Country Pasta

Nothing is quite as satisfying on a cold wet fall day as a big steaming bowl of noodles. My choice to satiate my most recent craving was a simple combination of melted butter, good Parmesan, a squeeze of lemon and the fabulous egg noodles from Polson’s Country Pasta.  Not only is it quite tasty but this is locally made pasta you can really feel good about.

                                             

Dean and Linda Knutson started their pasta making operation in 1990 on their land in Polson.  100% durum semolina from Montana and other nearby states, fresh eggs, mountain water and sea salt are all that goes into their product.  The size of the operation, 2.5 million pounds of pasta each year, may not allow for only Montana-made ingredients but they try to use local vegetables and meats when possible.  And I really appreciate the fact that they employ 25 local people. 

My local foodie heart beat a little faster when I learned of Country Pasta’s exciting new venture, an organic line of pasta which will use organic locally sourced semolina from Great Falls.   When asked why they work so hard, Heather Knutson answered, “Providing jobs and offering people high quality food products to enjoy.  Eating is more than just sustaining our bodies, it is about relationships, entertainment, and happiness…and we love sharing the good food we produce right here in Montana”. 

Pick up a bag of Country Pasta’s locally made regular egg noodles or wide egg noodles in Missoula at the Good Food Store and Orange Street Food Farm, the Bozeman Co-op or the Real Food Store in Helena.  And check out their website, www.countrypasta.com for recipes, online orders and instructions on how to get your local grocery store to carry their pasta.