Masciarelli Bronze Cut Mezzi Rigatoni

Masciarelli Mezzi Rigatoni Bronze cut artisan pasta from Abruzzo

The short version of rigatoni, the mezzi, or “half” is typical of central and southern Italy.

Cut by hand and slightly curved, this fun shape can be used with any rigatoni recipe.

They create their bronze cut artisan pasta one form at a time, using a single press and a small set of handmade circular bronze dyes. The ingredients are simple: 100% durum wheat (high in protein) and pure spring water from the waters of the surrounding Majella National Park; and nothing else.

Each batch is handled independently from the others; mixed and adjusted by eye and feel and cut by hand. The resulting shapes are allowed to dry at a very low temperature (not exceeding 45* c) for as long as 3 days.

This method is more time consuming than those used by most of their large scale counterparts, but allows for the gradual removal of moisture from the pasta. A fact that can be seen on the pasta itself, in the form of a fine dust of flour that remains on the surface.

All of this extra effort and bronze dyes produce a rough texture, (which you can feel) and allows sauce to cling to this extraordinary product. So, if you’ve ever wondered why the sauce just slides off your regular industrial pasta, this is why; it has nothing to cling to.