Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating: How to Choose the Best Bread, Cheeses, Olive Oil, Pasta, Chocolate, and Much More

Pasta\ \ "Nothing else, not opera or Renaissance art or Roman ruins or even pizza, so \ exemplifies Italy as pasta."\ Burton Anderson, Treasures of the Italian Table\ \ Americans often approach pasta as little more than a convenient way to \ convey large quantities of sauce from plate to palate. But for serious Italian \ eaters, the point is the pasta as much as it is the sauce. Although few \ Americans know it, good pasta actually tastes good.\ \ Perhaps the reason most of us don't think much about its flavor is \ that our culture has relatively little experience with this food. At the beginning \ of the twentieth century, American pasta consumption was so small that, per \ capita, it barely registered at all. By 1930 it was up to nearly four pounds per \ person per year. In the early 1980s, the amount had risen to more than \ eleven pounds a year. Today the average American consumes about twenty \ pounds each year, but we still have a long way to go to keep up with our \ Italian counterparts—we eat barely a third of what they do.\ Italians divide pasta into two categories. One is pasta fresca, \ or "fresh pasta." Usually made at home or in the kitchens of quality-oriented \ restaurants, fresh pasta is made with flour and eggs. Many dishes rely on its \ softer texture and richer flavor. My focus is on what Italians call pasta secca, \ or "dried pasta": how to buy it, how to cook it, and best of all how to eat and \ enjoy it.\ Back in the 1980s, when fresh pasta was all the rage in America, \ most folks falsely assumed that fresh and dried pastas were simply two \ different versions of thesame thing. They are not. They serve two different \ purposes in Italian cooking, and you can rarely substitute one for the other.\ \ Pastas Past: A Tangled but Tasty History\ \ Though their prominence in North America is relatively recent, noodles are \ hardly a new form of nutrition. The ancient Hebrews ate them. The Chinese \ have been serving noodles since as early as the first century A.D.; by the \ tenth century, noodle shops were popular in much of the country. Nearly \ everyone knows the tale of Marco Polo, who supposedly brought pasta back \ to Italy from China at the end of the thirteenth century. The story has been \ largely discredited; in various forms, noodles seem to have shown up in Italy \ long before Mr. Polo's trip. It's likely that both Indians and Middle Easterners \ were also eating noodles extensively by the twelfth or thirteenth century. The \ inventory of a Genoese merchant made in 1279 shows stocks of macaroni. \ By the start of the fifteenth century, dried pasta, usually then referred to \ as "vermicelli," was commercially produced in Italy.\ Pasta's enormous popularity in Italy dates to the early eighteenth \ century, when new machines made even wider commercial production \ possible. Naples became the main source of pasta in the modern era. The all-\ important hard durum wheat was well suited to the soil, and daily cycles of \ hot mountain winds alternating with milder sea air created an ideal climate for \ drying the pasta. By the end of the century, the number of pasta-making \ shops in the town had grown nearly fivefold.\ Dried pasta was at that time eaten primarily by the Italian upper \ class. Much like coffee or chocolate, dried pasta was a manufactured item, \ which meant that it had to be paid for in cash and was hence too costly for \ everyday eating. For the most part, noodles were eaten for dessert.\ British travelers brought pasta back home from Naples, and from \ there it made its way to North America. Thomas Jefferson is said to have \ shipped Neapolitan pasta back to Virginia in 1789. A year earlier a \ Frenchman opened a pasta factory in Philadelphia. Although there were \ hardly any Italians in the United States at the beginning of the nineteenth \ century, by 1910 there were nearly 4 million. As their population grew, pasta \ making in America boomed. Italian- Americans still generally opted for the \ imported product because it was made from the harder, tastier durum wheat. \ Much American-made pasta started with inferior softer wheat, often \ deceptively colored yellow to give it the look of semolina.\ \ Less Sauce, More Flavor\ \ To grasp why Italians put so much emphasis on the flavor and texture of the \ pasta they put on their plates, it's important to understand that in Italy the \ serving ratio of sauce to pasta is far lower than in most of North America. \ Italians generally offer smaller servings, lightly tossed with a sauce or simply \ served with a dollop atop the noodles. By Italian standards, the sauce should \ accent, never overwhelm; no upstanding Italian chef would ever drown a pasta \ dish in sauce. With this guideline in mind, it only makes sense that the \ pasta itself has to have a flavor and character of its own.\ \ Choosing Great Dried Pasta\ \ The basic process for producing dried pasta is fairly simple. Flour and water \ are mixed into a dough, the dough is extruded through metal dies to create a \ multitude of shapes and sizes, and the freshly pressed pasta is then dried to \ preserve it. Finally the pasta is packed and shipped for sale. But while the \ basic recipe is consistent, there are drastic differences in quality from one \ noodle to the next. How can you tell which ones are at the top of the market \ and which are only at entry level? There are three key indicators.\ \ 1. Better Pasta Tastes Better\ \ I'm not talking about the finished dish, just the noodles, au naturel, in the \ nude. A good pasta should be able to stand out with only a little olive oil or \ butter, and maybe a light sprinkling of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.\ \ 2. The Importance of Texture\ \ Texture is another piece of the pasta puzzle; the integrity of the noodle after \ it's been cooked is critical. Poor-quality pastas can literally fall apart in the \ pot; turn your back and they turn soft and mushy in a matter of minutes. Well-\ made macaroni, on the other hand, is supposed to have texture; when you \ take a bite, you should know you're eating something significant.\ The difference is evident as soon as you open the box or bag and \ lay your hands on the raw pasta inside the package. Grab a fistful of \ commercial spaghetti. It's shiny, slick, and as straight as a set of plastic \ pick-up sticks. Or feel a bit of mass-produced elbow macaroni. It's \ lightweight, brittle. The stuff seems ready to shatter at the touch.\ Now heft a handful of top-grade pasta made by an artisan \ producer. It's solid. Heavier. More substantial. Its surface is rough, like a set \ of sun-washed and wind-worn seashells gathered on the beach.