Ravioli

When I was a child my ravioli came from one person, a chef name Boyardee. It was simple to make and came in a can, so storage was never an issue. It was simply one of my favorite can goods and maybe one of my favorite foods. Its' delicious mystery meat (I mean what is really inside?) and red sauce that always seemed to end up on my clothes somehow always made my day. I have since realized that maybe my favorite chef isn't really that great after all...

Towards the end of my basics class in culinary school we had pasta day. Making pasta from scratch blew my mind at that moment, I mean pasta came from a box. I could not even imagine making ravioli, and I was trying to figure out in my head what could be in Chef Boyardee's recipe so I could replicate it. Luckily our assignment was to make fettucine and leave the ravioli making to our instructor. Pasta day came around and Chef Foote made an amazing lobster ravioli. It was savory, gooey and most of all delicious. In one small second my favorite chef had been booted from the top. I knew that never again would the mystery meat and sloppy red sauce satisfy me. It was a joyous moment for my taste buds and a miserable one for my heart.

Since that day my ravioli have been filled with anything but mystery meat.

I made mushroom ravioli with a friend. We had to roll and cut the pasta by hand and it was a pain. I can't believe we spent that time to do it. I am still impressed with us today and even more impressed that my dear friend still makes that ravioli today by hand. I made an simple Parmesan cream sauce to have with it and it was sure tasty.

My family could be classified as carnivores at times, so when making ravioli for them it could only have one thing in it, MEAT. I made a ground beef, Italian sausage, Parmesan cheese, and spinach (only a little though because it's green and we all know about green veggies...). While similar to my once favorite ravioli...it was different because I could identify everything in this ravioli. This was a much simpler ravioli to make than the first because I have acquired a pasta roller and ravioli press. I have made this ravioli a few times now and it is a favorite with the meat lovin' crowd.

Within a month of working at the restaurant my Chef had me make potato-leek raviolo (aka huge ravioli). It came with a egg yolk sitting in the top of the filling, something I was not keen on, especially when it was still runny when you cut into it. Bravely I tried it though and it was so good. It make that divine lobster ravioli seem just ok. My taste buds were once again on cloud nine.

This past week, we decided to make raviolos again. We didn't have any leeks so we decided asparagus sounded good. This raviolo was made with asparagus, potatoes, parmesan cheese and our house-made ricotta. It also had an raw egg yolk on top again, something that I was much fonder of after tasting the leek-potato one. Our sous chef ha the great idea to top it with french fried onions (made from scratch of course) and then to add some color we decided to add some fried rosemary. It was also finished in brown butter, which I add is the best way to have butter.

We all quickly grabbed forks deciding to test one. We were like lions ravishing our prey. The raviolo was quickly destroyed. It was beyond delicious. If there is a cloud ten my taste buds and heart were on it (as well as everyone else's. We sold out of them in just a short 90 minutes). I couldn't believe that anything could taste this good. It was hot, gooey, very green and a little bit of heaven in my mouth.

I have had dreams about these raviolo for days now. I have made about a 100 at work and ate more than one. Thoughts of green goo and french fried onions have consumed far too many moments in my life the last four days. My taste buds are craving a new exciting recipe and Chef Boyardee has been forgotten.

Cluck! Cluck!

It seems that food is always on my mind....whether because I am starving, because I am cooking, or because of the tantalizing smells coming from the restaurant's many ovens or stoves. There is one ingredient however that runs through every vein of the restaurant and one that I personally use more than I would have ever dreamed possible.

Eggs are a food we all know about. In fact, most of us probably have some in our fridges right now. They are one of those three items that are always on the grocery list--milk, bread and yes eggs. I grew up with eggs in my home in abundance. We had scrambled eggs for breakfast, the occasional quiche and many cakes and cookies. The only sad fact is I hate eggs although it might be more accurate to say that eggs hate me. Throw them in something sweet and cover them with sugar and I am great, but make me an omelet or a quiche and there is just no way I will eat them. Eggs and I share a mutual understanding with one another. We agree to be nice to each other with out crossing the line, until recently.

