By the bye...

I'm on Twitter now. Figured it was time, but really seems pointless if you're not online 24/7. Anyway, @pmatarrese. Don't really have any profound thoughts yet, but there you are.

Cheers,
-Peter

"Weekend" Recipe 3/30/09 plus notes

First, the recipe:

Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Time: About 45 minutes

One of the most popular recipes in the original How to Cook Everything, which I attributed to too many people growing up with what the Canadians call "Kraft dinner." The real thing is rich, filling, delicious, and dead easy. You can change the type of cheese you use: Try blue cheese, goat cheese, smoked Gouda, or even mascarpone. Or mix in some crisp-cooked chunks of thick-cut bacon or pancetta, about .5 cup.

Salt
2.5 cups milk (low-fat is fine)
2 bay leaves
1 pound elbow, shell, ziti, or other cut pasta
4 tablespoons (.5 stick) butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1.5 cups grated cheese, like sharp cheddar or Emmental
.5 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
.5 cup or more bread crumbs, preferably fresh (page 876)

1) Heat the oven to 400*F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
2) Heat the milk with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When small bubbles appear along the sides, about 5 minutes later, turn off the heat and let stand. Cook the pasta in the boiling water to the point where you would still think it needed another minute or two to become tender. Drain it, rinse it quickly to stop the cooking, and put it in a large bowl.
3) In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter; when it is foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture browns, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the milk and add about .25 cup of the milk to the hot flour mixture, stirring with a wire whisk all the while. As soon as the mixture becomes smooth, add a little more milk, and continue to do so until all the milk is used up and the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the cheddar or Emmental and stir.
4) Pour the sauce over the pasta, toss in the Parmesan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9 x 13-inch or like-size baking pan and turn the pasta mixture into it. (You can make the dish to this point, cover, and refrigerate for up to a day; return to room temperature before proceeding.) Top liberally with bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and the crumbs turn brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve piping hot.

Now, a few things:
The recipe tasted good. Make sure you use the right amounts of the ingredients. I know that I skimped on the cheese (using Monterey Jack cheese, which seems somewhere between soft and semi-hard, not like sharp cheddar), and completely removed the Parmesan (didn't have any). Next time, I'll make the trip to the store. Mine came out kind of dry. As I was making the sauce, it looked good, but I could tell as I was pouring it that it needed more cheese. Oh well, there's always next time. Also, the timing for this must be an approximation for someone who knows the recipe. So prepare yourself whenever you're trying something new.

Next:
linecook415.blogspot.com is a very interesting blog. I heard about it from one of the chefs at work. It's a good blog, I wonder if she has other recommendations. Currently listening to his Podcast about culinary school. A lot of very good information. I am going to do more research about which culinary school I want to go to. It's like applying to college all over again. Still, I have a year and a half to change my mind with plenty of factors to influence me. Random best quote from the Podcast (be warned, I am not censoring the expletives: "That's fucked up... being bored in a kitchen. A restaurant kitchen. How does that happen? You have knives and fire! How the fuck are you bored?!" A brilliant and well-phrased thought.

Finally:
Where has this semester gone? This isn't food related, but rather life related. I have something like 5 and a half weeks of classes left. Then I'm a senior. In my senior year of college... that's surprising. I guess after 20 years of life (almost 21! A month and a half), one more 5 month period (one semester) doesn't seem like all that much. I wonder if this feeling gets exponentially stronger. I guess I'll find out when I'm older.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it. FYI, I hope at least one person has attempted or at least intends to try some of the recipes that I post. I haven't posted one yet that hasn't turned out extremely tasty. The "Olive Oil Salt Bread" which I simply call quickbread is painfully simple, quick, and delicious. Take the extra hour (should be even less time) before you eat dinner to prep and bake some fresh rolls (just divide the dough in balls and put them on a baking sheet). You will not regret it.

Cheers,
-Peter

P.S. Of course, I need to say...

How to Cook Everything was copywrited in 2008 by Doubly B Publishing Inc., and published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in Hoboken, New Jersey. This representation of the text is intended for educational use only.

Weekend Recipe 3/29/09

So amid my schoolwork I still like to find time to cook. The quick recipes that I have provide nice little study breaks or a good way to relax after a long day at the library. This recipe for Popovers comes from How To Cook Everything, and is extremely easy. I've made it twice so far, the second batch turning out much better than the first. Let me just say... GREASE THE PAN!!! If you don't, you'll end up crushing the popovers as you attempt to pull them out of the muffin tin. Greasing it well allows you to simply run a butter knife around the sides to make sure they are loose and pop them right out, maintaining the desired air pocket. Beyond being extremely easy to make, the taste and texture are incredible. Think of the texture of a crispy eclair on the outside and a light bread pudding on the inside. The taste is clean enough, and the mix receptive enough, that you can make these savory or sweet. My last batch had cinnamon folded into it, which made it more of a breakfast companion. An idea that my housemate Kevin brought up that I'm very interested to try is this: Filling the air pockets. The possibilities are endless! They could be homemade cream puffs, or muffin shaped eclairs. But why stop there? Make a homemade headcheese of sorts (just use any cut of meat precooked and minced small, add veggies and spices to unflavored gelatin and chill into a loaf to yield something slicable), and allow it to set within the air pockets. It's like a "soup" sandwich (assuming the gelatin takes to the flavors of the meat, veggies, and spices, I imagine it would taste something like a solidified stock). Hmmmm, I may just have to see if this works for myself. The textures of the final product I'm sure would weird out a lot of people, but then again, it could be the next big thing. "Don't knock it 'til you try it" is my food philosophy (that's how I came to like sea urchin sushi). After a looooong digression here is the recipe:

