David Kamp writes a piece in the New York Times this week about the rise, but mostly the lack of what we all wanted 22 years ago, a Charlie Trotter Restaurant Empire! It is a good read especially for those of us who can wax poetic about the one chef, for a time and especially to us was the only Chef we were interested in.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
It sure ain't the 90's anymore.
When I dedicated myself to the culinary arts as a profession there was a lot of buzz about cooking, chefs, restaurants, and nutrition that gave birth to the celebrity chef. You had to seek out a cooking show on television back then. Liquid Nitrogen and agar-agar where things I saw more of in chemistry labs than kitchens. The last decade of the past millennium completely turned professional cooking upside down. The champion of the guys I started cooking with was Charlie Trotter. We shared his cookbooks, watched him on PBS, and shared little bits of news about him and this Chef’s Garden place. I still look through a few Trotter books I have. While they do seem a bit dated to me since I’ve looked through them 100 times over the past 12 years, there is always a source of inspiration to be found.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
56 West last night
Went to 56 West last night. It is a smallish restaurant in the heart of Lakewood, Oh. I’ve been looking for a reason to go there for a long time now, and last night we decided to roll the dice.
It was very pleasant. The kitchen is in full view as you walk in the door, but most of the seating is in a long rectangular room next to the kitchen. The table and décor is sparse, which I kind of enjoy most times. We were approached as soon as we walked in and seated in a half full dining room….on a Monday night after 7…not bad!
The menu is arranged very nice. There are no set entrees. Rather you have the choice of a few proteins, some salads, and an even mixture of sides. It is an interesting idea that I can appreciate. We shared the Thai Mussels which I truly enjoyed. It had an upfront spice that I really appreciate. It pops on your tongue, but five minutes later your taste buds are back to normal. We both ordered a beer off the small yet well stocked drink menu, and those drinks arrived exceptionally cold and tasty. We decided to share a little bit of each other’s entrees so we went with the vegan sandwich and Dr. Pepper braised pork sandwich on a pretzel bun. One came with sweet potato fries topped with a house blended spice mix that made them very unique. For the other we ordered a three cheese gratin (it had a cool hipster name I don’t remember.) Both sides were great. The pork sandwich was pleasantly sweet and the pretzel bun was nice and soft. If you know me I might owe you a new keyboard because you just spit your coffee up after hearing me admit I actually order something vegan. It was really good. It would have been great with a few slices of pastrami on top, like most vegan things I enjoy.
Our server was exceptional. He was on top of things and very pleasant to exchange conversation with. Everything came up promptly, hot, and exactly as ordered. The only downside I can possibly see is that it would only take 25 or so people to fill up the space. Good for them though!!! Check out 56 West ASAP I waited way too long. I’m sure I’ll be back again
Monday, March 28, 2011
Current Links of Interest
Every couple of months I stumple upon a few interesting links, but it seems silly to post about just one. Even if it is a really good one. I've accumulated a small batch that might be of interest. Ismail the Chef is a nice site with a chef's blog with a local connection. C2 Catering Concepts presents some interesting menu ideas and nice photos. Nutrition53 is the home to a line of performance enhancing products that have the support of both Bill Romanowski and Jim Rome. I haven't ordered anything yet, but I really want to try the Lean1. Tricks of the body puts forth some interesting remedies to common problems concering bodily functions. A fun read for sure. Best of French Food website is a very pleasantly put together area full of chef bios, recipies, and tricks to make all that fancy French stuff more approachable. FoodPairings provides two very worth while applications. First you have access to how you can replace one food with another. Second, as the name implies there are very intersting visual maps of which foods combine well together. GeneralLoko, or chef Eddie Huang out of NYC has a great blog that centers around food, but also provides ample access to the chef's opionions and musical interests. Ever wonder if the U.S. government poisoned alcohol during Prohibition? Well if you did go here for a thorough investigation. Interested in some new music for you Ipod? I'm liking The Flies right now. Streaming music can be heard here.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Re-visiting Winters Pleasure
The current winter blast has blown off the zombie like hand reaching out of the frozen tundra reaching for those ramps, fiddleheads, and morels. So be it lets warm up next to the fire for what be the last time of the season with a nice warm artichoke dip.
I live to lightly fry pita bread as a side, but it’s defiantly a more healthy option to reach for some crackers or pretzel chips.
Artichoke Bake
one eight ounce can of artichoke hearts
one ounce of parmesan cheese
one heaping tablespoon each mayo, ricotta and sour cream
a bit of thyme chopped up
one leek diced and sautéed with.....one half of a red bell pepper
Sautee the leek and pepper in butter adding the thyme at the very end. Chill this mixture before combining everything. Top with some more parmesan in a baking dish and cook until warm and golden on top, most likely about 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees.
I live to lightly fry pita bread as a side, but it’s defiantly a more healthy option to reach for some crackers or pretzel chips.
