Know Your Farmer
Choosing a grain partner isn’t easy but PASTA REA is proud to introduce BKW Farms. Located between Phoenix & Tucson in a small town called Marana, BKW has a rich history in farming beginning in 1939. Their history of environmentally conscience farming practices and quality grain production sets them apart. They hold a USDA Organic Certification, and with that comes a huge commitment to use organic methods to produce their products while protecting the environment.
“By supporting local farmers today, you are helping to ensure that there will be farms and food security in your community tomorrow.”
We are thrilled to have a local provider of organic heritage grains and fresh blue oyster mushrooms. We look forward to seeing what they can offer next. https://www.bkwazgrown.com/
Expanding our Offerings
PASTA REA has always offered a variety of specialty items to enhance our lineup of traditional fresh pasta, sauces, and entrees which has included pastas and sauce made with local ingredients. We think our organic – heritage grain pasta is delicious and knowing the commitment BKW has made to consistently provide locally produced and organic heritage grains we have decided to offer it to our customers so they may enjoy it as well.
There are many advantages to purchasing food produced locally, including:
Local food supports local families
Local farmers aren’t anonymous and they take their responsibility to the consumer seriously
Local food is an investment in the future
Pasta made with heritage grains is not gluten free but will offer lower gluten content and a large variety of vitamins and minerals. As far as flavor, it is delicious with a slight nutty flavor and great texture able to stand with any hearty sauce or pesto.
Look for a variety of shapes and sizes, vegan and organic egg pastas in the coming weeks produced in small batches on a limited basis until demand increases.
Tradition, Freshness & Uncompromising Flavor
PASTA REA was created to introduce to the public our family recipes and cooking methods passed down from generation to generation. We never intended to change the Italian culinary landscape we just wanted to offer consistently great family style comfort food.
PASTA REA pasta is made using imported machines and brass dies which gives the pasta a rough texture enabling it to hold on to your favorite sauce. Our handmade pastas are rolled cut shaped and cared for in the old traditions, just like my mother taught me. We simmer our sauce, roll our meatballs and layer our lasagna every Thursday for our Saturday markets. Same with our pasta, we do not make it until it is ordered, and we can’t keep enough of our 5-cheese ravioli in stock.
If you have not tried PASTA REA yet you don’t know what you are missing, there is nothing better than to walk into your kitchen and smell that sauce as it simmers on a Sunday afternoon. Connect with us on social media to see what we are making each week and take advantage of our special offers. We would love to hear from you so send a picture of your pasta plate and let us know what you think. Mangia Bene!
We have written about this subject before but can there ever be enough words written about the benefits of purchasing local and shopping at your neighborhood farmers markets, restaurants and family owned delis and grocery stores? With your support the demand has increased dramatically along with the number of producers. Today’s health concerns make us think twice about getting out of the house. It may not be our first choice but there are now several ways you can order and receive your favorites from the comfort of your home.
shopping local. Items made locally obviously have less mileage to travel to get to your location. This helps to preserve the taste, quality, and freshness. You will mostly likely find fresher green beans, strawberries, and tomatoes then the ones sitting on a grocery store shelf and you will notice a huge difference in the taste. Hey, we all must purchase food, clothes, soaps, and at times splurge on a nice gift for yourself or a loved one so why not spend that money locally? Keeping the money “in the family” helps support the community and or local framers who may have a greater need then a large corporation. You may agree with me as I say that variety is the spice of life. You can easily find a new and creative spice blend at the market, but you also must be open to trying new food items with ethnic backgrounds you may have never heard of or tired before.
The Italian Way of Life
Not all pasta is the same, in fact, pasta that is produced in factory’s, dried and boxed and sitting on your grocery shelf is not quite the same as the fresh pasta we make here at Pasta Rea. You will notice a night and day difference upon inspecting the ingredient list on your favorite store brand pasta vs. our label. If only three simple ingredients produce amazing pasta then why do some big companies and manufacturers put things like calcium propionate, potassium sorbate, and sodium dithioacetate in their pastas? That’s not all, a blind taste test showed that 9/10 people preferred fresh whole pasta than boxed/processed pasta. It cooks faster and has a purity in taste that just can’t be manufactured. The best pastas are extruded on Italian machines operated by hand like ours. Semolina and Durham flours create an amazing balance of texture and when made properly with the correct pure water ratio and sea salt it’s a straightforward process. Making pasta at home is easy and fun as well if you have the correct tools. Pasta of any kind really does allow you to live a longer and healthy life, but fresh local pasta will always be our choice!