\ \ 3. Better Pasta Smells Better\ \ Aroma is the third essential element in distinguishing excellent pasta from \ run-of-the-mill. And when you drop a handful of top-notch noodles into boiling \ water, they release an enticing whiff of wheat. No, it's not overpowering, but \ it's definitely there. In fact, if you go into a small pasta plant, the first thing \ you're likely to notice is the smell of the grain. It's a lot like the scent of a \ good bakery. The air is warm and humid, perfumed with the aroma of milled \ wheat.\ \ Grain, Not Flour\ \ You may have noticed that in proper pasta parlance, Italians always refer \ to "grain," never to "flour." Don't dismiss this distinction as merely semantic —\ Italian pasta makers are adamant about it.\ I once made the mistake of using the two terms interchangeably. \ Speaking to a third-generation maker of traditional pasta, I inquired about the \ source of the flour he was working with. He immediately gave me a look of \ deep disgust, as if I'd suggested we sit down to a bowl of SpaghettiOs.\ "It's not flour. It's grain!" he corrected me sternly. "Watch." He \ grabbed the arm of his unsuspecting salesperson and pulled him closer. \ Cutting open a paper sack of yellow semolina, the pasta maker pulled out a \ fistful and then proceeded to smear it all over the sleeve of the guy's powder \ blue suit. I stood there stunned, feeling guilty for ruining the poor fellow's \ outfit. Flour—far more finely milled —would have quickly embedded itself in \ the cloth. But the pasta maker smiled and, holding firm to the man's arm, \ brushed it off easily. Since milled semolina is granular in structure, like \ sugar, only minimal markings were left as the grain fell to the floor.\ "See?" he said questioningly. "Sì," I replied with a smile. Lesson \ learned.\ \ Making a Better Pasta\ \ So how does a producer go about making a better grade of pasta?\ \ The Grain\ \ All the best Italian dried pastas start with semola di grano duro (durum \ semolina), the coarsest grade of milled endosperm from hard wheat (Triticum \ durum). In fact, since 1967 Italian law has actually required it. (Up until \ recently, you couldn't sell soft wheat pasta in Italy, but European Union \ codes have forced the Italians to open their market to imports from other EU \ countries.) Unlike flour that is very finely milled to a powder, semolina is \ granular, almost like sugar or finely ground cornmeal. Durum semolina \ makes superior pasta primarily because of its high gluten content—when \ properly developed in the dough by the maker, these glutens trap the starch \ inside the pasta and keep it from flowing out into the cooking water. \ Additionally, the glutens help to ensure the firmness that is such an essential \ element in great pasta. Because of its harder nature, durum semolina \ requires longer kneading, adding time and cost but contributing mightily to \ the flavor and texture of the finished pasta. It also gives the glowing golden \ appearance that is typical of Italian pasta, as opposed to the whiter look of a \ low-end product.\ Unfortunately, only Italy imposes such a requirement for the use \ of semolina. In other countries it's perfectly permissible for a pasta maker to \ start with soft wheat (Triticum vulgarum), which is far less costly but \ produces an inferior product. You can usually spot soft wheat pastas as soon \ as you drop them into boiling water; the pasta breaks down and clouds the \ cooking liquid.\ Buying the best pasta isn't just a function of finding a label that \ lists "semolina" among its ingredients. Just as coffee roasters work with an \ array of green beans, the best pasta makers are masters at buying and \ blending durum semolina from various sources. Each producer has his own \ suppliers, his own mix; long before the grain ever gets into the pasta \ machines, the pasta maker adjusts his recipe annually to take into account \ alterations in crop yields and flavor. The variety of the wheat is important; as \ with other agricultural products, older varieties of wheat are often the most \ flavorful, but they also have lower yields and higher risk of disease, which \ keep more cost-conscious producers at arm's length. Some pasta makers \ prefer wheat from the various regions of Italy; others won't buy anything but \ Canadian durum.\ The point is merely that the best dried pasta should taste of the \ grain; if you already know a noodle with flavor and character, it's likely that \ the maker has managed to buy grain from better sources.\ \ The Water\ \ Although few people think about it, the flavor of the water with which the grain \ is mixed is a matter of great concern to quality-oriented pasta makers. Since \ the water in any given area has its own chemical and mineral makeup, it will \ alter the flavor of any item it's blended with, as it would in brewing coffee or \ tea. The same grain mixed in California instead of Campania is likely to yield \ a different flavor in the finished pasta.\ \ The Mixing\ \ As with bread dough, excessive heat during mixing is the enemy of the \ quality-conscious producer. Slow, gentle, low-temperature mixing helps to \ preserve the natural character and flavor of the wheat. Gentler kneading also \ allows the pasta maker to mix for a longer period of time, enhancing the \ glutens that are so essential to creating a vital, vibrant texture. Finally, the \ traditional pasta maker must be ready and able to adjust his mixing to \ changes in weather and humidity, just as the artisan baker would do with \ bread.\ \ The Extrusion\ \ Once the dough has been mixed, it's then extruded through variously shaped \ dies. The early versions were developed at the end of the nineteenth century, \ allowing pasta makers to expand their offerings significantly. (Before that, \ noodles had to be hand-cut.) The dies are not unlike the cover plate on an old-\ fashioned meat grinder, but with a differently shaped die for each of the \ dozens of types of pasta being produced. Strands of spaghetti or other long \ pastas are pushed through small holes, then cut at the appropriate length by \ rotating blades. Short tubular pastas like penne start out by winding their way \ around a rod suspended from the top of the die, then exit through a smaller \ hole at the bottom. This narrowing forces the dough to come back to form the \ hollow tubes and twists we're all accustomed to. Notches in the holes can \ force the exiting dough to curve or curl, conjuring shapes like "elbow" \ macaroni.\ Most modern commercial operations now extrude pasta dough \ through smooth Teflon-coated dies. The Teflon lasts a long time and allows \ for more rapid (and hence cost-reducing) extrusion, but it yields a pasta so \ slick that it seems to shine. When you dress it, your sauce is certain to run \ right off, leaving a bunch of nearly naked noodles lying atop an unappealing \ pool of liquid.