Imagine a nice, thick spaghetti strand that is square - yes square - well that's Spaghetti alla Chitarra, a traditional shape originating from Abruzzo. It is superb with "big" sauces like full-flavoured meat ragu or opulent creamy sauces, but has a refined side too as exemplified with a simple tomato and basil sauce.

Spaghetti alla Chitarra is so called because it is traditionally made with a device that resembles a guitar (chitarra in Italian). It has a rectangular beech wood frame with wire strings pulled across a few mm apart. The pasta dough is rolled into a sheet and placed across the stings. It is rolled again and cuts away into long strips which fall into the cavity below. The Abruzzo women would then caress the ends of the strings with a finger, just like playing a harp, to make sure all the pasta strips fall through.

Pastificio Granoro have their own bronze drawn version ofthis classic pasta with a rough surface, perfect for lapping up all kinds of sauces. Spaghetti alla chitarra should always be cooked al dente and it will reward you well for doing so. A guaranteed hit every time!

What makes Attilio Pasta so special?

The range is named after 99 year old Attilio Mastromauro (pictured below), founder of Pastificio Granoro and one of the leading lights of pasta production in Italy. The quality of his gourmet pasta is chiefly down to 4 key factors. The choice of durum wheat is critical. Only Italy's finest grain, with a very high protein and gluten content is used in Attilio's range to give a delicious tasting pasta which cooks to perfection every time.

It is then kneaded slowly and laboriously for a long time before being bronze drawn (trafilati al bronzo). This means the pasta dough passes through special dyes or moulds made of bronze, which gives the pasta a rough surface to attract and bind the sauce perfectly.

Finally the pasta is then dried "dolce" or very gently at low temperatures over a long period to preserve all its natural flavour and goodness.

When dry, Attilio's pasta has a lovely golden colour and unlike most other bronze drawn pasta which tend to fade when cooked, Attilio's actually intensifies to produce one of the most inviting pasta dishes we've experienced!

Spaghetti's big brother, Spaghettoni is a great pasta shape which combines perfectly with many sauces.

It is thicker than normal spaghetti and works particularly well paired with hearty, full-bodied sauces. We think it is one of the best pastas for big seafood sauces and many chefs appreciate spaghettoni with sautéed vegetables and pestos. See below for some suggestions.

If you try a quality spaghettoni, like this one from the Attilio range by Pastificio Granoro, you'll immediately notice its lovely texture and consistency. Each strand can clearly be distinguished and each bite is rewarded with an ever so slight crunch, like biting into a thin wedge of chocolate.

What makes Attilio Pasta so special?

The range is named after 99 year old Attilio Mastromauro (pictured below), founder of Pastificio Granoro and one of the leading lights of pasta production in Italy. The quality of his gourmet pasta is chiefly down to 4 key factors. The choice of durum wheat is critical. Only Italy's finest grain, with a very high protein and gluten content is used in Attilio's range to give a delicious tasting pasta which cooks to perfection every time.

It is then kneaded slowly and laboriously for a long time before being bronze drawn (trafilati al bronzo). This means the pasta dough passes through special dyes or moulds made of bronze, which gives the pasta a rough surface to attract and bind the sauce perfectly.

Finally the pasta is then dried "dolce" or very gently at low temperatures over a long period to preserve all its natural flavour and goodness.

When dry, Attilio's pasta has a lovely golden colour and unlike most other bronze drawn pasta which tend to fade when cooked, Attilio's actually intensifies to produce one of the most inviting pasta dishes we've experienced!

Rich, wholesome and delicious Borlotti beans from the south of Italy.

Borlotti have a lovely nutty flavour and a creamy internal texture. They are great for soups and stews and wonderful on their own as a side dish with some chilli oil, tossed in a salad or puréed to accompany a risotto. Also make a great foundation for a rich tomato pasta sauce.

These Borlotti beans couldn't be easier or quicker to use - Just open, heat up and they're ready!

Cannellini Beans are one of the classics of Tuscan cuisine and nowadays, for their taste, ease of use, nutritional properties and low price are found in most kitchens around Italy.

These Cannellini have a soft skin and creamy flesh with a delicious, mild flavour with hints of roast chestnut. They are so easy to use, just open, heat them up and you're ready to go!

They are low in fat and high in proteins, minerals and Vitamin B. Cannellini are very versatile too. They are excellent in soups and broths including Minestrone and the Tuscan classic pasta and beans - Pasta e Fagioli. A natural for bean salads, excellent in ragus or tomato sauces. They also make a delicious creamy puree to use as a side dish to white meats and fish.

