13 Nov Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Semolina Artisanal Pasta ReGrained SuperGrain Upcycled Strozzapreti Pasta

Strozzapreti is an antique type of pasta that is made across Italy. Known as the “priest strangler” (strozza means “to choke or strangle” and preti means “priests”), strozzapreti is a dried pasta made from simple ingredients at home. The pasta was stretched out and flattened, and then cut into strips and formed by hand one at a time. Strozzapreti is from Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, but there are also versions from Southern Italy, Trentino and Milano. In each region, the pasta is made with flours available in that region. Strozzapreti is also made in Los Angeles by Semolina Artisanal Pasta and they teamed up with ReGrained to make Semolina Artisanal Pasta ReGrained SuperGrain Upcycled Strozzapreti Pasta, a nutritious, flavorful, environmentally conscious pasta which is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

Semolina Artisanal Pastas are small batch, organic, traditional Italian-style fresh and dried pastas made in Los Angeles using the finest American Semolina. The company was founded by Leah Ferrazzani in 2014 and is committed to minimizing food waste from start to finish. They work with a miller who sells the byproducts of semolina production–the bran and the germ–as animal feed. Certified organic by Organic Certifiers, their semolina is non-GMO and is grown using no petroleum-based pesticides or fertilizers or sewage sludge.

For the Semolina Artisanal Pasta ReGrained SuperGrain Upcycled Strozzapreti Pasta, Semolina Artisanal Pasta partnered with the the ReGrained Upcycled Food Lab. Co-Founders Dan Kurzrock and Jordan Schwartz created ReGrained as a result of homebrewing. For every 6-pack they brewed, one pound of grain remained. Only the grain’s sugars had been ”used up” by beer. They created a patented innovation that rescues the nutritious grain created every time beer is brewed. Instead of the grain waste being used for animal feed, compost, or landfill, they are able to return the remaining concentration of healthy nutrients to us.

The Upcycled Food Lab creates ReGrained-branded products, such as the Upcycled Strozzapreti Pasta, that are available for a limited-run as well as products co-developed with brand partners that are permanently part of the brand’s produce line. This unique pasta, made with upcycled grains and organic durum wheat, is an excellent source of fiber, a good source of protein, and each box saves 80 gallons of water. I cooked the pasta and roasted tomatoes and garlic. When the pasta was al dente, I added grated Parmesan cheese and olive oil and then topped the with the roasted tomatoes and garlic. By using such a light sauce, the malty flavor and the dense texture of the past was able to shine through.

As food waste is something we all need to be aware of, it is great to see companies finding ways to reduce food waste and positively impact the environment while also giving us nutritious, flavorful foods.