Artichoke Bake
one eight ounce can of artichoke hearts
one ounce of parmesan cheese
one heaping tablespoon each mayo, ricotta and sour cream
a bit of thyme chopped up
one leek diced and sautéed with.....one half of a red bell pepper
Sautee the leek and pepper in butter adding the thyme at the very end. Chill this mixture before combining everything. Top with some more parmesan in a baking dish and cook until warm and golden on top, most likely about 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Top Chef All-Star Finale
Top Chef All Stars Finale
You know I disliked the All-Star Top Chef season as a retread of ‘losers’. For the most part I went out of my way to NOT watch the first few episodes, and I feel I was wise not to. There were chefs, especially those hungry to be on TV that felt a need to venture outside their proven knowledge and experiences. It is most likely and now proven that this will lead you nowhere other than packing your knives.
It has been my guilty pleasure of watching the past 3 weeks of Top Chef. I have been surprisingly pleased with how things have progressed. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t see a bit of content about the previous episodes, but for the most part I didn’t care about that rubbish.
The past few episodes have given us exactly what I like to see from top chefs; the ability to use their skills in professional kitchens with time being the most looming obstacle. These situations have proven to me that marking this season a “retread of losers” was quite a bit out of line. The judges table has been a tough place to play recently. No one has made any glaring mistakes or failed completely like how we’ve seen a few participants go down in the past even so late in the game. When that panel of super critics can’t decide who to send packing, well that is good TV in my opinion.
The finale is just around the corner pitting Richard Blais against Mike Isabella. Mike has been on a roll and his ego has grown by leaps and bounds at this point. He has worked his way into the chef we love to hate even if he does do a hell of a job. I have always liked Richard’s food and his demeanor especially interacting with Mike with a “just look at the score board” attitude. I don’t see either of them making any mistakes next week in another gut wrenching judges table. I’ll have my popcorn ready and be pulling for Richard.
You know I disliked the All-Star Top Chef season as a retread of ‘losers’. For the most part I went out of my way to NOT watch the first few episodes, and I feel I was wise not to. There were chefs, especially those hungry to be on TV that felt a need to venture outside their proven knowledge and experiences. It is most likely and now proven that this will lead you nowhere other than packing your knives.
It has been my guilty pleasure of watching the past 3 weeks of Top Chef. I have been surprisingly pleased with how things have progressed. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t see a bit of content about the previous episodes, but for the most part I didn’t care about that rubbish.
The past few episodes have given us exactly what I like to see from top chefs; the ability to use their skills in professional kitchens with time being the most looming obstacle. These situations have proven to me that marking this season a “retread of losers” was quite a bit out of line. The judges table has been a tough place to play recently. No one has made any glaring mistakes or failed completely like how we’ve seen a few participants go down in the past even so late in the game. When that panel of super critics can’t decide who to send packing, well that is good TV in my opinion.
The finale is just around the corner pitting Richard Blais against Mike Isabella. Mike has been on a roll and his ego has grown by leaps and bounds at this point. He has worked his way into the chef we love to hate even if he does do a hell of a job. I have always liked Richard’s food and his demeanor especially interacting with Mike with a “just look at the score board” attitude. I don’t see either of them making any mistakes next week in another gut wrenching judges table. I’ll have my popcorn ready and be pulling for Richard.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Guinness Mac & Cheese
With the upcoming celebration of a mass snake killing I’m putting forth my most thought out ‘Irish’ themed items. Let’s go with the supper hipster Mac & cheese. M&C is the culinary equivalent of tight jean'd black skateboarders in neon Nike’s speaking lyrics about tough times in the suburbs. Completely under the radar, but somehow it’s cool.
Guinness…I’m so hipster I’m not even going to lower myself to investigating it…you know what a search engine is so bing it out damn hipsters. Hopefully you won’t spill your $8 mucho grandee café’ NOT.
Guinness Mac and Cheese
Three pints of Guinness beer
One large teaspoon cornstarch
One quart heavy cream
One large onion diced
One pound thick sliced bacon
One cup of cheddar and whatever other cheeses you enjoy
One cup bread crumbs
A bit of herbs like thyme, parsley, basil, ect.
One pound cooked pasta
I totally wrote the recipe in a mixed up order because that is So Fucking Hipster! Wait a second while I reposition my bow tie over my flannel shirt and slick back my dome after laughing so hard at my statements. You guys owe me a new keyboard and grandee gaucho café because I’m so hip I spit my coffee all over my lap top…ok, ok, ok, enough is enough.
Cook the bacon till almost crispy, then caramelize the onion in this bacon/fat mixture. This is a great effect that allows the bacon to caramelize yet keep a chew factor instead of turning into ‘bits’ Add the beer and cornstarch. Reduce this mixture to about one cup, add the HC and bring to a boil reduce the heat and add the cheese. Toss with pasta and bake with breadcrumb/herb mixture on top.
I suggest having light American lager with this dish, maybe a Bud Light or a Miller High Life…NOT.
Guinness…I’m so hipster I’m not even going to lower myself to investigating it…you know what a search engine is so bing it out damn hipsters. Hopefully you won’t spill your $8 mucho grandee café’ NOT.
