Pasta Making With Chef Justin Plank
Disney Springs is full of restaurants to please every palate, every picky eater, and satisfy every craving. With so many places to choose from, it’s hard to decide where to spend your time and money. One restaurant I have not yet had an opportunity to experience is called Terralina Crafted Italian, which opened over the summer. The space is the old Portobello Restaurant across from what is now the steamboat Paddlefish. Terralina’s menu was designed by celebrity Chef Tony Mantuano and is overseen daily by the uber-talented Chef Justin Plank. Chef Justin has been through the transition from Portobello to Terralina, and he recently hosted a pasta making demonstration luncheon, which I had the pleasure of attending.
About 30 people bought tickets to the event, which included wine and a three-course meal. As the wine flowed freely, we noshed on a baby greens salad with fennel, carrots, and celery tossed in a red wine vinaigrette.
Chef Justin began his demonstration of making homemade fresh pasta using double OO flour – a high-gluten milled wheat flour that is popular in Italian pasta and pizza dough dishes. After adding in egg yolks, whole eggs, and a dash of olive oil, he talked us through the “resting” of dough (you do not want to upset the gluten) and feeding the dough through a pasta roller. Next the dough is cut into strips of varying width depending on the type of pasta being made.
We were then presented with huge plates of Spaghetti Pomodoro, of which Chef Justin had prepared himself for this class. The food was served table style, typical of a true Italian family dinner, and the servings were plentiful, allowing for seconds and even thirds.
If you have never experienced a fresh pasta meal you need to stop what you are doing and cross this off your bucket list. The taste is an enormous upgrade from dried pasta. And Chef Justin made it look so simple, I look forward to trying this in my own kitchen.
