There is nothing more satisfying than cooking with kids, especially when you can show them that it’s okay to get your hands really sticky and “gross.” That’s what happened a few days ago at the Athens Farmers Market, where chefs Joel Fair, Patty Nally and myself showed some really great chef kids how to make pasta from scratch.
We started with a simple 1 cups flour in a mound with a well in the center into which we cracked 2 eggs.
Junior Chefs School is an ongoing program managed by Kip Parker, the Athens Farmers Market Manager and all-around wonderful guy. It brings together local chefs with the youth of Athens to teach about local foods and how to manipulate them in delicious ways. It is one of the hundreds of “under the radar” programs that make Athens a food paradise!
We used put three pasta machines through the paces and made some fabulous fettucini.
We made lots of pasta and even the teachers had fun…
We also made some great Agnolotto stuffed with porcini and wild mushrooms with garlic and thyme. Double yum there!
The kids made some fabulous pasta and also learned some knife skills used on heirloom “Mr. Stipey” tomatoes.
All the while, the kids were looking at the bechemel sauce and of course, the meatballs I made with local lamb, beef and King Family Pork.
The pasta cooked fast and we had a combination of wheat pasta and local spelt pasta that were just waiting to jump into…
…a big bowl of tomatoes, basil…or meatballs and cream sauce.
What a great day. Thanks to all the junior chefs and Joel Fair, Patty Nally, Mr. Parker and Ms. Blazier for all thier hard work.
