Patron Pasta Class: Never Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

by Caitlin Collins

What happens when Altura patrons who are passionate about pasta don aprons and break the barrier between kitchen and guest? By the looks of it, a whole lot of flour, fun, and full bellies.

September marked Altura's first in-house class, with a focus on Northern Italian pasta-making methods that marry the best of tradition with the reality and ease of present day tools. The 11 attendees received custom-made pamphlets filled with tips and reminders of what they learned in class to reference later at home, and after a brief demo by Altura's pasta specialist Tim Stewart, they were encouraged to put their newfound knowledge to use.

While some of the participants had spent many years making pasta, others had never attempted the craft, yet all were met at their level and were given suggestions while being overseen by Tim and Chef/Owner Nathan Lockwood. Dough was rolled out, shaped, and cut, and any hiccups were quickly remedied by one of the specialists in white chef coats. 

Altura Pasta Expert Tim Stewart Makes Gnocchi

by Caitlin Collins

"A secret to making good pasta is using the best eggs you can find," says Tim. "That's probably the most important thing."

Five days a week, Tim Stewart comes in to the restaurant early in the morning primarily to make Altura's pasta. There are currently six different pastas between the dinner and tasting menus, each with a different filling and/or accompaniment. One of the mainstays at the restaurant, however, is our gnocchi.

YUKON GOLD POTATO GNOCCHI

Abruzzese Style Ragu of Lamb and Beef, Parmigiano

Gnocchi, a traditional Italian dumpling, is a light fluffy pasta that we make from yukon gold potatoes. It is currently being served with a ragu of lamb and beef that has a slight bit of heat from Calabrian chili oil.

"I treat this like a pastry almost-- you don't want to overwork it," advises Tim. The secret to light and fluffy gnocchi is not using too much flour and not working it too much. Tim chops the dough to incorporate instead of kneading it the whole time, which would stretch and tease the gluten in the flour, making it tough.

Tim cuts egg yolk, flour, butter, parmesan into more flour with a bench scraper.