For years it’s only been in my dreams that I could bite into a truly delicious ravioli, gnocchi, or pierogi. I would look back longingly on the days of fine dining in the best of Italian restaurants, sinking my teeth into freshly-made ravioli with only a hint of sauce so I could taste every bit of the pasta and delectable, pillowy filling.
When I tested Conte’s, I thought I’d better pinch myself to make sure this wasn’t a dream. Could Conte’s gluten-free pastas and products line be this absolutely delicious and gluten-free?
I tasted one product after the next, starting with the gnocchi (wheat, gluten, and casein-free). Oh, my, those little pillows of love just rolled in my mouth like velvet in Conte’s homemade sauce. Delightful!
Next were two flavors of ravioli and the pierogis. I don’t ever eat cheese, but what the heck, I thought. This was an occasion I was not going to pass up. “Could this really be gluten-free?” was all I kept asking myself. Here’s a spinach ravioli recipe submitted by a cook in my LA kitchen.
Next was the pizza shell. I baked it slightly in the oven first, topped it with some sauce and toppings, and put it back in the oven. It came out of the oven with a crisp, delicious crust with just the texture in the center I prefer. I am so accustomed to “dead bread” pizza crust that I frankly gave up on GF pizza. This was perfect, had flavor and texture, and cooked like real pizza dough and worked with my sauce. It was light, slightly sweet and lightly crunchy. They know their pizza crust.
I knew there had to be a fault. This was just too good to be true. Mike Conte, the founder, assured me the facility is gluten-free, the products are tested, and his family is proud to now be the largest provider of GF pasta even to remote locations such as Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii.
It wasn’t until 2007 that Conte’s dedicated their efforts to have their products in every household, including the GF home. It took a while to be able to service the growing and expansive needs of such fine products, but they are now running full production lines of the finest gluten-free products and meeting families’ strict standards of quality. Mike and his mother, Angela, to this day oversee all the products and Angela is standing over her daily batches of fresh tomato sauce, which, by the way, is so flavorful it would go well with any dish, and I actually tried it on nine different dishes, including chicken cacciatore.
Anyone celiac or gluten-intolerant can rest assured that when I say this company stands out with products unlike others, I mean it. Their GF taste tastes like the “real deal.” What’s more, the customer service and care goes right along with their food—tops!
This food company is given a thumbs up and is HIGHLY recommended. Conte’s website: www.ContesPasta.com.
Tina Turbin
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