Developing and Refining One's Sense of Taste - week 15

The energy in the classroom was almost as frenetic as it was on pork night. The class was excited -a request for a gnocchi demonstration was made and Chef agreed to make it for the class.  In addition, Chef lectured and demonstrated how to prepare linguini with clams, lemon pasta, squid ink pasta, ravioli, lasagna. The class was asked to make basic pasta dough and lasagna in the kitchen.

This week's focus is sheeting dough versus stretching dough.



What I learned

• This week's focus is 
• 00 flour makes pasta that is thin and delicate
• Pasta is generally flavored by the sauce added to it
• Pasta is hydroscopic - it can dehydrate the air and your skin
• It's easier to make a dry dough wetter than to make  a wet dough drier
• Squeeze the dough - it should release from your hand without any dough remaining on your hand. If not, add a little more flour
• Squid ink is perishable and needs to kept in the freezer
• Don't rinse pasta, you wash away the residual starch
• The "gnocchi" is though to be a derived from the Italian word "nocca" which means "knuckle" - gnocchi cutters often shape the pillow of dough into a shape reminiscent of knuckles.

Observations

• Chef recommended the Kitchen Aid past attachment or Imperia's past machine to make past at home
• Squid ink does stain and should be washed from hands or clothing as quickly as possible.
• I have a great deal of respect for the volunteer Assistant that support the class - Mary Joyce, Sue, and Michael. They show up before the class and get the classroom set up. They put together the ingredients for the class to cook as well as the ingredients for chef. They serve the dishes Chef prepares in class to the students/ They remain after the class leaves to clean up the classroom kitchen. That's a long evening. Sometimes there's no food for them to eat.
•  A classmate asked about gnudi - a close cousin to gnocchi. I learned about gnudi a few weeks earlier via Chef Erin Clarke at Casa Luc she prepared stinging nettle gnudi for a dinner. 
• A classmate asked if I was aware that there'a picture of me in the L'Academie de Cuisine recreational course catalog. I became aware of the picture a year ago. I was a student in a class and one of the chefs was taking photos.  In that class we made tricolor pasta that evening.

gnudi prepared by Chef Erin Clarke

Self-reflection

• I discovered gnocchi years ago via a former co-worker who was dating a restaurant owner. After several foiled attempts to take the gnocchi home with me ( the restaurant owner would see me "saving" my gnocchi and ask my co-worker  to tell me that the gnocchi would not survive my airplane ride home and that I should I consume all of my dish).  I later asked  for the gnocchi recipe. He readily shared the recipe with me. I soon discovered that the recipe was  in metric measure and fed about 60 people. 
• Marl offered to let borrow his Kitchen pasta attachment. I politely declined. I just don't know if I will have  sufficient time to make the pasta before class concludes. 
• It turns out Marl has several Kitchen Aid attachments. I'm impressed, very impressed. Santa, if you're reading my blog - please send me an attachment or two for Christmas or my birthday. 
• I didn't cook any dishes in the classroom kitchen. I was exhausted. Rather than subject myself or my classmates to an potential accident because of my sleep deprivation I went home and got a good night's rest. 
• I made gnocchi with bolognese sauce over the weekend. The sauce was delicious. I followed a gnocchi recipe I found on the internet. I had noted what I will adjust moving forward. I'll share the recipe.
• I suppose I'm sensitive to the plight of the Assistants because I'm a volunteer Assistant in recreational classes. As much as I enjoy volunteering, it can be physically taxing.  

Tonight: shellfish

Be well,

Technicolor girl

Casa Luca - casual, relaxed dining

After dining at Fiola on Christmas Eve I was curious to see what the other Fabio Trabucchi family of restaurants were like. I was attending an evening lecture at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and decided to try Casa Luca for dinner after the event.

Casa Luca is housed in the former Againn space. When Againn was open I liked the space, but the staff was less than friendly. I visited once with a pal for Happy Hour and didn't return. I secretly hoped that the frosty behavior had not passed on to the Casa Luca staff.

The moment I walked in the door I was greeted by a young woman who asked me where I would like to sit - bar or at a table. It was a biting cold winter night and I asked to sit in a warm cozy spot. She  said she had a place and mind and asked me to follow her. She took my coat and hung it up for me  on a standing coat rack near the entrance to the restaurant.

I tried the caprese salad, gnocchi with duck ragu (half portion), and ciambellone di Nonna Palmina for dessert. The carpese salad was colorful (sundried tomato, pesto, buratta and lettuce leaves). The salad was paired with a lovely white wine recommended by the wine manager.

The half portion of flavorful gnocchi was just the right size for me. It featured sizable pieces of tender duck and mushrooms.The gnocchi was paired with a  lovely Sangiovese.

gnocchi with duck ragu

The ciambelone was a lovely way to end the meal - the warm, hazelnut coffee cake, caramel gelato, and the vin cotto pairing were a great combination.

ciambellone di Nonna Palmina 

The staff is friendly, attentive and helpful. The bathroom was bright, and clean. The vibe at Casa Luca is more casual and not as intense as sister restaurant Fiola. While the price point of dishes is lower at Casa Luca, both restaurants serve flavor-rich dishes.

Casa Luca is definitely family friendly.

The closest metro stop is Metro Center. Valet parking is available. Metered on street parking is available. Reservations can be made through OpenTable.

Now that the weather is warming I would like to see if Casa Luca offers sidewalk dining.

Be well,
Technicolor girl