OCCI Student Blogs

Last Monday Chef Alex came to OCCI and taught a Community Education class on Italian food.  Chef Alex is the former owner of a wonderful little Italian restaurant in town called "Porta".  Now days, Chef Alex is working with people in Eugene on opening a different restaurant.  The people of the area and the students at OCCI were thrilled to have Chef Alex come and share some recipes that he used at "Porta" because the food that he served is loved by everyone in the community.  Here are some of Chef Alex's recipes for a Butter Lettuce Salad, Asparagus Ravioli in White Wine Sauce and Huckleberry Gelato.  

Butter Lettuce Salad:

• 1 head bibb/butter lettuce, washed, drained and torn
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 t dijon mustard
• 1 grapefruit, segmented
• salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together shallot, oil, vinegar and mustard.  Toss the torn lettuce with the dressing, season with salt and pepper and garnish with grapefruit segments. 

Pasta Dough:

• 4 eggs
• 3 scant cups of flour

Blend eggs and 2.5 cups of flour in food processor.  Slowly add the rest of the flour.  Turn dough out on a sheet of plastic wrap, fold and roll with rolling pin,  let dough rest for 30 minutes before use.

Ravioli Filling:

• 1 # asparagus, woody stems removed and large asparagus peeled
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/3 cup parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste 

Cut asparagus into 1" sections.  Over medium heat, saute asparagus and shallot in the butter.  Cook until the asparagus are bright green.  Put mixture into food processor and puree.  Add parmesan to mixture and season with salt a pepper. 

Ravioli Assembly:

Roll out 2 sheets of the pasta dough.  Put ravioli filling in a piping bag and pipe small amounts a few inches apart on dough.  Egg wash around the filling and place 2nd sheet of pasta on top of first sheet.  Glue sheets together around fillings by pressing with fingers.  Using a cutter, cut out ravioli.  Dust in semolina flour to prevent sticking.  Cook in salted simmering water, for 2-3 minutes.  

White Wine Sauce:

• 1/3 cup white wine 
• 2 T butter
• 3 sliced morel mushrooms per serving
• 1 t minced shallot 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Saute mushrooms and shallots in 1 T butter.  Add white wine and reduce.  Finish with 2nd tablespoon of butter, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on top of asparagus ravioli.

Huckleberry Gelato:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 1 cup huckleberries

In saucepan, slowly bring milk, cream and sugar to a boil.  Turn off heat just as mixture comes to a bubble.  Slowly ladle 1/2 cup of hot mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper.  Pour tempered yolks back into remaining hot milk mixture, cook on low heat, mixing constantly until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon and holds its shape when you run your fingure across.  Pour mixture into a heat safe bowl and refrigerate until chilled.  Pour chilled mixture into an ice cream machine and start the freezing process.  Add huckleberries just before the gelato is ready to come out of the machine.