Wajos Heart Pasta. Durum wheat semolina, wheat germ and tomato paste, colored red with beetroot, in heart shape – the pasta that turns a dinner into an occasion.
Wajos Heart Pasta is pasta made from durum wheat semolina with 3.4 percent wheat germ and 2.5 percent tomato paste, colored with beetroot powder, 250 g from Dohr on the Moselle. Not egg pasta, no colorful pasta with artificial dyes, not a children's product with toys, but durum wheat pasta in a heart shape with a subtle tomato note. Contains gluten; egg is missing from the recipe, traces are possible.
Heart pasta from Wajos is, soberly considered, durum wheat pasta like fusilli or penne: semolina, water, a little tomato paste. The difference lies in the shape – and the shape changes what happens at the table. The same tomato sauce that is a Tuesday dinner over penne becomes a birthday dinner, a Valentine's evening, or the plate that a sick child will finally eat when served over hearts. We sell the pack regularly, usually as a gift, as a small present, or together with a sugo for a complete dinner in a package.
Durum wheat with a subtle tomato note, red from beetroot
The pasta consists of red-orange, small hearts that keep their shape when cooked. The color comes from beetroot powder, the flavor from durum wheat semolina with 3.4 percent wheat germ, which gives a slightly nutty tone, and 2.5 percent tomato paste. Honestly: you taste the tomato more as an inkling than as an aroma – it is pasta that tastes like pasta, with a bit more character than pure semolina noodles. 13 grams of protein per 100 grams and hardly any fat, as is typical for durum wheat pasta.
For those who expect strong tomato pasta or a long ribbon noodle for ragù, the hearts are not suitable – then the Rainbow Tagliatelle fit better. And anyone who wants egg pasta with bite is in the wrong place here: egg is missing from the recipe; there is only a note about possible traces of egg, fish, mollusks, soy, and mustard.
With butter and Parmesan, with sugo, in pasta salad and in soup
Boil the hearts in plenty of salted water until al dente – the time is on the package, and it is better to test them a minute earlier than too late, because small shapes soften quickly. The simplest plate is the best: hearts, a piece of butter, Parmesan, pepper. This is the meal that, after a long day, is on the table at our place in fifteen minutes.
With tomato sauce, they turn into a children's birthday party – the Sugo all' Arrabbiata for the adults at the table, a mild sugo for the little ones. Bolognese sticks well to the hearts because the small shape picks up the minced meat. With pesto, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella, they become a pasta salad for a picnic; in a clear broth, they make a soup garnish for Sunday evening. They are also suitable for oven dishes baked with cheese if you only boil them briefly beforehand.
A word about the color: It comes from beetroot powder instead of an artificial dye, which is why it is muted rather than bright. Those who drain the hearts immediately after cooking and mix them with oil or butter will have the most beautiful result on the plate. Children love to help with this pasta – counting the hearts, grating the cheese, arranging the plate – and afterwards they eat the tomato sauce that would otherwise be left on the side.
They are not suitable for heavy cream sauces in large quantities – the small hearts get lost in them and stick together. Searing them in a pan like fried noodles also works poorly because small shapes burn faster than they take on color.
Our tip: Boil hearts until al dente, mix with Basil Pesto with Pine Nuts, add cherry tomatoes – red, green, and a plate that makes any reservation unnecessary for Valentine's Day.
Shaped pasta from the Moselle, from a house with 900 items
Wajos is a gourmet manufacturer in Dohr near Cochem on the Moselle, and the path from a winemaking family to heart pasta is shorter than it sounds. The Osters from Ediger-Eller have been making wine for 15 generations; Walter Josef Oster, whose initials form the name Wajos, opened a liqueur manufactory next to the winery in the 1980s. His son Peter Oster and Ulf Schwichtenberg turned it into a company with around 900 items starting in the 2000s – vinegars, oils, spices, sauces, spirits, and, indeed, pasta.
Over 80 employees work in Dohr, and most products are created there themselves; an in-house laboratory checks what goes into the package. The pasta forms a small family in the assortment: hearts, butterflies, confetti linguine, rainbow tagliatelle – shapes and colors that match the sugos and pestos that Wajos offers alongside them. The first Wajos store opened in Trier in 2008; today there are stores all over Germany.
The pasta for children's birthdays, Valentine's Day and as a gift for pasta fans
Heart pasta is the pack for families with small children, for couples who eat at home instead of at a restaurant, and for anyone looking for a gift that is something other than a bottle. Together with a sugo and a seasoned oil, they make a dinner in a package – the Mini Butterfly Pasta is the second shape we use for this; all pasta and sauces are on our Wajos page.
As a gift, they work for occasions where a bottle would be too much and a card too little: for a wedding in a basket with sugo and pesto, for a housewarming, for Mother's Day, as a comfort food for someone lying sick in bed. Stored in a dry place away from light, the package lasts a long time; 250 grams is enough for two to three servings as a main dish or four as a side dish. The hearts are not suitable for a gluten-free diet or for those who simply need pasta for their everyday pantry – the hearts are too good for that.
Durum wheat, wheat germ and a hint of tomato, in heart shape – the pasta from the Moselle that turns a Tuesday into an occasion.
