Trader Joe's Organic Italian Artisan Gigli Pasta, 500g

Bari is the capital of southern Italy's Puglia region—geographically, the top of the heel of the boot—and also the birthplace of our Organic Italian Artisan Pastas. Does one need to travel to the eastern reaches of the Italian peninsula to find pasta? Of course not. But TJ's product development team is not in the business of need; no, they're in the business of must have. And really, after a single bite of this extraordinary pasta, they realized this (and its partners) was a TJ's must have.

Traditional Italian pasta is made with only two ingredients, durum wheat semolina flour and water—a small amount of softer wheat flour is allowed by law, but TJ's Organic Italian Artisan Gigli Pasta is crafted with 100% organic durum wheat semolina sourced from farms in Puglia. TJ's supplier has been producing artisan-made pasta for more than 35 years. Most dried pasta are made in huge batches and dried quickly, from three to 12 hours. This Artisan Pasta is made in small batches, and dried at much lower temperatures for up to 24 hours, resulting in a more rustic texture that cooks to a delightfully al dente texture. Gigli, also known as Campanelle (translates to "bellflowers" or "little bells"), has a ruffled edge and hollow center, so it holds any sauce extremely well. Marinara? Carbonara? Just a bit of olive oil and shaved Parmesan? Any of these will do, deliciously.