• Fresh Pasta
• Fresh Ricotta & Tender Spinach Tortelloni
• Rich Italian Beef Bolognese Tortelloni
• Prosciutto Crudo & Cheese Cappelletti
• Sun-ripened Tomato & Mozzarella Tortelloni
• Ingredients

Ingredients

Italy’s varied regional food makes its cuisine so diverse and interesting. Italian food is highly seasonal and made with simple but tasty ingredients. Seasonal vegetables, regional cheeses, cured hams are key ingredients to a true Italian meal.

It is the same for Giovanni Rana Fresh Pasta. Only the best ingredients that consistently deliver great flavour and taste are used. These are some of the truly Italian ingredients which are used in the Giovanni Rana products.

The key ingredients to make fresh pasta are flour and eggs.

FLOUR

Fresh egg pasta is generally made with “doppio zero” (00) flour. This is the finest grade of flour, made from soft wheat (grano tenero).

EGGS

Eggs give the Giovanni Rana pasta its delicate golden colour and its wonderful egg taste. Eggs also provide the elasticity to the pasta.

The fillings are made using some of the following truly Italian simple but delicious ingredients.

GRANA PANADO

This cheese name comes from its distinctive grainy texture (Grana) and Padano which refers to the river Po. It is a cylindrical semi-fat hard cheese that is slowly matured.

It has a fragrant and delicate taste and may be used either as a table cheese or for grating. Grana Padano has been produced since the 12th century and is now a registered trade mark.

This cheese is protected by a “Denominazione di Origine Protetta”, the Italian equivalent of Protected Designation of Origin, due to the traditional methods used.

MOZZARELLA

The word mozzarella comes from the verb “mozzare” which means “to cut off”. This explains part of the production of this cheese. The dough is stretched, knead and cut by hand. Mozzarella can be made using cow or buffalo’s milk.

The Campania region is known in Italy as the producer of the best Mozzarella di Bufala which is used in the original Neapolitan pizza.

PECORINO

Pecorino is a hard cheese made from sheep’s milk and is one of Italy’s most popular cheese. It can be Romano, Sardo, Siciliano or Toscano. It is aromatic and depending on its maturation phase, it can be pleasantly spicy.

The un-aged cheese can be consumed with fruits or vegetables. The aged cheese can be grated and sprinkled over a plate of pasta. Like the Grana Padano, the Pecorino is also protected by a “Denominazione di Origine Protetta”.

RICOTTA

The name ricotta means “cooked again” in Italian. This refers to the second processing of the whey that comes from the production of cheeses like mozzarella and provolone. It is primarily made with cow’s milk.

Ricotta is fresh, creamy with a fine grained texture which marries well with vegetables such as spinach. To see how well they go together, try Giovanni Rana Fresh Ricotta & Tender Spinach Tortelloni.

MORTADELLA

This is a typical finely textured Italian pork sausage. It traditionally originated from Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna. It is known as polony in the UK.

PROSCIUTTO

Prosciutto is the Italian name for “ham”. Prosciutto Crudo is cured which includes Parma Ham and San Daniele among others. Prosciutto Cotto is the Italian name for cooked ham.