Pasta Making Class with 5 element cooking
I am buzzing from the invaluable pasta-making class I attended today in Frogpool with a couple of my Potluck members and Aneta Stacwia, founder of 5 Element Cooking.
I had never heard of the 5 Element Cooking Method before but I took a lot of helpful nuggets away with me. The method teaches you how to combine all 5 elements in each dish so that the flavours are balanced. You eat with the seasons and the method helps balance your body and treat illnesses (Ying & Yang). Each Element is assigned to a Flavour - Earth (Sweet), Fire (Bitter), Water (Salty), Wood (Sour), and Metal (Pungent).
Image taken from 5elementcooking.com
Ingredients for the pasta 200g Plain Flour, 2 eggs (use both whites and yolk), salt, ground ginger and turmeric.
We learned a lot about how bitterness is a very important ingredient that our bodies lack. Bitter foods have been shown to aid digestion, help nutrient absorption, stimulate immune function and even help keep sugar cravings at bay. I also learned that if you have a grumpy child, the best treatment is by mixing a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with water and some honey and getting them to drink it, the apple cider will cleanse and detoxify the body. After reading more about this when I got home apple cider vinegar can naturally treat many things.
Growing up on natural remedies, homeopathy, and having a Herbalist as well as dabbling in a bit of foraging, I have some understanding of the benefits of Chinese Medicine and the requirements we need to balance our bodies.
The actual pasta-making session was wonderful, very therapeutic, lots of fun, and extremely easy. You don’t need to faff with pasta-making machines, you just need a hand or two, a good silicone mat, and a drying rack (which can be a clothes-washing rack),we also enjoyed some Black Polish tea.
“The reason I use Nigella Lawson cookbooks is cause she’s down to earth, she doesn’t make you find something in your cupboard that you will never use again. ”
We each made our own Tagliatelle pasta and a Pasta alla Vodka sauce which was super easy, and very Moorish, we couldn’t stop tasting it, it was incredible, and it tasted so so good (and not just cause there was Vodka in it), the Pecorino Romano cheese is definitely a game changer for me.
Once our pasta had rested for 20 mins we cooked our fresh pasta for just 60 seconds (that is quicker than the fresh pasta you buy from the supermarket) and poured over our alla Vodka sauce, added some grated Pecorino on top with some fresh basil, and tucked in. It was such a wonderful lunch with friends.
The pasta can also be stored to dry in a damp-free cupboard inside a paper bag with a piece of kitchen towel at the bottom for up to 6 months.
I can’t wait to attend another 5 Element Cooking Cookery Class, it was a great way to kick off a foodie weekend.
Making your own pasta is simple, easy, cheap, and great to share with the entire family, very satisfying.
I can’t wait for my silicone mat to arrive now from KitchenCraft to do some messy-fun pasta-making play with my 3-year-old daughter.
WOLLA! Fresh Pasta alla Vodka, made by moi.
