PLAYING WITH FOOD: LACTOSE FREE RAVIOLI AND BRAISED PORK NECK RAGOUT WITH MY COUSIN AND FELLOW CHEF

Here I am.  I hadn't gone any where.  I originally planned to post this 2 weeks ago, however, the picture formatting put my monitor screen in some danger with my fist.   So now I am well rested and will give it another go.

I have a sister, Jeana, she was born in March of 1988.  I am five years her elder.  My OTHER sister is in fact my cousin.  We grew up together and our parents made sure to keep us close.  We were always interested in food.  Our parents would let us make these horrific creations or bad recreations of recipes I would get from "Savour" magazine that I would steal from my orthodontist's waiting room.  We all laugh now that we are food professionals and food bloggers.  How far we have come.  Her Mother by the way is a professional photographer...and she just "happened" to stop by on this day!  How lucky are we???

Lactose is a concern for several friends and family, including your humble author.  We needed our meal to be cheap, lactose free, and delicious of course.  We wanted to make ravioli.  Ricotta is a main component of ravioli and it is lactose rich...so we made our own lemon ricotta.

  We took 3/4 cup lemon juice with one capful of white vinegar.  1/2 gallon of Lactaid whole milk.  Brought the milk up to 180 degrees F and turned off the flame.  We added the lemon juice and vinegar and stirred a bit.  We let it sit for 10 minutes and then we strained it through a fine mesh strainer ( just like in the last post).  We held the ricotta in the refrigerator in the strainer to make sure all the whey had been removed.  

For the filling we used Parmigiana (which is almost void of lactose sugars) garlic powder, sauteed shallots, chopped swiss chard, one egg and of course, the ricotta.  It is safe to assume that everything I make is seasoned with salt and pepper...never in a million years will two little ingredients like this change the way people taste their food more than these have. ( A close second is my favorite combination of Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce) 

the components of our filling

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seared pork neck

To make the sauce we took some mirepoix (carrots, celery, onion 25-25-50%) sauteed it with a little chopped garlic and basil.  We deglazed with red wine and added chopped plum tomatoes and a large can of tomato juice.  In another pot we seared the pork neck after we dusted them with some seasoned flour. 

Once the necks were browned, I added more red wine and scraped up all of the brown goodness from the bottom of the pan(called FOND) This whole process is called deglazing.  After deglazing I added my tomato juice and chopped tomato, fresh basil salt and pepper, simmered for about 2 hours. I dont know why the pictures are f-ed up, but I'm getting a bit punchy.

Now for the pasta...my cousin Lauren took care of this one, forming a well after she weighed the flour out.  She added the wet ingredients to the flour and salt mixture and began to slowly incorporate the flour in with the wet ingredients.

We adjusted our doughs consistency with a little olive oil and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour.  Once it was ready, we rolled out the dough and laid the sheets on the table.  We placed our filling on the sheets, egg washed around the dough and topped them with another layer of pasta.  We crimped the edges using a ravioli cutter and wouldn't you know it, we had ravioli!

assembling the ravioli

ravioli in its purest form just lactose free!

We  put on a pot of salted water, cook the ravioli just until they were floating.  After cooked, they were placed on a beautiful dish, topped with the sauce and a piece of the delicious braised neck bone.

This is a super abbreviated version of the days happenings, however, this was a good way to share our joint talents and the talents of Loretta Miles, whose photos do the real explaining here.  Another tidbit is that we used the tomato, the swiss chard and basil all from Laurens garden, making us spend a total of $20 or so for the whole thing.  I would like to invite you to visit http://thecookingteacher.wordpress.com/ and look at what Laurens up to.  Thank you again, I now must go.

The Long Awaited guide to Kitchen Gadgets and Tools!!!

PREAMBLE
It's late. Like 11 o'clock late.  I promised my facebook followers and strangely anonymous fans through e-mail, that I would have a new entry by tomorrow morning.  I was off today after one of the longest weekends I have ever worked...not getting into it but let's just say on Saturday I went in at 8:30 in the morning and I was not home until 2:45 Sunday morning.  Yet here I am, relaxing, typing away for your education and amusement, drinking my third Miller High Life and...what?  Miller High Life isn't classy enough for you?  I have better beer in the fridge, I just tend to like the cold glass bottle crispness of Miller okay?  Besides, it's the Champagne of beers I'll have you know.  Anyway, let's get on with this entry...brought to you in part with some encouragement from my wonderful Mother In Law, Adria Halstead-Johnson...we had a foodie chat tonight on Skype and it was wonderful...Thanks!

