Taking a pasta making class was top on my list of things I wanted to do while in Rome. After being here for just over a month, I finally crossed it off my list.
There are a lot of companies offering cooking classes, and I chose Italian Cooking Classes in Rome‘s pasta and tiramisù class. I knew I wanted to learn how to make pasta, but I love tiramisù so that was a nice added bonus. Plus they had great reviews online and I could walk there from our Airbnb.
After I reserved my spot and paid (no, this is not a sponsored post) I received very detailed instructions on where to go. Of course, I still managed to get a little lost, inside the building no less, but that’s par for the course for me.
The class was small: just myself (The Husband went to a Roma match), two couples, and our instructor, Alessandro.
We started with the tiramisù so it would have time to set. We separated and beat the eggs, then soaked the ladyfingers in coffee. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a ladyfinger outside of tiramisù until this. We put it in the freezer to set, since we only had an hour or so, and not six, to let it set properly. It was delicious. It was also easier to make than I expected, and if I can find plain ladyfingers when I get back to Florida, I will absolutely make this at home.
Next we moved onto pasta. We made our fresh pasta first, slowly using our fingers to mix the egg and flour together right on the counter. I’m not exactly known for my patience and I got a little ahead of myself. I thought it was ruined, but my pasta dough survived and I dare say even thrived.
Alessandro did a sauce demonstration while our dough rested. He showed us how to cook guanciale (pork cheek, super popular Italy) and then use the fat in the pan to cook the tomatoes for the sauce. I don’t eat guanciale but everyone else seemed to really like it.
While the sauce simmered, we went back to our dough to turn it in to pasta. We used the pasta tool to smooth our the dough, making it super thin. Once the dough was ready, we turned it into fettuccine and ravioli.
We put all of our pasta on a tray so it wouldn’t stick, and headed back to the kitchen to cook it.
Alessandro cooked our pasta in boiling water, adding salt after it boiled but before adding the pasta. Since the pasta was fresh, it only took a minute or so to cook. He put the cooked pasta in the sauce and did some impressive flips in the pan, then plated it for us.
The ravioli were spinach and cheese, tossed in oil and sprinkled with cheese.
Everything was so good. It’s incredible how much better fresh pasta tastes. And it’s so easy to make basic fresh pasta. Obviously, it’s not as easy as dumping a box of dry pasta into a pot, but it’s much easier than I expected.
Once everything was cooked, we ate together at the counter. Despite just meeting them, it felt like having dinner with old friends. There’s something so wonderful about fresh pasta, delicious wine, and great conversations.
At only 69€, it’s a steal. You get wine, two kinds of pasta, dessert, and the knowledge of how to make it to take home with you. I highly recommend taking a class with Italian Cooking Classes in Rome. If I have time, I’d love to take the pizza and gelato making class with them before we leave.