anything goes in an italian kitchen

Well it has been about a month since my last post so i guess it is time to update again....

When in Rome.....it has been quite the last couple of weeks here. Finally feel settled and in somewhat of a routine. I am working 6 days a week and usually from 12 to midnight most days. Its tiring but i get to do a lot of things in the kitchen so it has been a really good experience so far. My day usualy starts off by preping and cleaning. Preparing sauces, pastas, bread, portioning fish and meats for dinner service and cold dishes. Then when dinner service starts, which is around 7:00, i do a lot of the antipasti and apertivi but as we get further into dinner service i help prepare some of our hot dishes as well as start to help with dessert. It can be quite chaotic in the kitchen at times when you get 20 tickets coming in at once and everybody is scrambling around to get dishes out on time. It has been really good to see it though, because it is showing me how to be organized and keep everything in line. The restaurant i work at actually has three parts to it, it has a bar area, it has the osteria and finaly the ristorante. Now you might be wondering what the difference is between the osteria and ristorante and an osteria is a little less formal, your local hangout place while the ristorante is the more upscale, fancy type place with a couple different tasting menus and only a few tables. When all three are busy, like last night, the kitchen is a pretty exciting place with a lot going on. Last night we had probably 140 tickets which probably meant we had about 60 to 70 covers. Last night was pretty busy for us but that is about the norm for most nights and we are open every day of the week.
The biggest difficulty so far has been the language which can be very frustrating. It is getting better but italian is a tough language to learn. I am hopeing that another month and i will be able to at least carry on a normal conversation with someone.
The other exciting news is that i tried slicing part of my thumb off last week. Slicing some guanciale, knife slipped and sliced into my thumb. Its doing fine, so no worries, but definitely something i want to try to avoid. Although i am sure i will have a nice scar from this one.
Definitely missing the states a bit but still really enjoying my time here. Thankfully next weekend i get saturday and sunday off, so i am going to go visit one of my friends in Porto Ercole which is a little town on the coast just north of Rome. It will be a weekend of relaxing and sitting on the beach! Very much looking forward to that. Hope everyone is doing well back home and another update probably after my weekend getaway.

Updates...

In our last week here in Colorno!! Crazy how fast it has gone by. I know some of you must be wondering where i am headed next week......

ROMA!!!!

I will be doing my internship portion of school at this great restaurant in Rome. The restaurant is called Giuda Ballerino and the head chef is Andrea Fusco. I actually already got to meet him back in June because he was our guest chef when we did the region of Lazio which is the region Rome is in. I am very excited to go there and start working. Living in the "Eternal City" and being around all the history that surrounds Rome will be amazing. Hopefully i will do a better job of updating everyone when i am there.

The last 4 weeks have been a blur. First a couple of friends and myself went to the beautiful island of Elba (Isola d'Elba). The island is located off the coast of Tuscany heading towards Sardegna and Corsica. This little island is quite famous because it is where Napolean was exiled and he was king of the island for a little over a year. Beside that, it is also a major snorkling and scuba diving area, so if you love to dive this is one great place to come. It was also a great place to run, they have dirt trails that zig-zag all over the island, you could also hike and mountain bike. My only advice is that be prepared for some sketchy driving, some of the roads are pretty narrow and can be very steep but it makes for some fun driving experiences. I have pictures up of the trip in the slide show on my blog here and also on my facebook page.

The following weekend we had a class fieldtrip to Tuscany. We visited three different wineries, a butcher shop, and the best goat cheese farm on this planet. I kid you not, there is no where else that compares. The farm is called Santa Margarita (not to be confused with the wine) and is a great little place and must be checked out if you are a cheese head. We spent the night in Siena and then continued are journey around Tuscany. One of the wineries we visited, Il Boro, is owned by Salvatore Farragammo, of the fashion fame and we actually got to meet him which was pretty interesting and cool. From there a couple of us got dropped off in Florence saturday night. We spend saturday night and sunday exploring the great city. Definitely a must see for art and architecture fans. Also a shoppers paradise with all the famous european brands but also the unofficial italian leather capital with little leather carts every block. Myself, i picked up some nice italian leather shoes, so starting to blend in a little bit with these italians, although my red hair does tend to stand out.

This past week was my birthday and we had a great time celebrating italian style. Definitely one of the best birthday's to date. This past friday we had another field trip, this time we went to Piemonte, in the foothills of the alps. We visited another cheese farm and then went to a farm that was devoted entirely to bio-dynamic production. It was a beautiful day and it reminded me of being back home in colorado. Finally, on saturday and sunday i went with a couple of friends to the east coast of italy, the Adriatic Sea. We went to Pesaro and Ancona, two little cities on the coast. Both were very beautiful and the italians call it the california of italy.

