The Italian Way - Authenticity From A Private Kitchen in Italy #fff #80
I haven’t competed in this weekly throw-down known around the #blockchain as @foodfightfriday for 10 weeks. In the words of Eminem (I’m linking one of his new tracks at the end of this article—hence the plug), “it feels so good to be baaaaaaaacccck!” Thanks for saving my seat ya buncha wanna-be’s, the gloves are officially o.f.yeah!
During our recent 30 day stay in Italy, one of the things I was forced to do Pura and I thoroughly enjoyed doing together was taking a five hour cooking course. In all seriousness, though, as much as I wanted to explore the city by myself that day while she took the course without me, I’m glad she signed us up. It was taught by a professional chef who’s born and raised in Italy—she shared her generationally passed down recipe with us from the privacy of her own home (my autocorrect had ‘heroin’ just now instead of ‘her own’ and, in all fairness, I guess authentic Italian cuisine and heroin share a characteristic—addicting). There was only five of us in attendance, too, which made it that much more informative and enjoyable.
We made fettuccini, raviolis, which we then stuffed with a dressed-up spinach and ricotta, and a delicious tomato sauce—all from scratch. The worst part, not that there was one but, you see, I practice a pescatarian eating habit which means I don’t eat meat, other than fish, nor do I consume eggs or dairy. Trying to explain that to an Italian, of all people, why you don’t eat cheese is like trying to explain to anyone what salt tastes like. After a brief explanation, which I’d rather avoid because it makes for an awkward situation, I ended up saying “I’m just here for the experience.” The kicker—when served dinner and they poured me a glass of wine (Italy—cheese and wine), I had to divulge I don’t drink either, danget! Anyhow, this is how we were taught to prepare an authentic Italian meal.
Pasta:
On a cutting board or some sort of cooking platform your ingredients won’t stick to, turn your pile of flour into a bowl. Inside the flour bowl—crack your eggs, add your oil, a pinch of salt, and whisk while steadily adding your bowl of flour to the mixture until a nice, moist (not too dry or you’ll have to lightly brush water during the kneading process like I did) pie crust is formed. Knead it thoroughly as you shape it into a ball. Cover in plastic wrap ensuring there’s no air inside and let it set for 30 minutes.
Ravioli Stuffing:
Together in a mixing bowl, including fresh ground nutmeg, mix your ingredients thoroughly while conducting taste tests periodically to ensure your mixture meets your standard. Continue mixing until your filling is a nice, smooth, easy to spread and ready to stuff finished product.
Tomato Sauce:
In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring your olive oil up near boiling while adding your chopped onion, chopped garlic and red pepper—mix together until onion is clear. Sift your canned tomatoes until you have a smooth, near water-like consistency sauce before adding it to the boiling olive oil—evenly spread basil leaves across the top and allow it to simmer for 30-40 minutes.
Fettuccini:
It’s been about 30 minutes since we wrapped the pasta dough. While the sauce is simmering, remove the plastic from your future pasta, cut it in half (fettuccini, ravioli) and flatten it out evenly with a floured rolling pin, rotating it during the process for thickness consistency.
Overlap future pasta over itself in even proportions to avoid having to cut long strips. Beginning at one end, slice the dough evenly with roughly 1/2 inch spacing between each cut and your raw fettuccini will be ready to boil.
Ravioli:
Cut the remaining dough into six inch wide strips and continue flattening (we used a fancy pressing tool flattener thing). Cut evenly into 6x6 inch squares and put two tablespoons of spinach stuffing, one on each side, and fold the dough over, creating two raviolis, 3x3 inches each to cut and shape. Pinch the edges with a fork to seal the spinach/cheese inside. They can be made in all sorts of shapes: squares, circles, half-moons, etc.
Tada!
Cook your fettuccini and raviolis together in boiling water for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Let them cool off for a few minutes, add your tomato sauce that’s been simmering, add some fresh basil on top and “bon appétite!”
If you have the opportunity to visit Italy and should find yourself in Rome, look up Lucilla’s Cooking Class. She doesn’t advertise online, it’s a hands on course with five students max and you need to schedule ahead of time, her contact information is under the next paragraph—you won’t regret it! Speaking of No Regrets.
