Salud! at Whole Foods: Pasta and Sauces (Recipe Rustic Tomato Sauce)

For several years I have wanted to take a pasta making class at Whole Foods.  But either the class would be full or it wouldn’t make at all.  So I was absolutely delighted when Himself and I had the opportunity to volunteer for a pasta class!

Whole Foods instructor Cindy showed the class how to put together a basic pasta dough.

And how to knead it out (it’s different from kneading bread dough).

Then she demonstrated the pasta machine.  A little rectangle of dough goes in…

…and gets longer…

…and longer…

…and longer…

…and even longer!

This little machine is going to be my next kitchen purchase!

Once you get the pasta rolled out to the thickness you want, you can either keep it in a sheet like this shows or you can roll it through the cutters for fettuccine.  

When Cindy finished her demos, it was time for the students to get their hands into it.  Some worked on making dough.

While others used dough already made for the class and started using the machines to make the pasta.

Perfect fettuccine.

That’s how you do it!

The most tedious part is separating the strands when you hang them up to dry.

I was surprised at how easy it is to make pasta.  It can even be done when you are multi-tasking! 

The pasta sheets were used to make hand-cut ravioli.  Not much different from making wontons.  

Raviolis in all shapes and sizes.

Dinner…  Pumpkin Ravioli with brown butter sauce, Tagliatelle with rustic tomato sauce, and fettuccini with prosciutto, cream, and nutmeg.