In the last two weeks i have also had some very good eating experiences. When we came back from Florence we stopped in Parma and ate at a 1 star michelin rated restaurant that was excellent. I had this black angus ratetouille that was amazing and the desserts were excellent. We ended up being the last people in the restaurant, so the chef invited us to come see the kitchen and walk around. Excellenct dinning experience #1.
The second place was near Pesaro this past weekend. It was another 1 star michelin rated restaurant that sat on the cliffs overlooking the adriatic sea. Being by the sea everything was seafood and was some of the freshest seafood i have ever had. We had shrimp, scampi, swordfish, crab, flounder, all with fresh herbs, vegetables, fresh homemade pasta and breads....all with a couple bottles of wine = greatness!!
Again we spent almost 4 hours at the restaurant (so beware, if you come to italy and want a good meal, make sure you have some time, we sat at 8:30 and didn't leave until midnight) and again we were almost the last ones in the restaurant. There were two couples who were still there when we left. We didn't get to see the kitchen this time but spent some time talking to the chef and staff at the restaurant.

It is still hard to believe that i have been here for two and half months now but i am loving every moment of it and can't wait to move to Rome and spend another two and half months there. My only concern is my italian but i know after spending two and half months in a kitchen where only italian is going to be spoken, i imagine i might be pretty good at it by the end. Hopefully i will have another update for everyone next week sometime and let you know how Rome is.

Luglio in Italia

Already july.....
Can't believe how fast this is going by. It has been about a month since my last post so i thought i should update. The last month has been nothing short of amazing. Each week we have two to three days in the kitchen and the other two days we usually have guest chefs coming from all over the country to tell us about their region and cuisine. It is so refreshing to see different chefs each week and watch and learn from them. Each one has their own style and take on food. All have been good but definitely a few have stood out above the others. We have gone through about half of the regions in Italy so far and as much as i love the mountains of the north i am being drawn towards the cooking of southern Italy. The use of fresh ingredients, spices, pastas, meats, and fish.....they are used so simply but in an elegant way and you can taste each ingredient and when you put all of them together.....well its amazing. As far as my own cooking skills those continue to improve each day as well. I countinue to learn numerous things from our head chef Bruno who is an unbelievable chef with so much knowledge. So, for everyone back home, when i return you will have a good meal made for you.
Outside of the kitchen i have been trying to see as much of this beautiful country as possible. I guess about three weeks ago i went to Cinque Terre with three of my friends. Cinque Terre is in the Italian Riviera and is composed of 5 little towns on the sea with dramatic cliffs, mountains and pristine beaches. If you get a chance to come to Italy in the summertime you must make it a point to visit this beautiful place.
The week after we had a class fieldtrip to see where parmigiano regiano is made and also proscuito di parma. On the next day we drove to regio-emilia to see where balsamic vinegar is made. Seeing barrel upon barrel of balsamic, some that was aged for over 30 years! We also had a tasting with cheese, bread, little cakes and chocolates....again it was amazing. This was just the start of a great day to come. After we left for a little town that was near the Adriatic coast. Here we met a man and his wife who cooked us one of the best meals i have ever had. The man is a master cheese maker and showed us where he ages and makes his most delectable creations. There house sits on top of a hill where you can see San Marino to the north, the adriatic to the east and the mountains of central italy to the south and west. It is one of the best days i have had here in Italy.
Last weekend the same four of us who went to Cinque Terre went to Bologna for the weekend. The home of Bolognese cuisine, mortadella, and one of the oldest universities in the world. The city was a little smaller than i thought it was going to be but made it easy to walk all around and see all the sights. Unfortunately we watched the U.S. lose to Ghana but otherwise had a great weekend.
As for this week it has been pretty good. The only real mishap was on monday when i sliced my finger open when i was deboning some guinea hen. So, i will probably have a nice scar on my middle finger on my left hand but all is well and that is just apart of being a chef. Besides my finger the cooking was very good this week and i got great remarks on all my dishes. We also had to fill out a form about our expectations for where we want to do our internship this week. I am leaning towards Rome but we do not get to choose exactly where we want to go so either way i will be very excited for wherever i end up. This makes me a little nervous but I am sure wherever i end up it will be a great experience. The other part i am worried about is my Italian which is coming along but is still not very good. I practice everyday but more is needed.
Thats is for now. I wish everyone back in the states a happy fourth of July, i hope it is safe and fun! For those of you in Colorado going to the white trash bash i will be there in spirit.

ITALY

Finally here and I may never leave. Sorry everyone back home but if you were here you would understand. These pictures are just a taste and don't give justice to what it is like to actually be here. The top one is our school.

