The famous italian chef Carlo Cracco in one of the recent seasons of Hell’s Kitchen Italy, revealed that the eggs are his favourite ingredient, because of their perfection.
Eggs in the world of cooking and production are important regardless of the symbolism, in fact thanks to their versatility will be used in the production of many products. In particular, they are the main ingredient of one of the most precious food in the Made in Italy scene: the egg pasta.
What makes egg pasta so fascinating, in addition to its beauty and variety, are the nuances of aromas and porosity. But also its extreme simplicity. In the world of egg pasta, in fact, there are no secrets. The ingredients and the process for working them together are available for everyone. It is enough following the few rules and secrets that the Italian culinary tradition has handed down to us over time. One of these rules, a real “secret of Pulcinella” (a secret that is not a secret because everyone knows about it), is that a perfect dough is made using 10 eggs per kilo or more simply 1 egg every ounce of dough.
For quality pasta do you need quality eggs?
The quality of the ingredients and the respect of times of working processes in a simple recipe as the one of egg pasta that requires only the use of eggs, wheat flour (durum wheat flour semolina for industry), make a real difference on the quality of the result. The same difference between a special pasta and an ordinary pasta.
About eggs, on one hand we have fresh eggs (A class), coming from hens raised on the ground, of certified italian origin and to which not additives are administred and on the other hand we have egg powder.
Which do you prefer eating and giving to your sons?
About quality eggs, in Valtellina we met a farm, La Gramola, which produces “uova di selva” (wild eggs). They are hens’ eggs that scrabble all day in a chestnut wood at 600 meters above sea level. They have a night shelter that protects them from cold and predators, but they are not subjected to artificial lighting or forced moulting.
Well, this meeting for us was a way to enrich our knowledge in the sector, but also a source of pride. Our friends de la Gramola, enthusiastic about our production processes, have in fact asked us to produce a fettuccina made with their special eggs!
Is it better an egg today or tagliatelle tomorrow?
The old saying asks if it is better an egg today or a chicken tomorrow. But one might also wonder whether an egg is better an egg today or a tagliatella tomorrow.
Precious raw materials such as eggs, if worked in the right way, are able to maintain not only the taste of the ingredients but also all their nutritional characteristics. For this reason, after having been produced and cut in various formats, the dough should undergo a drying process of at least 24 hours. Only a slow drying process can guarantee that all the nutritive properties conferred by fresh eggs remain intact and are not lost. And it is thanks to the choice to respect a drying process as natural as possible that you can safely say that there is not so much difference between eating an egg today or a tagliatella tomorrow.
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