Artisanally made pasta is dried at a lower temperature over a longer time which not only improves flavor but gives it a completely unique texture: firm and chewy, that is never found in industrially made pasta. In terms of timing we are talking about 20 minutes drying for industrially made pasta versus up to 48 hours drying time for artisanally made pasta. And it was in Gragnano that some of the first drying rooms were invented. These rooms combined heat with wind, imitating the natural breezes so that pasta could be made all year round. The progress in Gragnano sought to preserve the traditional methods, especially maintaining the flavors that were the result of of the mountain breezes slowly drying local varieties of wheat over the course of several days. And if you have sometimes wondered why it is so difficult to cook pasta to that perfect al dente point, it is because the high heat used to dry industrial pasta practically pre-cooks the pasta, effecting the final texture.

We only use "coarse" ground semolina to maintain the integrity of the gluten and obtain a pasta which is always "al dente". Artisanally made pasta is extruded through bronze dies (vs. teflon) which gives it a rough texture that better absorbs the sauce.

But it was in nearby Gragnano that the first automation of pasta took hold. The small town was perfectly situated for drying pasta, with the dry Ponentino western winds coming off the hills, alternating with the warm and humid Vesuviano winds coming from the sea. And it was here that the extremely time consuming and strenuous process began to be automated. Dough made from durum wheat is extremely difficult to knead and it was here that the first automated kneading machines were made. It was also where the first presses that could extrude the unwieldy dough were put into action on a larger scale. And so it was from Gragnano that pasta began its way to becoming a more common food for masses, and not just a luxury for the upper class. Yet even though certain parts of the process were semi-automated, it was still being made a series of family run businesses that produced the pasta in small batches, in an artisanal manner.

Once the pasta has been cooking for 10 minutes, add a good plug (at least 1tbsp of olive oil) to the pan and on a low heat add your shallot and anchovy, allow to cook slowly until the shallot starts to soften. Spaghettoni is a long, dry pasta similar to classic spaghetti, but has a larger diameter. There are also varieties of this pasta that are twice the length of spaghetti. This enlarged kind looks more spectacular when serving the dish and is also more hearty.I recently got the chance to go behind the scenes, at two of the best pasta makers in Gragnano: Faella and Gentile (who are also two of my favorites). Both companies adhere to the older way of making pasta and their machinery produces relatively small quantities per batch. 1000 to 2000 kilos of semola di grano duro is turned into a bit more pasta. We only make our dough with cold Majella mountain water, at a temperature of lower than 15°C to ensure that the pasta remains perfectly firm when cooking.

While in Gragnano drying rooms were invented to mimic the natural breezes so that pasta could be made all year round,, big companies elsewhere in Italy left this far behind, speeding up the production process to make Italian pasta one of the biggest exports around the world.Artisanally made pasta is made with just flour and water with no extra colorings, preservatives or additives. It is also usually made with high quality flour, as well as special attention to the water that is used Cacio e pepe has become of the most famous pasta dishes in the world, and yet, you only use three main ingredients to make it. So, I traveled to Rome to find out how to make the silkiest and tastiest cacio e pepe, and now I am sharing my perfect recipe with you! Watch the Cacio e Pepe Pasta video recipe: The pasta should be ready now so ideally using a spaghetti spoon or tongs transfer the spaghettone to the pan so it carries some pasta water with it. Combine together and if needed add another splash (about 25ml) of pasta water to the pan and combine.