This is a superior quality "00" flour from Puglia.

"00" flour is ground exclusively from the central part of the grain and is pure white and very fine. It is ideal for the most delicate jobs where you need something nice and light, such as pastries, brioche, delicate cakes, desserts, besciamel, foccacia, soft bread and fresh pasta.

Use also in a mix of other flours (e.g. with Semolina, 0 flour or Manitoba) to bring extra lightness to your pizza base or bread.

Confused about all the different types of Italian flour? Read our mini-guide here.

High quality semolina flour (Semola di grano duro) from Puglia.

Semolina flour is the classic hard wheat (durum) flour for making dry pasta or blending with other flours for a huge array of uses (see below for some examples). Just add water and off you go!

Good semolina flour is not so easy to find outside Italy and this is a great opportunity to get a superior quality Semolina at an unbeatable price!

What is Semolina Flour?

As opposed to the soft wheat flours (grano tenero) 0 or 00, Semolina flour or semola di grano duro is obtained from hard wheat flour (durum wheat). It is ground from the central part of the grain to produce a course flour with a golden yellow colour. Semolina flour is most commonly used for making classic dry pasta, however it has many other uses too.

Why choose this Semolina flour?

Granoro have specifically selected the wheat grain which possesses certain quality criteria; the grain size has been calibrated to ensure optimal absorption of water, more even blending and easier kneeding of the dough. It has also been selected for its intense golden colour formed by carotene present in the central part of the grain (great antioxidants) and it also has a very high protein level.

What can I use Semolina flour for?

It is perfect for making pasta, cous cous and gnocchi. Its course grind makes it ideal for soups, semolina pudding and porridge. It is often mixed together with other flours (00 or 0 usually) to prepare fresh pasta, bread, cakes and focaccia. It adds a lovely hint of gold and a slightly rough and rustic texture to bread crust or pizza base. It is also the perfect flour to spread when kneading to prevent the dough from sticking.

This is a single varietal extra virgin olive oil made from the wonderful Coratina olive which grows around the town of Corato in Puglia. Coratina olives are most often used as part of a blend with other olive oils while 100% Coratina oils like this are amongst the most important and highly regarded in Italy.

The Coratina olive is renowned for its very high levels of polyphenols antioxidant which make it extremely healthy and very stable with extended shelf life.

The olives selected by Granoro for this Dedicato (see below for more information on the special Dedicato range of products) olive oil are from a small farm in the hills surrounding Castel del Monte, one of the most prestigious olive growing areas in the Med. They are harvested by hand and immediately pressed to ensure the lowest levels of acidity. The frantoio (olive mill) still uses a traditional granite stone for pressing - this helps to transfer all the natural taste and goodness from olive to oil.

It has a striking golden-yellow colour with distinct green hues.

The Dedicato Range by Pastificio Atillio Mastromauro - Granoro

Puglia is a region of astonishing beauty and diversity but it also enjoys another distinction which perhaps isn't so well known in the UK; its outstanding farm produce.

The remarkable quality of vegetables, olives, cereals and legumes from Puglia is the tangible end result of an extraordinary terroir and centuries of farming tradition. The Dedicato Range of products celebrates the best Puglia has to offer - genuine products that are healthy and delicious. It also aims to help maintain sustainable farming in the area.

STRAIGHT FROM THE FARM

All the produce is cultivated in limited quantities on small farms in the region using traditional methods, then expertly transformed into the final product by a small group of local artisan companies. No supermarkets or large distributers are involved in what is an intimate process of bringing the consumer much closer to the producer.

The range includes pasta from select durum wheat varieties; wonderful cherry tomatoes and olive oil from Castel del Monte; Lentils and chickpeas from Altamura and the Alta Murgia National Park. They are all ancient varieties once commonly produced in the area until large-scale farming and industrial production meant the laborious working methods and small yields were no longer sustainable. Now thanks to projects like the Dedicato line, they are now making a comeback.

All the products carry a double seal of quality as they undergo regular and scrupulous quality checks by 2 independent bodies. They also have guaranteed traceable provenance.

Delicious, full-flavoured whole cherry tomatoes, resting in their own juice with no other ingredients or additives. Fresh tasting and natural.

Granoro uses only the ripest cherry tomatoes (pomodorini) which are washed and canned within 6 hours of picking. They come in an easy-open tin and are used by thousands of chefs around Italy.

