Wednesday, July 05, 2006


il matterello, or the pasta pin

"some gestures enacted an entire social role, such as the hand held edgewise and palm up, rocking back and forth at shoulder height, pretending to threaten a blow. to understand this one, you had to remember that the classic italian grandmother had two prime insignia, the matterello, or rolling pin, and the spianatoia, or pasta board. the hand held edgewise stood for the matterello."

these charming observations aside -- altho' i too love the gambrinus, as long-time readers know -- and i must say that from my travels in naples, nonna is much more likely to spoil you with treats and gelati than to brutalize you! -- i exhaustedly report that as of this evening i will complete the entire pasta pin process.

however, i have to say it was worth it: try as i might, i could not find a single place -- even mrs. bridge -- who sold a pre-made pin that fits marcella's requirements. 32 inches is apparently much longer than any commercial pin readily available, which is why i suppose marcella tosses off her instructions for making one in the first place.

in this frightfully humid, full-august weather, it will be interesting to find low-cook, even no-cook, sauces suitable for hand-rolled pasta. . .then i suppose i can move onto the chitarra. . .which, thank my lucky fava beans, i can easily purchase.

with the raviolatrice.

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posted by fortune | 8:09 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 2 comments