Remember way back in the beginning of this contender when I said I’m going to link an Eminem track? It’s under Lucilla’s contact information—a track from his #new album called No Regrets (don’t just thumb/finger through it either, listen to it—really!). He just released this album last week and, if you haven’t heard it yet, you’re missing out—he smashed a home run with that one.
Yay!
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Remember she kept saying how dry your pasta was? All of us girls thought that was so funny, I mean, cute. You really were a good sport and it turned out to be really fun. By the time the food was ready though we were starving and could have eaten twice the amount served. One of these days I’ll put that Rome lesson to good use and make us some delicious homemade pasta but first we have to get me better. I love you and am glad you showcased your Italian homemade pasta this week, even if it was a little dry 😘
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Well holy moly, no wonder you beat me to 67! This is a solid presentation of what sounds to be like a fun way to spend the day. I was just telling someone the other day I would love to learn how to cook Indian food from someone's grandmother. This is just the Italian version of that. Nothing beats getting your hands dirty and learning from a straight up kitchen gangsta. DKS's Polish family still thinks I'm weird in my eating habits, as well, so I get you on the awkward "no thanks" side of the story. I still have yet to try making my own pasta, so your dry version still has my imaginary version beat. ;)
This was very informative. I don’t think I’ll ever really be a decent chef or really be able to stick to any particular recipe. One day I might even try to bake a cake, but we’ll see what happens when I get some money together.
I am back in the #fff saddle again and I have a few cool ideas for future entries.
I’m excited again.
@dandays, thank you for your delegation! 🙏🏻
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No cheese and no wine, I'm surprised she didn't hit you over the head with a rolling pin. Keep on learning @dandays and you will be able to pull the big switcharoo. You can cook for Pura and she can do the dishes.
That don't sound like a good deal to me though, @farm-mom can cook for me any time, and I'll gladly do the dishes.
Plus, you can always wiggle out of doing the dishes.
You know, make believe you have fallen asleep and have a bad case of food coma, or a favorite of mine is, "Just give me a minute or two to digest and then I'll be right on those dishes.
But there ain't no way to wiggle out of cooking when your spouse is expecting you to cook.
My suggestion would be to loose all of those notes you took.
Ooh what an utterly authentic way to learn to cook traditional Italian cuisine. I am incredibly envious.
((Even if your pasta was dry - Hey don't blame me - blame Pura, right? ))
although I must confess I made some incredibly fantabulous onion bhajis yesterday that I learnt from a similar traditional
saucesource... YouTube!!!There is something amazingly cathartic about cooking great food from scratch ((even when the food isn't that
grategreat!)) Now don't misunderstand, I didn't say relaxing, I have massive issues with the timings when I cook several meal components at once, I always burn/scald/cut/ myself and get stressed when things don't go exactly to plan.BUT...
In the end you have something that you created when of-course it would have been so much easier to grab something "convenient" albeit usually nutritionally bereft and akin in texture to cardboard, polythene or drywall.
Oh man, when those fresh herbs and spices infuse and hit the oh-so appreciative nostrils you know it was entirely worth it!
Good to see ya inducting a little culinary culture to the platform
Mr RigatonioDan, I can confirm that this dish would neither make one slim nor shady ((and the award for 2020's most tenuous link so far goes to...))I hope my fellow countrymen have left a positive and indelibly happy collection of memories for you to take back to the sun. I don't think you've left quite yet? If not, I wish you all a safe, relaxing journey.
Take great care, speak soon, in the comments section of-course, I didn't stalk you till I found your number, that would be wrong ((or so my probation officer now tells me!!!))
I feel compelled to do two things before I sign-off and submit this comment to our quality and auditing department's pre-posting section.
Number One I should point out that yes I do realise that onion bhaji is not traditional Italian culinary fair.
Number two, I feel I should impart some great wisdom, philosophical musing or inspirational quote in order to artificially inflate my ego and make myself seem "academic" or learned in some quite fictional manner. So here goes...
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Hello there Mr. @dandays, what a fun thing to do with your wife, I would not only love the learning experience, but since I am an old fashioned American, I would so enjoy the eating of those raviolis, smothered in that sauce and a nice glass of vino.
