As much as I love to eat out, I might actually prefer to eat in. Conversation lingers, people drink too much and you never need to worry about your decibel level. More often than not if I’m eating in, I’m cooking pasta. Surprisingly, homemade pasta is something I’ve never thought to try. I rarely shy away from a kitchen related challenge but I’m also one of those people who thinks things like homemade chicken stock or pizza dough is worth the extra effort. It wasn’t until a couple amazing dinners at Flour + Water convinced me that homemade pasta was something worth the extra time.
My brother was the one who told me about Love Apple Farms and after looking into further I knew I had to go. Providing all the produce for Manresa in Los Gatos is impressive in and of itself but their list of on-site workshops is just as cool. Heading to the farm, located near Los Gatos in Scotts Valley, CA, is stunning and a must see for anyone interested in farm to table dining. Owner Cynthia Sandberg uses biodynamic and organic principles for farming the land, which was originally a mountain vineyard and winery with optimal Southern exposure and terraced hillsides. All Manresa compost goes back to Love Apple Farms to complete the circle of land, kitchen and client. It’s nature at its finest.
The workshop was taught by Chef Maggie Cattell who has worked at Michelin star restaurants in both Paris and Healdsburg, CA. First we learned the basic machine rolled parpadelle noodle. Surprisingly easy, using just two ingredients, flour and eggs, this is a very doable noodle – with a Kitchen Aid… I feel slightly less blasphemous saying this after Maggie herself said she’d never return to the hand-crank pasta roller.
We used the basic parpadelle recipe to make our hand-made filled pastas – torteloni and ravioli. Chef Maggie had the fillings already prepared. Roasted squash and sweet pea. I would have a field day thinking up my own fillings.
The end result was worth suffering through the hunger pangs for four hours. Homemade pasta turned about to be surprisingly easy, despite time-consuming, and something I’d really make on my own if I owned a Kitchen Aid. I definitely recommend a Love Apple Farms cooking class to any foodies out there, and it makes a great gift too.
Hopefully someday I’ll be writing a post about eating at Manresa.
Love Apple Farms, 2317 Vine Hill Road, Santa Cruz, CA. More information about on-site workshops, dinners, and docent-led farm tours can be found here.