Altura: The Fresh Talk Blog

In addition to the in-person instruction that day, each participant will receive a physical handout with the day's lesson so no details will be lost after a couple glasses of wine at dinner. Nathan will also touch on the recipe for our longstanding house lamb and beef ragu, which makes an excellent accompaniment for the gnocchi you'll soon know how to make. 

Traditional pasta making is an art form and highly gratifying when executed properly, and the instruction offered by Tim and Nathan will help steer you through the pitfalls of first attempts. Plus, we love to have our guests join us on the other side of the chef's counter. 

Here's what malfatti looks like, dished up and ready for service with a halo of fennel pollen and a Pecorino Toscano frico: 

Bring the novelty of Italian dumpling-style pasta to your own kitchen this year; we'll show you how. 

These remarkable shellfish have been used in a number of dishes on Altura's menu, but their current incarnation is especially delicious. They appear on our tasting menu, paired with a cider-braised trotter, fried kale, and orange zest. 

"The oysters are cold smoked with applewood," explains Sous Chef Scott Klukas, "because the flavor complements the trotters which have been braised in a cider." 

First the oysters are shucked, and their liquor is saved for other projects like soups and gelée. Then they are arranged in a pan over ice and wrapped in airtight plastic.

The smoking gun is filled with applewood chips and when Scott activates it, the smoke filters through a tube into the pan, smoking the oysters while keeping cool from the ice at the bottom. Another hole is punched in the plastic to create a draw for the smoking gun. 

What results is a setup reminiscent of a miniature "Pink Floyd concert," as Scott observed, but also an oyster that, while still uncooked, is infused with a delicate and delicious flavor. 

Though the flight is usually carefully arranged and garnished by Nathan, today Sous Chef Tim Stewart splashed the three olive oils used in the flight onto a white plate to show the variation in their color. 

The olive oils, left to right: 

BOZZANO

Tasting notes: Buttery, mild, and fruity with hint of hazelnut

Olive: 100% Taggiasca, native to Liguria

Origin: Produced in California

TALAMONTI IOLIO

Tasting notes: sweet and peppery with flavors of banana peel and watercress

Olive: Dritta and Leccino

Origin: Grown 300 meters above sea level in the hilltop town of Loreto Aprutino

LAUDEMIO

Tasting notes: grassy undertones, silky rich mouthfeel, bitter grapefruit tang, and a strong pepper finish

Olive: Primarily Frantoio

Origin: Central Tuscany

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To illustrate the experiment, we held a jelly belly wine paring at Altura restaurant before it opened with the staff, and enjoyed finding both harmony and discord. 

Marotti Campi Brut Rosé Spumanti made from Lacrema grapes in the Marche, NV

Complementary: Strawberry Jelly Belly 

Food suggestion: A strawberry goat cheese tart

Trainwreck: Toasted marshmallow Jelly Belly

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Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard 1er Cru-La Romanee, 2008

Complementary: Juicy pear Jelly Belly

Food suggestion: An endive salad with sliced pear and toasted almonds

Trainwreck: Cappucino Jelly Belly

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Abbazia di Novacella Schiava, 2011

Complementary: Very Cherry Jelly Belly

Food suggestion: Crown roasted pork with fig and cherry compote

Trainwreck: Buttered popcorn Jelly Belly

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Antico Colle Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, 2008

Complementary: Chocolate pudding Jelly Belly 

Food suggestion: Pan-roasted venison with cocoa nib sauce

Trainwreck: Pina Colada Jelly Belly

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You may find some surprises along the way with flavors you didn't expect to be harmonious. We'd love to see pictures of any at-home attempts. 

Though it's extreme for some to see the full body of a pig on the cutting board, it is also respectful to consider the animal as a whole instead of a defamiliarized meat product; this way, you also ask the right questions about the pig -- where did it come from? How was it raised? How was it slaughtered? Thanks to Wilderness Farms, we feel good about the source and continue that respect and pride in the quality of our kitchen. 

These lovely chocolate hazelnut meringues cannot be found on the dessert menu; instead, they accompany after dinner coffees and nestle politely on the saucer next to a silver spoon. 

The meringues are made on surfaces shared with foods containing allergens such as wheat and dairy and therefore we don't recommend those with severe food allergies to consume them, but for most of us who struggle with gluten and/or dairy, we think you'll find a new favorite cookie that isn't missing anything in the gratification department, especially when it's dressed up with candied lemon peel as pictured below. 

We hope to see you soon to celebrate this fun time of year.

You may have seen our blog post about the first ever pasta class, which was a huge hit; patrons had a lot of fun, learned pasta-making methods, and finished the evening with their pasta served up for them by Nathan himself in a beautiful dinner complete with salad, Columbia City bread, ragu, dessert, and of course, wine. If you haven't, check out the post here.

