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What makes our Pasta Different?
Close to Home pasta is always rolled, not extruded. Rolling pasta is how homemade pasta is made, either through a crank machine or (for the original pioneers) by hand with a roller. We value making rolled pasta for a few reasons. First, rolling pasta is more gentle on the dough, thus maintaining the integrity of the semolina and other ingredients. This means that the pasta is less dense, easier to digest, and allows for the ingredients in the pasta to be tasted more. The rolling machines that we use also have tiny ridges, which gives our pasta a different texture and greater surface area. This means that more sauce sticks to your pasta, creating a richer compliment and overall better taste!
Almost all pasta that is made for purchase is extruded. Extruded pasta is made when dough is pushed through a die (think about when you used to push Play Doh through shapes). The dough gets pushed through the die under high pressure and compacts, becoming more dense. Denser pasta is heavier and harder to digest. Furthermore, extruded pasta's surface isn't textured, so the sauce slips off. Extruding pasta is much faster and less labor intensive than rolling it, which is why almost every single pasta maker makes it this way.
High quality and fresh local ingredients need to be appreciated and savored. All of our bodies need nourishment, which happens when we easily digest our meals. At Close to Home we value your meal as if it was our meal, and use the best produce and pasta making process to make this possible.
Ingredients: Semolina, Spinach, Garlic, Salt
Our most popular pasta. The taste is bold and can stand on it's own, yet it makes a great compliment to chicken, beef and/or veggies. Works great with a bit of olive oil or butter, and some fresh grated cheese.
Ingredients: Semolina, Jalapeno Peppers, Serrano Peppers, Cilantro, Salt
A tasty pasta with a kick! The jalapeno and serrano flavor is enough to tickle your taste buds without having you reaching for a handkerchief. The cilantro adds a nice refreshing minty/basil-y flavor. Pair it with your favorite wine or one of San Diego's great local beers.
Whole WheatIngredients: Whole Wheat Flour, Semolina, Water, Salt
We'll be honest, when we first started making pasta, we were resistant to making a whole wheat flavor. While we appreciate the health benefits of whole wheat, we didn't want to make something that wasn't absolutely delicious. After enough requests to make it, we got to work in the kitchen and came up with a recipe that we love! Our whole wheat pasta has enough whole wheat to give you the health benefit of eating a whole grain, but still has the delicious taste of REAL pasta.
Ingredients: Semolina, Water, Salt
How is it possible that semolina, water and salt -- three simple ingredients -- can taste this good? We're not positive, but it probably has something to do with the love and passion that is infused during the mixing, rolling and cutting of this pasta. Unlike most "plain" pasta, our original pasta is most certainly not a blank slate. It's delicious with some marinara, herb butter, lemon olive oil, or even cold with some salsa verde!