If a consortium of Italian grandmothers were to put down The Ten Commandments of making pasta, then 'Thou Shalt Not Break The Spaghetti Before Boiling It' is likely to be right up there alongside 'Thou Shalt Serve The Pasta Al Dente' and 'Thou Shalt Only Add Salt To Boiling Water, Never Oil'.
Connell moves easily between philosophy, farming and writing, checking the oven and returning to a conversation that veers from cattle to climate change.
The more you use a good quality olive oil, the better your food will taste. Spring is the time to seek out the newest extra virgin olive oils—the current harvest from olives picked and milled in the previous fall and early winter.
"The solution to everything was just add butter. It was the moment when I realized so much of the magic that occurs in pastry, but also in sauces, emulsification, creating that silky texture of a classic French sauce, it's all because of butter."