Tropicana Jul-Aug 2018 #119 Hot Stuff

THE COOKBOOK
Federico says it
could produce
five times that
amount if he chose
to switch to a
fully automated
production line,
but he instead
keeps faith.”
By the morning, I'm peckish again and ready to see
how those swine develop such succulent hind meat.
The answer? They are fed on natural whey, a byproduct
of creating Parmesan.
Those wanting to discover how the fine cheese
gets from the farm to that famous little dish with its
tiny spoon, can get up with the cows and witness the
transformation first hand.
Only 15 minutes from Parma's historic city centre
lies the Consorzio Produttori Latte Societa Agricola
Cooperativa dairy in Baganzolino, where on weekday
mornings, the fabled master cheesemaker – a celebrity
in these parts – leads free one-hour tours.
It may look like milk upon milk to the layman, but
the specifics of the craft separate mediocre Parmesan
from truly great Parmesan, with the latter deserving
of its own firebrand on the rind.
And don't forget to buy a big lump of cheese as you
leave – I recommend the 28- month-aged batch.
Heading back to civilisation, we pass the imposing
Barilla plant at Pedrignano, built in 1969, where more
than 93,000 miles of spaghetti roll off the conveyor
belts each day.
A world away from those endlessly clanking
machines is the small restaurant and workshop
supervised by former office colleagues Simona and Rita.
Their dissatisfaction with the daily grind inspired them
to quit their jobs and go back to basics, making tagliatelle
and tortellini from scratch.
At their 'Uova e Farina' – egg and flour – cookery
school, small groups can learn how to create sheets of
fresh pasta, before making, with some difficulty,
the tiny parcels that become their lunch.
On the night before the much-vaunted gala dinner,
we go traditional at the aptly-named Ristorante
La Forchetta – the fork – in the shadow of the city's
11th-century cathedral.
The table talk is, initially, about what delicacies there
might be on the big night. Chatter ceases when plates of
Prosciutto di Parma and Parmesan arrive, followed by
ricotta-stuffed tortellini and ragu-coated tagliatelle,
with the sophistication of flavour telling its own story.
And not a bowl of spaghetti Bolognese in sight.
TM | JULY/AUGUST 2018
98