Winter Pasta Cooking Class

Winter pasta cooking class was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I almost didn’t go; I was really tired but then remembered how much I paid for that class and lets not forget my Mom. I wanted this class because she was coming to visit.

So off I went to class and of course there was horrible traffic at the off-ramp I needed; oh well. I sucked it up and made it to class on time. I also knew the instructor; my Chef instructor from the Celebrating Julia Child class.

Our menu:
Sausage and Mushroom Lasagna with Spinach and Ricotta
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Cheese Ravioli with a winter pesto

The first thing I learned was how to make fresh pasta and I actually made it. That was easier than I thought but definitely time consuming. From there we made the three dishes plus the pesto. The only dish I didn’t have direct cooking on was the Lasagna; I didn’t do the layering, I was too busy making pasta.

One note about fresh pasta, it’s all about the egg. For four people, you will want to use about 3 to 4 eggs and the flour is changed by ½ cup for each egg. 1 egg = ½ cup of flour. That was a good tip to have in my pocket. Also, don't forget to adjust the olive oil. It's about 1 teaspoon per egg.

I also learned that when you use the machine to make the pasta, you only do settings 2 – 8 one time each and DO NOT fold the pasta. You only fold the pasta on setting 1 until you get the texture you need (7 to 12 times).

Yes, I bought a pasta maker. I know, I know..... I’m not supposed to go into that store without someone with me because I spend money on things I don’t really need. I feel like Cliff from the Cosby Show; I’m officially a kitchen gadget addict:) Oh well, happy birthday to me!