Can you hear the laughter? Can you smell the sage butter sauce? Can you see my dark eyes in the cloud of flour? Can you hear the glasses chiming together to toast a delicious meal?
This week I had the privilege to participate in cooking classes at "The Food and Wine Academy of Florence". I met two amazing Italian chefs; Andrea Orlandini and Giuseppe Mazzocchi. We started out our foodie journey with an informative walk and tour through the Italian markets and then settled back to a very convenient location in the heart of Florence to start making some delicious Tuscan cuisine.
In the past I had always avoided making my own pasta from scratch as I do not own a pasta making machine. However during my cooking lesson, I learned that a pasta machine is not required to make good pasta just a lot of passion, high quality ingredients and some major muscle power.
Four little ingredients is all that is required to make good pasta (eggs, flour, salt and olive oil) but the type and quality of ingredients is very important. When walking through the markets, I noticed the size of their farm fresh eggs; they are gigantic compared to Asian or US standards. One large Italian fresh cage free egg is equivalent to about 1.5 large US or Japan fresh eggs. This is important to note as if you are not living in Italy with "ultra sized jumbo eggs" you will need to add more eggs to your recipe to have the proper ratio or egg to flour.
The type of flour that is to be used to make Italian pasta is "00" soft wheat flour. In Italy, flour is classified either as 1, 0, or 00, and refers to how finely ground the flour is and how much of the bran and germ have been removed. Doppio zero is the most highly refined and is talcum-powder soft.
The other big difference between "00" flour and all-purpose flour is how the gluten in each flour behaves. The gluten from durum wheat flour tends to be strong but not very elastic, while the gluten in "00" flour is both strong and elastic. This means that with "00" flour we'll get a nice al dente bite to your pasta. I also did a little research on the cost of "00" flour and it is more costly than that of all-purpose flour but it really does make lovely pasta.
The Food and Wine Academy of Florence is a great place to gather with friends, family or just by yourself to meet some new friends. Our chefs were very informative and detailed oriented. If you are looking for a fun and relaxing day in the heart of the Florence , please visit http://www.florencecookingclasses.com/ for further details. The cooking class was held just a stone's throw away from the beautiful Doumo in Florence.
I can share with you the basics techniques of making homemade pasta, but to get the full effect of the knowledge shared, you will need to try it yourself and practice it many times over or book yourself a session with the experts at the Food and Wine Academy of Florence. In order to really understand the process you need to feel the dough for yourself. Making pasta is like an art.
There are many tricks to getting the dough to be perfectly springy and not too hard or too wet. If you add too much flour then your dough will be too hard and it cannot be recovered. If, your dough is too wet then your pasta will be too sticky and too chewy. Your dough consistency has to fall somewhere in between so it springs back perfectly.
I think making homemade pasta would be a very fun activity to do with our kids during this summer holiday. Don your aprons, pour yourself a glass of wine and let's get cooking....
Florence's Homemade Pasta Ravioli in Sage Butter Sauce
Recipe adapted from Food and Wine Academy Florence
Serve 6 people or 2 hungry teenage boys
Ingredients for Homemade Pasta
- 300 grams (2 ¼ cups) "00" soft wheat flour (extra flour on the side for rolling out the dough)
- 3 Fresh Italian jumbo eggs (or 5 large US/Asian sized large eggs)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- plastic wrap
Ingredients for Ravioli Stuffing
- 6 tablespoons of ricotta cheese
- 6 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
- 2 fresh Italian jumbo sized egg yolks or 3 large US/Asian sized egg yolks
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Ingredients for Butter and Sage Sauce
- 250 grams of unsalted butter
- 6 fresh chopped sage leaves
- 6 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
- fresh cracked pepper
Directions for making the Ravioli Stuffing
Step 1: In a medium bowl add ricotta cheese, grated parmesan cheese, eggs and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well with a spoon and set aside.
Directions for making the Sage Butter Sauce
Step 1: In a small pot place butter and sage and heat up gently over a medium heat.
Step 2: Once the butter is melted, serve the sauce over the ravioli with fresh cracked pepper and parmesan cheese.
Directions for making the Homemade Pasta Ravioli
Step 1: Pour the flour on a large clean marble/ wooden work surface. (needs to be at least 60cm x 60cm)
Step 2: Make a well in the middle of the flour and add eggs, salt and olive oil. With a fork, lightly whisk the eggs while gathering flour from the walls of the well. when most of the ingredients are incorporated continue mixing with your hands.
