People regularly ask me for recommendations: from which culinary classics to have on their bookshelves, to which ingredients to keep in their cupboards, or what utensils are best for certain techniques. So, as a Pasta Grannies team, we thought it was about time to share a few of our favourite things. Each week, on the Pasta Grannies blog, we’ll share a few key items we’re loving.
The first of the month lands this year on a Monday. I often find this type of year equally melancholic and motivational; it’s great for getting myself organised and embracing the feeling of ‘Back to School’. Even though my school days are over, I’m often left a little sad that summer draws to a close.
As I’m sure you’ve seen, our grandmothers are the ultimate teachers; they show us that making pasta you learn more than just how to follow a recipe. Although their recipes are often simple, their techniques can sometimes take decades of practice.
So, if you fancy recreating some of them at home, you’ll need to start with the basics. I’m sure many of you are already well-stocked and well-equipped but for anyone looking to get started (or perhaps wanting a refresher) here are just some of the best ‘pasta school essentials’ from us.
STOCK
Items we regularly have on shelves in our pantry
Of course, a lot of Italian classics like pasta and bread starts with flour. I love Il Molino Chiavazza which is produced in Italy and exported globally.
Farina “00” flour is incredibly fine and very bright white; like a ‘talcum powder’ consistency. It’s extremely stretchy so works brilliantly in pizzas and focaccias but because it lacks body or bite, which is why you often add eggs when using this pasta dough. You don’t need to, and many of the more rustic pasta shapes like Fileja, and certain types of hand-rolled Maccheroni don’t have it.
Semola Rimacinata is known as grano duro (hard wheat flour). There’s a higher gluten content in this which means that the Dough is plastic but not elastic.
Therefore, it’s not great for anything which needs to be rolled incredibly thinly but provides a great natural structure for many different pasta types. It’s more golden in colour and sort of has a sandy appearance.
And, if you’d prefer a visual demonstration to see these type of flours for yourself, you can watch my the flour basics video here.
MAKE
The best kitchen gadgets and gizmos to make a family-style spread.
The one thing our grandmothers always have is a great board and their own matarella – the rolling pin. So it’s totally up to you and the type of pasta you plan to make on how long or thick you want to have this. A very long one can be helpful for when you need to create very long flat sheets. Thicker ones are better for shapes that you might need to shape over the large barrel of the pin. A good starting point, and you can always get a larger one is this medium one from Taglia Pasta.
And when it comes to boards – if your kitchen has space – I’d always say bigger the better. It gives you much more room for manoeuvring dough for bread or pasta shapes. These ones, also from Taglia come in a standard and larger size different sizes and offer a small lip to prevent your pasta from being pushed off the edges.
And top tip, especially for those of you who might have other little hands helping in your kitchen, it’s useful to keep oily things away from the board.
I try to keep grubby greasy hands or any oil-based products and ingredients set far away so there are no spillages or fingerprints that could end up ruining the wood.
Note: Enter pastagrannies at the check out on any Taglia Pasta products and you’ll get a special 10% off your order, without any minimum spend.
ENJOY
Other things we’ve been enjoying inside or outside of the kitchen.
I am sure many of your reading this will already have your copy of Pasta Grannies, but I do think there’s no better education in pasta than my first book, and it’s all thanks to the lovely ladies we recorded across Italy’s off-the-beaten-track locations.
The stories and dishes are something I love to look back some 10 years after publication. I still regularly open it and think fondly of the memories we made together.
Sadly, some of the nonne are no longer with us, but re-opening this book is a useful way to re-remember little tips and tricks that live on in their recipes. Even me, the author, continues to learn things on a re-read. And my favourite dish regularly changes.
Do you have a favourite from the book? Let us know.
And if you’ve already got one, great! Why not buy one as an educational gift for a fellow pasta lover in your life?
Please note that all these items are real recommendations chosen at our own discretion, and not a result of paid placement. Sometimes, however, we may include affiliate links)
