Make-a-da-pasta!

November 18, 2013 AnnaFeasts

So, the holidays are coming up and you want to impress your girlfriend/boyfriend/fiancé/partner/wife/husband’s parents with a ridiculously delicious homemade meal while they’re in town. Or maybe you’d like to learn how to cook. Or maybe you just really like pasta.

Either way, you have to check out Cucina Asellina’s pasta-making classes. In the two-hour hands-on class, the Italian restaurant’s very Italian chef teaches you how to make fresh pasta from scratch. Chef Andrea Montobbio shows you how to make a “dough volcano,” how to knead it to perfect consistency, and how to roll and cut your pasta, all while telling you stories of watching his grandmother make the perfect spaghetti.

All the ingredients and equipment are provided, as is the wine, appetizers (you have to try the stuffed olives), your homemade pasta dishes, and dessert.

The class is intimate -- 8 people max -- so it makes for a great date night or a way to meet new people. The evening will cost you $75/person (for the class and the three-course meal with wine), or you can reserve the entire class for $600 (girls night, anyone?). Go ahead and reserve your space here (or give it as a gift!).

Classes take place on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and each one features a different type of authentic Italian pasta. Here’s the schedule for the remainder of the year (and there are more scheduled for early 2014):

November 20th, 2013, 7 p.m. - Spaghetti and fettuccini
December 4th, 2013, 7 p.m. - Ravioli and stuffed pasta
December 11th, 2013, 7 p.m. - Potato gnocchi and flavored gnocchi
December 18th, 2013, 7 p.m. – Garganelli bow tie pasta and orecchiette

I had the chance to take this class before the kickoff and it could not have been more fun! Seriously, I highly recommend this to anyone, but take note before you go:

Your hands will get messy, so leave your rings/bracelets/jewelry at home
It’s ok to grab your wine glass, even though your hands (and, subsequently, the glass) are covered in dough
Just. Keep. Kneading.