Step 3: Knead for 10 minutes and if your dough is too soft then add a little flour just a bit of a time so the texture is perfectly springy. Do not add too much flour or your end product will be too hard. Your end products should be smooth and springs back when pushed with your fingers.
Step 4: Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
Step 5: Place some flour on your work surface and on your rolling-pin.
Step 6: Make the pasta ball in a circular flat dish by using your hands. Place the flat pasta on your floured platform and roll out evenly until about 3mm thick.
Step 7: Find a cup/container/cookie cutter about 4cm wide. Use this 4cm cup as a guide. Fold the pasta sheet over once so that the 4cm cup guide fits the width. Create 2 strips long at least 4cm wide. Continue cutting the rest of the pasta.
Step 8: Place a small spoonful of ricotta stuffing on the surface and leave about 2cm without stuffing in between and continue like that for the remainder of the strip of pasta.
Step 9: Then take the other pasta strip and lay it upon the pasta strip with the ricotta filling on it. Gently place it on top and then use your sides of your hands to remove any air and create well-defined borders around each and every ravioli. Repeat this process for the other pasta strips and filling.
Step 10: Take a circle shaped mould of the same dimension of the ravioli, press down gently, like you are making a cutout cookie, until you penetrate through both layers of the pasta dough.
Step 11: Take a fork and crimp the edges to perform a good seal around the ravioli. (If you do not get a good seal you will have a blow out during the boiling process)
Step 12: Boil water for pasta and add salt to the water. Once the water is boiling add a few ravioli at a time and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until al dente.
Step 13: Remove and drain the pasta from the water and place on a serving dish. Top the fresh ravioli with sage butter sauce, fresh ground pepper and lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve with a lovely bruschetta, salad and a of course a great red from the Chianti vineyards.
Ciao until next time.... Grazie to the team at Food and Wine Academy in Florence.
Ingredients
- 00 flour -
- eggs -
- ricotta cheese -
- sage -
- parmesean cheese -
- butter -
dianeskitchentable says
Terrific post & I love the tips, especially regarding the size of the eggs... who knew? Love the pictures.
Healthy World Cuisine says
I was also shocked about the size of the eggs as well. The vender we purchased our eggs from in the market in Florence, that were of such high standard that we used them raw to make a lovely Tiramisu, was Dal Casentino Salumi di Scarpaccia di Giuliani and their telephone is 0575-583813. The eggs were beautiful.
dianeskitchentable says
Don't you wonder about the size of the chickens?
Profiteroles & Ponytails says
Can you see me drooling? Oh my! This is the most informative post I've ever seen on pasta making. I'll definitely be back when I'm ready to give this a go.
Healthy World Cuisine says
All the thanks need to go to the team at Food and Wine Academy of Florence! This is just a little birds eye view of the content covered in the class and some of my own research but you really need to join the class if you ever visit Florence and I promise you feel confident to make pasta on your own. You will have a lot of fun along the way as well. Take Care, BAM
cravesadventure says
You had me at Raviloi - great photos! There is just something about butter dishes that just UP the dish:) Happy Monday!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I did not post the calorie count on this particular dish as somethings are just better left unsaid... Take care, BAM
Courtney says
Oh my gosh, the jealousy just grew to epic proportions! You took a class, too?!?!? Dream vacation, is all I'm saying! (and that pasta looks amazing!)
Healthy World Cuisine says
I won't rub it in but it also was a holiday without my teenagers. However, all great things must come to an end and I am returning home. My teenage boys can't wait to try all the lovely dishes that inspired me while in Italy and are looking forward to a weekend of making homemade ravioli together for Fathers Day. Take care, BAM
kitchenriffs says
Super post! I do have a pasta machine and using it takes a lot of the "labor" out of making pasta. But time? I don't know about that. I don't think I've ever make the dough by hand (the food processor makes that so easy), but I should really start rolling it out by hand. I'll bet doing that would take even less time than rolling it in my pasta machine (which is actually a fairly lengthy process). Interesting note on Italian egg sizes! Do you have any idea how much they weigh? (I should probably Google this.) I know US "large" eggs weigh 2 ounces (give or take; a bit more with the shell). Anyway, love the recipe! And a great post - thanks.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Bonjourno! I also think that by the time your have to prep and clean your pasta machine that the time factor is about the same whether you do it by hand or by machine. What do you think?
I think rolling out your own dough is a great stress reducer- "Pasta Making therapy" You just forget about everything and relax. It is just you, the dough and the rolling pin.
