The Authentic Pasta from Italy
Pasta is a true symbol of Italt in the world. This is why Longino & Cardenal has such a wide catalog, to offer customers the best options for living an authentic Italian food experience. The companies we selected as partners are Pastificio Artigianale Giuseppe Cocco and Paolo Petrilli. The first one is based in Abruzzo, a region on the Adriatic Sea, while the second was founded in Apulia.
Longino focuses on organic products because we think that offering a high quality pasta means educating people's palates towards good ingredients and a more sustainable production. Get ready to cook your favorite pasta or rice dish by ordering on our website for receiving the products in the comfort of your home in Hong Kong.
Different pasta shapes for different uses
On the one hand, we have Petrilli company with its selection of linguine, rigatoni, penne and the famous spaghetti. Petrilli produces its organic pasta using two varieties of Italian wheat to add extra flavor to the final product. Linguine are usually associated with fish sauces such as linguine ai frutti di mare which simply is linguine with seafood, a delicious dish that will make you feel like on holiday in Sicily looking at the sea with the sea breeze ruffling the hair.
Spaghetti are the most famous pasta shape in the world because they are very versatile, they can be paired with a meat sauce made of ground beef and a lot of Parmesan as for the classic spaghetti bolognese dish. Rigatoni and penne are mostly used with vegetable sauces, for example the pasta alla norma is a very traditional Sicilian dish made with fried eggplant and tomato sauce.
While the Petrilli company is much more traditional in the pasta production, Giuseppe Cocco wants to change with a rich catalog of very special pasta shapes. From organic tagliatelle to fusilli and paccheri, every Italian region is represented in their production.
Bucatini is the beloved pasta shape for making the delicious recipes from Rome such as cacio e pepe and carbonara. But also conchiglioni, orecchiette and ruote, we want to make true Italian traditions known abroad and the best way to do it is by simply letting you tasting what and everyday meal is in Italy for adults and children.
How to recognize quality pasta
Pasta may seem all the same, but there are a few things to check to help you to find the best quality. Almost everybody tried it at least once in life, even if the pasta was cooked in a different way from the Italian style. Pasta shapes are a lot and of course it’s impossible to know all of them without being passionate about it. Thinking that there's no difference between the kinds of pasta we see on the shelves is totally wrong.
Quality pasta is more expensive but the taste changes completely and will surprise you. The texture is essential and helps the pasta to stay compact without breaking during the cooking. Good pasta quality takes longer to cook because it's thicker and you'll be always sure to cook it al dente. Another tip we can give you is to always check the cooking water because it should stay clear while the pasta should always keep its yellow color.
Italian pasta recipes to cook at home
Cooking pasta is very easy: If you can boil water, you can cook pasta. Every season has a specific recipe that people enjoy to eat, but it also differs from region to region. Homemade pasta with eggs is usually made during Sundays for spending quality time with the family, on that occasion the shape is almost always tagliatelle since it's easier to make.
The higher the quality of ingredients, the more delicious your final dish will be. The choice is vast because there are many sauces and condiments to season pasta, such as paccheri in the oven with cherry tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and filled with spinach.
Carbonara is considered the queen of pasta recipes, the most appreciated, but also the most copied abroad without great results. People cook this recipe with many different shapes from rigatoni to bucatini, but the most important thing is of course the egg sauce, which must be prepared only with eggs, pecorino cheese and black pepper. Cream is absolutely banned. Then, the essence of the recipe is the guanciale which is not bacon, but it's the pig cheek.
There are many variants of seafood pasta, with shrimps and prawns, with fish like tuna and with mussels an clams. A very important ingredient in this case is a high quality olive oil to use for cooking the shells and the fish, but also as a final dressing to enhance all flavors.
