FLOUR is a fashionable ingredient nowadays. In the last couple of years a variety of flours has appeared in Italian food shops, even here in the province! Manitoba, spelt, rice, barley, chick peas flours. Flour for pizza, flour for flat breads, flour for… you-name-it-it’s-there.
However, the average Italian home cook uses two types of white flour :
“00” flour : finely ground, soft-wheat flour, suitable for cakes, pastry and pasta
“0” flour : relatively coarse white flour , suitable for pizza, focaccia and bread
Traditionally fresh pasta is made with “00” flour to obtain a silky texture and delicate taste. Durum wheat flour (semolina) is used to make dried pasta like spaghetti, penne, fusilli or homemade orecchiette e cavatelli.
Italian imported 00 flour is generally available online and at better supermarkets (e.g. at Whole Foods in the US) or Italian shops.
Adding different flours will change the taste and texture of the pasta. To avoid disasters, it is better to start with no more than 20% of the new flour.
Fresh pasta made with 100% semolina is chewy and hard to work with. Pasta dough made with regular baking or “0” flour is often sticky. The resulting pasta lacks body even when dry and overcooks easily.
In my family, the only other ingredient used to make pasta is eggs. Fresh organic eggs if possible. And a bit of time. That’s it.
mmm Pasta Fresca! Secondo me non c’e’ niente meglio della pasta fresca!! 🙂
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ciao Aries! thank you for passing by, lovely blog, lovely dog too.
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Just heard from a former cooking guest that in New York is possible to find Delverde Italian pastry flour
at Faicco’s Pork Store, 260 Bleecker St., NY 10014
nr. Leroy St. 212-243-1974
Next door Murray’s cheese shop has some very good pecorino, oils and vinegars, so if you have finished your Umbria reserves you know where to go. Thank you for the suggestions!
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How to make the dry pasta not breaking.
Thanks
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Hi Enoch, there’s hardly anything to do. If you make noodles you need to arrange them in little “nests” and then freeze them in a tupperware box. If you make ravioli, freeze themindividually on a tray and then transfer in a box or freezer bag. Don’t defrost before cooking.
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