One of the most over the top people here in Seattle sells other food products in addition to wine. This sales pitch is one of the funniest things ever written. He seems to claim that modern wheat leads to all sorts of health problems...
Saturday: The Finest Pasta in the World!
Dear Friends,
This offer is very long so curl up with a nice cup of coffee or tea and find a good time to read through it.
Ready?
I’ve searched for years to uncover the best pasta maker in Italy (if not the world) and I’ve put on a few pounds in the process (but I’ve enjoyed every mouthful)!
After more than two decades on the road sampling artisan pasta up and down The Boot (as well as other climes, not just in Italy), I’ve found the holy grail of pasta. This is a source that is not easy to import and like so many of the artists that I try to bring your way, they beat to their own drummer and time-table but patience is worth the most magnificent pasta meal that awaits.
The most amazing thing about this?
Unlike that single bottle of 1989 Montrose you’ve been saving for a special occasion, this pasta can be enjoyed whenever you wish! They’ve produced enough (by hand) to allow up to 6 bags/shape per Email List member and I recommend going as long as you can on this “everyday” foodstuff (that will set a new standard in your household!).
There is so much information to get through, I’m not even sure where to begin, but I began my own search with a checklist...
If I had to check every box I was searching for in a pasta producer, this source is the only one that checked every box (and then some).
Made expressly for the Email List, this run of traditional bronze-cut pasta is produced from small batches of Italian ancient/heirloom BIO/organic wheat from (often) abandoned wheat fields in out of the way places (left in slumber by a great grandfather or two who abandoned mountain farming or the difficulties of agriculture for the big city and/or high-tonnage chemical-laden valley-floor farming in the 1970’s/1980’s).
The parcels I’m typing about – the “ancient” heirloom wheat plots - are often found in gnarled undulating hillsides (with trees in the middle of the plot) and look nothing like the gentle rolling “amber waves of grain” we are used to. They look more like old-vine vineyards that must be tended by hand – machines cannot cultivate most of the plots.
Why am I making such a big deal about this?
In the 1970’s and through to today, Western scientists thought they had found the secret to a productive and ever-growing population – manipulation of certain crops to vastly increase yield and output. From corn to wheat to soy to canola, more was better even if that meant quickly altering what had slowly evolved in nature over thousands of years.
Pasta (and bread) have been some of the largest recipients of this alteration – known brands such as Barilla, De Cecco et al (name your high-end brand) utilize a percentage of high-tonnage wheat as their source and that’s, well, not a very good thing – yes, even your most prized and costly high-end “hand-made” brands can use the altered wheat stock.
One of the ugly secrets about the vast majority of Italian pasta (and the wheat farmed around much of the “modern” world – including the US, one of the greatest offenders) is its source wheat – a good deal of it irradiated and altered by radioactive cobalt in the 1970’s to “enhance” the ease of farming (trimming the wild and low-yielding difficult/tall natural wheat plants down to a more comfortable, small and vigorous size to accommodate tractors). The altered wheat stock has become the go-to crop in Italy, the US and most other Western countries for just about any/all wheat-related item – even high-end artisan baked products and high-end pasta.
The major problem with this (in addition to how scary it sounds!) is the DNA change in the gluten of the wheat. The “cobalt irradiated” wheat stock has a very short and non-elastic gluten structure which makes the gluten easily and rapidly absorbed into the body but the protein is hardly absorbed. The old, ancient wheat (the tall, difficult to farm kind) has a very elastic and rough gluten structure that makes it pass through the body with very little absorption, yet the natural protein of the ancient grain is absorbed.
See where I’m going with this?
The correlation between Celiac disease, gluten-intolerance and other gastro-intestinal problems in the Western world correlates to a near exact graph with the adoption of “modern wheat” from the 1970’s forward and the abandonment of old/ancient hard to farm/low-yielding wheat fields and varietals (those with the gluten that passes through the body with hardly any absorption).
Unfortunately, it’s not enough to find organic flour or organic pasta, many still use wheat varietals that were altered at some point to produce higher yields and make them easier to farm. With the increase in population of the world, scientists thought they were ushering in the food of tomorrow.
In a conventional sense, the other major problem with the DNA-changed wheat is the low-lying nature of the plants (to accommodate tractors), just above the ground. This makes them highly susceptible to mold and a variety of ground dwelling bugs and pests that normally do not feed on the taller, often more wind-swept tougher ancient wheat. That causes a lot of extra dosing of pesticides and chemicals to keep the wheat nice and tidy!
