I first met Massimo at a fabulous “Journey to Puglia” dinner at his “hidden” restaurant in Toronto and have since sent many people his way, and returned a few times myself. Going to a supper club is like going to a great big house party where you meet all sorts of interesting people, then you get to go home while someone else cleans up… I’ve even managed to score two of my favourite recipes off the man himself – popette d’uova and gnudi. I was so excited when Massimo expressed an interest in coming to work with the boys and show them how to make “real pizza” – and I knew the boys would be too! We had an amazing session last term where Massimo showed the boys how to make real pizza Margherita and pizza dough from scratch!
Massimo wanted to try pasta from scratch which I was very excited about since I was supposed to be making my own for this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp, cooking pasta and dumplings. I know, I know, it’s cheating a little to have a lesson from an Italian chef but I figured who better to learn from, right? Plus, I figured if the boys could make it, I surely could!
Massimo started out showing the boys how to make a little well in their special Semola flour (though he explained you could use regular flour if you couldn’t find the Semola and pour in some water, then mix the water in with either a finger or a fork, incorporating very very slowly. He didn’t measure anything, telling the boys that a lot of the time, cooking is about how the food feels, looks and smells. I couldn’t agree more… (for those who are interested, Massimo uses about 400mls water for each kilogram of flour used).
The he showed the boys how to knead the dough to the right consistency.
When the pasta dough had reached the right consistency, we all made sure to feel it so we could know when ours was ready.
And then the boys got to work themselves…
After resting the rolls of pasta wrapped tightly in plastic wrap (and… err… being careful NOT to hold them the entire time they are resting in hot little hands), Massimo showed the boys how to roll long strands of pasta and cut them into tiny pieces. Then he showed us how to make the typical shape for cavatelli (little scooped out pasta pieces).
Just like Play Doh, only more delicious!
And whilst they were not perfect, they were pretty darned cute 🙂
Meanwhile…. on the other side of the kitchen science lab…
A simple tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, salt and pepper…
A simple homemade pasta with tomato sauce.
The prep time includes the resting time for the pasta dough.
Homemade cavatelli with simple tomato sauce
Ingredients
For the pasta:
For the sauce:
Instructions
Make the pasta
Meanwhile, make the sauce.
Notes
Result?
Well gosh! We made our own pasta! With a sprinkle of parmesan and some fresh basil, this was a lovely simple comfort meal on a cold autumn night. I know the boys loved it because some of them ate their portions on the way home from school 😉 One of my little chefs even tried to make his own pasta when he got home using regular flour – now that’s what I call motivated 🙂
Thank you so much Massimo for your time and patience with these guys – it’s always a pleasure having you and we can’t wait to see what you come up with the next time you come!
Watch Massimo make pasta on a recent trip to Italy here. For the tomato sauce recipe, watch here.
If you live in Toronto and would like details about Massimo’s Italian Supper Club, click here.
These two recipes are so easy that I am submitting them to the HostelBookers Backpacker recipes contest. I can’t think of a better way to make new friends in a Hostel kitchen than to make pasta and pasta sauce from scratch!
Good for Massimo, and you..What a great teacher you are!! Those boys must LOVE you !! and the dish looks perfect to me!!
Well, it’s nice for me to connect with the boys outside the classroom – that’s why I love this club!
What an amazing experience for those boys! I bet they were thrilled with the results….nothing can beat the taste/texture of homemade pasta! Love the photos, too~
They – and their parents – were thrilled!
First, I believe Mr. Neil deserves credit for INTRODUCING Mardi to the Massimo’s experience. 🙂
Second, not even a mention of the homemade pasta I produce… 🙁
Looks wonderful – and screaming for a Chianti Riserva, of course. Nice acid and lighter-body wine will go well with the tomato sauce. Personally, I would not go for the “Super Tuscans” here, or anything heavier. If you don’t have a Chianti handy, my alternate would be a granache/garnacha-based wine. Or if you’re in America/Australia and really are in a pint, try a Pinot Noir. Avoid the big bold Shirazes, please. (A South African old-style Pinotage might be an intriguing combo…)
Actually the first time we ate at Massimo’s we were invited there by Suresh @spotlightcity 😉 And really it’s been so long since you made any from scratch …… We might have to remedy that soon!
Oh dear me – I DO stand corrected. Of course…big mea culpa, Suresh deserves the kudos!
I guess it’s just all the meals I’ve paid for SINCE then that clouded my memory. 🙂
Yup, right!
Aw, yum! It looks great!
Definitely!
The recipe looks so tempting, though its called easy homemade pasta, I am not sure whether I can make it at home myself.
Well honestly, if these little guys can make it in the science lab in under an hour, you can too!
Oh, I wish I lived in Toronto. The more I read your posts I want to go there! That hidden restau looks fantastic and what a lab, as you say. I love making tagliatelle at home with my girls but the cavatelli looks so much fun with all the rolling. They’d love it. I bet Massimo’s tastes nearly as good as Mr. Neil’s pasta. 😉
Yes, the cavatelli is a “fun” pasta to make for sure!
What a fabulous pasta dish. I applaud the talent that goes into this!
Thanks!
Oh, yum! I haven’t made pasta for years, but this looks too good NOT to try. (Although it sure would be nice to have a handsome Italian chef for “guidance,” lol.
Thanks for posting!
Yes Massimo makes it seem so do-able!
Mardi:
how adorable are those little chefs??? and what a great teacher you are for bringing in a real chef to teach them how to make pasta. I loved this post. The world needs more teachers like you!
Aw thanks Amelia – but it’s no work for me, I LOVE this part of my week!
Oh, how cute is their pasta?! I love that it is not perfect! It looks delicious either way!
I love that it’s not perfect either.
I love the look of Les Petits Chefs cavatelli pasta and I love how eager they are to learn. You can tell that they are by the photos, elbows on the counter, leaning forward, listening intently and eager to participate.
I remember the pizza post with Massimo and it is just awesome that he came back to class to *work with* Les Petits Chefs once again.
Oh there was a LOT of eagerness in there! The boys love cooking and they love Massimo too!
I love homemade pasta! I usually cheat though and use the kitchen aid attachment pasta press so that I can make it on weeknights. I want to try it this way though because shaping it looks so satisfying
Yes even if it looks a little, ahem, rustic, it’s so much fun!
wow! what a meal! I’ve been wanting to make my own pasta but after my first disaster I stopped trying…maybe I’ll have give this recipe a try!
I think it’s a matter of practice…
hahaha… I BET they had a great time! Looking at the photos of them mixing their flour and water reminded me of me and my little brother playing with our mashed potatoes and gravy as kids. I just love the Petits Chefs. Jamie Oliver is nuts if he doesn’t come join in the fun!!
Oh yes they LOVED this part of the proceedings!
wow! what a fun experience for these kids. Your pictures make me want to make fresh pasta right away. Great tempting post. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by!
Perfect! This reminds me that I’ve never actually made homemade cavatelli. Your chefs did a brilliant job! Thanks for getting your petits chefs involved with this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp challenge!
Oh they LOVED making this pasta Jen!
love making pasta and good to see the kids hard at work.