Here's Etto Pasta Ingredients: Organic Durum Semolina Wheat Flour
I receive many different newsletters in my email box. Many focus on food trends and I enjoy seeing what's new in the world of specialty food like the recent Yuzu/Vanilla trend I just discovered. I guess that makes sense - kind of like a creamsicle but with a new spin on it. I get some inspiration and ideas from these newsletters, but I also realize that the hype around these new trends often hides the fact that what Etto thinks matters the most about food is purity and a simple ingredient list - the opposite of ultra-processed foods. Of course protein, probiotics and fiber are still trending as I saw at the huge Expo West food show in Anaheim last Spring. At the very end of one of these food newsletters I was happy to see a poll asking food producers what they believe builds the most consumer trust for their brands. Here it is:
A complete, plain-English list of ingredients - 61%
Origin stories of the specific farms used - 9%
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting - 17%
Third-party health and safety certifications - 13%
The winner by an overwhelming margin was a complete plain english list of ingredients. Now this is a food trend I can really get behind and hopefully you can too. Etto's pasta ingredient list is as simple as it gets: a single ingredient of Organic Durum Semolina Wheat Flour. We found out we don't need to list water as an ingredient that appears on some of our packaging. Many conventional pastas include ingredients we deem unnecessary, but when lower quality and cheaper flour is used much of the nutritional value is lost. Since our naturally low in sugar flour is already rich in B vitamins and other beneficial nutrients, we don't need to add anything to our pasta so purity is the name of the game. As you can and maybe have witnessed in our pasta factory, our pasta is processed, not ultra-processed.
It's not just our pasta; a quick spin around the Etto marketplace and a scan of the labels of the products we offer will almost universally show a simple list of plain English ingredients. The Italians like their food pure and uncomplicated and we love this too. Try to find that in the local grocery or big box store. We have always been proponents of the simple Mediterranean diet, of which pasta is a cornerstone, consisting of simple fresh seasonal ingredients cooked often in just olive oil. At Etto we stand behind real foods and the people who love them, which Nonna would be proud of.
We have been working with
Sinton and Sons in various ways at
Etto (mainly specials and beef shanks we sell at the market) since our friend Daniel took over the J&R Meats locations a few years back. I've known Daniel for many years and was so glad that he stepped up to take over this business that is an invaluable resource to so many farms and ranches in our community. His family's ranch are certified Organic and Humane (GAP4) as well as a member of the Audubon Conservation Ranching - named as the most bird-friendly ranch in the United States.
We have talked from the start about using more and more of his locally sourced products for our menu at the market since day one, but there is a process to ensure a regular supply that isn't as easy as it seems. In the last month we have now completely transitioned our meatballs (a special dish since it's based on my own family recipe) and beef bolognese to Sinton and Sons beef both at Etto Pasta Bar and our Etto Market and couldn't be happier about it. We also stock their ground beef in our market and are thrilled to feature it as well. We love supporting local businesses that are always striving to do better and that's what Sinton is all about.
