In this installment
Mancini Mezze Maniche Pasta
Traditional Basil Pesto
Rustic Italian Bread
Mancini Mezze Maniche Pasta
Mancini Pastificio Agricolo makes their pasta in a wood, glass, and concrete factory located in the middle of one of their wheat fields (pictured above). It was designed to be integrated into the landscape of the farm–to be a symbol of how the most advanced technology and tradition can combine in order to obtain the best possible pasta.
They carefully research seed selection and management techniques and follow a set of rules for eco-friendly and sustainable management agricultural practices to bring about the highest quality products with the least possible environmental impact.
Mancini rotates their wheat crops with alfalfa, clover, field bean, pea, chickpea, and sunflower to improve the fertility of their land. They harvest their wheat in the summer only when it has reached full maturity and there is the right degree of humidity for better conservation.
They use circular bronze dies for each pasta shape. Bronze increases both the porosity and the roughness of the pasta–which is much better for retaining the sauce. Each pasta shape has a specific drying recipe based on the type of wheat used and the temperature, humidity, and ventilation. Drying times can range from 24 to 44 hours to ensure the wholesomeness and taste of the finished product. The Mezze Manichi are a short tube pasta, made with durum wheat. Its name translates to “short sleeves” in English. It’s perfect for any oil or cream-based sauce.
Traditional Basil Pesto
he northwestern neck of Italy is occupied by the province of Liguria. Within it lies the glamorous Italian Riviera and the ancient working port of Genoa. While it’s fun to visit Riviera hotspots like Portofino, it’s Genoa we have to thank for pesto, the classic basil, pine nut and olive oil sauce.
In the past, long haul ocean sailors, like those that sailed from Genoa, were often at risk for scurvy because they lacked fresh vegetables and therefore Vitamin C. Pesto solved that. It’s high in Vitamin C and, thanks to the olive oil it’s stored in, doesn’t go bad.
You can make fresh pesto on your own. But let me tell you, even in a jar, Ligurian pesto is absolutely delicious and usually beats homemade. Basil grows easily in that region’s temperate climate. It’s harvested very young. When just two leaves have sprouted on the plant they’re picked. That’s something very difficult to do in America unless you have your own basil farm. Yet it’s the trick to keeping it sweet and herbaceous. Roi’s Ligurian pesto doesn’t suffer the hot anise flavors you get when basil is harvested later in its life.
Ligurian olive oil is also delicate and sweet, a good match for basil, whose flavors would be overwhelmed by a more robust oil. Last but not least, the pine nuts are the very flavorful Italian variety, not the cheaper, blander imports from China.
When we ask for pesto from Franco and Rosella at Roi, it’s made to order with their excellent olive oil and, perhaps not surprisingly, sent to Genoa, still the export point for northern Italy. I don’t know what the sailors eat on board these days but a part of me hopes it’s this.
Serving. For dinner, combine a spoonful or two of Ligurian pesto with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Stir it into warm pasta with a little of the starchy water the pasta cooked in (this will help the cheese stick to the pasta and have the pesto coat the pasta evenly), then top it with a bit more cheese if you’d like. 8-10 servings per jar.
Storage. Top the jar up with a bit of olive oil and store it in the refrigerator. The oil will turn solid in the cold but will return to liquid at room temperature.
Rustic Italian Bread
This is a Zingerman’s Bakehouse classic: an Italian-style white bread with a soft crumb and—unlike some of our more robust breads—a thin crust. Some find it slightly sweet, though that’s just the natural sweetness of the organic flour we use to bake it—no sugar is added. Everyone at the table will enjoy it. It works for everything from dipping in good olive oil to sopping up tomato sauce to being the basis for fancy panini sandwiches or humble PB&Js. And toasted with a bit of good butter? Forget about it, it’s unreal how good it is.