Eggs are like potatoes. They can be used many ways themselves and with salt become enjoyable. We scramble, poach, fry, sunny side, over many ways and sometimes use them raw just to name a few ways. Eggs are versatile by themselves but where they begin to amaze me is just how many things eggs work their way into.

We use a lot of eggs at the restaurant. I knew this, it has always been apparent especially since I began making the breads and pasta. I use between 100-150 eggs a day...yes a day not a week but a day. That is just me. I can't account for the eggs that are used for our finishing and our dishes on the line. That's just me for breads and for pasta. It amazes me everyday I can use over 12 dozen eggs.

This weekend or really Saturday paints the perfect picture of eggs being used for anything and everything you can imagine. Get ready to count the ways.

For Easter we made Easter baskets for all the children who came to the restaurant that were 12 and under. The contained many goodies the first being colored eggs (1). I had the opportunity to color eggs and get paid. It was great, until I realized I had to color 100. The baskets all had sugar cookies (2) in them as well. They were butterfly and flower shaped. They were so fun to make and very fun to decorate.

In addition to my Easter fun, I did my typical prep as well. Our egg problem really became apparent to me on Saturday within an hour of being at work. I arrived to find our Sous Chef already working steadily on desserts. He had made Bread Pudding (3), was working on cheesecake (4) and had eggs out for one batch of our challah (5) bread.

Our produce man arrived shortly after me and rescued us from our empty egg shelf. He brought 15 dozen eggs with him to use in addition to the 7 or 8 dozen we already had already claimed among ourselves. Within 15-20 minutes every egg, new and old, was gone. I had claimed 200 for pasta (6) and yet more bread (7). Our line cooks had claimed many more dozen for scrambled eggs (8), omelets (9) and any other egg dish our customers wanted for brunch(10). One of our dinner cooks had also claimed at least a couple of dozen for our lunch and dinner sauteed mushrooms (11) and for finishing one of our pastas (12).

25 minutes later we were all paused in our work. Everything we started to make we soon realized we needed eggs. We sent someone out to get more and we all had a few minutes to rest while waiting for more eggs to make more bread pudding (13), more bread (14) and shortly we need more eggs on the line for our various other egg endeavors (15, 16, 17...and so on)

I think it's safe to say, eggs are vital to our operation, and while eggs and I will not be friends anytime soon, this weekend I bow to them and their many uses that make so many tasty and delicious foods.

The most hated vegetable...

Like most children I was genetically engineered to hate green vegetables, broccoli was my only exception. I spent most of my childhood and teenage years avoiding those gross green things and finding ways to make them disappear when they did end up on my dinner plate. I would never imagine that those vegetables I hated so much would later become some of my favorite foods, especially the most hated green of all...brussel sprouts.

When I started working at the Copper Onion I soon found out we had brussel sprouts on the menu, and everybody was saying they were so good. I was deeply concerned about the mental status of my fellow coworkers. I was determined that no matter what I would never eat one. I am the artful dodger of avoiding eating foods I don't like. I have spent at least 20 years perfecting the skill. I was on my A game to avoid brussel sprouts at work.

Yet depsite my opinion that everybody hated brussel sprouts, they seemed to fly out of the kitchen. Everybody must be crazy I decided. My avoidance continued for a few weeks until the smell of the sprouts tantalized my taste buds to a craving. After refusing this craving for a few days I finally gave in and tried the vegetable I had hated for so long.

To my surpise they were amazing. I apparently was the the one the with altered mental status, not the rest of the world. I can't believe that for almost 22 years I have avoided eating such a delicious food. Brussel Sprouts have since filled my life. I have ate them many times at work, gone to special grocery stores to purchase them and have successful got my mom hooked on them as well.

These "mini cabbages" are super healthy for you containing amounts of Vitamins A and C, folic acid, and dietary fiber. It's also been suggested they protect aganist colon cancer. These facts only added to my desire to eat more brussel sprouts.

Many people hate brussel sprouts because they are often overcooked. When brussel sprouts are overcooked they get mushy and sulfuric acid is released giving them an awful smell not the one I enjoy so much. When they lose the vibrant green color they are overcooked. You can cook them a variety of ways though I always cook them like how we cook them at the restaurant. I cut them super thin (juliene) and then saute them with some garlic, salt and pepper and then finish them with a bit of lemon juice. Just don't let them overcook!

