I’ll come straight out with it – I hate to cook. I do it when I have to, but I do it begrudgingly. In Italy, where it is very easy to head to the local fresh pasta shop, learning how to make my own pasta has never seemed essential. I’ve also been spoiled by great food made by my husband, Steve, who is an excellent cook. However, in one of those “you can give a man a fish or you can teach a man to fish” moments – I thought it would be a fun evening spent with friends learning how to make this classic Italian food staple.
We often get guests at The Beehive wanting to take a cooking course, but nothing too rigorous. Walks of Italy’s pasta making course is a great option for someone wanting a short, easygoing class while still learning a delicious and handy skill.
The course is located on the beautiful rooftop terrace apartment of Chef David Sgueglia della Marra and his wife Barbara. Chef David welcomed everyone warmly and despite his leg being in a brace from a recent surgical procedure, he still had loads of energy and enthusiasm. Pre-pasta making started with prosecco and delicious appetizers. My kind of cooking class!
Donning our aprons, our stations were already set up – ingredients were laid out and pre-measured. He told us the portions so we would know for the future and showed us how to mix the two main ingredients. While there is pasta made with egg, we made the lightest and easiest kind which consists of only two ingredients. It all starts with a little bit of flour and a little bit of water.
After we mixed and lightly kneaded our dough – it was wrapped in plastic and set aside for about 15 minutes which allowed us to have a second round of prosecco.
When the dough was ready, Chef David showed us how to use the wooden rolling pin to initially roll out the pasta and then using a hand cranked pasta machine – we rolled the pasta out another 3-4 times until it was quite long and thin.
With a knife we cut off pieces and rolled between our hands. Here’s the result – our handmade pici pasta – Marchigiano style.
The sauce he chose was deceptively simple – olive oil, garlic, zucchini flowers, sausage and saffron which the pici pasta was then mixed into. In a smaller pan, Chef David’s wife Barbara made a vegetarian version for me without sausage. It was absolutely delicious!
Afterward, we ate our pasta which was incredibly light and flavorful and enjoyed some glasses of wine and camaraderie with our fellow students. The weather was a bit cold to sit out on the terrace, but I can imagine in the spring and summer what a lovely evening it would be to enjoy the fruits of our labor al fresco.
For more information on this pasta making course with Chef David, contact Walks of Italy.
