Who doesn’t love traditional great tasting pasta that cradles its sauce instead of it splatting onto the plate? Apparently, the key is semolina, which adds texture, taste and shape.
Imagine visiting the beach and trying to make a sandcastle out of the superfine sand…it’s the same with making pasta; if you want it to keep its shape, hold together and have bite you need this pale yellow durum wheat flour that is granulated rather than dusted. Depending on the delicacy of your sauce you add more or less semolina to your pasta dough, this is what makes it porous and clings to your sauce, rather than the slip & slide effect.
My morning’s pasta workshop in Manoppello, Pescara, was hosted by Giulia, owner of the friendly organic Casale Centurione, (restaurant and B&B) in with some great views out to Italy’s mother mountain, the Majella. The Abruzzo pasta lessons now include the region’s famous other low-gluten flours like solina and saragolla for those who’d like to see just what the differences are when using the great ancient flours of the Egyptians.
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher at Istituto Cristo Re in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region. Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
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