My friend L has just sent me a question because her daughter; “wants a BIG meatball for dinner. Any suggestions? I bought white and dark ground chicken (instead of beef). But really don't know how to even start making a meatball!!!”
SERVES 4
Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken, either dark or white, or any combination of both
1 egg
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
approx 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh oregano (or the equivalent dried)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Put ground chicken, egg, parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic, oregano and salt in a mixing bowl.
Mix together until evenly combined.
Form mixture into desired size.
In a non stick skillet heat olive oil over high heat.
Put meatballs into pan and cook until evenly browned on all sides. Depends on the size of meatballs.
* This recipe could not be easier to prep or make. And because of its simplicity you can include your kids in the making of them.
** Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly when dealing with any protein in order to stave off food borne illnesses.
I specifically chose this recipe because it is easy to make. Fun. Fast and delicious. I think you will enjoy it L. Let me know.
Do any of you have a question for me; just drop me an email at askachefintraining@gmail.com.
A memorable quote from the movie Meatballs came to mind; “Attention. Here's an update on tonight's dinner. It was veal. I repeat, veal. The winner of tonight's mystery meat contest is Jeffrey Corbin who guessed "some kind of beef."
I’m sure you will enjoy.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Monday, March 30, 2009
Jus
Hello all! I hope that you have had an incredible week. Sorry I couldn’t write, I was in a period of figuring things out and transition. I promise my replies will be faster in the future. Plus you can check out my exploits from last week at http://newbieintheweeds.blogspot.com.
I received a new question; “What is the recipe and related technique for making a "jus" (like that which might accompany a steak or prime rib)? Is it easy or difficult to make such a "jus"?
The base of any good jus is a great stock. In my second question that was asked I covered the basic elements of making a great stock. Assuming you already have a stock that you have just finished. Set aside the useable liquid (stock) and keep the bones, mirepoix, etc in the pot.
Turn on the heat and add some red wine, for the amount that we are dealing with I would say that half a bottle would be a great amount, to the remaining ingredients. Allow this to reduce until you no longer smell the alcohol. Again I caution you NOT to put your face over the pot, instead waft the air to your nose. Once reduced add water to cover the bones and allow to simmer gently and reduce.
As with the stock, you must take patience and great care to skim off the fat and particles that will negatively impact the quality of your jus. Once reduced to approximately one third its original volume turn off the heat and strain through a fine sieve.
Throw out the remaining ingredients and clean out the pot. Add approximately one third a bottle of red wine and let reduce. Then add equal parts of the stock and the remoulage (the second boil) into the pot and let reduce gently. You continue this until it reaches the desired consistency.
You want your jus to be thick and have a dark and rich almost purple or deep brown colouration to it. Once this is done you want to again put it through a fine sieve and put into containers to meet your needs. Jus can be frozen and used at a later date no problem.
Following these basic guidelines will produce a rich and flavourful jus.
A specific recipe for jus follows here that I feel best works for the home cook;
10 pounds bones
5 Carrots
2 Large Onions
1 Head Celery
1 bunch Leeks
1 small can of Tomato paste
1 Bottle Red Wine
Half a handful of Peppercorns
Water.
If you follow the instructions contained in the post related to stock and the instructions above you will find that you have a delicious jus that can be used for many meat dishes.
I trust that this answers your question. If any of you have any food related questions feel free to send them to me at askachefintraining@gmail.com.
Rodney Dangerfield once said; “I'm at the age where food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I've just had a mirror put over my kitchen table.” Anybody else thinking of mirroring over their kitchen table?
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
I received a new question; “What is the recipe and related technique for making a "jus" (like that which might accompany a steak or prime rib)? Is it easy or difficult to make such a "jus"?
The base of any good jus is a great stock. In my second question that was asked I covered the basic elements of making a great stock. Assuming you already have a stock that you have just finished. Set aside the useable liquid (stock) and keep the bones, mirepoix, etc in the pot.
Turn on the heat and add some red wine, for the amount that we are dealing with I would say that half a bottle would be a great amount, to the remaining ingredients. Allow this to reduce until you no longer smell the alcohol. Again I caution you NOT to put your face over the pot, instead waft the air to your nose. Once reduced add water to cover the bones and allow to simmer gently and reduce.
As with the stock, you must take patience and great care to skim off the fat and particles that will negatively impact the quality of your jus. Once reduced to approximately one third its original volume turn off the heat and strain through a fine sieve.
