When we speak of raw materials we must immediately separate dried pastas (made from durum wheat flour), fresh pastas (tender wheat flour), and miscellaneous pastas (wheat and other grains).

Dried durum wheat semolina pasta comes from the people of Naples which began producing it in that city. The goodness of durum wheat semolina comes from being ground on traditional mills that do not burn it during the grinding process and do not remove any components from the grain. Another important factor is the water that is used which must not have any of those minerals which could alter its flavor. Cooking this pasta "al dente" is extremely important for the success of a good recipe. One great prerogative of dried pasta is that it can be preserved for a much longer time period than can fresh pasta.

Fresh pasta has its origins in the north of Italy. Traditions are very ancient and some families still prepare the pasta at home. Today's fresh pastas, thanks to vacuum-packing technologies in heat sealed trays, can last up to 40 days.
Fresh pasta, prepared with nourishing ingredients such as flour and eggs, can be the sole dish in a correct diet.

How to best cook pasta

1. Fill a fairly wide pot with water (10 times the weight of the pasta and with a minimum of 2 liters) and put it on the stove.

2. Add coarse salt when the water boils (approximately 5 grams of whole sea salt for every liter of water). "Throw in" the pasta once the water starts to boil again, raising the flame without putting the top on. Mix the pasta right away with a medium size wooden spoon.

3. Pasta cooks from the outside in as water is gradually absorbed. Pasta is cooked properly when the entire inner part is penetrated by the water and, naturally, by the heat. But pasta continues to cook as long as it remains in the water, even if the burner is turned off, because the pasta continues to absorb the water. Therefore to strain the pasta at the "right time" you must turn the burner off when the inner profile is reduced to a minimum but has not completely disappeared. Cooking will be terminated in the seconds necessary for straining the pasta. If, on the contrary, you prefer pasta "al dente", just strain it a bit sooner, when the white inner profile is evident. The sooner you strain it the more the pasta will be "al dente". Obviously if the pasta is going to be mixed in a hot frypan it must be very "al dente" when it is strained.
Cooking time is always relative and depends on how the pasta has been prepared. Pasta cooking times, in fact, can vary depending on the altitude at which the pasta is cooked (the altitude lowers the boiling point of water) and on the characteristics of cooking water (water rich in chlorine and calcium penetrates faster into the outer parts of the pasta). But these are elements that only marginally influence cooking times: the best time is always the time decided by the cook who is preparing the pasta.

4. The pasta must be strained when it reaches the right degree of cooking, either using a fork or a special spoon or a pasta strainer. Be careful, when using a pasta strainer, that the pasta does not dry out too fast and stick together.

5. Now add the sauce. Without exaggerating because pasta has its own delicious flavor. We recommend you use only extra virgin olive oil and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese due to their nutritional principles and their characteristic flavors.