Ingredients:

To make high quality pasta , start with the finest ingredients. Durum wheat, a hard wheat grown primarily in the Upper Midwest and Canada, is milled to produce the golden semolina and durum flour used in all our pasta. Whole wheat, organic semolina and hard spring wheat are also used in some of our custom products.

Dried egg yolks, whole eggs and egg whites are used in Egg Noodle and Macaroni products specially designed for food service and prepared foods
applications. Additional ingredients can include dried vegetable powders and natural flavorings and seasonings for flavored pastas, and processing aids like wheat gluten and emulsifiers.

Finally, all Zerega pasta is enriched with iron and B vitamins, including folic acid, as specified by the Federal Standards of Identity.

Making the Shapes Most pasta shapes are made with extrusion dies, where fresh pasta dough is pushed through a shape-forming disc, then cut to size. The die surface is either the traditional bronze for a rough, artisanal look, or Teflon for a smooth, golden yellow appearance. Long goods like spaghetti and fettuccine are made by hanging the extruded pasta on rods during the drying process. Short goods, like elbows and penne, travel on conveyor belts during the drying process.

Egg Noodles can be made two different ways. In addition to the short goods extrusion process, we also produce sheeted (laminated) noodles using a process where dough is rolled and folded, not extruded. This allows us to make a home-style, custom noodle with an adjustable length, width and thickness.

Specialty shapes such as bow ties, farfalle and orecchiette are made by stamping the shapes out of a sheet formed by either the extrusion or sheeting process. Other specialty shapes such as jumbo shells and manicotti are produced with specially-made extrusion dies.

Drying the Pasta

Proper drying is critical in the pastamaking process. Pasta is dried slowly as it travels through a continuous drying chamber for 3 to 10 hours, depending on the pasta shape. Exact control is maintained over temperature, humidity and air flow and each shape is dried according to very specific parameters. Once dried, the pasta has 12% moisture content. It's then cooled and is ready to package.

Exacting Standards: The Key to Quality Pasta

Making quality pasta requires modern, well-maintained production equipment and exacting standards. We insist on the highest quality ingredients and believe in hands-on production, continuously monitoring operations from the production floor.

Choosing, Cooking and Serving Pasta

Matching Pasta to Sauce

Many pasta shapes are interchangeable but here are some basic rules to keep in mind:

•Light, delicate sauces pair well with smaller pastas and thinner strands such as angel hair and vermicelli

• Meat and hearty vegetable sauces go well with sturdy pastas like penne,
radiatore and farfalle.

• Dense, creamy sauces are a good match for curly, twisted shapes like fusilli, gemelli and rotelle.

Changing the pasta shape can make a dramatic difference in a recipe and give it a whole new look. Always consider which shape makes the most of accompanying ingredients, and adds to the finished appearance of the dish.

More tips: Pasta Substitutions and Tricks of the Trade

How To Cook Pasta

Properly cooked pasta is al dente (al DEN tay - Italian for "to the tooth"), tender yet still slightly chewy and resilient. This is a particular challenge when making pasta for prepared foods and food service environments, which is why so many companies come to Zerega for their pasta. To cook pasta on the stove top...

1. Bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add salt to taste.
2. Add pasta to boiling water and stir.
3. Return water to a boil. Exact cooking time depends on the pasta shape. Follow package directions but begin testing your pasta several minutes before "official" time recommends.
4. Remove from heat and drain pasta.

When Is Pasta Al Dente?

Many unusual methods have been used to test pasta, but the best is the most simple: Taste it! Start testing a few minutes before the manufacturer's directions indicate: Remove a piece of pasta from the pot, wait a moment for it to cool, then take a bite. Now take a close look. If you see a large white, uncooked center or ring, continue to cook pasta a minute more, then test again. Your pasta is cooked and al dente if there is a small white dot of uncooked core. For softer pasta, wait until there is no white uncooked core showing.

Should You Rinse Pasta?

Drain your pasta using a large colander, big enough to hold all the pasta at once. Do not rinse the pasta unless you plan to use it in a pasta salad or a casserole, such as lasagna or stuffed shells. Rinsing removes important surface starch that helps sauce cling to pasta.

Serve your pasta immediately on plates or in bowls, preferably warmed to maintain temperature. Pasta-loving Italians call family and guests to the dinner table moments before they drain their pasta - a good way to insure that everyone enjoys piping-hot pasta.

How Much Pasta Per Serving?

The rule of thumb is 2 ounces of dry pasta per person for a first course or side dish, and 3 to 4 ounces per person for a main course. This is flexible, of course, depending on the amount of other ingredients in the dish.

As labeled on a retail package of dried pasta, the standard serving is 2 ounces (56 grams) of uncooked pasta. The cup measure approximating 2 ounces varies with the shape of the pasta. Some examples:

How To Store and Reheat Pasta

Store uncooked pasta in its original package or a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place. Egg noodles may be stored up to 1 year; Non egg pastas like spaghetti and elbow macaroni may be stored up to 2 years.

Cooked pasta may be refrigerated in a sealed container for three to four days.
Some tips for reusing cooked pasta:

• To reheat on the stovetop: Place individual portions of cooked pasta in a metal colander and immerse in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, sauce and serve. This works especially well if you slightly undercooked the pasta the first time you boiled it.

• To reheat in a microwave: Combine cooked pasta with sauce and place in a microwaveable bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 30 to 60 seconds, depending on portion size.

Pasta Nutrition

Pasta: A Versatile Choice For a Healthy Diet

Pasta is naturally low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates -- the ideal food for a healthy diet. Studies have shown that eating a diet rich in complex carbohydrates (55-65% of calories) and low in fat (25-30% of calories) with an adequate amount of protein (10-15 % of calories) results in a lower incidence of heart disease and cancer.

Pasta is the perfect canvas for a wide variety of great tasting ingredients. With its appealing versatility, pasta has taken a front and center position in the average American diet. Some important pasta nutritional facts:

• Today the average American eats 19 pounds of pasta each year.
• A 1/2 cup serving of cooked pasta contains 99 calories, less than half a gram of fat and less than 5 milligrams of salt.
• As a complex carbohydrate, pasta is an excellent energy food. Stored as glucose in the muscles and gradually released during prolonged activity periods, pasta provides sustained energy.
• 6-11 servings of complex carbohydrates are recommended in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid.
• Since January 1, 1998 Federal standards require pasta manufacturers to fortify pasta with folic acid, an important B vitamin proven to contribute to the healthy function of the body's central nervous system.

The following is a Nutrient Profile of a typical dried pasta product:

Contact us for more information on Zerega pastas.