Throw out the remaining ingredients and clean out the pot. Add approximately one third a bottle of red wine and let reduce. Then add equal parts of the stock and the remoulage (the second boil) into the pot and let reduce gently. You continue this until it reaches the desired consistency.
You want your jus to be thick and have a dark and rich almost purple or deep brown colouration to it. Once this is done you want to again put it through a fine sieve and put into containers to meet your needs. Jus can be frozen and used at a later date no problem.
Following these basic guidelines will produce a rich and flavourful jus.
A specific recipe for jus follows here that I feel best works for the home cook;
10 pounds bones
5 Carrots
2 Large Onions
1 Head Celery
1 bunch Leeks
1 small can of Tomato paste
1 Bottle Red Wine
Half a handful of Peppercorns
Water.
If you follow the instructions contained in the post related to stock and the instructions above you will find that you have a delicious jus that can be used for many meat dishes.
I trust that this answers your question. If any of you have any food related questions feel free to send them to me at askachefintraining@gmail.com.
Rodney Dangerfield once said; “I'm at the age where food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I've just had a mirror put over my kitchen table.” Anybody else thinking of mirroring over their kitchen table?
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Monday, March 23, 2009
A Question About Stock
Hello again all. Yesterday I received another question in my inbox. This one about stock;
“I make wonderful chicken and turkey stocks.
My challenges are with making good beef and vegetable stocks. I have never tried making vegetable stock and only once tried making a beef stock. It produced glue.
Could you please provide good recipes and guidance, including for example, good tips like should I buy beef bones with meat on the bone?”
In my training at Reservation, the place which laid the foundation of my culinary journey, I was largely responsible for making massive quantities of stocks and jus. Stocks may seem like a lot of work to some of you but they provide the backbone for many, many preparations and should be given respect as such.
The first key to making a good stock is, are you ready for this, PATIENCE.
When making stock and then jus at Reservation I would start with an appropriate mirepoix while I was roasting the bones. Naturally having a convection oven makes the bones come out a little bit better than a regular home oven, but you can get similar results.
First and foremost I want to say this; Ingredients are key. If you buy bad, soured, spoiled or off ingredients (not that I’m suggesting you would but I find that common sense is by no means common). Thus source out the best place to get the freshest ingredients.
The principle for a beef, veal or chicken stock is the same. Bones, mirepoix, wine, water and herbs and spices.
In this case, for a beef stock, I would suggest buying bones directly from a reputable butcher. Only because I know who is asking this question well I happen to know that you can very easily hit St. Lawrence Market or Kensington Market to find what you need.
At Reservation and Without Reservation I use Veal Leg Bones and Beef Leg Bones. They come to me without any meat on them or at the very least only a little. There are numerous methods to preparing the bones for stock. Some people clean the bones while some prefer to just roast them. For the most part this is a matter of personal preference although there are some very specific and detailed culinary reasons for the multiple preparations.
I would not clean the bones that I was using as I would roast them in a 375 F oven until the bones achieved the colour that I desired (by I naturally I am referring to what Chef wanted which in turn became what I wanted). In a convection oven this could take anywhere from 35 to 50 minutes depending on a whole host of variables.
Once the bones were in the oven I would set to work on the mirepoix. For a good beef or veal stock you want to use roughly 40 % onion, 30 % Carrot and 30% Celery. This is only one way of doing the mirepoix though. You could include fennel, as an example, in place or in addition to celery. I would make my stocks at reservation with a case of bones that weighed 50 pounds and for that I would use approximately five onions, two heads of celery and around 11 carrots. This should give you a pretty good idea.
Some people prefer to roast the mirepoix a bit. I personally do not as I do not like the flavour that develops. Again personal preference.
I would then mix a slurry with Red Wine and Tomato Paste. Again it will depend on the amount of bones that you are using but for a smaller batch I would suggest using twelve or more ounces of tomato paste to each bottle of red wine.
Put a pot on the stove and wait for it to get very hot. Once very hot add the slurry to it and allow it to reduce. You know that it is ready when there is no more alcohol smell. DO NOT PUT YOUR FACE OVER A HOT POT. Instead, use your hands to bring the aroma to your nose.
Let’s assume that your bones are ready. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for a minute or two. PLACE, very important; PLACE the bones into the pot as opposed to just throwing them in. There are both flavour and appearance reasons for this.