Guinness Mac and Cheese
Three pints of Guinness beer
One large teaspoon cornstarch
One quart heavy cream
One large onion diced
One pound thick sliced bacon
One cup of cheddar and whatever other cheeses you enjoy
One cup bread crumbs
A bit of herbs like thyme, parsley, basil, ect.
One pound cooked pasta
I totally wrote the recipe in a mixed up order because that is So Fucking Hipster! Wait a second while I reposition my bow tie over my flannel shirt and slick back my dome after laughing so hard at my statements. You guys owe me a new keyboard and grandee gaucho café because I’m so hip I spit my coffee all over my lap top…ok, ok, ok, enough is enough.
Cook the bacon till almost crispy, then caramelize the onion in this bacon/fat mixture. This is a great effect that allows the bacon to caramelize yet keep a chew factor instead of turning into ‘bits’ Add the beer and cornstarch. Reduce this mixture to about one cup, add the HC and bring to a boil reduce the heat and add the cheese. Toss with pasta and bake with breadcrumb/herb mixture on top.
I suggest having light American lager with this dish, maybe a Bud Light or a Miller High Life…NOT.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Bubbles and Squeak
Due to the upcoming event this Thursday to celebrate the banishment of snakes from a small island in western Europe we here in Cleveland take to the streets spending large sums of money on anything green and coming to a point of alcohol intoxication that matches none other except when our beloved Browns take on the unanimously hated Steelers. Young women will swing around old white haired men who want little more than to finish their pints and move on like most other nights. Young men will look to fight the same mild mannered white haired older men for ‘hitting’ on their ladies….all the while drinking copious amounts of shit American beer and shots of Bushmills or Jameson, and that is decided on who put the biggest advertisement in the front window. If you are going to put in a proper session at a pub for bloody sake don’t attempt it this Thursday.
That being said come Friday and assuming you had the sane mind to save some of that rubbish corned beef and cabbage dinner that you ordered at 5pm just before passing out, Friday gives you a chance at redeeming yourself and preparing an ethnic gem. For those with a true hang over opt for the authentic Irish colcannon which is traditionally just mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale. For those looking for a challenge give the ‘overachieving’ British version a try. Without much of an effort, less passing out again you can put together a good batch of Bubble and Squeak in no time. The difference in the two is that the BS is composed of whatever is left over after a good beef, cabbage, potato and vegetable boil, while the Irish go out of their way to create a dish of cabbage and potatoes. That is not all. The Irish version is just a good mixing of two ingredients where the BS is more of a cooking method in which the mixture is browned in the pan adding a depth of flavor unique to the BS. I’ll give you my best recipe.
Bubble and Squeak
Everything left over from the past nights roast
Butter
Pickles
In a mixing bowl mash up all the bits from the left over roast meat dinner while in a pan heat the butter to med-high and add the mashed up bits. When the bottom starts to caramelize flip it over, and once the bottom starts to caramelize again mix the whole thing up and repeat 3-4 more times. Grab a fresh pint, a few pickles and have at it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeCUlSPLYEM
That being said come Friday and assuming you had the sane mind to save some of that rubbish corned beef and cabbage dinner that you ordered at 5pm just before passing out, Friday gives you a chance at redeeming yourself and preparing an ethnic gem. For those with a true hang over opt for the authentic Irish colcannon which is traditionally just mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale. For those looking for a challenge give the ‘overachieving’ British version a try. Without much of an effort, less passing out again you can put together a good batch of Bubble and Squeak in no time. The difference in the two is that the BS is composed of whatever is left over after a good beef, cabbage, potato and vegetable boil, while the Irish go out of their way to create a dish of cabbage and potatoes. That is not all. The Irish version is just a good mixing of two ingredients where the BS is more of a cooking method in which the mixture is browned in the pan adding a depth of flavor unique to the BS. I’ll give you my best recipe.
Bubble and Squeak
Everything left over from the past nights roast
Butter
Pickles
In a mixing bowl mash up all the bits from the left over roast meat dinner while in a pan heat the butter to med-high and add the mashed up bits. When the bottom starts to caramelize flip it over, and once the bottom starts to caramelize again mix the whole thing up and repeat 3-4 more times. Grab a fresh pint, a few pickles and have at it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeCUlSPLYEM
Sunday, February 27, 2011
A Foodie Day With My Lill' Sister
With a few personal days in between jobs this week-end it seems to only make sense that at least one of these days would center around food. I picked Michelle up somewhere around noon, time was not an issue. We spoke about going to one of the Asian markets in Chinatown in the neighborhood around East 30th and Payne. It also seemed like a no brainer to stop off at the West Side Market. I have not been there in quite some time and I now regret such a long sabbatical. While I’m a professional chef Michelle is a true foodie and it’s great to have that bridge, that common communication to relay on.
