Put the pasta behind you

How to make Italian pasta

If someone had suggested making pasta to me previously, I would have reacted the same way as if someone had recommended getting a bank loan, going to a car dealership, buying a car, getting it registered and getting it insured just so I could drive down to the shops to get some pre-made pasta.

It had all seemed like too much time and effort for something so cheaply and easily available. Oh, how wrong I have been all my life!

I’m at the Vecchia Scuola cooking school in the Italian city of Bologna. Under the guidance of experts I pour a heap of flour onto the table and make a hole in the middle.

I crack in two eggs and begin to mix them together until a dough forms and I can roll it into a ball. (If you’re interested in trying this for yourself, the recipe for making pasta is simple – one 50 gram egg for every 100 grams of flour.)

As I knead the ball of dough, the teacher tries to help. “Do it like you are massaging a lover,” he says. In my mind the dough takes on a new form and I throw some extra flour on top. It is getting a bit too sticky for my liking.

When it’s got everything it kneaded (sorry, couldn’t resist), the dough goes into the fridge for a while to cool down – then it’s time for the rolling.

Apparently I am too powerful for my own good. The gentle rolling motion eludes me and I push too hard every time. More than once the teacher takes the rolling pin from me and demonstrates. “Start in the middle, roll gently to one edge, turn the dough a quarter, and then repeat.” It sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?

Eventually my rolling is satisfactory and I’m allowed to move on… to the fun part, it turns out. This is where we cut the pasta into small squares, put some filling on top of each square and then deftly, with our fingers, create the little bundles of pasta goodness we’ll end up eating.

I’m surprised pasta is not a Japanese dish, considering the origami-like skills needed to make these parcels.

The pasta pieces then dry for up to an hour and then they’re ready to be cooked in boiling water until soft enough. Easy!

>> Read my story about the perfect Bolognese sauce recipe <<

And how did it taste? Well, much better than any dried pasta I’ve ever bought at the supermarket. There may be a bit more effort involved but it’s certainly worth it. Lesson learnt.

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN BOLOGNA

Bologna is a great place to base yourself to explore the region. Here are my tips for some of the best accommodation.

BACKPACKER

For a good budget option, I would suggest the Dopa Hostel near the city centre.

BUDGET

For an affordable hotel, Albergo Panorama has good rooms right in the town centre.

BOUTIQUE

If you’re looking for an interesting design hotel, I would suggest Art Hotel Commercianti.

LUXURY

And to splurge, the Savoia Hotel Regency is probably the best in Bologna.

Time Travel Turtle was a guest of Vecchia Scuola and the Emilia Romagna tourism board but the opinions, over-written descriptions and bad jokes are his own.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT EMILIA-ROMAGNA?

To help you plan your trip to Emilia-Romagna:

• It may not be Italy’s most famous city but here’s why you should visit Bologna
• The mosaics in Ravenna are some of the most stunning you’ll ever see
• Find out why Modena Cathedral is a World Heritage Site
• The best things to see in the historic city of Ferrara
• Rimini is known for its beaches, but don’t miss this colourful neighbourhood
• Learn some Italian cooking at the home of the country’s first cookbook’s author
• You haven’t truly tasted balsamic vinegar until you’ve tried it in Modena
• With famous local ham and cheese, Parma has to be one of Italy’s best food cities
• Learn more about the Ferrari car company at these excellent museums
• The experience of a lifetime – driving a Lamborghini on Imola racetrack!

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour in Italy, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours of Italy.

You could consider:

• Highlights of Italy (8 days)
• Ultimate Italy (14 days)
• Local Living Tuscany (7 days)
• Iconic Italy – National Geographic (14 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.