Ones the bones are in you want to add your mirepoix and then cover with water. The last thing you want to do is add your flavouring agents, such as; Thyme, Peppercorn, Rosemary, etc. There is no need to do this as a bouquet garni as you are going to have to put the stock through a sieve or colander later.
At this point you have the basic preparations of a stock. You want to bring the stock up to a gentle simmer and then reduce the heat so as not to impart the stock with that tell tale flavour of burn or overheating. Moreover, if you boil your stock it will become cloudy (which for the home cook is not so big a deal but in a restaurant you don’t want it to be cloudy).
At Reservation stock would take me 24 hours to make to come up with a final product of approximately 20 L.
I would suggest that if you follow these instructions you can complete a very nice stock in 8 or so hours.
Now this is very important. You will notice that the scum will float to the surface. Regularly skim off this scum. It will, if left in, adversely affect the flavour and clarity of your stock. I would suggest skimming once every thirty minutes or so.
If you need to you can add a bit more water to the stock if you feel that it has reduced too far. However, as with any reduction, the flavours will grow more intense the more you reduce.
Finally, I use to at Reservation put my (read Chef’s) stock through a fine sieve. What this does is remove the small particles that will adversely affect you stock.
This will produce a very fine beef or veal stock. Best part is you can make big batches and freeze them to be used later.
Moreover if you wanted to turn that stock into a demi you would simply add more water to the pot and allow it to reduce for about the same time that you did the stock. Apply equal portions of stock and remi (second boil) into a pot of reduced red wine and gently simmer until reaching the consistency you desire and voila DEMI!
Vegetable Stock
A great vegetable stock starts with the ingredients and you follow the same basic principles of beef or veal stock although the time required is less plus you do not require the wine. Although this is a matter of personal preference as well.
Again with both stocks; PATIENCE IS KEY. You must skim your protein stocks very well.
In terms of recipes, some of the best have come from the incredible work of Escoffier, Blanc and as of recently Apicius. Each are available from the public Library and offer a wealth of knowledge when it comes to stocks. By the way, the current recipe belongs to an Executive Chef who I respect immensely and as such I have not given out his recipe.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, stocks are the basis from which many of the dishes I prepare gain their complexity, colour and beautiful flavour. Play with them over time and you will develop a recipe that is best for you.
I hope this answers your question. If not send me an email and let me know.
Raymond Blanc once said; “Like my father before me, I'm a very passionate person, with boundless energy and tremendous willpower.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
A la prochaine
SDM
“I make wonderful chicken and turkey stocks.
My challenges are with making good beef and vegetable stocks. I have never tried making vegetable stock and only once tried making a beef stock. It produced glue.
Could you please provide good recipes and guidance, including for example, good tips like should I buy beef bones with meat on the bone?”
In my training at Reservation, the place which laid the foundation of my culinary journey, I was largely responsible for making massive quantities of stocks and jus. Stocks may seem like a lot of work to some of you but they provide the backbone for many, many preparations and should be given respect as such.
The first key to making a good stock is, are you ready for this, PATIENCE.
When making stock and then jus at Reservation I would start with an appropriate mirepoix while I was roasting the bones. Naturally having a convection oven makes the bones come out a little bit better than a regular home oven, but you can get similar results.
First and foremost I want to say this; Ingredients are key. If you buy bad, soured, spoiled or off ingredients (not that I’m suggesting you would but I find that common sense is by no means common). Thus source out the best place to get the freshest ingredients.
The principle for a beef, veal or chicken stock is the same. Bones, mirepoix, wine, water and herbs and spices.
In this case, for a beef stock, I would suggest buying bones directly from a reputable butcher. Only because I know who is asking this question well I happen to know that you can very easily hit St. Lawrence Market or Kensington Market to find what you need.
At Reservation and Without Reservation I use Veal Leg Bones and Beef Leg Bones. They come to me without any meat on them or at the very least only a little. There are numerous methods to preparing the bones for stock. Some people clean the bones while some prefer to just roast them. For the most part this is a matter of personal preference although there are some very specific and detailed culinary reasons for the multiple preparations.
I would not clean the bones that I was using as I would roast them in a 375 F oven until the bones achieved the colour that I desired (by I naturally I am referring to what Chef wanted which in turn became what I wanted). In a convection oven this could take anywhere from 35 to 50 minutes depending on a whole host of variables.