The Hong Kong Market is the most hard core of all the Asian markets in town. You are very lucky if anyone approaches you, and count it a true blessing if someone speaks English to you. I consider this part of the intrigue. They have great fresh produce, golden chives, boc choy of every variety, durian, pears, citrus, eggs…a lot of very interesting stuff. The seafood area was a real eye opener too. Live lobster, crabs, clams, really nice looking razor clams, tilapia and the always heart wrenching frogs are available for purchase at very reasonable prices. We bought some sandalwood soap, wonton soup base, Thai logan fruit, a dragon fruit, pickled Thai gooseberries, and a dolphin snow globe thingy for Kari! We figured a lot of things out on our own on this trip, but we are still not sure what a code “5199” is? I’m guessing it’s “we need help at the registers,” or “there are silly white people here.” Being able to laugh at yourself is true humility.
And, on to the next one. The West Side Market looked crazy, and I even questioned myself, “Why bother on a Saturday?” In retrospect why the hell did I even question myself? I’ve visited the WSM an uncountable number of times. When I was child we did a considerable amount of shopping for the family there. When I worked east of the WSM I went there often in search of inspiration and/or something specific. While working on East 4th we went to the market every Wednesday for 8 months. Why did I take something so great for granted? It’s been about a year since I went to the WSM, and I’m so happy we went yesterday. Almost every stall was full, open and well stocked. There were a lot of people there. Not an insanely mass you ask yourself, “How many kids am I going to knock down to get out of here?” It was very encouraging to see so many younger people shopping there. Surely you can imagine grandma with here push cart shopping at the same meat stand for the past 30 years. Hopefully the young people there yesterday are forging the same type of relationships.
I love the apple wood smoked stand, and bought some wicked awesome pastrami, smoked sauerkraut, and pork chops there. I also grabbed huge loaf of asiago bread from a stand just down the way. Lil’ sis got some dill pickle popcorn, interesting! Sabastian Meats is one of my all time favorite stands and we got some brisket, ground beef and a veal tongue. Kate’s Fish looked well stocked. The Ohio City Pasta and herbs at Chef Cubed looked ready to rock. Our final buy was a small slab of double smoked paprika rubbed bacon from the Hungarian stand. A nod to our great grandmother.
While gazing at the variety of cuts at the Sebastian stand I was asked a perfectly honest question, “Have you ever eaten tongue? What is it like?” Well that was an idea to run with. And sure enough 4 hours later we munched on braised veal tongue. Michelle was the brave one to peel it. That makes my stomach turn and I’ve done it a few times. To my great surprise everyone found it as pleasant as possible. The undertone of the situation was, “If I didn’t know what it was I’d eat more, but…..tongue is kinda gross,” and I don’t deny that sentiment.
Veal Tongue
One small veal tongue about one pound
Five whole cloves
Two bay leaf
One tablespoon whole black peppercorns
One tablespoon coriander
One small onion chopped in half
Water to cover
I rinsed the tongue under cold water for a few minutes cause there seemed to be some blood and guts that come with it at no extra charge. Put everything in a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer on low for an hour. Now the gross out part is peeling the skin off the meat. After that eat it with some mustard, pickles and bread.
The Hong Kong Market is the most hard core of all the Asian markets in town. You are very lucky if anyone approaches you, and count it a true blessing if someone speaks English to you. I consider this part of the intrigue. They have great fresh produce, golden chives, boc choy of every variety, durian, pears, citrus, eggs…a lot of very interesting stuff. The seafood area was a real eye opener too. Live lobster, crabs, clams, really nice looking razor clams, tilapia and the always heart wrenching frogs are available for purchase at very reasonable prices. We bought some sandalwood soap, wonton soup base, Thai logan fruit, a dragon fruit, pickled Thai gooseberries, and a dolphin snow globe thingy for Kari! We figured a lot of things out on our own on this trip, but we are still not sure what a code “5199” is? I’m guessing it’s “we need help at the registers,” or “there are silly white people here.” Being able to laugh at yourself is true humility.
And, on to the next one. The West Side Market looked crazy, and I even questioned myself, “Why bother on a Saturday?” In retrospect why the hell did I even question myself? I’ve visited the WSM an uncountable number of times. When I was child we did a considerable amount of shopping for the family there. When I worked east of the WSM I went there often in search of inspiration and/or something specific. While working on East 4th we went to the market every Wednesday for 8 months. Why did I take something so great for granted? It’s been about a year since I went to the WSM, and I’m so happy we went yesterday. Almost every stall was full, open and well stocked. There were a lot of people there. Not an insanely mass you ask yourself, “How many kids am I going to knock down to get out of here?” It was very encouraging to see so many younger people shopping there. Surely you can imagine grandma with here push cart shopping at the same meat stand for the past 30 years. Hopefully the young people there yesterday are forging the same type of relationships.
I love the apple wood smoked stand, and bought some wicked awesome pastrami, smoked sauerkraut, and pork chops there. I also grabbed huge loaf of asiago bread from a stand just down the way. Lil’ sis got some dill pickle popcorn, interesting! Sabastian Meats is one of my all time favorite stands and we got some brisket, ground beef and a veal tongue. Kate’s Fish looked well stocked. The Ohio City Pasta and herbs at Chef Cubed looked ready to rock. Our final buy was a small slab of double smoked paprika rubbed bacon from the Hungarian stand. A nod to our great grandmother.
