Pasta is hands down my ultimate comfort food! I can't imagine my life without it, or at least not being as happy. Honestly, I could eat pasta every single day and never get tired of it because there are so many different sauces and shapes to try.
Growing up in Romania, a country which is not really famous for its pasta dishes, even though the language is pretty close to Italian. However, my parents and grandparents cooked pasta a lot. Most of the dishes were sweet, made with nuts, sugar, seasonal fruit, and bread crumbs. It might sound strange, but trust me, it's absolutely delicious. My grandma used to make fresh pasta almost every other day, and I always loved helping her. Even at a young age, I found it incredibly satisfying to work with dough and then enjoy the fruits of our labor.
I should mention that my mom's sister is married to Fausto, a wonderful Italian man from Tuscany. They got married before I was born, and he brought the Italian influence into our family. I adore the quality of ingredients, the simplicity of Italian dishes, and the wide range of flavors. And I love pasta!
Now, you might be wondering why I'm talking about pasta when I run a specialty coffee roastery. Well, it's true that coffee is my passion, but I also enjoy discussing other topics, and pasta happens to be one of them.
When it comes to choosing between fresh or dried pasta, I'd have to say both, depending on the sauce. I lean towards dried spaghetti, but fresh tagliatelle will always be my top choice. Fresh tagliatelle with some porcini mushrooms, followed by a Tiramisu and a great Espresso. This could be my last meal on earth:-)
During the Covid pandemic, I got in touch with Johnnie Collins, a chef from London. We met during some Fashion Week events where I provided coffee for him and his incredible team while they prepared delicious food for the backstage area. Those were truly memorable times, and we still keep in touch every now and then. Johnnie shared his go-to pasta dough recipe with me, and ever since then, I've been using the exact same recipe. It's basically a combination of good 00 flour, fresh organic eggs (with more yolk than egg white), and a pinch of salt.
This is yet another great example of how coffee brings people together and forms bonds.
One Love, Norbert x