Once the bones were in the oven I would set to work on the mirepoix. For a good beef or veal stock you want to use roughly 40 % onion, 30 % Carrot and 30% Celery. This is only one way of doing the mirepoix though. You could include fennel, as an example, in place or in addition to celery. I would make my stocks at reservation with a case of bones that weighed 50 pounds and for that I would use approximately five onions, two heads of celery and around 11 carrots. This should give you a pretty good idea.
Some people prefer to roast the mirepoix a bit. I personally do not as I do not like the flavour that develops. Again personal preference.
I would then mix a slurry with Red Wine and Tomato Paste. Again it will depend on the amount of bones that you are using but for a smaller batch I would suggest using twelve or more ounces of tomato paste to each bottle of red wine.
Put a pot on the stove and wait for it to get very hot. Once very hot add the slurry to it and allow it to reduce. You know that it is ready when there is no more alcohol smell. DO NOT PUT YOUR FACE OVER A HOT POT. Instead, use your hands to bring the aroma to your nose.
Let’s assume that your bones are ready. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for a minute or two. PLACE, very important; PLACE the bones into the pot as opposed to just throwing them in. There are both flavour and appearance reasons for this.
Ones the bones are in you want to add your mirepoix and then cover with water. The last thing you want to do is add your flavouring agents, such as; Thyme, Peppercorn, Rosemary, etc. There is no need to do this as a bouquet garni as you are going to have to put the stock through a sieve or colander later.
At this point you have the basic preparations of a stock. You want to bring the stock up to a gentle simmer and then reduce the heat so as not to impart the stock with that tell tale flavour of burn or overheating. Moreover, if you boil your stock it will become cloudy (which for the home cook is not so big a deal but in a restaurant you don’t want it to be cloudy).
At Reservation stock would take me 24 hours to make to come up with a final product of approximately 20 L.
I would suggest that if you follow these instructions you can complete a very nice stock in 8 or so hours.
Now this is very important. You will notice that the scum will float to the surface. Regularly skim off this scum. It will, if left in, adversely affect the flavour and clarity of your stock. I would suggest skimming once every thirty minutes or so.
If you need to you can add a bit more water to the stock if you feel that it has reduced too far. However, as with any reduction, the flavours will grow more intense the more you reduce.
Finally, I use to at Reservation put my (read Chef’s) stock through a fine sieve. What this does is remove the small particles that will adversely affect you stock.
This will produce a very fine beef or veal stock. Best part is you can make big batches and freeze them to be used later.
Moreover if you wanted to turn that stock into a demi you would simply add more water to the pot and allow it to reduce for about the same time that you did the stock. Apply equal portions of stock and remi (second boil) into a pot of reduced red wine and gently simmer until reaching the consistency you desire and voila DEMI!
Vegetable Stock
A great vegetable stock starts with the ingredients and you follow the same basic principles of beef or veal stock although the time required is less plus you do not require the wine. Although this is a matter of personal preference as well.
Again with both stocks; PATIENCE IS KEY. You must skim your protein stocks very well.
In terms of recipes, some of the best have come from the incredible work of Escoffier, Blanc and as of recently Apicius. Each are available from the public Library and offer a wealth of knowledge when it comes to stocks. By the way, the current recipe belongs to an Executive Chef who I respect immensely and as such I have not given out his recipe.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, stocks are the basis from which many of the dishes I prepare gain their complexity, colour and beautiful flavour. Play with them over time and you will develop a recipe that is best for you.
I hope this answers your question. If not send me an email and let me know.
Raymond Blanc once said; “Like my father before me, I'm a very passionate person, with boundless energy and tremendous willpower.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
A la prochaine
SDM
Sunday, March 22, 2009
First Question; How to Roast Vegetables in the Oven?
So my friends, the first question that I received was yesterday from a dear man who was there the moment that I got engaged and in fact took one of the best pictures commemorating the event for me. In case I didn’t thank you then, THANK YOU! It is one of C and I’s favorite pictures of all time.
The question was as follows; “How can I roast in the oven zucchini, peppers, onions, eggplant and carrots in oven. Want them tender yet with a little crispness left. What can I baste them with? Mine always turn out hard.”