While gazing at the variety of cuts at the Sebastian stand I was asked a perfectly honest question, “Have you ever eaten tongue? What is it like?” Well that was an idea to run with. And sure enough 4 hours later we munched on braised veal tongue. Michelle was the brave one to peel it. That makes my stomach turn and I’ve done it a few times. To my great surprise everyone found it as pleasant as possible. The undertone of the situation was, “If I didn’t know what it was I’d eat more, but…..tongue is kinda gross,” and I don’t deny that sentiment.
Veal Tongue
One small veal tongue about one pound
Five whole cloves
Two bay leaf
One tablespoon whole black peppercorns
One tablespoon coriander
One small onion chopped in half
Water to cover
I rinsed the tongue under cold water for a few minutes cause there seemed to be some blood and guts that come with it at no extra charge. Put everything in a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer on low for an hour. Now the gross out part is peeling the skin off the meat. After that eat it with some mustard, pickles and bread.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Kitchen Talk...take one.
I took my gift card to books-a-million and bought two books. 1001 Smartest Things Ever Said, and I doubt most of them were ever uttered, rather written, but that is pins and needles. The other book was Anthony Bourdains newest semi-non-fiction concoction and it's so intense I can't put it down, but I picked this gem out, and those of you who know me will get the humor "Dean" I'm not sure which book the quote should be in but let's go.....
"And they don't even ask for a reach around.
It kind of begs to question: why?'
"And they don't even ask for a reach around.
It kind of begs to question: why?'
The most simple easy soup ever.
There will come a time, and you are never sure when it will creep up, but it will and you have to throw something together that Works. Yes, capital W...it just needs to work! Because when there are 20 something other equally important things to prep some things are just going to have to Work, not shine but not suck either. This is my go to Work soup.
Roasted Red Pepper - Tomato Bisque
One onion carmalized in butter
One part can/jar roasted red pepper
Two parts whole peeled canned tomato
One big pinch black pepper
salt
Simple....sautee onion then add everything else. Bring to a boil, simmer for 2o min. Puree! Hurray! Add some basil, blue cheese and/or croutons.
Roasted Red Pepper - Tomato Bisque
One onion carmalized in butter
One part can/jar roasted red pepper
Two parts whole peeled canned tomato
One big pinch black pepper
salt
Simple....sautee onion then add everything else. Bring to a boil, simmer for 2o min. Puree! Hurray! Add some basil, blue cheese and/or croutons.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wreckfish
We brought in a wonderfull fish as a feature a few weeks back and it was amazing. I’ve seen Wreckfish on sales sheets on and off the past few years and always stayed away from it mostly and ignorantly in favor of a more universally named species. Well, when this same fish is marketed as American Sea Bass we jumped on it. We received large off white filets that were easy to bone out and produced beautiful rectangular portions. The fish cooks up very moist with a large sweet flake. It is like the best attributes of Red Grouper and Chilean Sea Bass. I looked into Wreckfish a bit so let me share what I found.
There are currently only 7 commercial vessels harvesting Wreckfish in the American fishery. All the fresh fish brought to market in the U.S. is caught domestically off the south-east coast. The fishery is completely shut down from the end of January till mid-April allowing the fish to spawn. This makes the Wreckfish fishery a sustainability success story.
Wreckfish and named as such because the often eat and spawn in and around ship wrecks and the aquaculture that surrounds such events. Fishing boats us heavy duty hydraulic reels and cables with multiple hooks usually baited with squid lowered just above the sea floor to catch Wreckfish. There is considered little bycatch among the 7 commercial vessels.
Wreakfish can be found in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans usually in water depths from 140 feet up to 3000 feet. The upper end of the size range reaches 220 pounds and 6.5 feet long. The fish do migrate but most of the domestic commercial catch comes off the South Carolina coast.
If you have the opportunity to enjoy Wreckfish I highly suggest it. You won’t be disappointed.
Friday, February 04, 2011
Soup D'jour
Thrown together
I’m not going to lie to you and make up a story of how I contemplated this recipe for years or anything of that BS. I needed chicken wings and the pack size from the purveyor was 40 pounds. That is way more than I actually needed so I had to come up with a way to use the surplus. I have seen a few recipes in the past for chicken stock that called or a considerable amount of chicken wings so I went with that idea. The reason I’m sharing this with you is that the soup turned out great, made a lot of customers happy, my boss especially, and it’s something that can translate to the home kitchen easily.
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
5# chicken wings
One large carrot
Three ribs of celery
One large onion
3 garlic cloves
Six quarts of water or enough to cover everything in the pot you use
One quart cream
One teaspoon each chopped thyme and parsley
Salt and pepper
One batch of spatzle, purchased spatzle or egg noodles
Put the chicken wings on a sheet tray and roast in a hot oven till they are browned successfully. Disguard the chicken fat or save it for something else? In a large pot combine the vegetables cut in a large dice, the browned chicken wings and water. Bring this to a boil then set on simmer for about 45 minutes. Strain off the liquid and return to the oven. Pick the wings off the bone. Be careful to remove the hard tendons at the end yet don’t worry about the skin. It is very tasty. Rough chop the meat and return to the liquid. Puree the vegetable until smooth with some of the warm liquid. Return everything to the same pot add the cream and herbs. Season with salt and black pepper. Let this mixture simmer for half an hour.
