Pasta Grannies make minchiareddhi

Minchia-what? These ferro rolled macaroni are made with barley flour and they’re to be found in the very southernmost part of Puglia. The name, minchiareddhi is the local dialect for, ahem, little willies.   I have tried to use barley flour and think it a complete diva to work with, so I’m full of admiration for Beatrice and her daughter Antonella as they went for a ratio of 80:20 barley to durum wheat flour. If you ever want to try this for yourself and find the dough crumbles, be less ambitious and increase the amount of durum wheat flour. There is no recipe as such – just add water and keep kneading, adding flour and water as needed until you have a dough which holds together and is elastic. For starters, watch these two and applaud.

Another option is to go visit them. Antonella works in the kitchens of a masseria called Ruri Pulcra just outside a little village called Patù. It’s an unspoilt part of the Mediterranean where kitchen gardens still line the beaches (rather than high rise hotels).