My suggestion was to buy a cast iron griddle pan. I’ve attached a link here to a great example;
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=489&f=3724
On the stovetop you would then heat the pan until it is smoking hot. While you are waiting for the pan to heat up make sure that you heat the oven to approximately 325 F. I say approximately because every oven is different, some get hotter and some are cooler.
Toss the vegetables in a little olive oil (or whatever fat substitute you prefer) along with some salt, pepper and some fresh herbs if you are so inclined. In order to avoid excessive browning I like to add an acid, either lemon juice or lime juice just as I am about to put into the pan. It both imparts flavour and helps to prevent discoloration. Once you have seared both sides you want to put them into the oven for about seven to ten minutes. Again times vary according to your oven so keep a close eye.
This should make your roasted vegetables taste delicious and have just the right mouth feel if I understood your question correctly.
Thank you for your question and I look forward to many many more.
SDM
The question was as follows; “How can I roast in the oven zucchini, peppers, onions, eggplant and carrots in oven. Want them tender yet with a little crispness left. What can I baste them with? Mine always turn out hard.”
My suggestion was to buy a cast iron griddle pan. I’ve attached a link here to a great example;
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=489&f=3724
On the stovetop you would then heat the pan until it is smoking hot. While you are waiting for the pan to heat up make sure that you heat the oven to approximately 325 F. I say approximately because every oven is different, some get hotter and some are cooler.
Toss the vegetables in a little olive oil (or whatever fat substitute you prefer) along with some salt, pepper and some fresh herbs if you are so inclined. In order to avoid excessive browning I like to add an acid, either lemon juice or lime juice just as I am about to put into the pan. It both imparts flavour and helps to prevent discoloration. Once you have seared both sides you want to put them into the oven for about seven to ten minutes. Again times vary according to your oven so keep a close eye.
This should make your roasted vegetables taste delicious and have just the right mouth feel if I understood your question correctly.
Thank you for your question and I look forward to many many more.
SDM
Friday, March 20, 2009
Ask A Chef in Training
Plato once said; “For neither birth, nor wealth, nor honors, can awaken in the minds of men the principles which should guide those who from their youth aspire to an honorable and excellent life, as Love awakens them”
I love to cook. It is one of the few things in this crazy life that can make me relax. From my earliest memories I was in a kitchen. Whether it was baking shortbread, making pasta or being the grill master, I have always loved, neigh, needed to cook. It brought me to another place where I could relax, calm my mind and grow as a person.
I will be very honest, this blog is the result of my friend Linds, who I have known since I was a fifteen year old brat. We met in high school, that time when what we don’t know is compounded even further by what we don’t know. If that doesn’t make sense to you then I have to wonder if you remember what adolescence was like.
I have been on the journey to becoming a chef for about a year and a half. However, I have, as mentioned above, been cooking my whole life. I am the third of eight children, whose parents divorced, as such, I would often end up cooking when I got sick of the “take out” monster.
So what is the purpose of this blog. Well, it is two fold, one to assists YOU in any and all culinary questions you may have but also to assist me in my culinary growth.
So ask me anything you want. Help me to help you. And as a result we will both grow.
Paul Sweeney once said; “He adds a lot of laughs and shares his knowledge of the past. He's quite a character.”
I am yours!
And I would like to extend a very big thank you to Linds for causing me to see that I can help people every day doing what I love.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
I love to cook. It is one of the few things in this crazy life that can make me relax. From my earliest memories I was in a kitchen. Whether it was baking shortbread, making pasta or being the grill master, I have always loved, neigh, needed to cook. It brought me to another place where I could relax, calm my mind and grow as a person.
I will be very honest, this blog is the result of my friend Linds, who I have known since I was a fifteen year old brat. We met in high school, that time when what we don’t know is compounded even further by what we don’t know. If that doesn’t make sense to you then I have to wonder if you remember what adolescence was like.
I have been on the journey to becoming a chef for about a year and a half. However, I have, as mentioned above, been cooking my whole life. I am the third of eight children, whose parents divorced, as such, I would often end up cooking when I got sick of the “take out” monster.
So what is the purpose of this blog. Well, it is two fold, one to assists YOU in any and all culinary questions you may have but also to assist me in my culinary growth.
So ask me anything you want. Help me to help you. And as a result we will both grow.
Paul Sweeney once said; “He adds a lot of laughs and shares his knowledge of the past. He's quite a character.”
I am yours!
And I would like to extend a very big thank you to Linds for causing me to see that I can help people every day doing what I love.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
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