To serve brown off the spatzle. Then heat the soup over it. Garnish with some more fresh herbs, parmesan or croutons.
I’m not going to lie to you and make up a story of how I contemplated this recipe for years or anything of that BS. I needed chicken wings and the pack size from the purveyor was 40 pounds. That is way more than I actually needed so I had to come up with a way to use the surplus. I have seen a few recipes in the past for chicken stock that called or a considerable amount of chicken wings so I went with that idea. The reason I’m sharing this with you is that the soup turned out great, made a lot of customers happy, my boss especially, and it’s something that can translate to the home kitchen easily.
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
5# chicken wings
One large carrot
Three ribs of celery
One large onion
3 garlic cloves
Six quarts of water or enough to cover everything in the pot you use
One quart cream
One teaspoon each chopped thyme and parsley
Salt and pepper
One batch of spatzle, purchased spatzle or egg noodles
Put the chicken wings on a sheet tray and roast in a hot oven till they are browned successfully. Disguard the chicken fat or save it for something else? In a large pot combine the vegetables cut in a large dice, the browned chicken wings and water. Bring this to a boil then set on simmer for about 45 minutes. Strain off the liquid and return to the oven. Pick the wings off the bone. Be careful to remove the hard tendons at the end yet don’t worry about the skin. It is very tasty. Rough chop the meat and return to the liquid. Puree the vegetable until smooth with some of the warm liquid. Return everything to the same pot add the cream and herbs. Season with salt and black pepper. Let this mixture simmer for half an hour.
To serve brown off the spatzle. Then heat the soup over it. Garnish with some more fresh herbs, parmesan or croutons.
Grocery Store Nightmare
Sometimes in life you don’t really understand how good you have it. I experienced this earlier in the evening when Kari and I decided to make our monthly trip to the grocery store. We went to the Giant Eagle in Lakewood, Ohio. I was absolutely disgusted by what I saw. I feel so bad for the people who go there and think they are getting something of quality. And it isn’t cheap by any means.
The Super Bowl set up was in full swing. About 100# of ‘hard as a rock avocados’ sat next to dried guacamole mix in pouch. Really? There was a fair selection of mushrooms….. if you wanted ‘dried out been sitting on the shelf the past week’ kind of mushrooms. All the green herbs, which are ridiculously expensive, were either yellow or brown yet shelved above tubes of herb puree. The parsnips and carrots I actually touched were so flaccid I don’t believe anyone would actually buy them. They are root vegetables not marshmallows.
The seafood was even worse. The oysters where all dried out and open. If the shrimp wasn’t frozen it looked either dehydrated or slimy. Salmon was all the tail cuts, which are not prime seafood. The rest of the case was full of things in various shapes and sizes that where coated in bread crumbs. What a dishonor to seafood.
I understand that breadcrumbs are cheap, but half the stuff in the meat case consisted of a good amount of breadcrumbs as well. The meat was too red to be true. The ‘filet mignon’ they are charging twenty some dollars a pound for was cut into steaks, but completely un-trimmed of any sliverskin and cut at an angle making the steak look quite big, but not so thick. Is this what people want I have to ask myself. There were a few rib-eyes out and it looked as If someone pushed all the fat out of them and they were all loose, flabby, and full of holes. Amazingly none of the meat was covered yet it was more red than anything we ever get at the restaurant in cryo.
In the end we found one ripe avocado (nobody else in Lakewood is eating a ripe avocado cause I think I squeezed them all) some cherry tomatoes that won’t last more than 2 days, the only stiff cucumber in the place, four bananas, some cold cuts and bread. What an eye opener. It turned my stomach and it makes me more worrisome than ever that people don’t have a grasp of what quality food should be.
The Super Bowl set up was in full swing. About 100# of ‘hard as a rock avocados’ sat next to dried guacamole mix in pouch. Really? There was a fair selection of mushrooms….. if you wanted ‘dried out been sitting on the shelf the past week’ kind of mushrooms. All the green herbs, which are ridiculously expensive, were either yellow or brown yet shelved above tubes of herb puree. The parsnips and carrots I actually touched were so flaccid I don’t believe anyone would actually buy them. They are root vegetables not marshmallows.
The seafood was even worse. The oysters where all dried out and open. If the shrimp wasn’t frozen it looked either dehydrated or slimy. Salmon was all the tail cuts, which are not prime seafood. The rest of the case was full of things in various shapes and sizes that where coated in bread crumbs. What a dishonor to seafood.
I understand that breadcrumbs are cheap, but half the stuff in the meat case consisted of a good amount of breadcrumbs as well. The meat was too red to be true. The ‘filet mignon’ they are charging twenty some dollars a pound for was cut into steaks, but completely un-trimmed of any sliverskin and cut at an angle making the steak look quite big, but not so thick. Is this what people want I have to ask myself. There were a few rib-eyes out and it looked as If someone pushed all the fat out of them and they were all loose, flabby, and full of holes. Amazingly none of the meat was covered yet it was more red than anything we ever get at the restaurant in cryo.
