Early December is the time when I begin to think about making pasta by hand. Yes, one can buy everything in the frozen section of any supermarket, but I want the ritual that will connect me with my past, my present and even may be taken to the future by my grandchildren. And so it is preparation time, the quiet time with the ingredients and my memories.
I was born in a village and lived there with my maternal grandmother. One of my early memories is of a winter morning observing her, slightly dusted with flour and armed with just a wooden rolling pin, creating the little miracle of a large transparent sheet out of a small ball of dough. It was so amazing I could not even dream of such magical skills…
Decades later, I was thrilled to discover that in the 21st century Romagna this tradition has not died. My friend Rossana, pictured above in her house in Cesena, will not think even for a minute about buying ready-made pasta. The best things are made at home, she will say, and will quickly make fresh tagliatelle for us to eat with some mushrooms friends have brought from a foraging trip in the nearby hills.
I knew this time besides lazily watching Rossana kneading the dough I had to learn it finally myself. I also wanted to check on the golden standard for pasta making - Casa Artusi - in the small town of Forlimpopoli just a few miles away. This is where I discovered that pasta has many secrets: the flour, the eggs, even the air is important. “You don’t open the window since the pasta will stiffen and one cannot close the cappelletti or tortellini”.
I am still a beginner pasta maker. Fortunately for me, in addition to the meditative atmosphere of the process even now I feel there is magic worth exploring in the manual transformation of the ingredients. Soon I will turn off my phone and immerse myself in the moment just like my grandmother did.
P.S. The pasta in the photo is actually spinach-based sheets you need to make lasagna. Later it should be blanched in water and salt, then placed in a pan with layers of pasta, bechamel and meat sauce and parmesan. Finally it should be put in the oven to cook.
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