Bigoli are a typical pasta from Verona, with a shape very similar to spaghetti, but thicker.

The name Bigoli derives from the dialect “bigat” which means caterpillar, because of its shape.

Bigoli are seasoned with traditional sauces, in particular the most typical of Verona are:

– Bigoli with duck sauce, “bigoli co l’arna” in the Veneto region, a duck meat sauce, with or without tomato sauce

– Bigoli con le sarde (bigoi con le sardée), prepared with a very tasty sardine sauce.

Preferable to sardines is anchovy, which however in Veneto can also be called “sardela.”

You can taste the typical recipes of bigoli with their traditional sauces on our food tour of Verona.

Here is the recipe to prepare the Bigoli at home and then to prepare the traditional sauces of Verona.

Ingredients to prepare Bigoli

• 200 grams of flour 00
• 200 grams of semolina
• 4 eggs
• Water if needed
• Salt

Preparation

Mix the flours on the pastry board, add the eggs, a pinch of salt and, if the mixture is too dry, add a little water. Work until the dough is homogeneous and elastic.

Pass the preparation in the pasta press, using a wheel with 3 mm diameter holes.

Cut the 20 cm long bigoli with a knife, place the dough sprinkled with semolina on a cloth and let it dry for a few hours.

Here are the recipes to prepare the traditional sauces of Verona: Bigoli with duck sauce and bigoli with sardines.

Ingredients for Bigoli with duck meat sauce

• 1 wild duck of about 2.5 kg
• 1 onion
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 carrot
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove
• A few sage leaves
• Parmesan cheese
• 100 grams of butter
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

Clean the flaming duck, depriving it of entrails, legs, head, neck, extremities of the wings, and eliminating the glands located at the attachment of the tail. Wash and dry it.

Keep the entrails. In a large saucepan put the onion, celery, carrot cut into rather large pieces, bay leaf, clove, a pinch of salt and about 2 liters of water. Bring to the boil and dip the duck with all its entrails. Cook for an hour removing impurities with a skimmer.

After cooking, collect the vegetables and giblets in a sieve, drain the duck and melt the butter in a pan. Chop the liver, the heart and gizzard of the duck, the boiled vegetables, a couple of sage leaves and brown in butter. Season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat for about ten minutes.

In the meantime filter the duck broth in which you will put the bigoli to cook. Drain them, dress them with the sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients for the bigoli with sardines

• 300 grams of sardines under salt
• Parsley
• A clove of garlic
• 30 grams of butter

Preparation

Wash and desalinate the sardines, carefully unfold them and cut them into small pieces.

Chop the garlic and parsley and let them wither with the melted butter in a large pan; then add the sardines and leave to cook for a minute.

Boil the bigoli in plenty of salted water, drain them still “al dente” and cook them in a pan with the sauce for a few seconds. Serve still steaming.