Why Radiatori Is Our New Favourite Pasta Shape for Pesto
Radiatori is a distinctive, slightly chaotic pasta shape based on Bugatti race cars' iconic, horseshoe-shaped radiator grilles. Although we don't consider it the most beautiful shape, it is fast becoming one of our favourite pasta shapes to pair with pesto thanks to its unrivalled ability to attract and cling to sauces.
Why radiatori pasta pairs so well with pesto
There's a plethora of unusual pasta shapes out there, and although it's not the weirdest of the lot, radiatori is an outlier. Even with major supermarkets like Tesco expanding their range of pasta shapes to include the likes of orecchiette and casarecce, radiatori is an ugly ducking that still flies under the radar in the UK.
We've been laughed at many times for saying that pairing specific shapes with certain sauces matters. Sceptics argue, "It will still taste the same!" But just as a sommelier expertly pairs wine with food, you must thoughtfully pair pasta with sauce.
For many years, we have crowned fusilli the best shape to pair with pesto thanks to its twists, turns, and groves, which offer plenty of hiding places. We'll never stop eating it by the bucket loads, but over the years, we've found ourselves sneaking more and more radiatori into our pasta bowls for several reasons outlined below.
Radiatori's winning features
When Dan Pashman set about designing cascatelli, the first new pasta shape to be launched in decades, he aimed for it to excel in three key areas. First, it had to be easy to get on your fork; second, it had to be great at capturing sauces; and finally, it must be deeply satisfying to sink your teeth into. He argued that while many shapes excel in one or two areas, very few are excellent in all three.
With that in mind, we put radiatori through its paces.
#1 The fork test
Radiatori's chunky, bulky size and numerous ruffles make it exceptionally easy to get on (and stay on) your fork.
#2 Sauce retention
Radiatori's standout feature is its ridged, accordion-like structure, which produces dozens of nooks and crannies where pesto can hide. Sauces can't help but get entrapped in the shape's air pockets, ensuring a flavourful mouthful every time. If you can track down radiatori made with a bronze die, it will have a rough surface that turbo-charges its ability to attract and keep hold of sauces.
#3 Enjoyable to eat
This is where radiatori goes from being middle-of-the-road to world-class. The shape's compact size has a satisfying chew with a bouncy centre and slightly softer ruffles. It is far more substantial than smaller or smoother pasta shapes, making it a joy to eat.
Unlike shapes like spaghetti or penne, where every piece is identical to the last, no two radiatori are the same. This serendipitous imperfection rewards the eater with a genuinely exciting mouthfeel, with every mouthful being slightly different from the previous.
Bonus tip
If you see radiatori on a menu, don't shun it because you don't know how to pronounce it. On the count of three... "rah-dee-ah-tor-ee".