HOW TO MAKE, AND HOW NOT TO MAKE, PASTA

It started well and I’m glad to say it ended well, but things got a bit hairy (or floury) along the way. At the pasta-making workshop on Saturday, Hilda and Laurie showed us what culinary masters they are. Step by step they demonstrated the correct techniques, all the while telling wonderful anecdotes about their Italian heritage. Soon we were feeling confident that we’d be going home to make the beautiful butterfly-shaped farfalle, as well as tagliatelle and ravioli.

Hilda demonstrates the mixing technique
After Hilda and Laurie left, we had a go ourselves, making batches of pasta for lunch to go with the beautiful sauces already bubbling away (a big thanks to Karl and John for their homegrown tomatoes). That’s when things got sticky. The first batch was perfect but the second just wouldn’t hold together. We took turns pummelling it. We discussed it at length. We debated whether to add some water or oil to get things moving. We tried everything.
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Somehow, we managed to produce something that resembled pasta, threw it all in a big pot of boiling water and hoped for the best. Miraculously, it tasted delicious!