Strozzapreti with Mushrooms

Strozzapreti with a creamy mushroom sauce will be your go-to recipe for this delicious Italian pasta shape with a strange name!

Many people may now have heard about priest choker pasta, or strozzapreti, as they are called in Italian.

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Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy series focused on strozzapreti in one episode when he visited Rimini in Emilia Romagna. 

What Does Strozzapreti Mean in Italian?

Strozzapreti literally translates to “priest chokers” as in a pasta to choke priests, as was intended when they were first made hundreds of years ago in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. Straight from an Italian source (my cousin, Gianfranco) he tells me that the explanation for the naming of this pasta is that during this time (1600s) Italians had to work very hard  to live and make food to survive.

NOTE: strozzapreti are different in other regions of Italy.

Meanwhile, the priests went from home to home enjoying the fruits of their labor and were quite “fat and jolly”, which upset the lay people. So the women made strozzapreti in hopes that the priests would choke on them when they indulged in this dish.

How do you say Strozzapreti?

It’s not difficult to correctly pronounce strozzapreti. Stroh-ZAH-pray-tee is how you’ll want to say it to sound like an Italian.

What is a Substitute for Strozzapreti?

If you cannot source strozzapreti, you can substitute the following pasta shapes for a similar result:

1. Trofie
2. Casarecce
3. Strascinati
4. Fusilli Pugliesi or Calabresi
5. Cavatelli

For a recipe that hails from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, where this pasta shape was created try this creamy dish which is super quick, easy to make, and super delicious (omit the pancetta to make it vegetarian). Strozzapreti ai funghi is what you would see on a restaurant menu in Italy.

As always, please use the best quality ingredients for the very best flavor and results, like Piro extra virgin olive oil from Italy and fresh mushrooms.

Strozzapreti with Mushrooms
(Strozzapreti ai Funghi)

Recipe adapted from Colavita                                        Serves 4 

                   FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW                    

Ingredients

• strozzapreti 
• extra virgin olive oil
• pancetta (optional)
• onion 
• mushrooms
• garlic
• parsley 
• heavy whipping cream
• salt
• black pepper
• Parmigiano Reggiano DOP cheese (optional)

Directions

Prep the ingredients by cutting the pancetta into small pieces.

Then slice the onion and mushrooms, and mince the garlic. 

Once the ingredients are prepped, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add sufficient salt then toss in the pasta (“butta la pasta” as they say in Italy!) Cook according to the directions on the package.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan. 

Add the pancetta and cook for a few minutes, until it begins to color.

Add the onions.

Then add the garlic and continue to sauté for a few minutes.

Next, add the mushrooms. Remember to keep an eye on the strozzapreti and stir occasionally.

Add more oil if it’s too dry. 

Continue to cook, and stir occasionally.

Add salt and pepper to taste, along with the chopped parsley and cook until the mushrooms are ready and the water released has evaporated.

Pour in the cream, and bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down just to keep the sauce hot.

Your mushroom sauce is ready.

When the strozzapreti are cooked, drain them and add directly to the sauce in the pan. If you drain the pasta, reserve a cup of water. I remove the pasta with a pasta strainer, so all the water is left in the pot.

Toss the strozzapreti with the mushroom sauce until well mixed, adding some pasta water if the pasta is too dry. Add grated cheese if desired, and toss again.

Serve immediately as is, or with a sprig of parsley to garnish.

Alternatively, sprinkle with more freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, DOP cheese. If you need to use a different type of cheese, please do not use anything called Parmesan. Your best option is to use Grana Padano, or Pecorino Romano instead.

And a third option is to add some freshly chopped parsley to the top, as well.

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