Arrived on Saturday in Milan and spent the day getting lost in the many little streets and piazza's. Then we all got on a bus sunday afternoon and arrived in Colorono. A beautiful little town in the heart of Italy. The living has greatly improved from New York. We have great appartments in town and it is only a 10 minute walk to school. The town reminds me of a mix between Saline, MI and Colorado Springs, CO. It has the small town charm of saline, slow paced, easy going and the beautiful scenery of colorado springs. Not quite the big mountains of the rockies out my window but there are some beautiful mountains not far away.

First week is in the books and it definitely has been a change but it has been a good change. Still getting used to the new kitchen and the way things are done here but it is coming along. We did go to Torino this past wednesday and it was awesome and is definitely somewhere i want to get back to and spend some more time. With the alps in the background and the italian riviera and cote d'azur only an hour away, who wouldn't? We visited this food emporium called Eately and i know you are thinking they went all the way to Torino to visit a grocery store but this place was amazing. All the products are direct from producers and they are high quality products from small producers but at prices everyone can afford. The idea behind it is if they can provide good food then people can live good, healthy lives and if you make it affordable for everyone then more than just the rich have a chance to live a healthy life. There are a few around Italy and europe, some in Japan and Hong Kong and the U.S. will have its first one late this year in New York City.

Hopefully today we will make it in to Parma to see more of the city that is closest to us. And yes it is the home of parmagiano regiano and procuitto di parma.

Desserts, Beaches, and Packing

So, finally i have some photos of the desserts week! Some pretty exciting stuff that was really good and looked pretty good too! First we have a strawberry tort that had crema pasticcera in it or a custard filling in english.
Here we have some bomboloni or you might better now them as doughnut holes. They were delicious and were a big hit around the building.
Finally we have profiteroles with crema pasticcera, vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce. These weren't the only ones but these were my favorite and there are pictures of some of the others in the slide show. The great thing was that i got to make the profiteroles in my final that was this past monday.

Speaking of which went really well. My recipes were gnocchi di patate and profiteroles con crema pasticcera e salsa di ciocolato. I thought they were a bit on the easier side for our last final but i took it. I scored a 90 on the practical and it should have been a little better, the gnocchi were a little salty and my crema pasticcera was not as smooth as it should have been but overall not bad. I brought it back with the last theory test, scoring a perfect 100. We then celebrated with some champagne and a beautiful sunset on the rooftop!


The last three days have been filled with just relaxing, running, beaches, and walking around the city. Lived it up in the Hamptons yesterday on a gorgeous day. 80 degrees, sun shinning although the water is still a bit cold so no swimming but definitely enjoyed the sun! And it was a beautiful evening to be out in the city.

Now, its on to Italy. My bags are packed, my tickets are punched all that is left is getting on the plane. So, if you need me DON'T CALL or TEXT but i will have facebook and email and of course the blog. The next post will be from Italy, so long New York, so long U.S. next time i see you is TBD.

Showing the love

Well, only one more day in the kitchen here in new york.....kind of crazy but so excited to leave for Italy next friday.

This past week has been a great week. Actually it really began last sunday when i was lucky enough to have one of my best friends come and visit. It was an excellent day with lunch in the park, wondering through the museum of natural history, shopping a little bit, and ending with some coffee and crossword puzzels. Learning about the temperature of lakes and when the earth might slip into another ice age. It was a picture perfect day and i think she should come to italy next to visit ;)

Then i got to spend the next couple days with my mom. She was in town again for work, so that means eating out at some great restaurants. Monday night was Becco. One of the great Italian restaurants in the city in midtown owned by Lidia Bastianich. The same owners of Del Posto and Esca. It was a happening place and packed but we snagged a place at the bar and had a great meal. Their signature three pastas are excellent and the veal parm was excellent and big enough for at least two to share. Plus they have an entire list of bottles of wine that are $25, you won't find a better deal in the city. On tuesday we went to The Mark by Jean George at the Mark Hotel on the upper east side. Very good food, they make a great grapefruit gimlet, however, it is definitely the place where all the yuppities of the upper east side come to eat. Old money, cigars, jewelry that costs more than my life, and now within the last decade botox and tanning beds galore. Oh, and these people were all at least 65 years or older. There were only two other tables that i could see younger people at. It was pretty entertaining to people watch, so if you like to people watch i definitely suggest it.

