Al Bronzo Spotlight Series: Fusilloni
Barilla Al Bronzo®, our new imported, bronze die pasta from Italy is officially in the market! We’re going to dive into a little more of the story behind each cut, and what chefs are doing with them, starting this month with Fusilloni!
Fusilloni are a thick, corkscrew shape similar to rotini or its smaller cousin, fusilli. The winding grooves will capture coarser sauces for an excellent taste experience, and the large size makes it a match for chunkier, richer dishes. Pestos are another common pairing, especially the trapanese pesto of southern Italy near where the shape originated.
We asked Chef Lorenzo Boni for his thoughts:
“I really love our Al Bronzo Fusilloni, and it’s my favorite shape right now for a number of reasons. It’s a traditional Neapolitan cut, loved all over Italy, but also the cut that inspired “rotini”, one of the most popular pasta cuts in the US. That makes it both familiar and a little new and different. The helicoidal shape creates a very large surface area, which is great for absorbing and trapping sauce. Because of the bronze-die extrusion of this shape, it also releases the right amount of starch into your cooking water – every pasta cook’s secret ingredient for silky, creamy sauces that marry with your pasta. The structure and density of Fusilloni makes it excellent at holding al dente texture, even in restaurant environments where we’re often double cooking or holding cooked pasta for extended periods. Finally, it’s easy and quick to plate, and I find nearly always creates an “IG-worthy” composition.”
Here are a couple of examples of how Fusilloni is showing up on menus, starting with Barilla Brand Ambassador Jasper Mirabile and his iconic Jasper’s in Kansas City. This elegant yet rustic dish shines in its simplicity, letting the few high-quality ingredients and skill in the kitchen shine.
In Austin, TX at Asti Trattoria, Chef Bryan Beneke leans into the flavors of fall, with seasonal squashes, charred oyster mushrooms and crispy kale. The Al Bronzo Fusilloni traps the flavorful sauce and invites the local veggies to take the stage.
