the ladyfingers must be replaced with donut slices.