Casa Rinaldi Conchiglioni N. 97 Trafila

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

The Casa Rinaldi Conchiglioni N.97 Trafila is made with hard wheat, which helps the pasta keep its unique shape. These are jumbo shells, and usually and best used for pasta dishes with stuffing.

PREPARATION AND PAIRINGS

A delicious way to prepare shell or seashell pasta is Conchiglioni with Italian Sausage and Ricotta Stuffing.

• Cook your Casa Rinaldi Conchiglioni N.97 Trafila according to instruction.
• In a large skillet, cook sausage on medium heat. Crumble into small pieces as it cooks.
• Lightly coat a baking dish with olive oil, and pour some marinara sauce on the bottom.
• Beat an egg in a large bowl. Mix in ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, basil, ground pepper, and the cooked crumbled sausage.
• Fill each cooked shell with the mix and place them in the baking dish with sauce. Repeat until baking dish is filled.
• Cover in more marinara sauce, more mozzarella, and more Parmesan.
• Bake covered with aluminum foil in an oven preheated at 350F for around 45 minutes, until bubbly.
• Uncover, and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
• Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve.

TOMATO TIME

It was only in the late 18th century—a whole two centuries after tomatoes were introduced to Italy, that tomato sauce was described and recorded. It was in 1790, in a cook book by Francesco Leonardi, that the first written record of pasta with tomato sauce was found. Before that, people ate pasta dry with their fingers. The advent of sauces meant forks needed to be used.

Storage Instructions

Store dry, uncooked pasta in a cool, dry pantry for up to one year. Preserve freshness by storing dry pasta in an air-tight box or container. Store plain (no sauce or other ingredients) cooked