Review: Giovanni Rana pasta

I’ve been sent a selection of filled pastas from Giovanni Rana, a food company set up by a family of expert bakers and pasta makers in the 1960s in Verona, Italy.

It claims to deliver a combination of authentic Italian taste and texture sensations, so I was looking forward to giving it a try.

My preconceptions of pre-packed filled fresh pasta haven’t always been positive. We had a nasty batch of tortellini from the supermarket a few weeks ago that just tasted cheap and of chemicals.

So what did we think? Honestly, we couldn’t believe how delicious these different pastas all were. The pasta was soft and authentic, the fillings really tasty.

• Rich bolognese tortellini – so tasty and the boys wolfed it down superquick
• Chicken and rosemary ravioli – I ate this alone as a meal for one when the troops were out – it felt really indulgent and such a treat.
• Crumbly ricotta, shredded baby spinach and mascarpone ravioli
• Selected Italian cheeses ravioli – I combined the two veggie ones for a family meal and both Matthew and the boys loved it.

You only need to cook if for just a few minutes so it’s a fabulously quick weeknight supper idea. Tossed with a little garlic butter then turned out onto a bowl of watercress dressed with a drizzle of balsamic and then top the whole lot with grated parmesan. Pair it with a very chilled glass of white wine and you could be in Italy.

I will defineitely be purchasing these again…