Soft-Shell Crab

by Caitlin Collins

Semolina Fried Soft Shell Crab

Toasted Pine Nut Aioli, Spicy Calabrian Chilis

When blue crabs outgrow their shells, they shed the old ones (known as "molting") and their exposed bodies are so soft that they can be eaten whole. The Venetians have long eaten the common Mediterranean crab in this form, but here in the United States, all soft-shell crabs come from the East Coast. At Altura, we get ours from Browne Trading Company.

Green Almonds

by Forrest Foster

Just arrived this week from Mikuni Wild Harvest - green almonds.

These little guys are immature almonds. They have a very delicate watery almond flavor. You'll find them accompanying carboncino cheese and other dishes.

A New Ravioli: Asparagus Casoncelli

by Caitlin Collins

Casoncelli (kah-son-chell-ee) are a special kind of ravioli with origins in Lombardia, a northeastern region of Italy. New this week, the casoncelli are filled with springtime asparagus.

ASPARAGUS CASONCELLI
Robiola La Tur, Crispy Braised Pork Belly

Casoncelli is a unique example of ravioli despite its many interpretations because the pocket containing the pasta filling is folded, thereby creating more vessels for delicious ragus and sauces. Our pasta crafter Tim Stewart experimented with four different pasta shapes before deciding on a signature spiral form.

Crafting Altura's Stuffed Pastas

by Caitlin Collins

Pasta-making is an art requiring patience and practice, but stuffed pastas can be especially challenging. Luckily, our pasta expert Tim Stewart is great at crafting stuffed pastas such as ravioli.

Altura currently has two stuffed pastas on the menu -- foraged mushroom ravioli and squab mezzaluna. Watch Tim as he carefully makes our house pastas!

FORAGED MUSHROOM RAVIOLI
Stinging Nettle, Hedgehog Mushrooms, Wild Onion Oil

The foraged mushroom ravioli is currently being served in a stinging nettle dough. The nettles are chosen mostly for their vivid green color, but you can also smell them in the dough. Nettle flavor also comes through more strongly than other greens such as spinach, though it is still fairly faint.

Tim takes the rolled-out dough made of nettles, egg yolks, and flour, and feeds it through the pasta machine. "The first thing I'm trying to do is get my dough in one solid sheet, and the second thing is to get it all the same width, about the width of the pasta maker. Once my sheets are together, my next task is to make it uniform," he says.