Fiori pasta is popular Italian flower shaped pasta, with the term “fiori” implying flowers in Italian language. This flower shaped pasta is a new addition to various pasta types, which has gained huge popularity in a very less time span due to its unique shape and sturdy structure. Due to its versatile shape, the flower shaped pasta is used popularly in several culinary applications viz. in soups, in salads, and to hold sauces.
Preparation Overview
Though the pasta can be bought from the commercial market in dried form, it can be made at home also; however, special equipment, known as extruder, would be required for creating the unique flower shaped pasta. An extruder with appropriate die should be chosen to prepare the pasta at home, which can either be used in fresh form, or in dried form for future use. Durum wheat, a kind of hard wheat, is used to prepare fiori pasta. The wheat based dough is passed through the extruder to cut into desired shape.
A set of linked tubes forming a flower shape is used to prepare the pasta, with all the rays arranged around the central tube. A pile of pasta is created by cutting the tubes at already set lengths. Apart from being sold in one single color, a few producers sell it in tricolor pack. Ingredients like spinach, pepper, lemon, and tomatoes can be used as the flavoring ingredients for colorful flower shaped pasta.
When cooked, a resilient and chewy texture would be attained. Overcooking the pasta would give a softer texture; however, the structure and shape of the pasta would not be ruined. This is the reason why this flower shaped pasta is used in soups, as it does not melt in spite of reheating the frozen soup.
Culinary Uses
- Soups- Fiori pasta is used as a common ingredient in soups.
- Pasta- It is used in pasta salads.
- Sauces- It is also used to hold smooth cream sauces, hearty meat sauces, and several toppings as it possesses a strong shape.
Popular Dishes
A few popular dishes making use of fiori pasta as one of the essential ingredients have been discussed as follows:
- Italian pasta salad- the recipe for this dish suggests combining together boiled pasta with vegetables, olives, and cheese, and tossing the salad with Italian salad dressing.
- Baked fiori pasta- the simple baked fiori pasta recipe suggests combining boiled pasta with cheese, tomato meat sauce, seasonings, and herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano, and baking it in oven.
- Italian pasta soup- the recipe for Italian soup suggests adding boiled fiori pasta and chicken pieces to a soup made with tomatoes, beans, carrots, potatoes, and chicken broth.
Nutrition Facts
57 g of dry fiori pasta provides around 200 calories, obtained from 1 g of fat, 42 g of carbohydrates, and 7 g of protein.
