Learn to Make Pasta like an Italian

Italian cooking classes are a must for anyone who loves to eat Italian-style. Take spaghetti for instance. We all know it, from the little can of Spaghettio’s we were given as kids to the big plate of spaghetti that grandma used to make on weekends. It normally follows the same recipe, from New York to Houston to Seattle, long Spaghetti noodles, tomato sauce, and lots of meat.

Yet, did you know you are eating the immigrants’ version of Spaghetti? Or that Spaghetti is just one of many types of pasta? In point of fact, the more common pasta dishes in Italy have much less meat than Americans are used to putting in their Spaghetti. The reason is that in the 19th century, there was not enough meat available in much of Italy, so from the wealthy to the poor it was customary to put meat in pasta once in a while. When the immigrants saw how much meat was available in their new home, they added lots of it, giving us the dish we recognize today. Then there is the tomato sauce. Few Americans can conceive of Spaghetti without tomato sauce (except perhaps for Alfredo sauce), but in Italy professional cooks shy away from tomatoes or use them sparingly, and numerous dishes to not call for them at all, if for no other reason that tomatoes tend to get into everything.

So, to make authentic Italian pasta, one needs to think outside the box. No tomato? Less or no meat? Cè no problemo! First you will need to make sure you have the basic equipment. The first thing is a materello, the long Italian rolling pin used for flattening out pasta. Many Italians will remember their grandmother using this. It Italy women use it not only to roll out their pasta, but to give their husbands a good whap on the head if they should come home drunk. Second, a pasta slicing machine, of which there are many types. Third, and just as importantly, the finest ingredients. Fourthly, you have to determine what type of pasta you would like to make. There are many types, from the spaghetti that we Americans know so well, and thicker slices called Taglioni (or smaller ones, Taglionlini), Fettucini, or you can pump out much thicker spaghetti called Buccatini.

To make any particular type of pasta, you can follow a basic recipe. To make enough for 4, you need 3 ½ cups of all purpose white flour, and 3 eggs. This works far better if the eggs are farm-fresh. If you’ve made pizza crust or bread before, then you’ll know what comes next. Form the flour onto a work surface, and hollow out the center. Then break the eggs over the hole in the middle. Although, if you want to make pasta as they do in Bologna, the birthplace of pasta, you’ll use only the egg yokes! Beat the mixture lightly with a fork for a couple of minutes, (which is tricky, you beat the yokes without mixing in the flour), and then mix the flour together. Then begin working the mixture with your hands until it is smooth and firm. Then you will knead it for 10 minutes, and let it rest for 20. Now you are ready to roll it out by hand using your materello, a special wooden rolling pin, and now its ready be put through the pasta machine. Now you will have fresh pasta ready to use in any recipe you should like.

Cooking for yourself and your friends and family is deeply satisfying, and a wonderful gift to your loved ones. Cooking classes are not only fun to do with kids, but are educational for anyone wishing to learn about nutrition, food science, and culture.

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