Preparation Instructions

Put the flour on a pasta board. Arrange in a mound and make a well. Add a pinch of salt, the lard and lukewarm water. Start kneading the dough and continue until you get a ball of elastic and smooth dough. Roll out the dough and place it on the cauarola (an antique little ridged pasta board similar to the one used for the maccheroni alla chitarra from the Marches Region). Roll back and forth with a rolling pin to cut out the strascinati, pasta rectangles which are patterned in herringbone. Place the strascinati on a cotton kitchen towel with some flour and let the pasta rest until needed. In the meantime, in a saucepan, sauté the chopped garlic in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil for a few minutes. Add the peeled, diced tomatoes. Season with salt and add the hot pepper. Cook over low heat, 25 minutes approximately. Before removing the saucepan from the stove, add some basil .leaves. Cook the strascinati in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain thoroughly. Transfer to a big serving dish and add the sauce. Sprinkle with grated pecorino.