Making Pasta

There are several things I have noticed whilst in Rome. One of them that the kids dress better then I do. This was made even more apparent when we spent the day at a farm outside of the city, an augortorismo, and it was amazing. In the US we call them farm stays; they are farms that are subsidized by the government and provide an education and place to buy fresh produce for city dwellers.
At the farm we were given a teacher, who worked on the farm and he told us all about all the things that have been done to restore the farming lifestyle in Italy. He didn't speak any english but some of the professors from Roma Tre came with us and one of them translated for us. He taught us all about the wine that they make there.There are four different grades of quality ranging from vino da tavola to D.O.C., the highest grade wine. They make read and white wine at the farm. Girgorio, our guide, told us that the color of the wine is due to whether or not the peels are used in the fermentation process; champagne is actually made of red grapes.
We got to visit the horses and saw their chestnut trees which are actually hybrids with american types to recover after a disease that crippled the trees all over the country. We had a fantastic traditional lunch that lasted about 3 hours. There was bread that was made on the farm, a plate of antipasti, followed by 2 pasta or starch dishes. We had a mushroom risotto and a plate of pork and potatoes with gravy followed by the salad, then the dessert, of biscotti and clementines, and then grappa and limoncelli. The last 2 are after dinner/ meal drinks that are for sipping; "if you take it in one shot you will die" according to our program director. The grappa was rough. I imagine that even Tenley vodka can't be much worse.. In the future I will stick to wine. ha!
We made the pasta after we ate and were able to move and function, though most of us could have fallen asleep at the table after such a rich meal. I've never made pasta before and so I had no idea what i was in for; though it wasnt that bad. Francesca on the other hand is basically a professional. You start with about a cup of flour (probs a special kind, though I wouldn't know..) and make a nice little hole in the middle, a slumbering volcano if you will, or even a crater. You then take one egg and crack it in said hole. It's not supposed to run over but being the rookie crater-maker that I am, my volcano was no longer slumbering. Next you knead the flour and egg together until its smooth and if you mess up, which I did, you can add salt or more flour or some water, depending on the consistency of the dough. Once its smooth, you roll it out with a rolling pin until its pretty smooth and sprinkle corn meal on top. Fold it gently over so its easier to cut it into long strips at desired thickness. Place it plastic carry bin with more corn meal and it can be cooked for 2 in salty boiling water! Vuola! Next week we're making fusilli... HA HAHA.
At the end of this educational and fun filled day, we go to shop for the produce that they grow at the farm, as well as the fresh meats from their animals, cheese, jams, breads, and the wines that they produce. And on top of it being pesticide free and fresh, it was pretty cheap. It was a great day. I think once again just about every one fell asleep on the bus since we are all still pushing through the remnants of jet lag.
We were still so full from lunch that we didn't even make the pasta with all the goodies we got. (I bought tomatoes, a zucchini, a baby onion, and obvi the wine they were both fantastic). We get to meet our professors tomorrow and I think we might start classes so I guess Im looking forward to  taking classes...? Real classes dont start til the 31st but I wouldn't mind getting a day to sleep in and run around the city... Maybe bring a real camera and do touristy things.. I guess I'll just have to wait!