Pasta!

Food, especially pasta, is undoubtedly one of the things most associated with Italy. One of the experiences our friend Renee was very excited about was a pasta-making class, and today was the day!

Yesterday we rented a van and drove from Rome to Tuscany.  We're staying at a villa that is part of a small family farm. 

Our teacher was Chef Nicolo whose grandparents originally purchased the property in the 1980s.  Nicolo lives here with his girlfriend and his sister, and the three of them do most of the farm work.

I've never made my own fresh pasta, so I was looking forward to the class as much as Renee.  Nicolo had our table on the patio all set up with ingredients, bowls, rolling pins, and pasta rollers ready to dive in. 

 

He gave us a very straightforward recipe to use that we can adapt to many types of pasta.  It was a simple combination of flour, semolina, eggs and egg yolks.

Today we made ravioli and tagliatelle, combining the ingredients with our hands to ensure just the right consistency.  Nicolo also showed us how to make the left over pieces into delicious maltagliati which translates to "badly cut."  Using the pasta roller, we were able to get the dough incredibly thin.  Nicolo made a spinach and ricotta filling for the ravioli ahead of time, but we made the dough, shaped it, and cut it.  It was a lot of fun to learn and delicious to eat afterwards! Nicolo cooked what we made and we feasted on ravioli cooked in a sage butter sauce, walnut pesto maltagliati, and braised beef ragu tagliatelle. 

All of it was incredibly delicious.  I may now have to invest in some pasta making tools when I get home, but first, I think it's time for a nap.