Preserves
Bay leaves
Whole leaves, dried but still green. In at the start of cooking, out at the end: they are there to scent, not to be eaten.
The shop / Le Aromatiche di Girafi
Le Aromatiche di Girafi
7 products
Pulses and herbs from Mussomeli, in Sicily, in clear bags, the handwritten label on top and Sicily drawn in the middle. The bag says «hand-selected»: you can tell, because the chickpeas are not all the same size.
Sicily
Preserves
Preserves
Marjoram
Sweeter than oregano and more discreet: it does not cover, it accompanies. Add it at the end, because long heat takes its scent away.
Preserves
Oregano
Dried in a bunch, not ground: you crumble it between your fingers over the dish, and that is where the scent starts. It is the plant the company took its name from.
Preserves
Spaghetti seasoning mix
Herbs and chilli already mixed, for the sauce of people who get home late: heat the oil, drop in a spoonful, pour it over the pasta.
Pulses and pantry
Pulses and pantry
White chickpea
The everyday chickpea, but hand-picked: in the bag you can see they are not all the same size, which is the sign that no machine levelled them.
Pulses and pantry
Black chickpea
Smaller and darker than the white one, with a wrinkled skin. It holds its shape while cooking and leaves an almost black broth, which you do not throw away.
Pulses and pantry
Lentils
Small and green, the kind that needs no soaking. Twenty minutes and they are done: the pulse you cook even on an ordinary evening.