In Session: Scuola 312

By Carrie Becker in Food on Feb 10, 2010 5:00PM

Chef Luca tests the dough (a simple recipe of flour, eggs and salt) to make sure it is pliable but still dense.

Sorry kids, you definitely need a pasta maker to get a smooth and thin ribbon of pasta. Fortunately, you can get manual ones fairly inexpensive. Chef Luca has one at home from TJ Maxx.

The pasta is almost at the perfect thickness.

Chef Luca rolls the long, thin slab of dough as a short cut for cutting ribbons of pasta.

The pasta gets a light toss with some flour before hitting the boiling water.

Chef Luca begins plating and arranging the pasta in a neat, nest-like presentation.

Mangia! Our lunch of Ricotta Gnocchi with a Pomodoro sauce and Tagliatelle with Bolognese is served.

Do you find yourself peeking into the kitchen at your favorite restaurant? Do you have an unhealthy obsession with Food TV? Well, Padova, Italy-born Chef Luca Corazzina of 312 Chicago will not only let you in his kitchen, he'll let you sip a glass of vino as you fire off culinary questions about the authentic Italian dishes he cooks up.

Recognizing Chef Corazzina's charismatic personality and interest in performing for a group (he tells us he wants his own cooking show one day), 312 Chicago has pulled together a series of kitchen-theater classes called "Scuola 312," ranging from pasta-making to butchering. Classes cap at 10 people to allow for comfortable seating along an open-air kitchen space. We were invited to Scuola 312 to observe as Chef Luca demonstrated how to make a proper pasta and sauce to match. He offered up some great tips (see below for a stolen tip) and the group kept the conversation going with some excellent questions. Plus, the pasta was fresh, served al dente and the bolognese had the perfect robust and meaty flavors that it should.

Scuola 312 is not the hands-on, cooking class you may expect for a cooking "scuola" but that's okay sometimes we just want to sit back and submit to being food voyeurs.

Recommended: Yes, check this out for a fun way to enjoy a weekend lunch and learn something along the way.

Stolen Chef Tip: To make true, authentic and tasty sauce, stick to San Marzano canned tomatoes. In Chef Corazzina's pomodoro and bolognese sauces, he uses whole canned San Marzanos (peeled Italian plum tomatoes) then crushes with his hands before stirring into the sauce. You can find San Marzano canned tomatoes at local Italian groceries including Caputo's in the suburbs and in some Whole Foods.

Class Format: Interactive, Kitchen-theater (not hands on)
Cost: $45 per person (includes lunch and wine)
Location: 312 Chicago, 136 North LaSalle Street
Upcoming Classes: February 27 - Italian fish, March 20 - Mastering meat (Call to reserve a seat (312)696-2420)