GADGETRY AND TOOLOSITY
Yes I made those words up. 

Having the proper tool in the kitchen is critical in achieving the desired result of any meal or food item you embark on making...unless you want it to come out like shit...in which case anything will do, a coat hanger perhaps.  You walk into Bed Bath and Beyond and are confronted at the left hand wall with an army of kitchen utensils, flanked by aisles of cutting boards, colanders, cutting board-colanders, baskets, and banana hangers???  Is there really a reason for a 40 ft. vertical display of vegetable peelers?   I am inclined to believe that the home cook can accrue more kitchen tools and gadgets than the professional chef...not that we don't like them, we are just a wee bit more practical.  "But what about my shrimp deviener?  You know, the plastic hook thingy that is supposed to remove the poop vein out of my shrimp?  what about that? huh?"  Well just use a friggin pairing knife...(Future blog idea on how to prepare beef, chicken and seafood)

The Convertible Colander by OXO

COLANDER   Everyone needs one.  To rinse vegetables, to strain out your pasta, clean lettuce, etc.  Which one is the right one for you ?  I would lean towards a small to medium sized colander constructed out of metal, not plastic.  Oh, one with holes would be preferred.  My wife and I were gifted one by the OXO company which is a CONVERTIBLE colander.  It basically means it is rectangular and has fold down legs to be a normal colander or the legs can fold out to suspend the colander in your sink (more like a prep strainer).  Very nifty.

MESH STRAINER   You have seen these before.  I am a fan of these.  In the industrial kitchen they are a little more rugged, larger and we call them a "chinois" pronounced "shin wa".  If you ever want to try out a classical french recipe, or a real refined recipe at home (meaning anything from the French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller, or Refined American Cuisine by Patrick O'Connell) you will want this implement for your sauce.  Fine mesh strainers remove all the impurities, little bits of food, a skin that formed perhaps, and just about anything else in a sauce that you would normally just pass off as being a homemade meal.  Using this will make a world of difference in how your food looks and tastes, bringing it to a different level...or notch depending on what TV Chef you fancy.  They are fairly inexpensive and are worth every penny.

RUBBER SPATULA  You should already own one.  If you don't I will give you good reason to get one immediately.  They just make life easier.  I strongly recommend Rubbermaid's line of heat resistant rubber spatulas (about $15).  You can use them for preparing omelets in the morning, scraping bowls to get that last bit of cake batter out...to eat of course, folding ingredients in, getting that clumpy flour-coated butter on the side of your mixing bowl while you are mixing your cookie dough.  There really are a slew of practical uses for these priceless implements which also include a close relative which is shaped sort of like a spoon actually referred to as a "spoonula"... I likey.

WHISK  Self explanatory really.  Get one that is stainless steel, and has a large handle, none of that spring-wound handle crap. Use this for whipping egg whites, whipped cream, really getting your eggs to scramble making vinaigrettes, sauces marinades, etc.

KITCHEN SHEARS  They are scissors for the kitchen.  They cut through the backbone of a chicken effortlessly.  They are easy to clean and for some reason stay really sharp all of the time.  I have a pair of Kitchen-Aid shears that have never been sharpened and are used from cutting chickens, to wrapping Christmas gifts...not joking either.  Buy a good pair ($20-$40) and you will have shears for life. 

HONING STEEL  I might or might not have mentioned this one in my knife entry.  Each time you use your knife, you create microscopic burrs on the blades edge.  These burrs can bend and fold and create your standard dull house knife.  A good honing steal will straighten these burrs and maintain your knifes edge for much longer.  A good one is fairly heavy, 8"or more, and slightly magnetized.  Another thing to invest in and you will never buy another.  ($40-$120)

DIGITAL TIMER  Digital...not wind up ding ding type.  They are worth every penny and are very affordable. One AAA battery will last you a lifetime and the loud noise of an electric alarm gets your ass in the kitchen stat when your cookies are burning.