In the end we found one ripe avocado (nobody else in Lakewood is eating a ripe avocado cause I think I squeezed them all) some cherry tomatoes that won’t last more than 2 days, the only stiff cucumber in the place, four bananas, some cold cuts and bread. What an eye opener. It turned my stomach and it makes me more worrisome than ever that people don’t have a grasp of what quality food should be.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Breakfast at Night
Cooking breakfast food for dinner just seems to make sense. Figuring that fast and furious meal while half asleep and starving is the most efficient meal of the day. Come on, we can slip In a lunch, especially if it’s not the home cooked kind, and dinner can go in a crock-pot or take a few hours of unattended cooking time. Breakfast has to take less than 10 minutes to cook, if that much time at all. So in this day and age why wouldn’t we just sync up and make the nighttime food just as efficient as the morning one.
Eggs and most likely bacon came in as the most popular breakfast item to cook for dinner with a whole %42 of votes. The very similar dish of an omelet came in second. Eggs are wonderful. It takes no longer than 3 minutes to cook a good egg, and I personally do love eggs. In the past few years I’ve come to fully enjoy a poached egg which for the remaining early years of my life I would have refused with great passion. See all it takes a some water, a nip of vinegar, and a hand that doesn’t break the yolk. Oh, and three minutes! That is it. Put a good soft succulent poached egg over toast…wow.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Winter pics
Sear Tuna over an orzo salad topped with beet-dill salad around a beat-balsamic reduction.
A fun pic of our crap. 
Pancetta...sliced and diced
Wings for a creamy chicken noodles and herb soup
Wings!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Cooking at home
Here is how I cook at home….
I recently enjoyed a very nice meal with my family. Things turned out great. I only got three pans dirty, but I was cooking for 5. I thought it would be interesting to share my recipes from that night keeping in mind that I do get paid to cook…. as my day job.
First go to Marc’s Discount Store and don’t even think of going any further. Just decide in the beginning that if it isn’t here, we aren’t going to get it on this night.
Mexican chicken stew with Avacado salsa
Three # boneless skinless chicken breast cut into large chunks
One package southwest marinade
One box “Tortilla & Black Bean Soup” calling for 8 cups of water
One can diced tomato
One avocado
Half bottle of Ortega brand green salsa
Few dashes of Sweet and Spicy Tabasco
One sleeve Chicken flavored rice calling for one and half cups water
First dice up the chicken and marinade it. There are directions on the package. Next start water boiling for the rice and soup. Their respective boxes say the both take 20 minutes, and those directions work perfect. Dice the avocado and add it to the salsa. Using a fork mash up this mixture while adding some salt and black pepper. For presentation put this in a bowl and top with a few dashes of Tabasco. Red on green is just stunning. Drain the marinade off the chicken after the proper amount of time has been reached as directed on the package of marinade. Get a very large skillet hot, or two skillets, or do in two batches but in the end just brown off the chicken and add it to the soup. The box of soup says to cook for 20 minutes but I cooked it, and in the end with the chicken in it for about 35. Fluff the rice, put two hot pads down on the table and chow down.
I recently enjoyed a very nice meal with my family. Things turned out great. I only got three pans dirty, but I was cooking for 5. I thought it would be interesting to share my recipes from that night keeping in mind that I do get paid to cook…. as my day job.
First go to Marc’s Discount Store and don’t even think of going any further. Just decide in the beginning that if it isn’t here, we aren’t going to get it on this night.
Mexican chicken stew with Avacado salsa
Three # boneless skinless chicken breast cut into large chunks
One package southwest marinade
One box “Tortilla & Black Bean Soup” calling for 8 cups of water
One can diced tomato
One avocado
Half bottle of Ortega brand green salsa
Few dashes of Sweet and Spicy Tabasco
One sleeve Chicken flavored rice calling for one and half cups water
First dice up the chicken and marinade it. There are directions on the package. Next start water boiling for the rice and soup. Their respective boxes say the both take 20 minutes, and those directions work perfect. Dice the avocado and add it to the salsa. Using a fork mash up this mixture while adding some salt and black pepper. For presentation put this in a bowl and top with a few dashes of Tabasco. Red on green is just stunning. Drain the marinade off the chicken after the proper amount of time has been reached as directed on the package of marinade. Get a very large skillet hot, or two skillets, or do in two batches but in the end just brown off the chicken and add it to the soup. The box of soup says to cook for 20 minutes but I cooked it, and in the end with the chicken in it for about 35. Fluff the rice, put two hot pads down on the table and chow down.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Foodie Subcultures
Are you into local, raw, adventurous, competitive, beer, bbq, or state fair food? Well there are some people completely occupied with these foodie subcultures and you can investigate them more here. Or pick an new obsession and stick with it. Enjoy.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Top Ten Things About '10
Top ten things about 2010
I worked all year at one place. Continuity at its best.
Me being allowed the opportunity to create weekly specials with little to no restraint.
Working with Sean from Michaels Finer Meats and Seafood.
