Linguine Peperoncino – Spicy Pasta with Chili

Linguine Peperoncino by Pasta Morelli, Red Ribbon Pasta with Chili from Tuscany

Long, flat durum wheat linguine from Antico Pastificio Morelli, flavored with red hot pepper and colored with dehydrated beetroot. Bronze-drawn, slowly dried at 50 °C, and with fresh wheat germ in the dough. 250 g in a cardboard box, cooking time 8 to 9 minutes. Pure durum wheat pasta without eggs, mildly spicy in taste.

The Linguine Peperoncino from Pasta Morelli are long, flat ribbon noodles made from Tuscan durum wheat semolina, flavored with dried red chili and colored with dehydrated beetroot. The characteristic red hue comes from the beetroot, not the chili – which in turn provides the pleasantly fiery spice. The pasta is a pure durum wheat variety without eggs. Like all Morelli pasta, it also contains fresh wheat germ, which Morelli has incorporated into every dough since 1860 and which releases a bready cereal scent when cooked.

Red ribbon pasta with a fine chili kick

Upon opening the box, a warm, piquant aroma greets you, reminiscent of freshly dried paprika, with a slightly roasted undertone. The linguine displays a strong, vibrant red – the color comes from the dehydrated beetroot powder, not the chili. Sometimes small, darker chili pieces are visibly incorporated. The surface remains rough and matte, like all of Morelli's bronze-drawn linguine, so that any sauce will later adhere well.

When cooked, the pasta water turns slightly reddish, and the chili scent rises along with the characteristic cereal note of the wheat germ. On the palate, the pasta initially reveals a warm, robust depth from the beetroot, then the chili opens up with a well-balanced spiciness – not brutally fiery, but pleasantly tingling. The malty wheat germ note lingers in the aftertaste. A pasta that confidently brings its own flavor, so you should be sparing with the sauce.

Which sauce goes with Linguine Peperoncino?

The short answer: the pasta already has so much inherent flavor and spiciness that it cannot tolerate an aggressive sauce. The classic recipe is Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino – the linguine is simply tossed in good olive oil with garlic, a splash of cooking water binds the sauce, and grated Pecorino or Parmigiano is added at the end. If you have mild guests, simply omit the additional fresh chili in the olive oil; the pasta's own spiciness is sufficient.

Other accompaniments that go well with the chili flavor: a classic tomato sauce with garlic (creates an Arrabbiata variation), creamy ricotta with lemon zest (mellows the spiciness), shrimp in olive oil, grilled octopus, or tuna carbonara. Vegetable ratatouille with zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers also works well. With grilled meat, the pasta harmonizes particularly well in combination with spicy salsicce or Italian sausages. Not suitable: creamy sauces without a counterpoint, because the rich cream intensifies rather than balances the chili's heat, and sweet variations with a lot of mascarpone or honey.

For the cooking time, bring 2.5 liters of water per 250 g of pasta to a rolling boil, salt with a tablespoon of sea salt, and add the linguine. Let it simmer for 8 to 9 minutes, stirring once. Save half a glass of the cooking water before draining – this will perfectly bind the sauce later.

Morelli's Wheat Germ Secret from Tuscany

The wheat germ is the heart of the grain kernel, rich in vitamin E, vitamin D, and plant proteins. In industrial pasta production, it is removed during milling because it shortens the flour's shelf life. Morelli takes the opposite approach: the freshly sifted germ is reincorporated into the dough immediately after milling. The family's motto is "Siamo fatti di altra pasta," loosely translated as "We are made of different stuff."

Antico Pastificio Morelli was founded in 1860 in San Romano (Province of Pisa) and is now run by the fifth generation of siblings Lucia, Antonio, and Marco Morelli. The production facility is located in Montopoli V/A, 30 kilometers from Pisa.

Three steps define the process: the dough is bronze-drawn, spread on traditional racks, and dried for 36 hours at a maximum of 50 °C. The rough bronze surface later binds any sauce better, and the slow drying preserves the wheat's aromas and the germ's nutrients.

The other flavored linguine from our Pasta Morelli collection also share the same durum wheat semolina base and wheat germ content: the Linguine al Limone with lemon and black pepper and the Linguine Aglio e Basilico with garlic and basil. Along with the Linguine Peperoncino, this offers three varieties for three moods: piquant-spicy, lemony-fresh, and herb-warm.