TONGS  It still shocks me on how many people do not cook with tongs at home.  These are an extension of my hands.  I use these every day for everything.  Get not one pair, but several and you will understand why.  They come in different lenghts, I usually tend to like the longer ones, and the medium sized ones...the small ones always seemed pointless to me.  Also try and get ones that are spring tensioned and are made of stainless steel.  The pair shown are made also by OXO. ( $15)

VEGETABLE PEELER  Get one that is more than $1 please.  the rickety pieces of junk around at the dollar store really aren't making any ones life any easier, they just make your fruit and veggies look like you ran them over with your car.  I prefer Y shaped peelers as they are more ergonomically sound than the sideways straight peelers of the stone age.  The one pictured here is the STAR peeler by Zena of Switzerland and is the same type issued to me upon entering the Culinary Institute of America way back in 2001. ($8)

SPATULAS  Again another tool I'm sure you have.  Do you have a fish spatula??? no????Dear Lord, read on.  Fish spatulas are great not just for fish.  The have a slightly filed edge to them and are of a thinner metal construction so they are extremely effective in lifting foodstuffs off of sheet pans and cookie trays with ease.  Also, they are great for fish.  A good one goes for anywhere from $15 to $40.  Another item that is worth every penny.

SPOONS AND LADLES  I have one rule, get all metal stainless construction.  Yes wooden spoons are classic, shit I actually thought they were just made so Italian mothers didn't have to hurt there hands while kicking ass.  However, the cheaper ones get roughed up very easy (maybe after 4 washings) and can harbor bacteria, and I don't like that at all.  If you do like wood, and olive wood spoon is safest in my eyes. Try if you can to get a slotted spoon, they help.  A perfect sized ladle is a 6-8 oz for home use. 

WOOD CUTTING BOARD  I know the plastic ones are cheaper and easier to clean...but you have to think of your knife.  Wood cutting boards are sturdier, and more forgiving to a knifes edge than any other surface...don't even say glass cutting board or I will find you.  Proper care of these is to soak with warm water and a bleach solution, let dry and then lightly rub some mineral oil on it to keep it in top condition.

Well, there you have it.  I hope I have answered some questions.  I know I will get some e-mails with new questions, but like I said, you can have your juice trumpets, and mango corers, but these are the staple tools for you to really be successful at home.  Cook well...

please send any questions directly to Chef Paul at: chefpaulfucello@yahoo.com 

Turning Ideas into Reality in the Kitchen

Preparing "Guacamole"

By any stretch of the term, I am not a writer...

However I love food and I love talking food. You better like reading food or you in the wrong spot sucka!

This entry I would like to talk about using your HEAD in the kitchen. This is a sort of meditation on how to transcend the confines of the cookbook and express yourself practically, lovingly, emotionally (romantically?) with food.
DIRTY TALK BETWEEN MY WIFE AND I

(ERICA)"Honey I need to make a vegan cake for Amanda's Bridal Shower."

(PAUL)"That's going to be difficult."
(E)"Well I know I want to do a three teired cake with flowers, I am not going to do fondant, I will use a vegan buttercream recipe...but what should I make the flowers out of?"
(P)"Can't you pipe them with royal icing?"
(E)"No sweety, it has egg whites, it needs to be VEGAN."
(P)"Oh... well how about Marzipan...you know a real simple mix of food color, confectioners sugar and almond paste...they might even set up nice and hard, similar to a royal icing."

(E)"That might just work...can you get me almond paste???"

(P)"As you wish."

Hope that wasn't too graphic and didn't make you uncomfortable or maybe a little hot and bothered. Things can get pretty steamy when me and the wifey get on the food topic. We love food, I the savory end, and she, the more sweet and confectionery end. The great thing is that we are both well versed in the others areas of expertise....this however is not about us. It is about cake.

So she makes this cake, which due to VERY hot weather was more than challenging to make. She succesfully pulls this cake off however, also driving 5 hours in a car with it for my brothers Fiancees bridal shower. All thanks to some thought for food. My wife had the courage (and extreme good fortune) to confied in her more than capable, very handsome husband and propose a problem. She had never attempted a cake of such magnitude and with such dietary restrictions.  She (a redhead) was determined to try her best and achieve her goal.  She worked long and hard on this project (while tending to a very hot and angry infant) and the end result was stellar, she even let me help with some of the flowers!  All thanks to some brain power.