Feeling genuinely appreciated by a few regular guests at Nemo Grille.
Taking individual pride in the ordering, organization and overall well being of a prosperous and well regarded kitchen.
Are you kidding me I have to come up with five more………….
Give my shout out to those who left, and those still around: Halla at Steve, James, Sean, Dean, Alyssa, Lucianio, Brain, Jenny Poo, Ramone and his flower shop, and everyone who got left off the list who wanted to be on it.
We started listening to the Jim Rome show at work from noon till 3. That shit is funny. We laugh out loud sometimes. It is a real stress breaker when you are busting ass on a huge prep list.
New music I found I like, or kinda like the past year: Diabolic, Kid Cudi, MGK, old school Dirtbombs, The Black Keys, DJ Foodstamp, LCD Sound System, King Britt, Mumford&Suns, The Bees, Mayer Haythorn, and seeing the one and only Pearl Jam LIVE with my lil sis.
Keeping up with this blog including chit chats with Salty, being dumped from Rhulmans blog roll, warming up to The Chef’s Widow, and taking interest in everyone included in ClevelanDelicious.
The final top ten thing about 2010 is being alive and moving on to 2011. While it might not have been a great year for many of us the new year allots us the opportunity to turn the page and take the best of ’10 and parlay it into the best we can do in ’11. There is nothing better than looking at a clean slate, wanting the best, and pushing ourselves to do better. For those of you who know me….your laughing your ass off at my optimism, but this is a turn for the better.
I worked all year at one place. Continuity at its best.
Me being allowed the opportunity to create weekly specials with little to no restraint.
Working with Sean from Michaels Finer Meats and Seafood.
Feeling genuinely appreciated by a few regular guests at Nemo Grille.
Taking individual pride in the ordering, organization and overall well being of a prosperous and well regarded kitchen.
Are you kidding me I have to come up with five more………….
Give my shout out to those who left, and those still around: Halla at Steve, James, Sean, Dean, Alyssa, Lucianio, Brain, Jenny Poo, Ramone and his flower shop, and everyone who got left off the list who wanted to be on it.
We started listening to the Jim Rome show at work from noon till 3. That shit is funny. We laugh out loud sometimes. It is a real stress breaker when you are busting ass on a huge prep list.
New music I found I like, or kinda like the past year: Diabolic, Kid Cudi, MGK, old school Dirtbombs, The Black Keys, DJ Foodstamp, LCD Sound System, King Britt, Mumford&Suns, The Bees, Mayer Haythorn, and seeing the one and only Pearl Jam LIVE with my lil sis.
Keeping up with this blog including chit chats with Salty, being dumped from Rhulmans blog roll, warming up to The Chef’s Widow, and taking interest in everyone included in ClevelanDelicious.
The final top ten thing about 2010 is being alive and moving on to 2011. While it might not have been a great year for many of us the new year allots us the opportunity to turn the page and take the best of ’10 and parlay it into the best we can do in ’11. There is nothing better than looking at a clean slate, wanting the best, and pushing ourselves to do better. For those of you who know me….your laughing your ass off at my optimism, but this is a turn for the better.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Best Thing Ever Poll
There is a show on the Cooking Channel called The Best Ever, or maybe it’s on Food Network too? The point is that a few personalities say all nice things about a restaurant, space, chef or dish. So that is where the question for this poll came from. The show doesn’t come across as very honest that is why I started the question off that way.
I’ll share with you my quick takes:
Best dish by a chef at a restaurant would be king crab legs under spicy Americana sauce at Morimoto in Philly. Ironicly Kari ordered this dish while I ate the 7 course Omikase. I’m not a fan of saffron at all, but add the right amount of spice and it worked great. By no means do I intent to discount the awesomeness of the sushi, scallop noodles, foie gras with Kobe beef or the octopus that was also part of the meal.
Best dish by a loved one would be my sister’s baked beans with bacon and some other ingredients that she keeps to herself. Then again Mom’s city chicken and Beef Stew could make it a three way tie. Wait…Kari makes some good pasta especially when it involves bacon…..four way tie!
Best dish by me would have to be poached eggs on toast topped with hot sauce. Best dish by me served in a restaurant would be foie gras mousse with Makers Mark gelee and granny smith apple emulsion.
I’ll share with you my quick takes:
Best dish by a chef at a restaurant would be king crab legs under spicy Americana sauce at Morimoto in Philly. Ironicly Kari ordered this dish while I ate the 7 course Omikase. I’m not a fan of saffron at all, but add the right amount of spice and it worked great. By no means do I intent to discount the awesomeness of the sushi, scallop noodles, foie gras with Kobe beef or the octopus that was also part of the meal.
Best dish by a loved one would be my sister’s baked beans with bacon and some other ingredients that she keeps to herself. Then again Mom’s city chicken and Beef Stew could make it a three way tie. Wait…Kari makes some good pasta especially when it involves bacon…..four way tie!
Best dish by me would have to be poached eggs on toast topped with hot sauce. Best dish by me served in a restaurant would be foie gras mousse with Makers Mark gelee and granny smith apple emulsion.
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