The Art of Food: Pasta Artigianale

Today I have had some of the best pasta I have eaten in a long time. What made it so special? First, the commitment of the pasta maker himself, Luigi . He had me at " This is my passion, not my work", of course spoken like a paragraph of poetry, the way only the Italian's do. Luigi's many years of education and diligent commitment to make the best dried pasta is evident in the blends of semolina he uses with his egg only pasta. In his quest for perfection, he even created a way to dry the pasta slowly so that it would not only retain the flavor of the rich free range golden-yolked eggs and fine milled semolina, but also retain all of its texture and nutrients. He explained that most people think fresh pasta is preferred, that is, until they taste his pasta. Fresh pasta uses flour, which can create a gummy texture that often overcooks with the slightest bit of oversight in cooking.

I, too, was skeptical. That is until I was treated to a six course pasta tasting. Each course was a revelation about what dried pasta should taste like. Even after cooking, Luigi's pasta stays al dente and retains its body and taste. He had us first try the each pasta undressed so could taste and smell the true essence of each shape and style of pasta, from the coarseness of the semolina to the shape of the pasta texture. Then, we were indulged with a beautifully presented work of art. It tasted as good as it looks. Simple, few ingredients, lightly dressed. A restraint that is difficult to find and harder to maintain in a world of excess with a mentality that more is better. In this case, in any case, less of better is always best.