Food meditation #1: It is only food.
Something I tell every young aspiring chef working under me.  Many people have the misconceptions that food is too tricky and that they can be easily conquered by their food.  They are scared of messing up.  Why?  The worst that can happen is you have to eat some real shitty tasting food.  Is that it?  So far there is no police force around that arrests you every time you screw up in the kitchen, so suck it up, stop being a baby and star cooking!  Food does what YOU make it do. if you put flour, water, sugar and yeast together they will make some sort of bread.  If you keep them seperate they will not do anything.  UNDERSTOOD?

CREATING A DISH

I do not like avocado.  As a chef I almost feel guilty and "turncoat-esque" for not enjoying the taste of avocado.  HOWEVER sometimes being a professional chef does not necassarily mean what you like, it is what the customer likes.  People tell me my guacamole is fantastic.  I use honey, lime, onion, garlic, cilantro, avocado (naturally) and some tomato.  My one gripe with guacamole is it's appearance.  It literally looks like a green washed pile of dung.  How do I make this better.?  If you look above you'll see it. Honey, lime, onion, garlic, cilantro, avocado, tomato.  DECONSTRUCT the ingredients...change them.  Sliced avaocado, sliced tomato, shaved red onion (all very clean and very fresh flavors)lightly seasoned with sea salt,  honey and lime sour cream, garlic and cilantro oil.  long exhale ahhhhhhh!  Present it well, keep it clean and you will find you have done something grand.  In this case it is an appetizer I  love to make.

Here's one on cooking methods.  Approaching your dish with some thought into how you will cook an item. 

Last fall we had a wine tasting at the country club.  Executive Chef Phil Castro, and myself really pulled out the stops.  One item we put our head together on was a quail.  A semi-boneless, tiny little pidgeon-like quail.  We agreed we were going to make a stuffing of all things Autumn and Decadent.  So instead of normal bread, we substituted it for Brioche (an extremely butter-laden bread from France).  Cranberry, onions, celery. carrots, and of course...foie gras (fattened goose liver).  So now we had these little cholestorol-stuffed pidgeons, with no only a tiny inkling as to how we would want them cooked.  We wanted them to lay flat on their back, we wanted the legs to stick forward and we did not want the breast meat to be compromised in any way.  We tried trussing them.  We were not happy with the end result,  it left lines on the bird and in some spots the twine cut through the skin.  Also the legs were uneven and it just looked like poop.  Then it hit me... MUFFIN PANS!  We have fairly large muffin pans.  We coated them with a bit of non-stick spray, seasoned the birds and used the muffin pans as the molds for our birds.  Came out fantastic. You should always remember to not worry about what has been done in the past as far as conventional cooking methods. Concern yourself with what suits you in your kitchen, what your goals are, and what tools you'll need for this to happen.

IN CONCLUSION...

Look at food in a different light.  If you think of a type of food you would like to prepare, think about each individual ingredient as their own meal.  Think of how they'll blend with one another.  Think why they were put together in the first place.  Think of how you could make it better.  Remember your basic cooking techniques and temperatures.  If you are going to read a recipe, treat it like a story and read it until you have a good interpretation of the end result before even cooking.  Fresh ingredients always mean better flavor and keep with the cooking techniques of the country while cooking ethnic cuisine. 

REMEBER:

IT'S ONLY FOOD. IT'S ONLY FOOD. IT'S ONLY FOOD.

Now go and think of someting to make, and I want an email from each an every one of you readers with stories and pictures. chefpaulfucello@yahoo.com  The one I feel is most creative is going to have their dish' picture on the next post.  What a prize.  I am getting tired, my typing has slowed and gets increasingly less legible.  Goodnight and cook well.

Just saying hello...

Lose not faith in me, It's been a busy week, perhaps another lengthy blog in the next few days. Today is my daughters 1st birthday, quite an event....just burgers hot dogs and the likes...I got a crate of corn on the cob for $13 because I bought it while wearing my chef whites! Discount corn tastes so much sweeter. I also made my potato salad and wifey made the cake. I will post pictures of the aformentioned foodstuffs on my next blog. Till then, eat well and be happy.