I am sorry but I do not know the ounces of these farm fresh Italian eggs as it was written all in Italian. I guess I need to brush up on my language skills. However when I first saw the size of the eggs, my response was "what type of feathered friend does this egg come from an ostrich?" These eggs are just huge and yes they are from cage free organic chickens in Italy. Take Care, BAM
saffronandhoney says
This looks absolutely delicious and who doesn't love sage butter?!:)
Healthy World Cuisine says
Sage butter smells so delicious as it is melting gently over the stove. I had to keep in control as we spent five hours prepping and making the food before being able to give it a try. It was worth the wait!
saffronandhoney says
That's a lot of patience, I'm impressed!
ChgoJohn says
You're killing me here, BAM! Florence is my favorite Italian city. Your photos are incredible and I'm so glad that you were able to take a class. What a golden opportunity! When I'm in Florence, I buy some prosciutto, bread, and a bottle of wine, and go to the top of the hill to the south that's named after Michelangelo. Like from your hotel's rooftoop, it's a great view of the city and San Miniato al Monte is nearby. It's a beautiful church built in the Romanesque style.
Continue having a fantastic time, BAM. Safe travels!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Bonjourno John! We had a wonderful trip, with a little work mixed in too. We started out in Siena, then rented a car and drove to San Gimignano, then spent some time in the rolling hills of Tuscany having picnics and then drove to Radda in Chianti and our final destination in Italy was Florence before flying out to Paris. I think my favorite place was Radda as you described your hill to the south named after Michelangelo every view was like a post card. Radda has some great food and the people are so kind and it is so quiet and relaxing. We just arrived home so will be contacting you soon for some delicious dishes to make with some of the yummy things I have purchased while in Italy. For starters, I purchased some octopus ink pasta, porcini mushrooms and some really good aged balsamic vinegar so any recipes you have for me to try, would be greatly appreciated. Grazie, BAM
gardenfreshtomatoes says
Wow - what a vacation you're having!
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful photos - I love sage-butter sauce!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Italy without kids has been one of my favorite holidays ever. A foodies dream come true!
Hannah (BitterSweet) says
Such delicate little pasta pillows! It's incredible how each one is meticulously formed by hand, even in such large quantities. I can barely muster the patience to cut out a dozen for a single meal when I make them!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Pasta making is a labour of love but the end results are worth every minute. I think that is why this dish would be fun to make as a family or with friends. Delegation is always one of my favorite mom tasks. LOL
Choc Chip Uru says
My friend you and your posts are oozing Italy - I am loving it 😀
Fabulous looking pasta, straight from the expert!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Healthy World Cuisine says
Our dear chefs Andrea Orlandini and Giuseppe Mazzocchi at Food and Wine Academy in Florence were very informative and if you happen to be in Italy be sure to give them a call.
thecompletecookbook says
I made ravioli the other day but nothing quite as fancy as what you did. Beautifully done.
🙂 Mandy
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Mandy. Did you post your ravioli recipe? I will have to check out your website now. I thought of you many times in Italy as almost every menu I read served Tripe and I remembered your post. Take care, BAM
thecompletecookbook says
HI Bam, nope, haven't done the post on ravioli yet, sorry - coming soon, Oh my goodness, the thought of all the tripe makes my toes curl. 🙂
Tandy says
Nothing beats home made pasta!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Indeed! I will never eat ravioli from the freezer section again.
Healthy World Cuisine says
I did manage visit the inside of the Doumo in Florence and many other museums and churches while there. I really wanted to try a Florentine steak but I had been eating so much all day long, that I did not want to order it and waste such a magnificent steak. I did however drool as watching the couple next to us share the hugest Florentine Steak I have ever seen. It says that it serves 2 adults, but now after living in Asia my portion sizes are much smaller, it looks more like it feeds a family of 10.
Martyna @ Wholesome Cook says
Ha! That's how I sometimes make polish dumplings - with glass and fork (using egg wonton squares though, the Italians wouldn't be impressed!). What a wonderful post and culinary adventure - and that ravioli sounds amazing, I want some right now!!! Mmm...
Healthy World Cuisine says
I won't let the word get out about the use of wontons. It can be our little secret. Take Care, BAM
bitsandbreadcrumbs says
What fun you're having in Florence, and what gorgeous ravioli. I have some fear of making my own pasta, but this ravioli looks so good I may have to "get over it!" Beautiful pictures.
Healthy World Cuisine says
You should give it a try. I am planning on making homemade pasta with my teenagers over the summer holiday. I think it will be a great activity for my budding chefs.