While this pasta class promises to be just as dynamic, the influence of Autumn will be felt as we walk you through how to roast a bird (we'll be preparing a goose, but the same rules apply to a turkey), turning Chioggia squash, which is pictured in this post, into beautifully handcrafted ravioli (there will be enough left over for everyone to take some home for their Thanksgiving dinners), and introducing unique dessert options that will carry over nicely to December's holiday baking. You will also learn about the culinary traditions and methods specific to the northern Italian region of Piedmont, which has largely inspired Altura's cuisine.

If you are interested in joining this pasta class on November 24th, email [email protected] to grab one of the few remaining seats. No prior pasta-making experience is necessary, and if you have some already, come ready to learn Piedmontese-specific methods to add to your repertoire. $328.50 per person includes the following:

A hands-on pasta class guided by both Nathan and Tim

Instruction on additional seasonal items, such as roasting fowl and fall vegetables

A pasta-making guide book made especially for this class to take home with you

An illuminating sweep of Piedmontese culinary methods and characteristics

A delicious dinner complete with salad, an appetizer, pasta, the roasted goose, dessert, and wine

Leftover Chioggia squash ravioli to take home with you for Thanksgiving dinner.

Sous Chef Scott Klukas threw together a marinade of bay leaves, whole garlic cloves, mint, celery leaves, thyme, olive oil, and whole dried arbol chiles, then wrestled the frozen cephalopod on a sheet pan to massage the ingredients into its eight arms. If you've ever heard the expression about putting an octopus to bed, you can imagine what Scott encountered yesterday afternoon. 

The octopus was then "placed" (as if it were so easy!) in a 22 quart container surrounded with the marinade, covered, and left for 24 hours to really absorb the flavors of the herbs and vegetables. 

This morning, Scott unearthed the chilled Giant Octopus and added a lovely topping of extra fresh mint to the batch. A giant pot was heated to a degree Scott likes to describe as "screaming hot", olive oil was added until it was nearly smoking, and onion was chopped and prepared to add to the searing hot pot. 

"The pot has to be hot enough to not cool down even when the onion is added," Scott advised as he dropped in the onion. The onions got a brief amount of time, just enough to blister and lightly caramelize, before the 22 quart container filled to the brim with octopus was carefully emptied into the pan. 

Though it seems counterintuitive to add so many dry ingredients to the searing hot pot, Scott urges us not to give into the temptation to add more liquid: "the octopus will release salty water on its own, and if you allow it to cook in its own juices, you will get a much more flavorful product." 

The octopus is kept at full heat until liquid is released and it all comes to a boil, then the heat is reduced and kept at a simmer. Check the octopus after one hour, flip it around to keep it cooking evenly, and check every half hour afterwards to see if the octopus feels tender. 

Once the octopus begins releasing its juices in the searing hot pot, it turns a lovely rosy shade -- something that Scott finds satisfaction in. "Nothing else turns this color in nature," he says proudly. Even the juices around it are a frothy pink. 

Once tender, the octopus comes off the heat and into a hotel pan where it is covered in its own braising liquid. It will be portioned off tomorrow by Nathan for service. 

The last week's harvest represents the strongest aromas of the season.  We would like to invite you to share in a special tasting menu highlighting the Matsutake in every course.  We are offering the following menu in place of our usual Tasting Menu this evening, and it will continue next week depending on matsutake availability.

MATSUTAKE TASTING MENU 

(Menu subject to change)

STUZZICHINO

GRILLED OCTOPUS

Shaved Matsutake, Fennel, Chili, Mint

CRISPY VEAL SWEETBREADS

Sea Urchin Cream, Shaved Matsutake, Fall Truffle

GNOCCHI

Pine Roasted Matsutakes, Mushroom Cream, Lovage

MATSUTAKE RAVIOLI

Celery Brodo, Maine Lobster, Chive

MADRONA SMOKED VENISON

Matsutake Potato Puree

PUMPKIN CROSTATA

Chef Nathan Lockwood arranged the truffles for a tantalizing photoshoot this week, and pictured above you will see both the Alba white truffles and the Burgundy Fall truffles, which are imported from Northern Italy and are also quite remarkable on several cold season dishes.  Though truffles complement a number of foods ranging from scrambled eggs to steak, Nathan's favorite presentation is the Alba white truffles shaved over finely-cut tagliatelle pasta with butter and sage. Below, Nathan prepares the gorgeous, long sheets of pasta which will become the delicate strands in the truffle dish. 

Though shaping filled pasta may seem daunting at first, many became quite skilled at it, and a bounty of freshly-made pasta began accumulating. This, of course, was also a good time to open up some wine. 

With freshly-made pasta neatly lined up, guests returned to their places at the counter while Nathan and crew took over to work their magic. The pasta was cooked up and coated in ragus, butter, truffles -- all sorts of early Fall goodies -- and the fixings of dinner began appearing at the counter while guests drank wine and got to know each other. 

 Amaro Dell'Erborista is made unique by the focus placed on the honey (sourced from the Sibillini Mountains nearby the distillery) used to sweeten and the gentian root used to imbitter it. It is very bitter. It is also unfined an unfiltered, with a cloudy amber color. The flavor is elegantly composed, delicate notes of orange peel and honey are neatly framed by its bitter texture.