Putting Your Eggs In The Basket

There's no doubt that noodles are an internationally renowned staple of food. From Asian cuisine like ramen and chow mein to the classic Western spaghetti and penne, noodles come in all shapes, types, and forms from all around the world. This leads us to the legendary noodle type, pasta, whose origination is first referenced in Italy. In this post, we will be taking a look at the unique Italian egg pasta type courtesy from our supplier La Pasta di Aldo. Keep on reading below as we cover the company La Pasta di Aldo, keywords in pasta ingredients, what makes egg pasta special, and some cooking & tasting suggestions.

La Pasta di Aldo

Luigi & Maria, Owners of La Pasta di Aldo

La Pasta di Aldo originates from the Italian area of Monte San Giusto, a pleasant and industrious town found in the Piceno territory. The inventor and owner of this company is Luigi Donnari who also runs the workshop with his better half Maria Alzapiedi. It's interesting to note that La Pasta di Aldo is derived from a fusion of their surnames, (Al)zapiedi (Do)nnari => Al + Do => Aldo. In a more romantic sense, it can be seen as a union of their hearts, minds, wisdom, and abilities from the years they spent kneading and calculating the perfect consistency of their pasta. The fruits of their labor are these unique egg pastas which bring forth the genuine taste of yore from when their grandmothers prepared the dough while singing, mixing in harmony and pleasantness into their food.

Buy now at the Gourmet Import Shop (click on image)

Monte San Giusto, location of Pasta di Aldo

Keyword: Durum Wheat

If you check ingredients of what makes pasta, you may run across this word quite a few times. But what is durum wheat exactly? Durum is the Latin word for "hard", and it is in fact the hardest type of wheat. It also contains high protein content and strength which make it ideal for special uses in pasta. Italian pasta specifically uses durum wheat, and this is one factor needed to make the fancy pasta shapes. Dry pasta (also known as pasta secca) produced on a commercial level are made from a special type of durum called durum semolina (see below section). Here is the 4 step process that durum wheat goes through as listed below:

1. Cleaning - This involves removing any foreign materials.
2. Tempering - Tempered to moisture level to help strengthen the seed coast and helps separate the bran and endosperm (what gives semolina its yellowish color)
3. Milling - A complex procedure that involves repetitive grinding & sieving.
4. Purifying - If done properly, the maximum efficient yield of semolina with the least amount of bran powder is achieved.

Keyword: Semolina

Semolina is stemmed from the Latin word similia, translated as "flour". Semolina is the purified wheat middlings (the by-product of when wheat is turned into flour) of durum wheat and has a coarse texture. The semolina derived from durum wheat then turns out to have a naturally yellow color.

Egg Pasta: La Pasta di Aldo Style

Now we have a good basic understanding of the makings of pasta in general, we turn to today's topic of egg pasta. La Pasta di Aldo's egg pasta is made with durum semolina along with eggs being kneaded into the mix and molded into sheets. Depending on the pasta cut, different mixes of semolina are used to retain the authentic Italian style. Those sheets of pasta are then cut into their specific type of pasta cut and are then hung on sticks (similar to the first picture up above) in a dry kiln (a type of oven) to air dry slowly as part of a low temperature drying process. This helps preserve its aroma and ingredients.

Cooking Suggestions

Egg pasta, specifically La Pasta di Aldo, cooks in 4 minutes and does not turn into mush. When you taste it, it has a bit of a rough texture but is easily able to absorb and retain the sauce unlike other pastas. Here are a few things to keep in mind to make the best out of your egg pasta:

• Keep them in a fresh and dry place away from light and heat.
• Pour the pasta in boiling water using the tissue paper wrapper in the package.
• Add salt to water when it is boiling.
• Don't stir the pasta within the first minute or so of cooking the pasta. This is to keep the length of the pasta the same.
• Depending on the type of pasta cut it is, cook on high heat for about 4-6 minutes.
• Once done, pour the pasta and water into a container to strain out the water. Do not use a plastic container to strain it.
• Lastly, it is recommended to cook the pasta in a pan with the sauce you want to use so that it will absorb the sauce and flavor.

Tasting Tips

To find out whether or not the pasta you have can be rated as a first-class pasta, it is possible to do so by tasting the pasta while it's still bare with no seasoning or sauces to cover anything up (a few drops of olive oil allowed at the most). Things to consider when tasting them would be:

• Flavor - the wheat flavor must have a long and persistent taste.
• Consistency - must be crisp and slightly firm.
• Aroma - must be warm and palatable.
• Color - must be an intense straw yellow (good sign of semolina content).
• Pasta - cannot be overcooked even when seasoned. If it becomes white and sticky, that means the semolina quality is not of good standing.

Eggs-cellent Pasta!

Covering a few details about the inner workings of pasta from keywords to how they are made, we hope this post has been informational to you in some way or another. There is more to pasta in the gourmet food world than the usual macaroni and lasagna. With a bit of knowledge of what's out there, the creativity and inspiration to make delicious food with the best ingredients can bring a satisfied smile to yourself or the one eating it.