Cencioni is one of the most special pastas from Italy. The pasta has a particular shape that sets it apart from all other pasta types. Read on and find out all about the cencioni.
What is Cencioni?
The shape of the cencioni resembles that of a leaf. Like a leaf, the pasta has veins running down one side. This texture allows the sauce to stick well to the pasta. Cencioni literally translated into Italian means “rags,” which this shape is also reminiscent of. It is a kind of large version of the pasta shape orecchiette.
How is Cencioni made?
As with most pasta types, you only need two ingredients to make this pasta. Namely: durum wheat and water. That’s all you need to make a delicious pasta!
The first step in the production process is to knead these two ingredients together. This creates a beautiful pasta dough. This is the basis of most types of pasta. This is also the case for the cencioni. After kneading the pasta dough, the dough is pressed through a bronze mold. Here the dough is transformed into the desired shape. In this case, the cencioni. After that, the pasta only needs to dry and be packed.
Of course, making pasta is a lot more elaborate and involves a lot more than what we have described now. In order not to make this blog too long, we wrote a whole blog about making pasta. You can read all about it in the blog: “How is pasta made?”.
Recipes for Cencioni
Because of its firm texture, cencioni is good to combine with a firm pasta sauce, for example a tomato sauce with meat. Actually, the pasta is suitable for many types of pasta dishes so you can combine endlessly. Do not use the cencioni for a light pasta with, for example, olive oil only. The pasta is too large and therefore it does not go well with a light pasta sauce.
Want more inspiration for pasta dishes? Take a look at all our pasta dishes and get inspired!
How long should you cook cencioni?
Cencioni takes about 12 to 14 minutes on average to cook until tender. So you should have plenty of time to cook this type of pasta. If you have a little less time to cook, we recommend using another type of pasta. View here: all cooking times of the different types of pasta
Fortunately, there are ways to cook cencioni a little faster. We have listed all the tips and tricks for cooking pasta faster here. You can read the tips in our blog ‘How to cook pasta quickly’.
Below we have listed a number of steps you can use to cook cencioni. By following these steps you cook the cencioni just right.
Cencioni is cooked in the following 6 steps:
Use a large pan to cook the cencioni
Take a large pan, the bigger the better. The cencioni must be able to move in the pan. This prevents the cencioni from sticking together. Fill the large pan for 75% with hot water, by using hot water you save time because the water needs less time to boil. Do you want to save a lot of time? Then use a kettle so the water is already boiling.
Add some salt to the water
Make your pasta dish more delicious by adding a little extra salt to the boiling water. The salt gives the flavors in a dish an extra boost. This makes all the flavors more intense and delicious! Be careful, because too much salt can ruin your dish. We keep a guideline of about 10 grams of salt per 3 liters of water. You can read more about pasta cooking and salt in our blog: ‘Cooking pasta with or without salt?’
Do not use a lid while cooking cencioni
By not using a lid the cooking water will not foam. For this reason we always recommend not to use a lid. It is also easier to keep the pasta moving. Read more about this in our next tip.
Keep the cencioni moving
Like any pasta, cencioni has a tendency to stick together. Keeping the pasta moving will prevent this from happening. Stir every minute with a spaghetti spoon in the pan. In this way you keep the cencioni moving sufficiently.
Taste the cencioni before pouring it off
If you want to know whether the cencioni is good, it is wise to taste it. You do this before pouring off the pasta, so you can determine if it is necessary to cook it longer. In addition, you immediately taste whether you have put enough salt in water. You can choose to add some more salt to taste.
Add the cencioni immediately to the pasta sauce
In Italy, they always add the pasta right along with the pasta sauce. This makes it less likely that the cencioni will stick together. By doing this, you never have problems with sticky pasta. A good tip that we would like to give you!
How long should you cook cencioni?
To cook cencioni you need quite some time. It takes about 12 to 14 minutes to get this pasta cooked. The exact cooking time of the pasta is indicated on the package so always look closely at this. If you stick to this time, you will see that the pasta is cooked just right.
Do you like your pasta with a bit more bite? Then we recommend cooking the pasta one minute shorter than stated on the packaging. By doing this you cook the cencioni “al dente”. Taste for yourself when you think the pasta is good enough to use. You can read more tips on how to do this in our blog: ‘How to cook pasta al dente!
How many cencioni do you need per person?
The amount of cencioni we recommend per person depends on the dish you want to make with it. The firmer and fuller the sauce, the less cencioni you need for a filling pasta dish.
We generally always stick to about 100 grams of pasta per person. If you are someone who eats large or small portions, we recommend adjusting the quantity.
In addition, always look carefully at the type of sauce you combine the pasta with. Do you opt for a hearty, well-filled sauce? Then use a little less pasta, 80 grams per person.
Determining the right amount of pasta for each person can be tricky. If you find it difficult to determine the amount of pasta you need, read more about the quantities on our blog: How much pasta do you cook per person?