\ The best dried pastas are those that are extruded through old-\ style dies made of bronze, what Italians refer to as trafile di bronze. An \ essential component of artisan pasta making, the bronze dies are \ themselves an artisan product. Although the first phases of their production \ are now done by machine, the dies must be checked, adjusted, and finished \ by hand in order to produce near-perfect pasta. Bronze is a soft metal, \ meaning the life of the dies is shorter, the extrusion is slower, and \ replacement costs are higher compared with commercial equipment. But the \ beauty of these old-fashioned forms is that they produce pasta with a \ coarser, more porous surface —the seemingly sea-washed roughness you \ feel when you hold it in your hand. Yet aesthetics is not the only issue. The \ little pits in the pasta embrace the sauce with open arms.\ Take note, too, that the speed of extrusion can also affect quality. \ In pasta making, as on the highway, speed kills; in this case, it can cause \ unwanted heat, and hence damage to both texture and flavor. Those who \ take the extrusion process at a more leisurely pace protect the natural \ glutens in the dough, which in turn ensures that the pasta's all-important \ texture is preserved during cooking.\ \ The Drying\ \ The drying takes the moisture content of the fresh dough down to less than \ half of its original 25 percent, giving packaged pasta its long shelf life and \ arguably making it one of mankind's ultimate convenience foods. Up until the \ beginning of the twentieth century, all Italian pasta was dried in the sun, often \ for up to a week, to reach the desired level of desiccation. Pasta makers, it \ was said, had to be as good at reading the weather as are fishermen or \ farmers. Sadly, in these days of air pollution and depleted ozone layers, sun-\ drying noodles is no longer an option, but fortunately for food lovers, pasta-\ drying machines were invented around 1900.\ Faster-moving, more cost-conscious factories use high heat to dry \ the pasta in a mere matter of hours. The problem with this speed-dried stuff \ is that the excessive heat essentially bakes the pasta; the finished noodles \ are often brittle and easily broken, and many of the subtleties of the grain \ may be lost.\ Smaller, artisan pastaii work at much lower temperatures than \ their industrial counterparts, taking as long as twenty-four, thirty-six, forty-\ eight, even fifty-plus hours to dry their pasta. This type of drying takes place \ in very warm (but never hot), humid environments in which moisture can be \ reduced slowly, without damaging the texture of the finished product. This \ slow, gentle drying preserves the noodle's natural moisture, wrapping it inside \ its rough exterior surface.\ While the production of artisan dried pasta may seem \ straightforward in theory, it is difficult to do well. Machines may do the actual \ extrusion, but the human element remains essential. Each pasta maker has \ a "recipe" for drying, and each seems certain that his technique is the best. \ Watching the pasta production at Martelli, an artisan pasta producer in \ Tuscany, I noticed that every so often Dino Martelli would grab a piece and \ pop it—raw—into his mouth.\ "Are you checking the pasta?" I inquired uncertainly.\ "Absolutely!" he answered adamantly, as if I should have known \ that. "We check the pasta by taste and by feel all the time." Like cheese-\ making or bread baking, traditional pasta production remains a craft, not a \ science.\ \ A Visit to the Mecca of Maccheroni, Martelli Pasta\ \ While I have enormous respect and appreciation for all of the traditional pasta \ makers I list in this guide, the truth is that if I had only one pasta to put in my \ pot for life, I'd unhesitatingly opt for Martelli.\ To find the Martellis and see their pasta making in person, you \ have to travel to the classic hill town of Lari in eastern Tuscany, about fifteen \ miles inland from the city of Pisa. The Martellis live and make their marvelous \ maccheroni at 3 Via San Martino, which has been a pasta factory since the \ 1870s. The Martellis took over in 1926, when the father and uncle of Dino and \ Mario Martelli bought the place, after working there for years as hourly \ employees.\ The Martellis long ago outgrew the space, but, driven by their \ commitment to the town and to tradition, they figured out a way to make it \ function effectively. The actual pasta making and initial drying take place on \ the main floor. The mixing of the dough begins on a small landing, halfway up \ a narrow stairway, in a steel hopper into which golden semolina is fed. Head \ the rest of the way up the stairs, turn left, pass through a glass doorway, and \ you run into a wall of seemingly solid humidity. If you're wearing glasses, \ they'll fog up immediately. You're now in a cramped hallway, lined on either \ side with ancient-looking, wood-framed, glass doors. Behind each door are \ tin-lined drying rooms, each filled with racks of moist pieces of still fresh \ pasta. Go back down the stairs, then head outside and straight across the \ street into the Martelli annex, where the pasta is hand-packed into its bright, \ sunny yellow bags with the original hand-lettered spaghetti loops spelling out \ the family moniker.\ Every bag of pasta reads: prodotti dalla famiglia Martelli—\ "products of the Martelli family." And that's exactly what they are. All the \ employees are Martellis: the two brothers, their respective wives, and their \ six collective children.\ The selection of Martelli pasta shapes and sizes is small. The \ family makes only the same four simple pasta shapes that their father and \ uncle started out with seventy-five years ago: thick spaghetti, thinner \ spaghettini, ridged maccheroni, and penne.\ The Martellis' story is a textbook case illustrating commitment to \ pasta quality. They use the hardest durum wheat flour; they call all the way \ to Canada to find the firmness they're looking for. The grain is brought intact \ to a local spot for milling in order to protect its fragile flavor. Mixing and \ extrusion are executed slowly and at low temperatures. Drying is slow, also \ at low temperatures —the process takes place over fifty hours, at about 65 \ degrees Fahrenheit. In deference to the tricky nature of the drying, someone \ from the family goes upstairs to the drying rooms every five or six hours. "We \ have to check it even on Sundays and holidays. We really have to be \ weathermen," said Dino Martelli. "We have to watch the weather and adjust \ the drying according to its changes."