Perfect for rich tomato-based sauces and many other recipes. They give you the lovely sweet Italian tomato taste you can only get from quality cherry tomatoes.

Long shelf life and a great price. Why not stock up and optimise or reduce delivery charges!

Delicious chopped tomatoes Polpa di Pomodoro from Puglia.

Just like home-made! The finest Italian tomatoes are picked at exactly the right moment of ripeness, oozing with natural freshness and taste they are washed, peeled and chopped within hours of picking.

Perfect as a base to all your favourite tomato sauces.

Spaghetti No. 14. This is the most popular spaghetti size used in restaurants all over Italy. It's the perfect thickness for all the classic spaghetti dishes.

USE: Spaghetti is the most common pasta type and lends itself to many types of sauces, especially olive oil based so each strand gets a nice coating.

The Granoro Pasta Range

Premium quality durum wheat and innovative production methods make the Granoro pasta range an excellent choice for everyday use. It is produced using special processes which maintain the natural quality and goodness of the wheat and really bring out all its flavour. The pasta cooks to perfection every time and effortlessly binds sauces to give deliciously balanced and full flavoured pasta dishes.

Cooking time: 6 minutes

Best way to cook pasta? Here's our guide on how to avoid Pasta Disasters!

These delicious and wholesome giant lentils are part of the Dedicato range (see below for description) by Granoro.

They are from an ancient lentil variety which thrives in the fertile soils and Mediterranean sunshine of the Alta Murgia National Park in Puglia. They are large, dark green and have a delightful nutty sweetness about them, with notes of grass and woody aftertaste. They also hold their shape and firmness superbly when cooking and are perfect for Italian and North African cuisine.

Lentils are a great source of protein and fibre. They are free of fat, cholesterol and gluten and hardly have any calories!

The Dedicato Range by Pastificio Atillio Mastromauro - Granoro

Puglia is a region of astonishing beauty and diversity but it also enjoys another distinction which perhaps isn't so well known in the UK; its outstanding farm produce.

The remarkable quality of vegetables, olives, cereals and legumes from Puglia is the tangible end result of an extraordinary terroir and centuries of farming tradition. The Dedicato Range of products celebrates the best Puglia has to offer - genuine products that are healthy and delicious. It also aims to help maintain sustainable farming in the area.

STRAIGHT FROM THE FARM

All the produce is cultivated in limited quantities on small farms in the region using traditional methods, then expertly transformed into the final product by a small group of local artisan companies. No supermarkets or large distributers are involved in what is an intimate process of bringing the consumer much closer to the producer.

The range includes pasta from select durum wheat varieties; wonderful cherry tomatoes and olive oil from Castel del Monte; Lentils and chickpeas from Altamura and the Alta Murgia National Park. They are all ancient varieties once commonly produced in the area until large-scale farming and industrial production meant the laborious working methods and small yields were no longer sustainable. Now thanks to projects like the Dedicato line, they are now making a comeback.

All the products carry a double seal of quality as they undergo regular and scrupulous quality checks by 2 independent bodies. They also have guaranteed traceable provenance.

DEDICATO LENTILS FROM THE ALTA MURGIA NATIONAL PARK, ALTAMURA

These special lentils are known as Altamura or Giant lentils. They were once the most sought after and cultivated in Italy and had a huge success in the US and Canada in the 1950s. However, from the 70s with the advent of industrial production and mass commercialisation, they were gradually replaced by more profitable, lower quality lentils and their cultivation practically vanished. It is now slowly making a comeback as more discerning consumers discover its taste and nutritional value is superior to most lentils on the market today.

Another aim of the Dedicato range of products is to help preserve the biodiversity of the land and safeguard its heritage of taste and tradition. For this reason farming is strictly controlled and only small sustainable areas are cultivated naturally with low environmental impact.

Classic green lasagna (Lasagne Verdi) made from quality durum wheat and spinach. The lasagna sheets are specially rolled to give them a rough surfave which really captures and holds the sauce and then they are slowly dried to conserve all their flavour and nutritional properties. Quality pasta like this is strong and resistant and will cook perfectly al dente every time.

The classic lasagna dish is the rich and creamy Lasagna Verdi alla Bolognese,  but there are literally thousands of recipes you can try. This green spinach lasagna is a firm favourite for vegetarian lasagna but you can use it for any dish that calls for standard durum wheat lasagna. See below for a few suggestions.

Easy and quick to use, it doesn't require any pre-cooking, so just pop it in the oven and it's ready to go!

Kids love it too (don't tell them about the spinach though!).