Handmade Venetian Medieval Ravioli and Their History

Live from Martina Franca, Italy

On Saturday, August 15, at 12:30 PM EDT, join VAWAA Artist, culinary historian and archaeologist Ursula for fresh medieval ravioli making from scratch. We'll prepare "rafioli", a precious 14th century recipe from Venice, Italy using fresh herbs. While our hands will be busy, Ursula will also introduce us to a ravioli recipe from the royal court in England, and she'll take us on a little excursion to a 16th century Italian recipe from the papal court. We'll keep some time in the end to sit down, eat together, cheers, ask questions, and discuss. Show up curious and hungry, no experience required!

Joining us from a different time zone? Be sure to convert the time.

Those who attend the live session can purchase the recording after at an additional fee.

What you'll need

• 1 1/2 Cups / 180 g of flour + some for working
• 3 Eggs
• 9 Oz / 250 g of soft-ripened cheese (e.g. robiola, taleggio, asiago, young pecorino or any local soft-ripened cheese)
• 1/3 Stick / 35 g of butter
• Hard cheese (e.g. parmesan, grana padano)
• Fresh herbs according to taste and availability (parsley, sage, basil, oregano…)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• Saffron (optional)
• Bowls for mixing dough and cheese filling
• Rolling pin
• Knife or a pastry roller cutter

How to join

We'll be hosting this VAWAA Online on Zoom. We'll send you the link and details to join via email a few hours before it begins.

About Ursula

Ursula is an archaeologist and cook, passionate about sustainability. For years, Ursula worked on excavation projects in Syria, Turkey and Egypt, where she often lived in small, traditional villages where locals would produce much of the food themselves. Inspired by this way of life, Ursula picked up a variety of recipes and traditional food preparation techniques throughout her travels.

Historic methods of producing and cooking food inspire Ursula academically, but also motivate her lifestyle. “Humanity has been able to sustain itself without extreme over-consumption for millennia, without exploiting the planet,” Ursula explains. She believes that looking back to traditional cooking techniques also encourages getting back to a more sustainable way of living. Ursula’s self-sufficient, solar-powered estate in Southern Italy, shared with her husband, harkens back to simpler times. Ursula grows most of her  food, eats fresh ingredients seasonally, raises chickens, makes wine and olive oil, and in her spare time, practices archery!

Visit her artist page to learn more about her in-person VAWAA.

Reviews

"This class experience was fantastic! An intimate gathering to learn how to make homemade pasta, which was easier than I thought.  The timing was perfectly paced and Chef Ursula was great at giving information, checking to see how everyone was doing, and answering questions.  It was fun to see everyone working in their own kitchens, and amazing to experience a cooking class from Italy right in my own kitchen. I look forward to more classes like this :)" - Lisa

"What a fun way to cook a delicious meal and ready for lunch time! Ursula had tons of knowledge and somehow guided us to a great pasta. I had never cooked pasta with these ingredients and it was a real discovery. I will be cooking this often!" - Clara

"I particularly enjoyed Ursula’s way of being both rigorous in her explanations, while joking and being thought provocative about the evolution of our habits, tastes and beliefs through the ages." - Fredy

"Her wealth of knowledge on history, archaeology and the culinary traditions of Italy made for an informative and delicious experience." - Cherri

"She is a powerful and kind person with an impressive knowlege of history and great instincts for food and people." - Katie

Sessions are ticketed to support artists, makers and our small team. If you’re experiencing financial hardship, please reach out. We may have a generous participant who has paid it forward and would ask that you pay the love forward by sharing online sessions with 3 new friends.