Pasta Primer: Part I

A 4-hour introductory course to homemade pasta, culminating in a dinner served with wine.

Making pasta from scratch is fun. And it is easier than you may think.
 
During Part I of this 4-hour pasta primer, Viola will focus on cut pasta: spaghetti, orecchiette, fettucini, and farfalle. She will demonstrate two ways to make fresh pasta: by machine and by hand. The first is faster, but it requires special equipment; the second is a labor of love, ideal for a leisurely weekend or group activity.

Viola will discuss the regional traditions of pairing pasta with sauce, and will lead the class through the preparation of four different doughs and the appropriate accompaniments for each. The class will conclude with dinner, wine and conversation.

MENU

orecchiette ai rapi e salsicce
(orecchiette with rapini and Italian sausage)

pici all'aglione
(handmade spaghetti with green garlic)

fettuccine burro, limone e noce moscata
(fettuccine with butter, lemon and nutmeg)

farfalle alla zucca e salvia
(handmade bowties with winter squash and sage)

Part II of our Pasta Primer will focus on filled and layer pasta, and is scheduled for Sunday, January 25.
 

Viola Buitoni, a direct descendant of the famed pasta and chocolate family, hails from Perugia, in the heart of Umbria. She came to the US in 1985 for a business degree, but soon after graduation found herself drawn back into the genetic passion for food. In New York City she started Buitoni & Garretti, a catering kitchen and Italian fine foods shop. Here in San Francisco Viola can be found giving lectures on Italian food traditions and trends and cooking classes in collaboration with the SF Italian Cultural Institute and Italian Consulate. She also teaches "The Italian Kitchen", a monthly workshop at the Cavallo Point Lodge Cooking School; and an ongoing series of food articles and cooking videos for MissionLocal.org, a UC Berkeley's School of Journalism blog based in San Francisco's Mission District where Viola lives.