\ Although machines are part of the process, Martelli remains \ essentially a hand-crafted pasta. While the modern world pushes toward \ increased efficiency, the Martellis steadfastly maintain their ties to tradition. \ Quality—of pasta and of life— definitely takes precedence over expansion or \ growth. "What we make in one year, Barilla [Italy's biggest and best-known \ pasta producer] makes in one hour," the Martellis told me more than once, \ always with a smile. "With industrial machinery," Chiara Martelli, a member \ of the up-and-coming third generation, said, "one person alone can make ten \ thousand pounds of pasta in an hour. Here, with the whole family working \ together, we make two thousand pounds in a day."\ Instead of worrying about competitors, the Martellis focus on \ maintaining the integrity of their own product. On my most recent visit, we \ were watching the extrusion of quill-shaped penne, talking about how the \ machines cut it. When one "tube" became dislodged, the pasta started \ running too long. Valentina, another of the Martelli daughters, pointed out that \ they looked like . . . well, actually, she couldn't recall the name. "Dino," she \ yelled over to her father, her voice rising, "what's the name of those long \ tubes of pasta?" "Ziti?" he answered. "Sì, ziti," she said. Small town, small \ pastificio, small world. Only a Martelli family member—one who's eaten the \ same four Martelli shapes for most of her life—would have a hard time \ remembering ziti, one of the most common pasta cuts in Italy. There are no \ ziti in Lari.\ \ Mangia Martelli\ \ The whole Martelli enterprise could easily be written off by skeptics as an \ overly romantic relic of days gone by. Perhaps the best endorsement for \ Martelli came from its competitors. Granted, there are only a handful of \ small, artisan pasta makers still around. But when I asked those I've \ met, "Which pasta would you serve your family if you couldn't serve your \ own?" they all gave the same answer: "Martelli."\ To me—I'm both a traditionalist and an optimist —Martelli is a big \ part of the future of food, at least the one I'm working toward. A future that's \ respectful of tradition, but also open to new ideas and innovations. One in \ which people are committed both to hard work and to enjoying the little \ things in life, where serious attention is paid to the details that contribute to \ better quality and more flavor in our food. A bowlful of Martelli spaghetti on \ the table is my idea of value, a small price to pay for such enjoyable eating. \ You can keep the Rolls-Royce and the million-dollar condo. For me, eating \ Martelli is the good life.\ \ Other Good Brands of Dried Pasta\ \ CAVALIERI Down in the town of Lecce, in the region of Puglia, the heel of the \ Italian boot, Benedetto Cavalieri continues to craft exceptional pasta as his \ family has done since early in the twentieth century. The Cavalieris use \ primarily old varieties of low-yielding, full-flavored hard durum wheat grown in \ the surrounding hills. On the package, Cavalieri appropriately shares credit \ for the quality of his pasta with "the farmer and the miller." Without great \ wheat, the pasta maker is helpless, and Cavalieri uses a different blend of \ grains and a different dough for each cut of pasta that he makes.\ The mixing is done in a six-foot square hopper mounted on a \ metal platform. A boundlessly energetic man whose enthusiasm remains \ undimmed even after thirty years of pasta making, Cavalieri insists on using \ room-temperature water, to protect the character of the wheat.\ As at the Martelli pasta factory, the mixing proceeds at a fairly \ leisurely pace, and the extrusion is done through old-fashioned bronze dies.\ The short shapes of newly made pasta are placed into eight-foot-\ high wooden drying cabinets built in the 1930s. The family has a different \ dryer for each shape and size. The antique equipment lends a cultured, well-\ crafted air to the operation. But the effect is practical as well as pretty: good \ ventilation and very slow drying are essential, and the wood allows that.\ Cavalieri takes his time with the drying: thirty-six hours for the \ short cuts, and just under two very deliberate days for the longer shapes. The \ drying is done at about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly half the temperature \ employed by speed-oriented industrial pasta makers. The key, Cavalieri \ explains, gesturing with his hands, is "not to shock the pasta," to protect the \ integrity of its nutrition, texture, and flavor.\ I love the label as much as I do the product. A bold blue \ background with white lettering, it's the same one that was first designed for \ the family in 1918. As with Martelli, when you drop this pasta into boiling \ water, you'll be struck by the wheaty aroma that rises from the pot.\ \ LATINI Latini is a very good brand of artisan pasta from the Marche region \ along Italy's east coast. It's not my top choice, but it's the favorite of many in \ the food world, including the Italian cooking expert Faith Willinger. Carlo and \ Carla Latini grow much of their own wheat and stick to slow, gentle kneading, \ extruding through bronze dies, and slow drying. The Latini farm has been in \ Carlo's family for four generations (since 1888), and he's passionate about \ growing the best possible durum wheat for pasta. Last I knew, Latini was \ growing nearly a hundred different types of wheat.\ Of particular note is the Latini Senatore Cappelli spaghetti, made \ from an antique variety of wheat that Carlo has helped to revive. It's a low-\ yielding, high-flavor varietal that has a fine fragrance when it hits the pot. The \ Latinis' long-term goal is to match each pasta shape to a variety of wheat. \ I'm also particularly fond of the Latini fusilli.\ \ RUSTICHELLA Rustichella, from Abruzzo, uses only bronze dies and allows \ nearly two days for drying. The essence of the craft comes through in the \ pasta—the flavor and texture are superb. Of the dozens of unusual shapes \ and sizes, I've come to love the fettuccine, which is by far the best I've ever \ had. Rustichella linguine is a close second, but you won't go wrong with any \ of its pastas. Its egg pasta is especially good.\ \ Different Cuts for Different Cooks: A Guide to Pasta Shapes\ \ I once asked a pasta maker which cuts he would recommend for soup. His \ immediate answer: "Which kind of soup?" A recent survey of Italian pastas \ counted something like five hundred cuts. Italians take their shape selection \ pretty seriously. Here's a quick guide to matching cuts with appropriate \ sauces:\ \ • Generally, long, thick styles like spaghetti are associated with strong-\ flavored sauces: olive oil and garlic, tomato, cheese. Long, hollow noodles \ like bucatini or pici might be paired with spicy sauces. Long, thin pastas like \ linguine or even angel hair would marry well with more delicate sauces, often \ those made with seafood.