What can I say, I have great guts...🤷♀️😁
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Sir, it has been an incredibly wonderful content. Your presentation is awesome. I think even a person who does not know can do it step by step (You take photos detaily every step). Congratulations
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Okay, @dandays...It's been eight days or so since anybody has seen you and the Mrs, around these parts...!?!?!!? Don't you know that some of us are a teeny bit worried whether you guys have been quarantined somewhere on a ship out there in the Mediterranean for fear of that new China virus????
You're probably just working on one of those book long posts you like to assault us with occasionally? Yeah...that must be it...???
Get ready for the eye=strain folk...here it comes...!!!
Sweet post! Definitely making me hungry.
Looks great ... I haven’t made fresh pasta in a lonnngggggg time .
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heheheh went back and read this... so you didn't eat the ravioli hehehe dang.
imagine me going there and being like - ummm so.. i can't eat wheat.
LOLOLOL i think she would just stare, and stare, and..... stare. hahahahahaha
this looked like SUCH a fun experience and that sauce. my gosh - i bet it was so tasty and look at how simple it is!!!! just simple, delicious, clean flavors!
I read that Pura said the lady was teasing you about your dry pasta below. hahahaha well youve had some time to practice now... you better not have dry pasta after all that hehehe
ok so i might as well bury the 444 here. hahaha cuz why not. so my dad gets saved around age 28. i'm 4 years old. he was into all kinds of stuff - my mom was not saved yet. that was another crazy story - crazy... but God was gracious and i think 2 years later - she was. at some early point - he starts waking up in the middle of the night at 4:44. he thought it was odd. but not scary or anything. then - it keeps happening. he starts getting scared. thought it was like - some demonic thing. I don't know why - i guess it was the feeling he was having when he woke. lots of anxiety and fear and he's thinking if this is a good thing - why would I feel so bad? so this continues. and he really starts getting freaked. so he decides - he's just gonna claim it for good. so every time he wakes up, he starts saying 4:44, praise the Lord.
so the end? right. nope.
he tells my mom.
as soon as he tells her - SHE starts waking up at 4:44. and not only that - they both start seeing it everywhere LOL.
but same thing... 4:44 praise the Lord
the end right? nope. hahaha
they tell me - same thing.
everywhere. see it EVERYWHERE. so - 4:44 praise the Lord.
now this continues all through my life. to me, it's become a little bit like the rainbows that God sends me on very important days - or when I've JUST made important decisions. (like - crazy. no rain. no sign of rain - and moments after I've made a huge decision, my son will go - oh hey look... a rainbow! and i'm like WHERE!!!) hahahaha its wild.
so 4:44 has just become this little inside sweet little whisper to me, "Hey, you know I love you girl? you're my Favorite" hahaha
2 years ago - I'm walking down this little road - cute little shops, I walk past a woodcarver who is carving beautiful stuff outside his shop and i see 444. I'm just about to say - heyyyyyy!!! that's my favorite number.
when this lady who is walking past (towards me) with 3 of her friends says - HEYYYYY that's my favorite number. and I look at her - and she's telling her friends - really! i started seeing it once and that was it - it like - haunts me now! hahaha i see it EVERYWHERE. and my eyes bulge out. and i just scream MEEEEEEEE TOOOOOOOOOOOO
and she looks at me and BUSTS UP LAUGHING cuz we don't have to say another word - we GET it. we start talking over each other about the similarities and it was just this hilarious moment...
so yeah. 444 not just times - but everywhere, all things. hahahaha i love it. and it makes me think of how much He loves me every time.
so now ya know the mystery of 444 hehehe no many do. lots know i love the number - but lots don't ask hehehehe
It was such a treat. Arguably the coolest thing we did together that whole time. I know it was her favorite.
I know all about numbers young lady. I figured it was something like that. My mothers address was 143 such and such street, it's amongst my tattooed flesh. It was just her address before she left, now it's everywhere. Every.Single.Day I see it. Because of that number, I feel her more with me now than i did when she was here. I have over 40 of these in my phone, here's another 4:
Hehhehee don't you just love them???
It's the whisper
I love it!!