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Have you checked your pantry? Do you have the best ingredients needed for your great pasta recipes? Do you know what products to buy or where to get them? Is the cupboard well laid out, so that you can find things quickly?
Find here a list of the most common and traditional ingredients for the preparation of the pasta recipes. Most of them if not all, always present in any good Italian kitchen.
Some of them can be easily found in any supermarket; others can be obtained from Italian specialty stores in your area or by online ordering.
OLIVES
There are so many black and green varieties of olives oround the world.
Natural, stuffed or marinated. Packed in brine and imported from Italy, Spain or Portugal. Prepared with the best herbs, are perfect as antipasti. Find here some Olive Recipes
OLIVE OIL
Olive oil is the natural complement of pasta dishes, either natural in marinates or sauces. There are several grades ranging from "extra virgin" through "virgin" to "pure".
Extra virgin is a dark green and strong tasting Oil obtained from the olive by mechanical processes, is the best European oil choice.
Unlike wine, olive does not improve with age. Buy the best possible, with acidity of less than 1 percent and store it in a cool, dark place until use.
A good bottle of extra virgin olive oil is recommended for dressing pasta dishes.
BALSAMIC VINEGAR
The real balsamic vinegar is an expensive and exclusive product fermented, natural and aged in wooden casks.
It is originated in Modena and Emilia, north of Bologna. It is made from the must, the juice of certain varieties of pressed grapes by the natural and spontaneous transformation of grape-must boiled and concentrated on the fire and in the open air.
Inexpensive balsamic is aged for about two years, while more expensive Vinegars are aged from twelve to fifteen years. some VERY expensive balsaming are aged for as long as FIFTY years.
Balsamic vinegar may be sprinkled over food and used in sauces dressings, and soups
Substitutions are almost impossible.!!!
CHEESE
There are an endless variety of cheeses available in Italy. Nevertheless, most people are familiar with just a few, whether it be soft, moist mozzarella, sharp, oily provolone or dry, flaky parmesan.
Do you know how to keep and serve cheese, What type of bread to serve the cheese with or How to Find and buy good cheese...this and more in ALL ABOUT CHEESE
So many recipes with cheese are suggested on this site, as well as pasta recipes or antipasto... THAT I AM SURE YOU WANT TO TRY
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INGREDIENTS FOR YOUR PERFECT PASTA PANTRY