\ \ • Short, hollow shapes like penne or macaroni are meant for meat or \ vegetable sauces; solid bits and pieces of the sauce will collect inside the \ tubes, integrating pasta and sauce. Very short pastas are a good match for \ sauces with dried peas, lentils, or beans. Flat pastas like farfalle (bow ties) \ are a good match for cream or cheese-based sauces.\ \ • Tiny, short shapes are ideal for soup. The general guideline: the lighter the \ soup, the smaller the pasta. For broth, go with shapes like anellini, stellini, \ acini, or orzo. Chunkier thick soups need bigger shapes, such as tubetti, \ ditalini, or maybe even macaroni. For all soups, add the pasta at the end so \ it won't overcook.\ \ ACINI DI PEPE "Peppercorn" pasta, well suited for broth.\ \ ANELLINI Tiny pasta rings for soup. Cannelloni Rectangles of pasta wrapped \ around assorted fillings and then baked.\ \ CAPELLINI Very thin angel hair. Lidia Bastianich, the superb chef-owner of \ Felidia in New York, gave me this tip: "Take them out when they're still \ almost stiff, drain them, add a bit of oil, toss, and then finish them for a \ minute in the sauce. Otherwise they turn into mush."\ \ CASARECCI A typical pasta of Puglia. The name, meaning "home style," \ refers to two-inch-long thin twists.\ \ CONCHIGLIE Pasta shells, well suited to sauces made with meat and/or cut \ vegetables.\ \ CORZETTI A specialty of Liguria, these pasta shapes look like stamped \ coins from ancient times.\ \ DITALINI Little thimbles, good for vegetable soups.\ \ FARFALLE Butterflies, or bow ties, very nice with cream sauces.\ \ FEDELINI Another long, thin shape. The name is from fedele, \ meaning "faithful," or filo, meaning "thread" or "wire."\ \ FETTUCCINE A fettuccia is a tape or a ribbon. Narrower than the northern \ tagliatelle.\ \ FREGOLA A unique Sardinian pasta made from a dough of coarsely ground \ semolina that is rubbed into small round balls (about the size of Israeli \ couscous). It's lightly toasted, so it has an interesting nutty flavor. In \ Sardinia, it's used in soups and stews (often with clams), as well as baked \ with tomato sauce.\ \ FUSILLI Although the name is common, the cut seems to be different in \ every area of Italy. Some are long, curly corkscrews; others are half-inch-long \ pig-tail twists. Good for cream sauces.\ \ LASAGNE Broad, flat rectangles.\ \ LASAGNOTTE Wide ribbons that are typical of Puglia. The Pugliese break \ them into two- to three-inch pieces for cooking, then serve them with a strong \ sauce, like rabbit sauce, or a vegetable sauce of onions, carrots, tomatoes, \ and fresh ricotta.\ \ LINGUINE Flat spaghetti. The name means "little tongues." A classic with \ clam sauce.\ \ LUMACHE "Snails," good for sauces with moderately sized pieces of meat or \ vegetables. The snail shape collects the sauce.\ \ MACCHERONI About two-inch-long hollow pastas. In the United States the \ name "macaroni" has come to mean all pasta. In seventeenth-century \ London, the term "macaroni" was used to refer to the avant garde, who \ regularly indulged in pasta as well as other imported luxury foods. Over time, \ the term came into use as slang for anything of exaggerated elegance, like \ the feather in Yankee Doodle's cap.\ \ MALLOREDDUS Half-inch-long ridged Sardinian pastas that look a bit like \ small worms. Also known on the island as "gnocchi," though they are nothing \ like actual gnocchi.\ \ ORECCHIETTE "Little ears," the most typical of all Pugliese pastas.\ \ ORECCHIETTE MARITATE "Married" orecchiette. A Pugliese blend of \ casarecci (long and thin) and orecchiette (round), which consummate \ their "marriage" in the pot when you cook them together.\ \ ORZO "Barley seeds," used for soups or pasta salads.\ \ PAGLIA E FIENO "Straw and hay," used to denote green (spinach) and \ yellow (egg) noodles mixed together. Good with cream or tomato sauces.\ \ PAPPARDELLE Broad egg noodles that are big with game meats, like hare \ or wild boar.\ \ PENNE Macaroni cut like quills, or pens. Good with meat, cream, and \ vegetable sauces.\ \ PEZZOCCHERI Buckwheat pasta from the Valtellina in the north of \ Lombardy. Traditionally a winter dish, served with cabbage, potatoes, and \ garlic, all mixed together and baked with cheese.\ \ QUADRUCCI Tiny pasta squares, used primarily for soups.\ \ SAGNE Long Pugliese pasta, shaped like ribbons wrapped around a rod or \ candle.\ \ SPAGHETTI The most famous pasta. The name comes from spago, \ meaning "string" or "cord"; spaghetti means "little strings." Good with tomato \ and olive oil–based sauces.\ \ SPAGHETTINI Thin spaghetti.\ \ SPAGHETTONI Very thick spaghetti that is made into two-foot-long strands \ that are usually broken up before cooking. Typically served in Puglia with \ olive oil and fresh garlic.\ \ STELLINI "Little stars," used in broth.\ \ TAGLIATELLE The name is from tagliare, meaning "to cut." The Bolognese \ serve it with prosciutto and other meat sauces.\ \ TROFIE Small twists of pasta, a bit like two-inch pieces of twine folded in \ half, then gently (never tightly) twisted. The preferred Ligurian pasta for pesto.\ \ VERMICELLI Literally "little worms," they are essentially like spaghetti or \ spaghettini.\ \ ZITI Neapolitan macaroni. Ziti means "groom," and this pasta is typically \ served in Naples as a first course at weddings.\ \ Egg Pasta\ \ For delicate dishes, dried pastas made with egg, not water, are generally \ used. And as with all pasta, making a good one is a craft, not a science, and \ relies on the skill of the pasta maker, the selection of flours, and the care \ exercised in the drying.\ I like egg pastas with simple sauces. Butter and cheese sauce is \ my favorite. Or butter and cheese with toasted nuts (see page 250). Browned \ butter and fried sage leaves with some freshly grated Parmigiano- Reggiano \ make a great sauce, as do fresh ricotta and a good dose of a delicate olive \ oil. So too does a simple sauce of saffron, sautéed onion, a small amount of \ chicken broth, and maybe some little bits of leftover lamb or chicken.