Adventures In Pasta Making
A week ago, I shared my newest hobby and passion to the world… making pasta. I knew that beginning Roaming Italy would essentially force me to get my hands busy and make my own homemade pasta, but it always felt like a daunting reality. What can I say? I was raised as a dried pasta type of gal. Today I wanted to share some personal thoughts and feelings towards my adventures in pasta making… sharing the little revelations and lessons learned in the process of making these carb-y treasures.
It begins with a volcano.
A pile of flour, the softest little kiss of the sifted grains on your knuckles.
And then dropped eggs - golden orange as they come.
Crack, scrape.
And then the slow, heavy whisking and whisking and whisking.
A glorious ball of bouncy carbaciousness.
Let her rest, let her regain her composure after she’s been kneaded and pulled.
These ritualized movements, this pattern of push-pull,
Feels like a part of me, a part of a history I’d never been invited to.
Like a chapter of a prequel of my life, a whisper from my great-grandmothers
A quiet echo from their kitchens.
And here I am, practicing, kneading, shaping, forming
Like a sequel to their lives.
I don’t really understand why pasta making has become an obsession of mine, other than the fact that it’s a quiet satisfaction and almost meditative in practice. The cutting of squares, the texture of dough, the simple steps to make a tortellini practiced over and over again until the seams line up just so. It’s the music playing in the background of the kitchen while I work away. The soft blanket of dough that rests on ricotta. The way the hours pass by so quickly.
And then of course, it’s the satisfaction of that first bite. Coated in sauce, sprinkled in cheese, savory, chewy, comfort in a bite.
I cannot recommend Meryl’s pasta making classes enough. I’m already chomping at the bit to take another one of her specialty classes down the line! Some of her classes that have sold out already have me absolutely jealous (looking at you Southern Italian Hand-Formed Pasta)! Between her laid back candor, thoughtful considerations for vegan options and other dietary restrictions, and the fun that comes with learning something new… Pasta Social Club is a gang I’m proud to be a part of these days!