Popovers
Makes: 12 popovers
Time: About 45 minutes

Popovers are best made at the last minute, but they're good left over as well. I think they go incredibly well with scrambled eggs, though the classic accompaniment is Prime Rib Roast (page 734).

1 tablespoon melted butter or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, plus some for the muffin tin
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon sugar
.5 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1) Heat the oven to 425*F. [N.B. from me - Get an oven thermometer if your oven does not have a digital read; my first batch cooked way too hot when I trusted the temperatures on the dial] Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or a popover tin and put it in the oven while you make the batter.
2) Beat together the eggs, milk, butter or oil, sugar, and salt. Beat in the flour a little bit at a time; the mixture should be smooth. Fill the muffin tins at least halfway (if your tin is large, this might make fewer than 12 popovers). Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350*F and continue baking for 15 minutes more, or until the popovers are puffed and browned (do not check the popovers until they have baked for a total of 30 minutes [N.B. from me - depending on the hotspots in your oven, or the fickleness of it, you'll be able to see if they are ready before 30 minutes]). Remove from the pan immediately and serve hot.

How to Cook Everything was copywrited in 2008 by Doubly B Publishing Inc., and published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in Hoboken, New Jersey. This representation of the text is intended for educational use only.

Food Day!

So today at job training, all of the front-of-the-house employees were given a lecture of sorts on every item on our lunch and dinner menu. It was a lecture in the sense that it was very informative, but also so much more than a lecture in the sense that we got to taste a LOT of the food. Everything from the salads to the fish to the meats, and especially the pizzas, has a story. There are between 60-70 dishes on the menu, but one has to realize that within these dishes are literally hundreds of recipes. Where the master recipe for a soup might call for a chicken broth, the kitchen team at Bottega Louie has a specific recipe for making that broth. Within that broth, a very specific type of chicken is used (the Jidori varietal, look it up), which is raised locally (that is to say, within 100 miles). But even a good recipe can be ruined by poor quality ingredients. Not at Bottega Louie. Who else has fishmongers in Italy with the ability to get us the catch off of day boats within 48 hours? Who else has access to the artisan-grown vegetables from the McGrath Farm in Valencia, CA which produces only one acre of a certain product (note* "any one of its products;" they grow many types of vegetables on their 40 acres, but reserve only 1 acre per varietal)? Hearing about all the recipes and the ingredients that go into those recipes today makes me appreciate that this whole operation has really been in development for three years. That time has not been wasted either. The close relationships our upper management team have developed with the various growers, vendors, mongers, etc. is a testament to the company's motto: The fanatical pursuit of excellence. Everything, I mean EVERYthing that I tasted today is as close to perfection in the various types of dishes that I've had. The pizza, the pasta, the vegetables, the bread, everything reflects the care and expertise that has gone into trimming 40 types of mozzarella down to the one we use for the pizza (which is different from the one we use on the caprese salad), or the over 2,000 wines down to the 50 that are on our list. Some might believe that it's a waste to spend so much time and money on this sort of development, but I see it differently. Everyone will be able to appreciate just how amazing the food tastes on their very first time in the restaurant. I believe the sheer quality of the food is enough to bring people back a second and third time. It is those subsequent visits when they will begin to grasp just how vast the scope of our restaurant is (when they find out that we only use USDA Natural Prime beef, the top 3% of all beef raised in America). That realization when coupled with the revolutionary service we have been trained in is what will turn a casual diner into a full subscriber to the brand that is Bottega Louie. Not to sound too much like an ad for my employer (too late), but I would not have posted this if I didn't truly believe it. We're doing something different here. Something that I've never experience myself in any restaurant that I've been to. And if I, someone interested in food but just barely beginning to peek into the world of the professional food industry, can appreciate the path B.L. is looking to forge, I'm excited to see the reception and perception of Bottega Louie by the food connoisseurs from Los Angeles and elsewhere. Anyway, time for dinner. I think I'll eat some more watermelon soup.
Cheers,
-Peter

Weekend Recipe 3/22/09 Take 2

I believe I missed last weekend, so here's another one that I actually just made today (turned out brilliantly, even though I didn't have some of the ingredients). It comes from The Dorn Cookbook, and has an interesting story before the actual recipe:

Watermelon Soup (Chinese)

