The first episode is about getting started, as Michela shows how easy it is to make fresh pasta at home, without gadgets, and delicious pasta sauces. On the menu is linguine primavera and farfalle in an oozy mozzarella and tomato sauce. Michela travels to Bologna, and a specialist pasta shop. She also learns the secrets of authentic bolognaise - or ragu as the Italians call it. She also makes lasagne verdi with walnut and sage pesto.
The gadgets are out as Michela shows how to create the perfect filled pasta, making lobster ravioli and tortelli with a butter and crispy sage sauce. On the stunning Cinque Terre coastline in north west Italy, Michela learns the dos and don'ts of cooking shellfish from chef Alessandro Barili. Back in Wales, Michela goes foraging and shows how to make a zingy lemon filling with spinach and pasta reale - a rich chicken broth with delicious parmesan dumplings... the very best Italian comfort food.
Michela Chiappa explores some amazing variations of pasta, starting with gorgeous Gnocchi Tricolore served with a creamy hazelnut sauce, making them small and evenly sized so they stay light and fluffy. In Bardi in Northern Italy, Michela calls in on her Dad's cousin, Paolo, who's a master baker and makes the best Torta di Patate and Spinaci - pasta pies filled with potato and spinach - and also visits a parmesan farm. Back home in Wales, Michela makes Pancake Nidi with a classic tomato sauce, and demonstrates how to make the most simple of Italian sauces - olive oil, garlic and chilli - then serves it with a fantastic gluten-free tagliatelle, proving that even if you're wheat intolerant, you can still enjoy the gorgeous taste of pasta.
In this final episode Michela Chiappa makes celebratory Italian dishes for her own wedding day. In Italy, Michela learns how to cook Ravioli in Uovo, containing individual egg yolks inside each raviolo. Then she makes Silhouette Pappardelle - pasta strips beautifully studded with basil, chervil and parsley - offset with a Cold Tomato Sauce, and pink Beetroot Pasta with Sweet Pear and Crispy Pancetta, topped off with morsels of creamy Gorgonzola. Michela's final recipe is Tortelli Piacentini with a Sage and Butter Sauce - tiny filled pasta creations which are only ever made for traditional Italian celebrations. For Michela, these Tortelli are the perfect special recipe to serve on her own most special day.
