Pasta Perfection

By: Mary Miller

Scouting out the best locally made food is a pastime of mine, something on which I spend way too much time. Not only is locally grown and manufactured food usually fresher than food shipped across the country but purchasing locally-made products helps small business owners and our regional economy.

Last fall, I saw an ad in a magazine for an artisan pasta company out near Irwin.  I’m half Italian and love fresh pasta, so obviously I was immediately ready to hop in the car and drive out to the Banco Industrial Park in North Huntingdon to the home base for Fede Pasta.  Fede’s owner and pasta genius, Steve Salvi, has been selling his artisan pasta to high-end restaurants for a while, but now we can all enjoy Steve’s heavenly creations. He sells his freshly made pasta, in a variety of interesting and unusual shapes, out of his commercial kitchen to anyone who wants to stop by.   Steve offers lunches on Fridays, cooking classes and monthly dinners too. But call or email first, because the times of his special events do change.

Today when I visited, they were making their tender ricotta gnocchi. Believe me, these are light as air and unlike the tiny lead balloon gnocchi that many of us know.  Steve suggested serving them in a lemon butter sauce with some sautéed asparagus and a sprinkle of parrano or grana padano cheese. If you want to find out what perfect pasta is, pay a visit to Steve, hidden away in an industrial park in North Huntingdon. A true hidden treasure in our area.

Check out the website, www.fedepasta.net, for more details about pasta shapes, classes, dinners and more.

Mary Miller is a registered dietitian and food writer.  Her company, The Fork and The Road, take guests on culinary adventures throughout Western Pennsylvania. Check it out at www.theforkandtheroad.com