Faella Caserecci Pasta - IGP Gragnano - 1.1 lbs

Faella Caserecci get their name from the Italian word for homemade, and have a slightly twisted, short shape great for chunky sauces or baked pasta recipes. At Gustiamo we love them in a savory-sweet dish with anchovies, cauliflower, raisins, pine nuts, and breadcrumbs. Pasta Faella is crafted according to tradition in the legendary birthplace of Italian dried pasta, Gragnano. When cooked, this pasta fills the room with the intense aroma of freshly baked bread and toasted grain. Its slightly rough, porous texture creates an ideal surface for collecting sauces, and its consistency is firm and chewy - just be sure to cook it al dente to fully savor its flavor and texture! Pasta Faella is made from nothing but the highest quality durum wheat and pristine spring waters from the Lattari mountains. The pasta is extruded through traditional bronze dies created specifically for each shape, and is air dried naturally for at least two days - unlike industrial pasta that is dried in less than an hour at high temperatures in electric ovens. According to Sergio Faella, in industrial pasta production, during high-temperature drying the pasta undergoes a kind of plastification, which causes it to absorb less water; in contrast, artisanal pasta expands visibly in water, is more easily digested, and gives a greater sense of satiety. Faella has been producing artisanal pasta since 1907, when Gaetano Faella founded the family company in Gragnano, a town south of Naples in the region of Campania. Gragnano is considered the birthplace of Italian dried pasta; according to legend, the breezes that flow from the mountains to the sea created the perfect conditions for drying pasta, and until the last century, all Gragnano families made and dried pasta in the streets. Today, the rich, nutty aroma of pasta still wafts through the streets, but only 12 producers have been given IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) status for continuing to craft according to Gragnano tradition.