The guinea pigs?
All of us.
Modern science thought they were helping society along by increasing yields and making wheat more easy to digest but, in turn, they’ve done somewhat the opposite – adding additional stress to our healthcare system with more and more intestinal disorders and wheat-intolerant children, more food “allergies”, more need for medicines, etc – a domino that grows larger and larger and has other affects – more manufacturing equals more pollution equals…
Ok, enough daunting talk – yikes! Can we get to the food already!
Yes, but I highlight the above because it’s important.
More important than most folks have time to think about but it is (literally) food for thought.
So...
What are we going to do about this?
Let’s get to the good stuff – the “holy grail” pasta from Italy!
It’s become nearly impossible to find “old-vine” wheat farmers that will trade their patchwork for a small enough amount of $ that it still makes sense to part with the wheat for cents (so the end-result pasta is not $20-25/bag)! Eating better and more healthy is one thing but who can afford $25/bag pasta? (not this scribe!)
The key for me was to find:
• A hyper-gastronome producer (i.e. the pasta itself had to be first and foremost the finest in Italy, forget the wheat part of the equation – as in, knee-bending quality that Michelin starred chefs would drool for – quality that creates a thick “cream” of cooked pasta water that is an elixir in and of itself).
Ok, once past that little detail...
• The wheat also had to be sourced from ancient/heirloom patchwork fields (which are close to impossible to find – see above paragraphs)
• Stone grinding without removal of the heirloom wheat germ (which gives a lot more protein to the pasta but it is not “whole grain” dark brown pasta – this is still “classic” pasta used for any number of classic sauces – it may have a slightly more beige hue than bleached white flour pasta but it’s still considered to have a regular pasta color).
• Wheat storage in traditional cement silos in the ground (for natural cooling), not plastic coated or manufactured silos that tend to become very hot in summer and off-gas.
• All water used had to be local/mineral water from the mountains or other certified pure local mineral water source and not from chlorinated tap.
• All farmed and produced BIO/organic.
• All made by hand.
• All cut and dried in the traditional method, which is slow and requires patience.
It took 20+ years and a lot of snooping around farm fields (and asking locals in small towns), but I finally have my/our source that meets every one of the criteria listed above.
Literally a “source of life” and I do not use that term lightly.
(ok, deep breath – this is a long offer already but lots of information on this first go-round!)
To illustrate the “root” of what we are discussing this morning, I’ve captured an image of an heirloom wheat field used for one of your pasta batches (
) – I think you can tell immediately that this is a place of nature and has nothing to do with the Western notion of conventional farming. Yes, I realize it would be nearly impossible for the world to rely on small, patchwork parcels of food such as this (we have too many people at this point) but I’m trying my best to bring as much of it as I can to as many of you as possible. If farmers in the US try this pasta, maybe I can inspire even a few of them to go back to basics and start over – it’s never too late! I’ve worked my entire career to do this with vineyards around the world and now it’s time to start the “spiderweb” of natural farming with food – eventually, if the spiderwebs around the world can grow and touch, then my “professional” life has been worth something.
So...
All below are highly recommended (I cannot recommend them highly enough) – all are 500g bags, all are BIO/organic from small patchwork parcels of old-growth “ancient” wheat, often from different heirloom varietals in the old and tall/difficult to farm style (the individual varietal is listed on each bag). Most are one-off – if the small plot was available, the wheat was harvested, and usually only 2-3 pasta shapes were made from it but the exact plot may never be available again (it’s up to the farmer and growing season in the future, etc).
In other words, if you see a shape below that sounds interesting, try it – it may be the only time it’s produced from this exact plot. Think of this pasta like baseball cards – there’s a Willie Mays card for 20+ seasons - each is unique but all are highly desirable!
Have a great Saturday everyone –
Let’s eat!
Jon Rimmerman
***************************
This parcel is set to arrive in the summer with the finest/freshest original provenance available – directly from the pasta rack in Italy.
ONE SHIPMENT ONLY – made by hand!
FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 6 x each shape/person until we run out (the 10-pack is limited to 3/person but that is in addition to the 6 x each of the individual shapes):
***************************
All are BIO/organic from heirloom old-growth “wild” tall and ragged wheat plots in Italy – all are hand-made in the traditional bronze-cut/air-dried manner. Cooking times appear on each bag. All will create the “cream” pasta water with cooking – water that should be reserved and a cup or so used in your pasta dish of choice – do not rinse this pasta – keep the thick “cream” around it intact!
