Be Brilliant

Facet 11 Magnify

On a school holiday break in Queensland, I was looking forward to hanging out with my family and friends, Andy and Maria. My kids were also excited to see our friends. ‘We can't wait for Uncle Andy's cooking' they shouted from the back seat of the car on the way up.

You see, Andy is something of a whizz in the kitchen, always cooking up the best feasts when we visit. On this occasion, he decided to teach the kids how to make their own fresh pasta.

He patiently talked them through the recipe and watched on as they each carefully measured out ingredients. He guided them through the blending and kneading of the dough, explaining the nuances of technique and the importance of letting the dough rest for ‘at least six minutes' — and the children sat with their hands protectively covering their own bowl of dough and…they waited (if you've got kids then you'll know what a feat this is).

I then watched on as they took it in turns to roll out their dough, carefully sprinkling flour as required, focused on getting the right length. All the while Andy stood in the background guiding, watching, gently correcting and patiently answering questions. And then the moment of truth as they each fed their dough through the pasta machine, calling on each other to help as they made their own spaghetti.

They cooked it, wolfed it down with lots of commentary about how awesome it tasted, and talked and talked and talked. And all the way back to Sydney they continued to talk, trying ...