\ \ Al Dente\ \ America's leading artisan egg pasta, Al Dente, has been made in the Ann \ Arbor area by Monique and Dennis Deschaine for over twenty years. Monique \ learned her technique from none other than Marcella Hazan, as good a \ teacher as one could ask for. Following Hazan's recommendations, Monique \ swears by a blend of semolina and extra-fancy durum flour that she mixes \ with fresh eggs. She prefers that her pasta not be exceptionally eggy, so it's \ less intense than comparable Italian offerings. She insists on "sheeting," or \ rolling out the pasta (the alternative is extrusion, or pressing out the dough, \ which works well for dried pasta but toughens the texture of tender egg \ noodles). Sheeting the dough makes the finished fettuccine as close to \ homemade as possible. As a result, Al Dente noodles are very light and \ delicate and cook up in a mere two to three minutes. Al Dente makes many \ fine flavored noodles —wild mushroom and spicy sesame are my favorites—\ but I'm still partial to the original recipe for the egg fettuccine. The spinach \ noodles are also noteworthy, made exclusively with fresh spinach.\ \ Maccheroncini di Campofilone\ \ If you like a lot of egg in your egg pasta, this is the way to go. A third-\ generation, family-owned producer of pasta since the 1930s, Maccheroncini \ di Campofilone is probably Italy's premier packaged egg pasta. The women of \ the town of Campofilone in the Marche region have long been known for their \ pasta-making skills. They too use only fresh eggs, but they're at the other \ end of the egg spectrum from Al Dente—the Campofilone pasta is very rich in \ eggs, very golden, almost orange in color.\ \ Simple Steps to Proper Pasta Cooking\ \ Proper cooking technique is as imperative as proper purchasing of the raw \ materials. To cook the best dried pastas:\ \ 1. Bring lots of cold water to a boil. The emphasis is on lots. You want to \ have plenty of room for the pasta to move around in the pot, reducing the risk \ of sticking, and plenty of water for the dried noodles to absorb. Using enough \ water also ensures that the pasta won't cool off your cooking liquid. Start \ with at least a gallon, even for only a small portion of pasta. For a pound of \ dried pasta, give yourself a good 6 to 7 quarts of water.\ \ 2. When the water has come to a rapid boil, add a tablespoon or two of sea \ salt, which unlocks the flavor of the grain.\ \ 3. Add the pasta to the rapidly boiling salted water. When I was a kid, we \ always broke up long cuts of pasta into more manageable lengths, but \ Italians almost never do (though there are regional exceptions to this rule). \ Simply add the pasta as is, then stir well to make sure the strands don't \ stick to one another or to the bottom of the pot.\ \ 4. If you've got a good amount of water and a high source of heat, your \ cooking water should come back to the boil quickly. Remember, the water \ should be actively boiling, not just simmering. To avoid sticking and to ensure \ even cooking, keep stirring every now and again.\ \ 5. Test the pasta. The better the quality of the pasta, the more reason not to \ overcook it. Properly cooked pasta is done when it is al dente, tender on the \ outside, slightly firm on the inside. Generally, better-quality pastas are a bit \ more forgiving to the careless cook. Inferior products can go from raw to \ ridiculously overcooked in just a couple of minutes. My experience is that the \ top pastas are best when they're nicely firm (not raw, mind you) in the \ middle. Take note that in general, Italians prefer their pasta far firmer than we \ do in the United States.\ Pastas made from harder wheat will take longer to cook than soft-\ wheat pastas. Similarly, those that were dried slowly will usually require \ more cooking time than those dried quickly and at higher heat. Don't adhere \ blindly to cooking times on packages. Depending on the quantity of water, \ the particular batch of pasta, and the strength of the heat source, actual \ cooking times will vary. So keep taking out a piece or two of pasta and \ tasting to check for doneness.\ \ 6. As soon as the pasta is done, get it out of the cooking water as quickly as \ possible. Don't dally. Most American cooks drain through a colander. Make \ sure your sink and drain are free of unwanted debris, and if your drain is slow, \ be ready to lift the colander out of the sink quickly. Alternatively, Italians use \ pasta tongs, which help keep long pastas from tangling. Pasta pots that \ come with colander inserts offer the best of both worlds, allowing you to \ remove the pasta all at once while avoiding tangling.\ If you're serving the pasta hot, never, never rinse it with water. \ Instead, moving as quickly as possible, transfer the pasta to pre-warmed \ plates or bowls, and dress with sauce. Serve ASAP—the sooner you get the \ plates to the table, the better.\ \ Note: Remember that portions in Italy—where pasta is often followed by a \ main course of meat or fish—are smaller than those we've become \ accustomed to in the States. An Italian serving starts with about two ounces \ of dried pasta; an American main course would call for three to four ounces.\ \ Two Bonus Tips on Cooking Pasta, From a Pro\ \ Faith Willinger, a woman who's done as much as anyone to advance the \ cause of great Italian food, shared these tips with me.\ \ 1. Add a touch of the pasta cooking water to your sauce. The pasta water is \ filled with the natural starch from the pasta and will help to bind and thicken \ the sauce naturally.\ \ 2. Finish your pasta in the sauce. Instead of waiting until the pasta is al \ dente, remove it from the cooking liquid a minute or two early. Toss the \ slightly underdone pasta with the simmering sauce, then cook for another \ minute or two, stirring regularly to avoid sticking. Since the pasta is still \ absorbing moisture, it will pull in the sauce (and hence its flavors). The result \ is a much better integration of pasta and sauce.\ \ Pugliese Orecchiette and Broccoli Rabe\ \ Orecchiette is the prestigious pasta of Puglia, the heel of the Italian boot. The \ name means "little ears," and the indentations in the pasta catch the sauce. \ The rim of the orecchiette, a bit thicker than the depressed center, stays firm \ when you cook it, creating an interesting textural contrast as you eat.\ The traditional Pugliese way to eat orecchiette is with broccoli \ rabe, also known as rapini, in a simple sauce seasoned with hot peppers and \ anchovies. It has become one of my favorite meals.\ \ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste\ 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)\ 2 garlic cloves, minced\ 1 serrano chile pepper, chopped, or hot red pepper flakes, preferably Marash \ (see page 58), to taste, plus more for serving\ 3 anchovy fillets\ Coarse sea salt to taste\ 1 pound orecchiette\ 1 small bunch broccoli rabe or dandelion greens (4 ounces without tough \ stems), coarsely chopped\ Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese\ Freshly ground black pepper to taste\ Fresh ricotta cheese, for serving\ \ Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, in another large skillet, heat \ the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until \ soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the serrano pepper or pepper flakes and sauté, \ stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.