Esse nufesso qui dice male di pasta!

One must be an idiot to speak ill of pasta!


As usual, I'm being slow when it comes to writing new blog posts. I'm sorry!

Anyways... going back to last weekend...

It was pretty much centered around food, and it was great! Friday was wine tasting in Chianti and Saturday was a cooking class in Bologna! Alicia, Richard and I started our day bright and early, and with a few twists and turns we eventually made it to Casa Ilaria for our class.

The first part of our day was spent in the markets that were scattered along the side streets. It was so cute! We were able to taste cheeses and balsamic vinegars and even though it was barely ten in the morning, our mouths were watering right off the bat! After getting the essentials, we headed back to the kitchen (that is actually part of a bed and breakfast -- very nice) and got our aprons on!

Markets

Our to-cook list was:

Tagliatelle noodles (hand-made), ragu' alla bolognese, and a chocolate salami (I'm sure it sounds more appetizing in Italian).

We first started making the bolognese sauce. It had to sit and cook for two hours.

These are the recipes Ilaria, our instructor, gave us -- word for word.

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Ragu' alla Bolognese

1 kg minced meat (pork and beef)

100 g minced onion, carrot, celery

150 g tomato sauce [she used puree]

100 g wine [we used a little bit of white and a little bit of red]

oil, salt

Stir fry vegetables until they get soft

Put the meat and cook it with high heat until it gives out all the water and gets brown, then add salt

Add wine and let dry, then add tomato sauce

Let it cook with low heat and half covered for at least 2 hours.

If you want to leave out fats, drain the oil from the meat before adding the wine.

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Alicia starting off the sauce!

Once we had all of the ingredients in the pan, we let it sit, checking on it and adding water every once in a while. It was really crazy to see how much liquid was absorbed and how much water we had to keep adding!

Next it was pasta time! Tagliatelle is a very traditional pasta from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Our cooking instructor actually went to school for pasta making, so we knew it was going to be great! I wish I could tell you all about everything and recite everything she told us, but I'm not the biggest/best cook, so I just kind of went with the flow. I can tell you that the weather plays a big part in how the pasta reacts and how you have to handle it. It it's really dry compared to if it's really wet, or cold or warm, etc. On Saturday I don't know what was going on with the weather, but we had to add lots of flour to get the right kind of dough. Apparently the weekend before was the exact opposite. Sorry for my blabbering, hopefully any cooks out there aren't disgraced by my lack of knowledge! I hope you at least enjoy the photos! :) 

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Basic Pasta

1 kg flour

10 eggs [we used three, 10 is for a lot of people]

Put flour on the table as if it was a volcano with a big hole in the middle

Break the eggs into the hole and work them with a fork to mix them into the flour

Be careful not to go out of the volcano!

When pasta becomes a little bit solid, start to work it with the hands for at least 20 minutes, to mix the ingredients very well

When it is ready, cut it in two balls [we didn't since we weren't working with THAT much], put them in a plastic bag and leave it rest for 30 minutes.

Then you can begin to work it with the rolling pin, trying to maintain a circle or an oval.

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mmm-mmm!

Once the dough was all mixed (I did get to do my share of kneading, just not pictures of it!) we set it aside to sit. While we were waiting for the dough we got started on the dessert, which also had to sit for about two hours.

At first a "chocolate salami" didn't sound that appealing, but once she explained what it was, and I found out it was about 99% chocolate, I was on board. It's a really easy recipe, too! And just a warning, these pictures don't make it look very good at all, but I promise that it was!

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Chocolate Salami

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

300 gr sugar

100 gr unsweetened cocoa

150 gr butter

200 gr hard cookies

(You can add hazelnuts, almonds, meringues)

Leave butter outside the fridge for a few hours

Cream butter with eggs and sugar, and add cocoa

Crush biscuits in a brown paper bag, leaving it chunky

Add to the mixture and mix well until combined

Empty onto aluminum foil, shape into a think sausage, wrap and roll until round

Chill for two hours

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I just ate about two hours ago and was completely full, and now after looking at these pictures my stomach is starting to rumble!

After the dessert was in the freezer, it was back to the pasta! There was a technique needed to roll the dough, and it took a lot of practice, but I think we all got it down by the end of the day!

Wrists had to stay down, hands cupped, but open, not putting too much pressure on the dough. So many things to think about all at once -- it was like learning out to drive stick-shift all over again!

Concentration...

Flipping the dough over was a completely different skill!

Success!

Doing my best to keep the knife FLAT!

So much fun!

YUM!

The meal was delicious! Honestly it was one of the best meals I've ever had in my life!

And then the dessert was a whole other story... 

Make all of the gross comments you want, but it was also delicious! It definitely could have used a few more hours in the freezer, but it was amazing nonetheless!

Haha.. mmmmm.........

If I hadn't been wearing leggings, it would have been an unbotton-your-jeans-after-the-meal kind of moment. Good thing our day in Bologna wasn't done just yet, and we still had some walking to do!

Recipes in hand, we set off to see the sights, but again, we got turned around a few times and only made it to a few places. But to be honest, I was completely okay with it. I was ready to go to bed! We were able to see, however, the Seven Churches and the oldest university still in use.

Santo Stefano - Sette Chiese

It was pretty, and really old

The university dates back to 1088 and is still being used today.

Alma Mater Studiorum

Pretty sweet, huh? I really liked Bologna and I would have loved to go back and explore it a little more, but alas, I'm down to my last week!

This coming weekend I will be in Paris! I simply cannot wait and I am so excited to be going. It's been one of those places that's been calling my name for a while, and I really hope it lives up to my expectations!

If you try any of these recipes, let me know! It's a long day of preparation and cooking, but it's totally work it!

xxoo,

Kelly