THE RIGHT KNIVES...FINDING AND SELECTING THE RIGHT KNIFE FOR YOU AND YOUR BUDGET

Many people ask me about what knives I own, and what knives they should own.
I suppose it is time I address this for my readers.

The basic knives a home cook would need in my personal and professional opinion are a chefs knife, a serrated bread knife, a meat slicing knife (AKA carving knife) and a quality pair of kitchen shears.

That's it???
Yup.

Now, how much you want to spend on them and what you prefer is another friggin' story! Follow me.

My wife Erica is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, and I will use her as an example, because she is a tiny little thang with small hands and I am a large fur-tufted beast with hands the size of catchers mitts. Erica is most comfortable with a 6" or 8" chefs knife. Her personal set includes Lamson Sharp knives with a full tang and bolster (meaning the blade runs from the point right through the handle and is one piece with the bolster, a thicker part of the heel)...essentially a classic European knife.



I myself am of the same preference, however I go for Wusthoff Classics, a German brand that are heavier and I stay around the 8" to 10" range for my chefs knife. I was gifted my first Wusthoff knife when I was 16 and I still use it at home, I officially retired it from work use in 2009. They last a long time.



Size Matters. End of story. and that's going for chefs knives as well.

Maneuverability is what you are looking for. If you find it hard to negotiate your way around an onion it might be the size of your knife.

Weight is another factor. Most knives that are full tang and bolstered are on the heavier side. If you like a heavy knife and you want a similar knife to the ones my wife and I use, make sure they are a high carbon stainless steel ( or a derivative of) and that they have 3 rivets in the handle ( makes for a stronger and more balanced knife). Now here's the catch, Lamson Sharps will run you about $65 to $80 for an 8" chefs knife and Wusthoffs will run you about $95 to $120 for an 8" chefs knife. YIKES!
These knives are an investment.

"But Paul, you expect me to buy this and the carving knife, the serrated knife and the shears too?"

I'm not expecting you to do shit! I'm just giving you advice, and don't take that tone with me...I will kick you. Now listen up.

I have a large tool kit at work. In it is an exorbitant amount of kitchen gadgets (another blog all together) and knives. I have my Wusthoffs and I have my knock arounds...
"Well can I hear about the knock arounds?"
You will wait your turn! Let me finish!

My knock around knives are anywhere from $15-$40. They range in companies from Winco, to Dexter Rusell, Mercer, Kuhn Rikon, and Forschner.

Forschners are my favorites and I use them quite often. They are a great knife for a low to middle range price, their nicest line being their rosewood collection, these have a partial full tang with no bolster, and the blade is not as huge and thick as a European monster like the Wusthoff. It stays sharp and lasts forever. I bought my Forschner rosewood 8" chefs knife in the summer of 2004 and it is still in use today. As for your carving knife, your serrated knife and your shears, I would go with either Dexters or Forschners as they are cheaper, and you will use them less. As for size, they are pretty standard and any ol' size would do. Below is a $30 slicing knife from Forschner and a $15 bread knife from Dexter.






"Should I get one of those cheap knife sets from Target and call it a day"

Sure, so long as you have no expectations for yourself in the kitchen.

Knife sets do not have to match, look pretty or come in their own cool storage unit. They need to cut straight, keep a good, sharp blade, and not rust. Build your own knife set, one that you are comfortable with and keep them clean. It would be wise to purchase a good knife sharpening device like this one : http://noplastic.ca/accusharp.shtml it is cheap and they work, try using sparingly as it removes a good amount of metal. Also a honing steel such as this one: http://www.surlatable.com/gs/victorinox-swiss-army-sharpening-steel-13.shtml

Well there you have it...any questions please post them or send it to my new Yahoo mail account : chefpaulfucello@yahoo.com
Thanks for reading!

MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY AND THE "BLINACINNO"

Well, I have been wanting to post this for some time now and I suppose with my daughter in bed, and my wife in our bedroom reading in air conditioned bliss, I have the time. Many people asked me about my old profile picture here through private e-mails (apparently more people read this than I had expected). It is a small dessert canape of my own creation I call the Blinacinno, like blini and cappuccino smashed together into one fantastic word.