I say to everyone if you think you don't like brussel sprouts (as we were genetically engineered not to) try again. They may turn out to be your new favorite food. They now belong at the top of my list.

Salt

One of my favorite things in life are fairy tales. I love it when guy meets girl and then the next thing you know they live happily ever. Many many years ago (and I really do mean many!) one of the first love stories ever told was that of Sodium and Chloride. These two minerals were sad and lonely, if only they could find their true love. One day, by mere coincidence I'm sure, they ran into each other and it was instant chemistry. They were quick to fall in love and have remain in love longer than most of us can imagine.

This happy couple is what we most often call salt. Salt has been used for centuries from ancient Egyptians to early Chinese. Salt water surrounds us in our oceans and I live in state that's capital city is Salt Lake, which is named after it's very large and rather salty lake. We spread salt on our icy roads and oddly enough we use it to prevent our ice from melting while making while making ice cream.

Salt is essential to our daily life and most living creatures require it for survival. Although too much salt we have been warned it bad for our health. It can cause high blood pressure, edema and in some extreme cases death. Yet, with the risks it is one of the most basic tastes and one of the simplest and most common seasoning for food.

I love salt. I never knew the power of salt until I attended culinary school. Salt is one of the most amazing seasonings. It can take something so bland such as a potato or tomato and make it tasty. It grabs our tastes buds and they beg us to give them more. We often indulge in this feeling and feed our taste buds salt to their heart's content.

There are many examples of our weakness to give into our taste buds wishes. We place salt shakers full of salt on our dinner tables. At work when making soup, fries, a salad, ok anything my first thought is to salt it, taste it and most often salt it more. If anybody is like me after eating something salty such as potato chips I often lick my fingers for that finally salty taste.

Indeed salt is something that is used often and spared little. As such, I offer but a few tips to lower ones sodium intake each day to prevent health problems and help us to enjoy this terrific seasoning.

1. Use unsalted butter. I can hear the groans coming. Before they begin let me finish, you can always add salt but taking it away is impossible. Use unsalted butter and then add salt if you need. It might be a adjustment at first but after a while you won't be able to remember what salted butter tasted like. Go Mom for at least cooking with unsalted butter!!

2. Use sea salt, kosher salts or a salt that is not iodnized. While iodine is an essential nutrient, there are other ways to get it than in salt. Iodized salt contains more sodium per teaspoon than other forms of salt such as sea salt.

These few tips may not help you today or tomorrow but they will help you in the long run!

I have no doubt we will continue to use large amounts of salt everywhere we go whether in the kitchen or out of it.

If you find yourself stuck with a food that is bland, try some salt....it'll be amazing what it will do.

The Idaho Legacy

Potatoes. One of the most bland and diverse foods on the planet and yet one of my favorites. I love potatoes, anyway and every way. Most of the United States' potatoes come from Idaho as most of us Utahns are aware, however Idaho and the United States plays but a small role in potato production. China oddly is the world's leading potato grower. I found this fascinating and then this picture of little Chinese people with giant potatoes filled my mind. While unrealistic it was fun to pretend for a few moments that this was real.

The average person eats 73 pounds of potatoes a year. This is about the weight of my little sister. I find it strange to believe that I eat my little sister's weight in potatoes every year, and it's quite possible I eat more than 73 pounds, as previously mentioned I love potatoes. Who could not love potatoes though? With dozens of things to do with them and ways to make them flavorful there is a potato for everyone in the world.

Gnocci's--potato based dumplings. Delicious, most commonly known at the moment by being in soup served at the Olive Garden.
Funeral Potatoes--I would not be a proper Utahn without giving these potatoes proper credit. These delicious casserole style potatoes with about a million calories are among my top 3 favorite potatoes. Delicious is all there is to say about them.
Baked and Boiled--While among the simplest and dullest ways to cook potatoes, they are still delicious (as long as you add large quantities of salt as all potatoes need.)
Mashed--This Thanksgiving staple can be made many different ways but most of us find ourselves eating far too many when they are put in front of us.
The Fried Varieties--They are dozens of different styles of fried potatoes. They are all still french fries and delicious, add a little fry sauce and your in business.
Au Gratin and Casserole--Millions of calories and potatoes...what gets better than this?
Breakfast Potatoes--We've added this staple to lunch and dinner why not add it to breakfast?
Potato Soup, Potatoes in Soup or Potatoes in anything else--why not?

