Friday, 30 May, Pasta making

Good night's sleep and a nice looking day ahead. Breakfast with the fur babies again. They even preferred hanging around me to waiting on some morsels of Vicki's egg and bacon wrap! Vick has arranged for Bob, a professional chef, to come to the house this afternoon to run a pasta making class. 3 girlfriends are also attending. He provides all the necessary food and equipment so all we have to do is watch and learn... and then eat the proceeds. Although Vicki set up the studio are with tables and chairs, Bob wants us all in the kitchen so we are more than happy to oblige. Even the fur babies are included, but I think they are more there to catch any crumbs dropped than learn the art of pasta making.

Step by step, Bob goes through the start to go process of making the pasta. Thankfully Vicki is taking notes so I won't have to rely on memory (as long as she is prepared to share those notes!). We have a plain mixture, spinach carrot and beetroot (they just call it beets).

First up, we have a go at gnocchi. My little pillows of pasta are more like doona covers, but I'm assured that they will taste the same.

The proof is in the eating and Bob was right, especially as they were served in clam sauce.

So now we get to see the pasta machine in action and I'm already imagining lasagne sheets, yum. But instead, we are making spinach and ricotta ravioli in rainbow pasta, as Bob blends the 4 different doughs together.

The ravioli is set aside while we are shown our next dish.

Pappardelle (fat, flat spaghetti) was a big hit too. But wait, there's more. Time to get the pork tenderloins crumbed up and in the pan. Lots of butter being used. Next, the Alfredo sauce is being prepared.

And just when you thought you would be fit to burst, there is one more dish to prepare, tortellini filled with pork and beef mince which is drenched is the Alfredo sauce.

And so ends a master class in pasta delivered by classically trained chef Bob, for 6 very gob smacked (and totally stuffed) apprentices. We were well underway by 2.30 and all done and dusted just before 7pm. It's been a fabulous afternoon and there's no way I'm lining up for dinner tonight. Huge thankyou to Vicki for hosting this event. Dreams tonight are certainly going to be of pasta pillows! As a rider to this post, if you are expecting me to remember all the Italian names for the various pastas and dishes you will need to check out Vicki's Facebook pages because she's the one who took all the notes. I just sat there with my tongue hanging out. Check out 'Chateau Gezellig'.