The summer of 1942 in Chungking was one of stifling heat and extreme humidity. For over seven weeks the temperature never dropped lower than 100 degrees day or night. Add to the heat the depression from defeat after defeat in the Phillippines, the Pacific, and in Burma - from which latter place the Japanese had just run us out; and the crazy-quilt construction and fire-bombed areas of China's wartime capital on its rocky precipices - and you find a distinct lack of the pleasures which usually go with an ideal summer. One night John Davies, who had been born in China, took a few of us to a courtyard restaurant, its grape trellis limp with heat, it's mosquitoes too enervated to attack, and its patrons trying to act out a brave front. John ordered. After tea and melon seeds came our one dish of the evening - watermelon soup - and quite enough. What inspired genius of past centuries dreamed up this concoction no one will ever know. Not only is it beautiful to look at, but it combines a subtlety of flavors unlike any other dish I know. In the drabness of wartime Chungking it came as a novelty and a surprise. It takes time to prepare, but your efforts will be well rewarded.

1 watermelon about 20 to 24 inches long
Cut an oval of the rind about 10 to 12 inches long from one side.
Gouge out the meat just past the line of seeds.
.5 lb. diced pork
.5 lb. diced lean lamb, or spring mutton
Meat from 1 stewing chicken removed from bones
.5 lb. diced ham
Meat from 1 small duck removed from bones
1 pint diced abalone (Clams can be substituted)
1 cup diced fresh mushrooms
1 cup dried mushrooms
Meat from 2 small lobsters
1.5 cups bamboo shoots (or bean sprouts)
8 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch lengths
8 stalks Chinese cabbage, cut into 1 inch lengths
.5 bunch water cress
2 tbsps. dry mustard
1 tbsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste (use sparingly)
2 tbsps. soy sauce
3 onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp. caraway seed
1 quart chicken broth, from which the fat has been skimmed

Boil pork for about 1 hour. Remove the pork meat. Mix all ingredients except water cress, and including pork meat, in a large soup pot. Cover and boil slowly for 1.5 hours. Add water from time to time if too much broth evaporates. Cool enough to skim off fat. Place the watermelon in a bake pan with about 2 inches of water in the pan. Pan should be of a shape which will hold the watermelon upright. Pour all of the ingredients from the soup pot into the hollow of the melon. Place in a 450 degree oven and boil for 45 minutes. Just before serving, add broken up water cress. Serve soup in the hollowed watermelon, decorated with flowers. When serving individual portions, scoop off part of the melon meat with each serving. CAUTION: Melon should be firm. Do not use a fully ripe melon.

Serves 10 to 12

This recipe from The Dorn Cookbook is copywrited in 1953 by The Henry Regnery Company in Chicago. This reproduction of the text is intended for educational use only.

Weekend Recipe 3/22/09

So I'm right in the middle of my job training for Bottega Louie (one week down, one to go). It's been an experience for sure. The restaurant is slated to open April 6th, and is going to be absolutely amazing. But anyway, here's another recipe from How to Cook Everything that I made a few nights ago. It's for Rice Pudding. Who knew homemade pudding could take so long? But it's well worth it:

Rice Pudding
Makes: At least 4 servings
Time: About 2 hours, largely unattended
This simple no-egg rice pudding is sweet and easy. Use coconut, hazelnut, or almond milk instead of cow's milk for a nice twist. Top with Whipped Cream, flavored with vanilla or rose water if you like (page 882).

.25 to .33 cup rice
.5 cup sugar
Small pinch salt
1 quart milk
Pinch saffron threads (optional)
Cinnamon stick or other flavoring (optional)

1) Heat the oven to 300*F. Combine all the ingredients in a 3- or 4-quart casserole (an ovenproof saucepan will do), stir a couple of times, and place in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes, then stir. Cook for 30 minutes longer, then stir; at this point the milk will have developed a bubbly tan surface (you will stir this back into the liquid), and the rice will have begun to swell.
2) Cook for 30 more minutes. The surface will have redeveloped, darker this time, and the grains of rice will begin to predominate in the mixture; the pudding is almost done. Return the mixture to the oven and check every 10 minutes, stirring gently each time you check.
3) The pudding may be done 10, 20, or 30 minutes later. Invariably, it is done before you believe so. You must make a leap of faith and remove the custard from the oven when the rice kernels are very swollen and the mixture is thick but still quite fluid. As it cools, it will thicken considerably. (If you overcook, the pudding will become fairly hard, though it's still quite good to eat.) Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

How to Cook Everything was copywrited in 2008 by Doubly B Publishing Inc., and published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in Hoboken, New Jersey. This representation of the text is intended for educational use only.

Finally...

Here are some pictures that I've taken with my phone camera (poor quality, I know) of various things I've cooked/baked:

A classic braid design with a great quickbread recipe (non-rising).

The two blobs are filled swirl rolls (think cinnamon rolls on their sides); one is garlic filled, and the other is cinnamon and brown sugar.

My lemon-pepper panfried chicken fingers in okra, bean, and rice "gumbo" (don't let the name fool you, it was just me throwing ingredients in the pot until it looked right; tasted ok too).

My first attempt at carving a chicken. Hey, at least I got most of the meat off...

My first attempt at a roast chicken before the destruction (came out juicy, which is good I think).