\ Add 1/4 cup of hot water from the other pot and the anchovy fillets \ to the onion mixture. (They'll melt into the sauce, so there's no need to chop \ them.)\ When the water in the first pot boils, add 1 to 2 tablespoons salt \ and the orecchiette, stir well, and cook until the pasta is almost al dente.\ Meanwhile, add the broccoli rabe or dandelion greens to the onion \ mixture. Stir, add a pinch of salt and another 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking \ water, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the pasta is done. Add more \ of the pasta cooking water, if necessary, to keep the greens "saucy."\ Drain the pasta and add it to the greens. Stir and simmer for 2 \ minutes, or until well combined. Add a little more olive oil, some grated \ Pecorino Romano cheese, and black pepper. Serve in warm bowls with a \ dollop of ricotta cheese and additional hot pepper flakes on the side.\ serves 4\ \ Pasta with Anchovies and Capers\ \ This dish makes a great dinner if you like anchovies. The addition of dried \ currants adds a subtle sweetness. Because good spaghetti takes about 13 \ minutes to cook, you can probably finish the sauce while the pasta is \ cooking. Italians generally don't use cheese on pasta dishes that include \ fish, but if you're not holding an Italian passport, you can toss a little grated \ Parmigiano on top. Either way, it's excellent.\ \ 1 tablespoon capers, preferably packed in salt\ 1–2 tablespoons coarse sea salt to taste\ 1/2 pound spaghetti\ 1 tablespoon full-flavored extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste\ 1 small onion, coarsely chopped (about 3/4 cup)\ 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped\ 10 anchovy fillets\ 1 tablespoon dried currants\ 1 cup coarsely chopped dandelion greens, arugula, or Swiss chard\ 1 2-inch square of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind (optional)\ 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted (see page 31)\ 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, preferably Marash (see page 58)\ Freshly ground black pepper to taste\ Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)\ \ If you're using salted capers, soak them in a bit of warm water for 20 to 30 \ minutes, changing the water halfway through. Drain the water, rinse the \ capers, and dry them on a paper towel.\ Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the pasta; stir \ well. Cook until almost al dente.\ Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. \ Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 of \ the anchovy fillets and stir well. Add the currants and stir again. Add 3 \ tablespoons of the pasta cooking water, the greens, capers, and Parmigiano-\ Reggiano rind (if using) and stir well. Cook until the greens are slightly wilted. \ Add more pasta water if needed to keep the sauce properly soused.\ Drain the pasta, add it to the pot with the sauce, and stir well.\ Add the remaining 8 anchovies, the pine nuts, red pepper flakes, \ and a little more olive oil. Stir until the anchovies are heated through, being \ careful not to overcook and melt them.\ Fish out the rind and serve in warm bowls with a generous \ grinding of black pepper on top and a little grated Parmigiano, if you like.\ serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish\ \ Linguine with Arugula, Olive Oil, and Hot Peppers\ \ This is the kind of fast food I like to eat. You can make the entire recipe, start \ to finish, in 15 minutes and have time to make a salad while it's cooking. Use \ more or less olive oil, as you wish. The more— and better—the oil, the better \ the pasta will taste.\ \ Coarse sea salt to taste\ 1 pound top-quality linguine\ 1/4 cup full-flavored extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving\ 4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved\ 1 small onion, coarsely chopped (about 3/4 cup)\ Hot red pepper flakes, preferably Marash (see page 58), to taste, plus more \ for serving\ 1 pound fresh young arugula leaves, any large stems removed (if the leaves \ are large, tear them in half)\ 1 tablespoon pine nuts, lightly toasted (see page 31)\ 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving\ Freshly ground black pepper to taste\ \ Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons salt and the \ pasta, stir well, and cook until the pasta is almost al dente.\ Meanwhile, make the sauce. In another large pot, heat the oil over \ medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until softened. Add \ the onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft. Add the pepper flakes \ and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes more. Discard the garlic.\ Drain the pasta when it is almost al dente. Add the arugula leaves \ and pine nuts to the onion mixture and toss quickly so that the arugula wilts \ slightly. Add the drained pasta to the arugula mixture, add the grated \ cheese, and toss well.\ Serve in warm bowls, finished with an additional ribbon of olive oil \ on top. Pass extra pepper flakes, grated Pecorino Romano, and salt and \ pepper at the table.\ serves 4\ \ Fettuccine with Fresh Tuna, Lemon, Capers, and Olives\ \ Rolando Beramendi of Manicaretti Imports inspired this recipe. It's as \ comforting as tuna-noodle casserole and incredibly delicious. Sautéing the \ lemon slices with the skin on contributes to both the flavor and the texture of \ the dish. If you like, add an extra blessing of olive oil or limonato (lemon olive \ oil—see page 24) at the table.\ \ 2 tablespoons capers, preferably packed in salt\ Coarse sea salt\ 1 pound top-quality fettuccine, preferably Rustichella brand, or other pasta\ 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil\ 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped\ 24 black olives (not canned), pitted and coarsely chopped\ 1 lemon, quartered and thinly sliced (if you can find a Meyer lemon, use it)\ 2 anchovy fillets (optional)\ 1 pound fresh tuna, cut into 1-inch cubes\ 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped Italian parsley, rinsed and squeezed dry\ Freshly ground black pepper to taste\ \ If you're using salted capers, soak them in a bit of warm water for 20 to 30 \ minutes, changing the water halfway through. Drain the water, rinse the \ capers, and dry them on a paper towel.\ Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the pasta, stir \ well, and cook until the pasta is al dente.\ Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil \ over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until \ softened. Add the olives, lemon, capers, and anchovy fillets (if using), and \ sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tuna and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes more, \ until the fish is rare to medium-rare in the center; do not overcook.\ When the pasta is al dente, drain and add it to the sauce. Add the \ parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Serve in warm bowls.\ serves 4\ \ Homemade Tomato Sauce\ \ Although bottled tomato sauces abound on store shelves, it's pretty easy to \ make one from scratch. The key is the quality of the tomatoes and the olive \ oil. If tomatoes are in season, fresh is the way to go. During the off-season, I \ use canned, preferably the San Marzano variety.\ (This sauce is versatile. You can use it on pasta or to cook \ Minchilli Meatballs on page 43.)\ For times when you're in a hurry or don't feel like cooking, there \ are some good bottled tomato sauces on the market. My favorites among the \ Italian imports include Il Mongetto, Rustichella, and Torre Saracena. Rao's \ and Dave's Gourmet are two American brands that I've found to be \ consistently good.\ \ 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil\ 1 large onion, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)\ 1 large carrot or 2 small carrots, coarsely chopped (about 3/4 cup)\ 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped\ 5 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups), or two 28-ounce cans \ whole tomatoes, drained, coarsely chopped\ 2 tablespoons tomato paste\ Coarse sea salt to taste\ Freshly ground black pepper to taste\ \ In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the \ onion and carrot for 2 to 3 minutes, reduce the heat to medium, cover and \ sweat the vegetables over medium heat for about 25 minutes, or until soft and \ golden. Add the garlic, stir well, cover, and sweat for 5 minutes more, until \ softened. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce the \ heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes to blend the \ flavors.\ Push the cooked sauce through a food mill or blend in a food \ processor and push through a sturdy small-holed strainer into a large bowl. \ Add salt and pepper to taste.\ The sauce can be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 \ week, or frozen for up to 3 months.\ makes 3 to 4 cups, enough to serve 6 to 8\ \ Variations\ \ • Add 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil at the very end of cooking.\ \ • Fry 6 to 8 fresh sage leaves in olive oil until golden brown. Gently crumble \ the sage over the pasta just before serving.\ \ • Add 6 ounces fresh goat cheese to the sauce.\ \ • Add additional olive oil at will—the more, the better, to my taste.\ \ • Add 2 ounces of good-quality balsamic vinegar.\ \ Copyright © 2003 by Ari Weinzweig. Reprinted by permission of Houghton \ Mifflin Company.

A personal prefaceixIntroductionxiii1.Oils, olives, and vinegarsOlive oil2Olives44Nut oils59Balsamic vinegar and wine vinegars662.Grains and ricesBread94Pasta123Polenta145Italian rices158Spanish rices175Really Wild wild rice1873.CheesesA guide to buying cheeses202Parmigiano-reggiano cheese215Cheddar cheese226Mountain cheeses236Blue cheeses252Goat cheeses2694.Meat and fishProsciutto280Serrano ham291Salami299Smoked salmon3085.SeasoningsPepper322Sea salt335Saffron3496.Honey, vanilla, chocolate, and teaHoney364Vanilla383Chocolate399Tea421Mail-order sources446For further reading455General index458Recipe index475

\ From the Publisher"Great reading . . . it's full of useful information to help make choices when presented with the opportunity to spend money on the best basic ingredients." Cinncinati Inquirer\ "Not only an education in taste, it's as delicious and satisfying a read as the traditional foods it celebrates." The Detroit Free Press\ "Weinzweig's book pays homage to culinary artisans and traditions with a sensibility only a Russian historian-turned-foodie could wield." - Gourmet News\ "Weinzweig's paeans . . . do much to restore the romance of the table." Publishers Weekly\ "Refreshing. Weinzweig's enthusiasm is infectious, his style zany." - Saveur\ "[Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating] is, in brief, a road map to really smart food shopping and good eating. As the author writes 'when you willingly, knowingly, consciously eat better-tasting food, it adds a little zing to your life.' And isn't that what we all need - a little zing in our lives?" - Parade\ "Values pure, hallmark flavors, and the remarkable quantity of information and recipes in this book has the effect of showing the reader, whether neophyte or sophisticate, how to recognize and enjoy them...If being a great cook involves understanding great ingredients and the people who make them—and I believe it does—then this book will nudge anyone toward greatness."-New York Times Book Review\ New York Times Book Review Notable Book\ "An indispensible primer for would-be gourmands"—New York Magazine\ New York Magazine\ "If I had to choose just one book this season, I'd take Zingerman's Guide to Good Eatingby food-importer extraordinaire Ari Weinzweig. In chapters crammed with wisdom, travel tales, food buying tips, and inviting recipes, Weinzweig celebrates and elucidates life's essentials: i.e., oil, vinegar, grain, cheese, chocolate. This stupendous volume offers fundamentals for the neophyte and soul food for the devout."-Fine Cooking\ \ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyWeinzweig is a founding partner of Zingerman's, a famed Ann Arbor, Mich., deli. His guide instructs on how to shop, not how to cook, and he opens up a world of gourmet particulars: he tells not just how to select a good olive oil or a real balsamic vinegar from the thousands on the shelf, but explains the differences among varietal honeys like chestnut, eucalyptus and lemon blossom; hot-smoked and cold-smoked salmon; Spanish and Iranian saffron; dry-cured and brine-cured olives. Weinzweig, who has a certifiable obsession with artisanal products, is at his best describing the often painstaking processes that transform raw ingredients into culinary phenomena. If globalization has made many imported foods both more available and less authentic, Weinzweig's paeans to San Daniele prosciutto and Cabrales blue cheese do much to restore the romance of the table. Weinzweig occasionally waxes pedantic or obvious ("better fish tastes better"), but his mouthwatering brand of fanaticism speaks for itself. Does it make sense to spend money buying a book that simply impels you to increase your grocery budget by 50%? Well, as Weinzweig would have it, "good food is for everyone"; when it comes to the luxuries of the table, there's no disputing taste. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.\ \