Hand Rolled Pasta: Lombrichi & Cicciones

This simple hand rolled pasta dough can be used to make several different rustic pasta shapes with a lovely chewy texture.

Lombrichi are a traditional hand rolled pasta from Sardinia. The name means ‘earthworms’ and the pasta dough for lombrichi is often coloured with squid ink so it looks even more worm-like. Don’t confuse them with lombrichelli, a hand rolled pasta from Lazio with a similar name that also refers to their worm-like shape, they’re much longer than lombrichi, like thick spaghetti.

You can also use this dough to make cicciones, another hand rolled Sardinian pasta. Cicciones means ‘little fat ones’, which is so appropriate! Cicciones can be simply cut into little fat chunks, rolled into chickpea-sized balls, or rolled down a gnocchi board to give them a grooved texture that the sauce clings to even better; the photo here shows all three. I’ve seen the grooved version referred to as ciccioneddos, but this could just be a dialect difference as Sardinia has many regional dialects.

When Sardinian chef Giovanni Pilu taught me how to make hand rolled pasta, he showed me that if the dough starts to slip on the bench rather than roll, you put a drop of water on your hands to stop it slipping.

Whether you’re making lombrichi or cicciones, dust the pasta pieces well with flour before putting them on the tray and spread them out so they don’t stick together.

This pasta dough keeps wrapped in plastic in the fridge for a day or 2 and freezes well too. Any of these hand rolled pasta shapes are perfect served with a rich pork sausage ragu (alla Campidanese), simple tomato sauce or classic pesto.

Makes about 550g

Ingredients

360g bakers’ flour, plus extra for dusting (12½oz/about 2⅓ cups)
Pinch salt flakes, crushed
1 cup warm water, more or less (250ml)

Method

Put the flour and salt into a bowl.
Add half the water and mix with your hands, adding remaining water a little at a time to form a firm dough, you may not need it all and it doesn’t take much extra water for the dough to become too soft, so add it very gradually towards the end.
Knead on a lightly floured work surface for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic; or use an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.
When ready to shape the dough, dust a tray lightly with flour and place on a clean, dry work surface.

To Make Cicciones

Divide dough into eighths and use the palms of your hands to roll each piece into a log about 1cm-thick. Only if it starts to stick, dust the bench with a little flour.
Cut the log into 1cm lengths.
The cicciones can be left like this, rolled between the palms of your hands into little balls, or rolled down a gnocchi board.
Whichever shape you decide on, place them on the tray and toss well in the flour so they don’t stick together.
Repeat with remaining dough then cover with a clean cloth and set aside until ready to cook.

To Make Lombrichi (see video below)

Pinch off a walnut-sized piece of dough and use the palms of your hands to roll it into a long thin worm-shape. Only if it starts to stick, dust the bench with a little flour.
Cut the strip into 5cm lengths.
Roll each piece between the palms of your hands or along the bench, place them on the tray, toss them well in the flour and spread them out so they don’t stick together.
Repeat with remaining dough then cover with a clean cloth and set aside until ready to cook.

To Cook Cicciones or Lombrichi

Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil (10g salt/litre water).
Add pasta to the water and return to the boil.
Stir well then boil for 12–15 minutes, until they’re tender and no longer taste floury; lombrichi will take a little less time than cicciones.
Drain well, reserving some of the pasta cooking water, and toss with the sauce of your choice.
If cooking pasta ahead of time, toss with a little olive oil, cover and set aside, then reheat in the sauce; remembering to reserve some of the cooking water to add to the sauce.