Find Yourself in the Heart of Abruzzo

And prepare to be romanced by Abruzzo’s finest culinary treasures.

So many people, longing to be in Italy but grounded by the pandemic, are feeling stymied and hungry to bring the country into their homes in any way possible. Heart of Abruzzo, which I’ve helped to launch in the last two weeks, brings some of Italy’s finest culinary offerings to your home. I can attest to the quality because, in doing all of the photography for the products, I’ve happily savored and digested it all (a shoutout to my favorites below). I’ve put together this post as yet another “Italy at home” strategy (along with my posts about great Venice-themed books, and my favorite Italian films).

It’s no secret, I adore Abruzzo

That’s why, when I was asked to participate by the DelSignores, the family who has Abruzzo roots and whose passion breathed life into this gourmet Italian resource, I eagerly joined in. Heart of Abruzzo makes “Heart” the center of its mission for two very important reasons. Firstly, the painstakingly curated assortment comes from food artisans deep in the heart of Abruzzo. Secondly, these aren’t corporate giants. They are producers, often working on a small scale, who pour passion (heart) and purpose into everything they create. Believe me, there were plenty of worthy contenders, but only those who create with love and dedication to the rich Abruzzese traditions made the cut!

Pasta that is anything but average.

Zaccagni and Verrigni are the two key players for traditional pasta (a killer resource for gluten-free pasta is below). Both remain faithful to time-honored pasta making traditions and they deliver an end result of pastas that aren’t merely blank canvases for sauces. No, they stand on their own and are equal partners when married with delicious sauces. Be sure to read up on the Heart of Abruzzo website about the techniques of how these pastas are produced—techniques that create a texture that captures the sauces rather than allowing them to slide off and into the bottom of your dish (who wants to resort to sopping most of the sauce up with bread?).

My favorites:

Zaccagni Penne Rigate (learn more here)

For me, this is a can’t-go-wrong mainstay pasta choice. I love it with spicy sausage, pepperoncini, extra virgin olive oil, and grated mature pecorino.

Verrigni Linguine al limone (learn more here)

Damn, this stuff is good. No wonder top chefs choose Verrigni pastas (and call them out on their menus). The lemon flavor is delicate and we added fresh shrimp from our local market, parsley, and extra virgin olive oil. We garnished with thin lemon slices. YUM YUM YUM!

Gluten-Free Italian Pasta

Okay, I’m going to make a pretty major claim here. Farabella has figured out how to make gluten-free pasta as good, maybe even better than traditional pasta. No more second class status. No sad faces for people who have gluten sensitivities thinking that they’re missing out. I mainly eat gluten-free pasta and Farabella is my new best friend. I love regular pasta but it doesn’t agree with me when I have it too often.

“How good could this be?” I asked myself when I prepared Farabella Gluten-Free Fusilli (learn more here). I was certain it would be the same as the many other gluten-free options I’d tried. You know, bland and difficult to cook (i.e. deliver a richly textured al dente presentation). Man, was I wrong. I was practically turning cartwheels at this discovery when I put the first forkful in my mouth. And, my Italian spouse (formerly a chef) was equally as enthusiastic!

My favorite:

Farabella Gluten-Free Spaghetti (learn more here)

I love how well this spaghetti reaches al dente status. I’m happy to have this with fresh pesto, a traditional red sauce (topped with freshly grated aged Parmigiano), or my favorite, with pancetta and pepperoncino (hot pepper—it ain’t hot enough until the top of my head is sweating!).

Sauces and Condiments

Heart of Abruzzo has launched with two beautifully crafted red sauces (tradizionale and arrabbiata), a porcini/truffle cream sauce), and a black truffle sauce. And, if you’re looking for a super gourmet medley of olives, there’s Ursini’s Cocktail di olive.

My favorite:

Ursini Arrabbiata Sauce (learn more here).

Arrabbiata” means “angry.” If you haven’t figured it out by now, I gravitate to the spicy choices. I create my own Amatriciana sauce with guanciale (pork cheek) using either spaghetti or bucatini (soon-to-be added to the Heart of Abruzzo collection).

Extra Virgin Olive Oils

Ursini’s Extra Virgin Olive Oils include options flavored in lemon, lime, orange. Then there is Pignatelli’s Black Truffle Oil, great with simple pasta or with artisanal cheeses.