Last week, in the Foods Around the World Class, we made Asian noodle bowls. Marco Polo discovered noodles in the 13th century, took the recipe back home to Italy and made pasta. If you ask many Italians, they will tell you that the Italians perfected the noodle. This week's class we made tomato sauce and homemade pasta. All recipes are below, along with a few additions.

Homemade Pasta Recipe

• 2 cups flour

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil

• 3 large eggs

Directions:

1. Mix the three ingredients together in a bowl until the dough forms a ball and the bowl is clean.

2. Knead the dough until it is the consistency of play dough.

3. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough enough to roll through the pasta maker.

4. After the dough has been flattened into one big sheet, run it through again to divide into noodles.

5. Hang the individual noodles to dry on a pasta tree.

6. Cook the pasta in boiling hot water, until al dente, about three to five minutes.

7. Drain and serve with pasta sauce (below).

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes

• 2 T olive oil

• 1 onion chopped

• 1 green bell pepper chopped

• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic cloves

• 1/4 cup cut up parsley

• 1 teaspoon oregano

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 tablespoon tomato paste

Directions:

1. Chop the onions, green pepper and parsley.

2. Stir fry the onion, bell pepper and garlic in the wok until soft.

3. Add the can of crushed tomatoes to the mixture and heat through.

4. Add bay leaf, parsley, oregano, and tomato paste in the pot and cook for 15 minutes.

5. Discard bay leaf and serve over pasta.

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Butter

• 2 teaspoons Garlic Minced

• 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

• 1/2 teaspoon Salt

• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper

• 2 Cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

• 1/2 cup of fresh oregano

Instructions:

1. Melt butter and sauté garlic until soft in a large skillet.

2. Add cream.

3. Simmer over low heat for 2 minutes.

4. Whisk in the oregano, salt, and pepper for one minute.

5. Whisk in the parmesan cheese until melted.

Serve immediately.

Bruschetta

Ingredients:

• 8 tomatoes, diced

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 baguette, sliced and toasted

Directions:

1. Combine all the above ingredients , except for the bread, into a bowl.

2. Spoon the mixture over the toasted baguette slices and serve immediately.