CULLMAN, Ala. – Flour, eggs and a little patience turned into a fall feast Thursday evening, Oct. 8, as the North Alabama Agriplex hosted “Pasta from Scratch,” part of its Fall Pop-Up Kitchen Series.
The class, held from 6-8 p.m. in the Agriplex’s teaching kitchen at 1714 Tally Ho St. SW, was led by Sarah Evans of Alabama Pasta Company.
“We are here tonight learning how to make a rustic pasta with a harvest vegetable cream sauce,” Evans said.
From flour to fork
Guests gathered around stainless steel work tables, each starting with just four ingredients: two-thirds of a cup of flour, one egg, a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a shake of salt.
Following the class recipe, participants made a well in the flour, cracked the egg into the center and used a fork to whisk the egg and slowly work in the flour. Once the dough came together, they kneaded it by hand for about five minutes, pressing a thumb into the dough to check that it bounced back before letting it rest.
From there, the dough was rolled out into a thin, even layer, rolled into a log and sliced into small pieces, which unrolled into long noodles. The fresh pasta was cooked in salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes.
The finished noodles were tossed in a golden harvest vegetable cream sauce and topped with grated cheese, a dollop of ricotta and a crunchy nut topping, then served alongside a green salad.
A pumpkin for dessert
The evening ended with a seasonal sweet treat: “The Autumn Hearth,” a baked pumpkin filled with apples and cranberries. Billed on the recipe card as “an old-fashioned harvest dessert,” the dish is made by hollowing out a medium sugar pumpkin and filling it with diced apples, dried cranberries, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, butter and optional pecans. It bakes for about 1.5 to 2 hours, until the pumpkin is tender and the filling is bubbling.
In a post on its Facebook page, the Agriplex called the class “a wonderful evening of food, learning, and seasonal flavors” and thanked Evans “for sharing her expertise and passion, and to everyone who joined us for a night of great food and community around the table!”
More pop-up classes ahead
The Fall Pop-Up Kitchen Series continues with “Southern Basics: Pies,” a three-part series of evening classes, each from 6-8 p.m.:
- Sweet: Thursday, Oct. 29
- Savory: Thursday, Nov. 5
- Beyond Biscuits: Thursday, Nov. 12
Registration is available at www.agriplex.org. For more information, call the North Alabama Agriplex at 256-297-1044.
