PASTA MAKING 101.......WITH LUCY AND ETHEL.

I Got the e-mail that Joyce aka: Betty Crocker
was jetting back to the ATL from Naples for a few days
 and that could only mean one thing....
a little time between Naples and Chicago for us to get in to
some trouble....
And as you all have seen in previous posts....our usual place of
destruction is in Ikea....
Wherever we go and whatever we do of course Lunch is
always involved....But this trip J suggested we take a
cooking class...
Hoping it would go better then the mosaic class in
Florida we stuck with what we do best....
We cook....

So with a Pasta Workshop happening on the day we
were getting together it was just a natural....
I mean two Italians from the North...who #1 really love to
Cook....actually Betty prefers baking to my cooking....
And #2....really love to have fun....
Oh and we also love to have our pictures taken...
it's a perfect combination!
Perhaps not for you people...but it is for us....

note to self....When taking a selfie...make J stand up front and
Me in the back....Double chin will not show as much
if I am farther from the camera.....
And thank Goodness for the person who
invented the selfie....
It's opened up a whole new world for us...!

Days before the class we were the only two who had signed up.... we were surprised when we showed up
and the room was filled with people....
More to the point....Men People...
eight of them!!
and a few women...
Part of an office bonding experience.... they came
prepared to have fun....
They brought Wine!!

The Asian man all the way over on the left just kept
telling everyone for 2 1/2 hours all the things on his
wedding registry....
The more wine they drank the sillier and louder they became....
the more items he added to his list...

 I came prepared to
Make Pasta!
Daughter got me this tee Italy...
no wine drinking from this Italian....
I am an eater not a drinker....

Well Joyce just came to have fun.....
She thought she was Minnie Mouse....
She did have a little bit of wine in her....
Not enough to make a dent....
She's always crazy....

wonderful instructor this time.....the mosaic teacher in Naples
needs to take lessons from this girl...
She actually spoke to us and during the 2 1/2 hours
she made sure we knew what was going on....
As the party group kept getting louder
she would come over to us one on one....
Very nice....

preparing to make Goat Cheese Tortellini with
Pancetta, Sweet peas and Mint! 

it was reminiscent of Lucy and Ethel in the
Candy Factory....

exactly.....
she reminds me of Dianne Keaton in this picture....
She is one of the very best things that have come out
of Blogging....
I never would have met J under normal
circumstances.....
We ARE Lucy and Lucy....
Two troublemakers....
one blond....one brunette....
Rose....can you verify this....
We have humiliated poor Rose more times then we can count...

at one point the girl standing next to me leaned over
and said....
"Are you two professionals???"
to which I replied...
"Why yes we are"....
I didn't say professional what....

yes...I can cook with a cell phone in my hand....
luckily the keys didn't clog from random dough...

frying up Pancetta for the pasta

My turn!

Thank goodness they had the pasta attachment for
the Kitchen Aid....
It's very difficult to roll out dough thin enough for pasta...
It can be done but it takes time and a strong arm....
We found this version to be a two man job....
Joyce fed it into the gadget and I caught it as it came out
the bottom

cutting circles for the Tortellini

thin enough dough so you could read through it....

demonstrating what not to do.....
waaaay too sticky to make anything but a mess....

Wah Lah!!
These would be great in Italian wedding soup....
And in no way do they taste like the fresh pasta you can buy in
the grocery store...like Buitoni...
homemade pasta has a taste all it's own....
it's fabulous...

the "sous chef".....
Now that's dedication to your craft....
and very cool I might add....
but tats are not for 65 year olds...

That is semolina flour....not cornmeal...to keep the
pasta from sticking while it's waiting to be cooked.... 

Chef Ashley....

the finished product....
Peas... Pancetta... mint and parmesan....
I think there was a little lemon involved too!

Okay another note to self....
cover your arms when taking close ups so they don't look
like they belong to a professional wrestler....
my arms are not that size in person....I hope...

Joyce....Betty....Lucy...Dianne....
The many faces of my friend....
Have you ever known two people more full of themselves to
constantly be taking pictures of each other.......
We love it!!

More of an after thought with the dough we had left....
here was everyone's attempt at making
Pappardelle....
actually very tasty just not very pretty...

in a simple sauce made with heavy cream...lemon zest...
finished off with basil and mint and to top it all off
a poached egg...

I despise uncooked egg yokes.....so I wouldn't eat this...
It goes way back to our girls trip last year to
the Biltmore when we ran in to a
chicken transport truck....
You ladies who were there understand :) 

But I had no trouble downing a few portions of the
Pea Concoction....
It was delicious....
 I am planning on making this at home ASAP...
and I will not cheat and use store bought pasta...
Get out the rolling pin!!

And I wonder where those huge arms come from....
who am I fooling....

right down to the last morsel.....

And then we just had to stop on the way home at
Houston's....
After all.... it's officially Spring when Houston's
puts the Key Lime Pie back on the menu....
We sat...we talked....we drank lot's of iced tea....
I ate Joyce's whipped cream....
we laughed....
And I thought....
"The camera always adds ten pounds....I'm okay".....


 Here is the recipe for
Tortellini with peas..... mint and Pancetta...

Minus the instructions for making the fresh pasta...
You can use this mixture on any type of small pasta
or actually it would probably work on angle hair spaghetti...

This is a great dish for a spring luncheon....picnic fare...
or a side dish...
If you would like the recipe to make the pasta just let me know
and I can mail you the instructions...

Bon Apettit!!
Tortellini "Sauce"

1/4 cup of olive oil (more if needed)
8 ounces of Pancetta (Italian bacon) diced...
you will find this at the deli counter...
Have them "shave it" then before frying... cut it into pieces using a kitchen scissor...
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1 large shallot minced
2 medium garlic cloves minced finely
1 1/2 cups of thawed frozen peas. Us can also use
Fresh peas...
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
20 fresh mint leaves cut in to ribbons....
1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese...
plus more for serving....

Preparing the Sauce....
In a large skillet over medium high heat. add the olive oil. When oil is shimmering, add the pancetta and cook until crisp.
About 3-4 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon transfer pancetta to a paper towel lined plate
Reduce heat to medium and discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet.
Add the butter, shallot and the garlic and cook until soft and translucent. About 2 minutes....
If using fresh peas, add the peas and 1/2 cup of hot water.
Stir well and simmer until the peas are bright green and tender
about 1 minute...
Omit the water if your using frozen peas....
Remove from the heat and taste to adjust seasoning with salt and
pepper. Set aside while you cook your pasta of choice.

When the pasta is cooked gently toss into the
pancetta/pea mixture...
Add some reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if necessary
Add the crispy pancetta and the lemon juice and gently toss...
Garnish with mint leaves...grated cheese and freshly
ground pepper...