There are many more things to do with potatoes. At the restaurant we use potatoes in at least 4 dishes. This week alone we use over 150 pounds of potatoes, next week I'm sure we'll use more.

As someone wise once told me, "I love potatoes! Potatoes are like heaven! I could live off of potatoes!"

I could.

Pork Belly...a Gift from the Gods.

Last week at work we had a pork salad special. It was divine. Braised pork belly, then fried (so it became darn good bacon) with brussel sprouts. It was garnished with carrot, lemon and lime picklins (also delicious), celery ribbons and wishbone scallions. It was beautiful and tasty. This got me thinking. Who doesn't like bacon? and What doesn't seem better with bacon on it? We use bacon a lot in the restaurant. It goes in our pasta, we serve it at breakfast, and we make salads from it just to name a few. I was taught in school a warm bacon dressing and now bacon is even crossing the line into desserts.

I've been obsessed with my thoughts of bacon lately. I don't eat it much despite being what appears to be surrounded by it but once I eat one slice it's like I have a sick addiction. I end up eating at least five or six pieces. I then feel so guilty for devouring it with such pleasure. I quickly vow to never it do it again and then yet two days lately I am devouring it again. Addiction. Yet, I ask myself does not half of America share in my addiction?

A few examples to illustrate my point.

Example 1:
A few days ago some lady who works across the street from the restaurant called. It was breakfast time and since starting breakfast just 4 days ago our numbers aren't well let's just say aren't as high as we would like. We were all hard at work prepping for the day when our printers started humming. An order came through for 2 sides of bacon. That's it. The whole order consisted of 6 slices of bacon. I was in awe. I mean I know sometimes I slip at breakfast and eat 6 slices when things are a bit slow...but I have never actually gone to a place and order just bacon. This lady was coming from across the street for bacon. I was awestruck. Someone else shared my addiction.

Example 2:
I googled things to with bacon recently. I just wanted to see how creative people were. The first hit I got was 1001 things to do with bacon. Now there are many 101 things to do with whatever but 1001 with bacon. I was amazed. Not only that there is over 1000 different things to do with bacon besides just cooking it up and eating it, but that somebody has taken the time to try 1001 different things with bacon. I wonder what their cholesterol is like? Have they needed open-heart surgery yet? I know that the first time I try things new they don't always work out. Normally by try 3 their great... How many times did this person have to make these 1001 things? My addiction may be but a small problem. I felt better after reading that article.

The roots of the story is this. Whoever discovered that eating the abs of pigs were good deserves a medal, and a million thanks not to mention the worlds' riches. We are truly a nation addicted to many things-pork belly being one of them. It is a sad truth. Next time you are whipping something up ask yourself...Would this be better with bacon? The answer might surprise you.

Pork Belly...truly a gift.

45 People!!

Today we had a party at work...45 people at the same time, oh and did I mention that was in addition to our normal lunch service. It was madness. There was so many people behind the line running around. It was I need the pasta...where's the cheese? How are the burgers coming? Do you have fries ready? Is my soup boiling...oh no it's burning... The list goes on and on. It was crazy and yet incredibly fun. I had a blast despite the organized chaos! I wish I could possibly describe the rush you feel running around in circles with panic going through your brain trying to remain calm on the outside because did I mention that I work in a open kitchen? It is fun though. I get to see the customers and talk to some of them. It is distracting though because I love to people watch and you get interesting people in the restaurant and everyone eats so different and I find it fascinating...which makes me distracted often. It's not a good thing! Tomorrow I work the line for dinner and it's Friday which means busy busy! Just the way I like it! My family is also coming to eat tomorrow minus Nicole...sorry you can't make it! Come eat on anther day though. I am excited to see what my family thinks although it is a bit different than places we normally eat. It's amazing food but very modern and on the fine dining side! Wish me luck!!