stlbites.com – st. louis food blog of bill burge

The Unofficial Dried Pasta of stlbites.com

Jan 1, 2010 cooking, groceries

Short of that scene in The Godfather where Michael whacks Sollozzo after going to the lavatory and pulling the pistol out from behind the toilet with the totally sweet, gravity-fed, pull chain flusher, Francis Ford Coppola is not a name most people would associate with pasta. As it turns out, however, along with his wine and olive oil businesses, Coppola owns Mammarella–a company that specializes in pastas and pasta sauces. While I won’t (or don’t) condone the use of store bought pasta sauces because it’s just too easy to make your own, dried pasta, on the other hand, is a staple in most of our homes and, hands down, my favorite is Mammarella’s Farfallone.

As you might assume, with a name so close to farfalle, Mammarella’s website describes the Farfallone as a loose farfalle. I would call it more of an ultra-thick rectangular pasta that’s about 1 x 1.5 inches. And believe me when I say it’s ultra-thick because it’s thicker than any other pasta I’ve ever had. Somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch thick, it takes at least 20 minutes to get anywhere near the realm of al dente. The upside to this being that it’s always got a great bite because unless you walk off for 40 minutes, there is no way you will overcook it. Plus, compared to any other store bought pasta I’ve ever had, the flavor is, without question, the best I’ve tasted from a straight semolina and water dried pasta.

So the next time you’re at Straub’s–the only place I know where you can find Mammarella’s products in St. Louis–pick some up and remember: I wrote something–however useless.

Happy New Year!

Tags: bathroom, Farfallone, Fra ncis Ford Coppola, Mammarella, pasta sauces, restrooms, Straub's