A small portion of this pasta goes a long way but it’s tough to stop eating - even when you are full
All are like pieces of edible art...
(the first time you try this pasta, I urge you to use nothing more than top-tier extra virgin olive oil, a small amount of Reggiano Parmesan, sea salt and cracked black pepper – nothing more – no sauce or other. I have a feeling you have never tasted pasta this pure and incredible. Once you understand the quality and base flavors, go ahead and use your “sauce creation” imagination going forward – the sky’s the limit! Don’t forget to salt your pasta water with good quality sea salt – Americans tend to forget this step but you should always salt your water to some degree)
Pasta 10-Pack (10 x 500g) - $86.70
LIMIT 3/person
(1 x each of all ten shapes above!)
*****************************
To order: click the name of the item above in blue and follow the easy instructions – simply follow the prompts, enter the number of bottles desired and we’ll do the rest. That’s it!
This parcel is set to arrive in the summer - it is not a long-term pre-arrival. All will ship to you during the first available window and/or with your region’s schedule (weather permitting!). Please check your CHOA (Customer Hang Out Area) for local drive-through pick-up in the summer – if you wish to “stay in” and would rather not come down to pick-up during this difficult time, we will store your food at no cost to you until the fall of 2020 – no questions asked – you do not need to contact us – simply make a pick-up appointment in the fall and we will take care of you!
Mezzepenne 500g (Italy) - $8.79
(hard diagonal-cut short penne with a penchant for sauce absorption! A favorite with thick ragu)
Busiata Lunga 500g (Italy) - $8.96
(the most important pasta of the maker, this is their most famous form – known as “Rapunzel ribbons” for the extra-long and thick spiral hair swirl of each piece – this is the finest pasta I’ve tasted in Italy but I don’t want to make a big deal about it because you’ll ignore the other shapes...and you shouldn’t – each has a sauce or purpose that makes them equally as special in their own way. The Busiata Lunga is produced each year, it is not a one-off, but the individual parcel of wheat used for this lot may be a one-off. Once you get to know this pasta, you’ll be able to compare varietals and lots in the future like terroir - crazy!)
Paccheri 500g (Italy) - $8.74
(instead of Rigatoni, this is a large tube pasta without the striations – the Paccheri will stand up to wild boar and extreme/hearty winter sauces – delicious to eat on its own without sauce – a favorite of kids!)
Spaghetti (7 minutes) 500g (Italy) - $8.71
Filini 500g (Italy) - $8.94
(gorgeous medium-thick “strings” that flow in circles on the plate – so beautiful to look at but even more so to taste! Try with nothing but herb butter and truffles or sautéed fresh porcini! Also delicious with seafood sauces)
Spaghetti (10 minute) 500g (Italy) - $8.78
(three versions of Spaghetti – 10 minute cooking time, 7 minute and 4 minute - this would be enough for an offer alone! Try all three to see which you like best – it’s impossible for me to choose so I included all three – essentially, the longer the cooking time, the thicker the Spaghetti)
Linguine 500g (Italy) - $8.70
(this may sound like simple “Linguine” but it’s the best Linguine you will even try. Toothy, creamy, a meal itself without anything else! Oh my!)
Can’t decide?
Try all 10 shapes in one pack...
Reginette 500g (Italy) - $8.78
(flowing long flat pasta with rib edges down the side – a specialty of Sardinia in modern times but once an homage to the princess of Savoy – use with almost any sauce, delicate herb-based sauces or simple summer tomato and basil)
Spaghetti (4 Minutes) 500g (Italy) - $8.64
Pappardelle 500g (Italy) - $8.71
(thick-cut, intense and the center of attention, I know you’ve never had papardelle quite like this! Forget notions of “delicate” pappardelle – this is cut from the earth)
Out of state orders will be held for free under ideal storage conditions (56 degrees/70% humidity) until shipping is possible. Locals may pick up at their leisure.
For current order status information, please log into the Customer Hang-Out area (CHOA):
https://app.garagiste.com/orders.
For local pick-ups, please go to
https://garagiste1.schedulista.com/ to schedule a time to pick up your order(s).
Give the gift of Garagiste!
For any question or inquiry, please contact:
friends@garagistewine.com or call us anytime at (888) 264-0053.
NO SALES TO RETAILERS OR WHOLESALERS
Thank you,
Jon Rimmerman
Garagiste
Seattle, WA