By Lisa Zanardo

Watch our first video, showing you how to make the pasta, here .

In the second part of our series on how to cook authentic Italian, we have drawn inspiration from Italy's most renowned gastronomical region - Emilia-Romagna.

Emilia-Romagna, set in the northern part of Italy and known to Italians as 'la dotte e la grassa' (the learned and the fat one), unites the fertile lands of Italy's Padan plain, the steep slopes of the Apennine mountains and the rugged coastline of the Adriatic.

The region takes in nine provinces, from which originate many internationally recognised foods such as Parma ham or prosciutto, Parmigiano Reggiano parmesan cheese and Modena balsamic vinegar.

Production of these goods are controlled by a local authority which monitors standards and traditional production methods to ensure that only the finest products reach our plates. It is also a reason why the foods are so respected as it guarantees authenticity, but ultimately quality.

Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna, is famous for its rich cuisine, including traditional pasta dishes such as ravioli, tortelloni, fettucce and pappardelle.

Sticking to the wider Italian ethos of using only locally produced ingredients in cooking, the pasta used in these dishes is egg pasta. It is made, simply, from eggs and a very soft, fine-ground OO flour; 'grano tenero', which is only grown in the north of Italy.

Egg pasta is best made and used fresh. In principle it is relatively easy to make (see the first of our two videos on fresh pasta, above) but can be quite time intensive. However, the melt-in-your-mouth end product justifies the effort spent kneading and rolling.

While egg pasta is commonly used to make fettuce or pappardelle (flat, ribbon-style pasta) it is more famously made into ravioli or tortelloni, to be filled with vegetarian or meat mixtures and served with either a hearty bolognese or light butter sauce.

In Italy today, filled pasta is thought of as a dish for festivities or special occasion, but according to Carluccio's food expert Valentina Daprile, it came from humble origins dating back to the middle ages.

"In these times, the Italians held huge banquets, after which all the leftovers were gathered up, mixed together and then used to fill pasta," she says. Pasta is so steeped in Italian tradition, its origins date as far back as Etruscan times where, according to Valentina, it is believed a pasta cutter, board, rolling pin and bag of flour were given as a dowry with young brides.

Today, making fresh filled egg pasta in Italy is considered an art form and the makers artisans.

"Pasta made in the region is very labour intensive. It is part of the slow food movement," Valentina says. "It takes a good 15 minutes to half an hour of kneading." It then has to rest for at least half an hour, but ideally overnight.

"Fresh pasta is an introduction to a slow way of life, which is how people live in Emilia-Romagna. It's surprising how good a quality of life this can be. People in Emilia-Romagna are extremely passionate about their food and in particular filled pasta; so much so that they have introduced a club called the 'brotherhood of the raviolo'.

"Italians only use the best of local ingredients, so throughout Italy, a particular dish can vary for this reason. For instance Piedmonte is famous for sausages so they fill their pasta using sausage meat. In Liguria they use aubergines and artichokes, but in Emilia Romagna it's Parma ham, mortadella, and parmesan."

In the first cookery class, Carluccio's head chef Jennifer McLaughlin takes you through the five steps of how to make fresh egg pasta — mixing, kneading resting, rolling and cutting.

In the second class, she demonsatrates how to roll out the pasta and turn it into meat-filled ravioli and spinach and ricotta-filled tortelloni, before cooking them in a light Italian butter sauce.

Jen's top cooking tip: Knead the dough by hand for 10-15 minutes. Avoid over-kneading the dough as it will become brittle

Products typical of the Emilia-Romagna region

Aceto balsamico (balsamic vinegar): Produced in Modena since medieval times, aceto balsamico was originally used as a medicinal balm. Traditional balsamic vinegar is made from the cooked must of the Trebbiano grape and aged in wooden barrels to achieve a rich, sweet flavour. It is delicious drizzled over salads or grilled meats, and can bring a new dimension to sweet dishes, including ice cream and strawberries.

Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan cheese): Parmigiano Reggiano is the king of Italian cheeses and is produced from the milk of cows grazed in the Po Valley. Moulded into giant wheels, the cheese is aged in airy rooms called 'cathedrals' for a minimum of 12 months to achieve its intense flavour and dense, crumbly texture. It is the perfect way to finish pasta dishes and is delicious eaten with aged balsamic vinegar.

Prosciutto di Parma (parma ham): Prosciutto is made from pigs raised in Emilia-Romagna on the whey from Parmigiano Reggiano production – linking these two products in a virtuous circle. The meat is salt cured and aged for 12 months or more to allow the flavour to mature and sweeten. Thinly sliced, it is delicious as antipasto, and also make the perfect accompaniment to ripe figs or juicy melon.

For more information on the authentic taste of Italy or to book a cookery class go to www.carluccios.com

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