It is an idea that came about after I had completed my research in molecular gastronomy's "spherification" process. I will delve deeper into this process momentarily. The end result are tiny spheres that resemble caviar. A classic preparation for caviar canapes are on blinis, a small pancake of sorts, with sour cream or creme fraiche and a sprig of dill. I wanted to make this dessert. With the help of two chemicals i was able to do so.

THE PLAYERS

Sodium Alginate: The residual sodium salt of Alginic Acid, which is extracted from brown algae or a form of seaweed if you will. It is used as a thickener and stabilizer in not just food...many screen printers use it as a thickener for their inks. It is considered to be a hydrocolloid. When introduced to calcium salts the gelling properties take place.

Calcium Chloride: The calcium salt I used to achieve this. It is the food grade calcium chloride, not the ice melter grade. Food grade calcium chloride is used to give pickles their snap.

So what is the process???

Basically you take a liquid, low or rid of calcium and add your measured sodium alginate (I measure in grams as most molecular gastro. recipes are). You blend a small portion of the liquid really well with the alginate and then add the rest and blend even more. You let it sit for an hour to release any air bubbles. In a separate container you dissolve some calcium chloride in plain old water. Draw the alginate mixture out with a syringe, I used a 30ml large syringe. Slowly, drop by drop, add the alginate mixture into the calcium mixture. Spherification has occurred! The droplets instantaniously form into little shperes. The longer you leave them in the calcium mixture, the longer they will solidify. The trick is to pull them out before they solidify completely so there is a liquid center. The great thing about this process is that it is thermoirreversible, so hot or cold storage or applications will not affect the end result.

Well my liquid was espresso, lightly sweetened. I used the process and formed coffee caviar. I made a sweet pancake, smaller than a half dollar and topped it with whipped cream, coffee caviar, a dusting of cinnamon and a chocolate cigarette, voila...the blinacinno. The process is very in-depth for such a simple assembly. So there you have it.

FOOOOOOD rant. Over-worked, over-tired...

I love talking about food, especially to those who are not in the know. Food has a huge mystique and ora surrounding it for many people. Some people are just downright scared of it. Not eating it, I meant cooking it. I love breaking those barriers and letting people know that food is just that...food! It does exactly whatever it is you do to it. A perfectly prepared meal is the end result of a bunch of deliberate manipulations of raw product, temperature increases/decreases, cooking methods and technique. People who do not understand why they mess up a dish or can never follow a recipe should not blame the food...it is YOU! Damn you all to hell! Just kidding. People just don't have the knowledge to understand what circumstance they had put the food in order for it to fail. These my friends are the people I love talking food with. They are the ones that need help and are willing to listen.

So I talk to them. I give them advice, suggest cookbooks, knives, products, etc...chef stuff, you know. The young students and the up and comers of the culinary field are the most gracious, as they are excited to listen and know they can achieve their goals if they just try. And seasoned foodies and fellow chefs are always fun to talk food with, because we understand one another. A phone coversation about the past few restaurants we have been to between my friend and fellow Chef, Dave Bryer and myself is the closest thing to phone sex without the heavy breathing I know of...even still the chance of heavy breathing depends on if I am walking or climbing stairs at the time. We talk about every detail, every component, flavor pairings and profiles...I have to stop, I am getting excited.

What is wrong with me??? Why do I love food so much??? Because it is EVERYTHING. Food has always been around. I make a quick paradox between two very familiar topics...food and sex. In the beginning of primative time, humans (or sub-species) ate food only for sustainance and, similarly, only had sex for procreation purposes. Survival was the name of the game. Now let's jump into our era. Both are still around, only people dine out, and cook with fire, seasonings, technique and for what??? TO ENJOY it! same thing with sex...they both carry the same purposes as they did in the dawn of bi-pedial time, but now serve also as an outlet for pleasure. And God bless that! If casual sex and food are on the same playing field I am a deviant! I am enclosing a photo of the dish I cooked my wife, Erica for her birthday. It is a portherhouse steak with potato cake, sauteed spinach, tomato riselee, braised cippolini onions and a cote du rhone pan sauce. Topped with a rosemary espuma. If you wish to see how it was made, join my facebook site!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chef-Paul-Fucello/114804171870379?ref=ts