Cooking with Chef Valentina Harris

I never thought I'd be interested in making homemade pasta, until I met Valentina Harris. Gone are the days of 'oh, what's so special about homemade pasta? The grocery store's pasta is just fine.' And it is. But, when given the time, I learned homemade is twice as nice.

American Women's Club (have I mentioned how much I love this group?) organized a cooking class with BBC chef Valentina Harris, held in a smart Chelsea townhouse. When I saw the listing, I signed up faster than you can say 'basil and tomatoes and garlic.' I and the other 7 ladies were in for a treat, and from 6.30 'till 11 pm, we got to know Ms. Harris and were taught the finer elements of Italian cuisine. I never knew the myth behind the tortellini's shape until she told us as she instructed us how to form it 'just so.' Also, never cooked with anchovy fillets - until last week. Not as scary as I anticipated originally. We got to make the pasta dough by hand, help role it out, and I helped stir the ingredients for one of the sauces. And after 'slaving away' with smiles on our faces in the kitchen, we indulged in three delectable Italian dishes. Upstairs, served by Valentina's helpers. Not to mention the amazing homemade-in-front-of-us tiramisu we finished the night with. I mean, I didn't even like tiramisu (so, sue me) until last Wednesday eve. Now, even I am a believer in this cool dessert. Yum.

So, the pasta attachment for the Kitchen Aid mixer is now on my wish list for Santa (he goes by the name of Brian around my house).

Delizioso!!

prepping to cook, with Valentina's instructions

Valentina watching the pot of simmering puttanesa sauce

(Italian accent) 'This is-a how you make the pasta!'

'Don't-a kneed it too much.'

sealing our pumpkin raviolis

watching the master at work

helping get the very-long ravioli pasta through the machine, flattened to perfection

Ah, dinner at last.

pumpkin-filled ravioli with sage butter

spaghetti with puttanesca sauce

tagliolini with classic bolognese