Amy Riolo Selections Maccheroni Pugliesi
I first learned about the health benefits of Senatore Cappelli wheat over a decade ago. I used to tell my students and readers about them, but didn’t have a way for them to be able to purchase the prized flour in the United States. Even in Italy it’s still not yet a household name, but it should be. For this reason, I’m proud to collaborate with Pastificio Marella who produces 100% handmade pasta of the highest quality possible. Using premium Italian wheat and a slow drying process with low temperatures, their pasta is easier to digest and offers additional health properties. With a history dating back to 1947, Pastificio Marella consistently collaborates with doctors, researchers, and nutritionists to ensure the most nutrient-dense traditional product possible.
I’m proud to say that Amy Riolo Selections Maccheroni Pugliesi Italian pasta is made from 100% Senatore Cappelli grains which are known as the “chosen breed” of wheat in Puglia Italy where it is grown. This type of wheat was cultivated in the 1930s and 1940s in Puglia by Senatore Raffaele Cappelli after whom it is named. Senatore Cappelli wheat contains trace elements such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, and zinc as well as B vitamins and E that are not found in industrially manufactured pasta.
Amy Riolo Selections Maccheroni Pugliesi are grown and milled in Italy by Pastificio Marella which is located in the heart of Puglia (the old Magna Grecia) in the province of Bari. Marella, an entirely family run company, is renowned throughout Italy as one the finest producers of traditional Apulian handmade pastas. While industrial pasta factories use a more resistant Teflon-coated steel die, pastas produced at the Marella Factory, or "Pastificio Marella", are extruded through a bronze die, giving the pasta a rough texture to better hold sauce.
I like to pair this pasta with everything from a simple tomato and basil sauce to Amy Riolo Selections Sundried Red Pesto, eggplant and vegetable based sauces, and thicker meat ragù. I was also pleasantly surprised that a little bit of this premium pasta goes along way. The combination of quality wheat and the preparation process make it much more filling than commercial pasta. This means that your appetite is satisfied with an much smaller portion.