As for the kitchen this week, it has been all about executing, timing, and presentation of dishes. On tuesday we were given a menu with four different items: Antipasti, Primo, Secondo, and Dolce. On tuesday i made the antipasti and secondo and then on wednesday made the primo and dolce. Thursday and friday were the same but with a new menu. It was pretty fun and we made some tasty stuff. Spaghetti with clams and oysters and a presecco zambione, spinach and ricotta tortelloni with a tomato and olive sauce, red mullett with asparagus, fava bean, strawberry panzenella sprinkled with lavender bread crumbs, buttermilk panna cotta with cherry compote and pistachio crisps....that was tuesday and wednesday.....thursday and friday as follows: tuna tartar with pickled onions, avacado sauce, and black olive wafers, risotto with pea shoots, roasted tomatoes, and pan seared salmon with balsamic reduction, duck braised in burgandy with poached figs and marsala/burgandy reduction sauce, and finally a ricotta/mascarpone, rhubarb/strawberry compote tart with ginger strawberry sauce and almond ice cream.

Yes, quite the week. Now, all that is left is the final theory and practical on monday. Then Italy next friday! Can't wait!

Last week of classes.....then its off to Italia

Its been a little while since my last post, so i am going to post a quick one then add more in a couple of days.

We finally finished up desserts last week and to be honest i am a little relieved because it was a lot of sugar but i still love my sweets. Made some pretty good stuff and it was a little more laid back in the kitchen which was a nice change. I can see why some prefer to be pastry chefs, a little less hectic and you get to play with chocolate, butter, and sugar. I have some good photos so i will post those soon.

Last wednesday we changed back to main courses with some fish, then pasta on thursday and meats on friday. Tomorrow we will finish with some pork and fish, after that we will move into timed exercises with different menus that we will get each day in class. So, hopefully a good and exciting week.

On the restaurant front things still continue to go well. Cooking more and more each time i am there. Actually got to run the second station twice last week, meaning it was just me and one other cook, usually there is three of us. It was pretty cool and i didn't screw anything up. I also got to work an event with Chef Cesere last tuesday. It was put on by wine and spirits magazine and there were a handful of restaurants and a bunch of wineries from around the country and the world on hand. It was a great experience, met a lot of people and got hooked up with some free wine. This coming saturday there is another event on the upper west side that i will be helping out with too, hopefully it is equally as successful.

Only 11 more days here in new york then off to italia!

Best week ever.....nuff said

A great week indeed. First, we were done with meat for the most part and started into fish and seafood. Second, I was one of the risotto challenge winners as explained in the last blog entry. Third, kicked ass on the second practical that was on friday. Finally, spent the weekend seeing some sights with my cousin and her finace. Add some great weather and some good runs and you get the best week ever.

Practical #2:
Knew the day was off to a good start when i got in a good 9 miler before class. Cleared my head and got focused for the tast ahead. I knew i could do much better than practical #1 and wanted to show the chefs what i was capable of. Again, there were two dishes that had to be plated at specific times, however, both were a little bit more involved and the second dish had two components to it. The first dish was Risotto con Funghi (Risotto with Mushrooms). With the risotto challenge victory just two days prior i was very pleased to see this recipe. The mushrooms are sauteed and mixed with some tomato puree, chicken stock, and some herbs and reduced to a nice consistency. The risotto is made the same way we made it in the challenge. When that is done you add in the mushroom mix, butter, and some pecorino cheese. Again, consisteny is crucial, you want all'onda, which means like a wave. Together but not too loose and runny but not too tight and sticky.

The second dish was Costolette d'agnello con carciofo alla romana (roast rack of lamb with artichokes roman style). The key to this dish was cooking each part to the right temperature and right doneness. Overall not a really difficult dish but timing was key. The rack of lamb had to be cleaned and frenched. We had to make a lamb stock to make a pan sauce for the rack. Clean the artichoke and marinate in mint, parsley, garlic, and lemon. Steam artichokes til tender. Sear and roast lamb to a perfect medium-rare (about 135 degrees internal temp). Serve rack with sauce and artichoke. Doesn't seem so difficult, right? ;)

This was also a dish i was happy to see. For the past week or so while working with meat and fish, cooking it to the right temp and doneness has not been a problem. The one problem i have usually had is the pan sauce. Either not cooking it long enough and it is broken or too long and it burns and reduces too much.

The first dish was a breeze and while we don't get comments or much reaction from the chefs when we plate i could tell by the facial reactions that it was decent. So, on to the second dish, rack of lamb with artichokes. To help things along i frenched my rack and let it marinate in some evoo, garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper before i started on the risotto. I also got my lamb stock going while i was doing the risotto. So, when it came time to put together the dish it was pretty straight forward. First, take care of the artichoke. Clean it and marinate it and then get it steaming because it takes about 45 minutes to fully cook and be nice and tender. Then it was time to sear and roast the rack. Finally make the pan sauce. I had my times down perfectly, no timing misstakes this time around. Get the rack going about 25 - 30 minutes before plating. This allows the rack to rest after cooking and gives you the right amound of time to make your pan sauce. Everything went according to plan and every second i kept telling myself to relax, stay calm, you know how to do this and you know how to make it perfect. In the end the pan sauce was no problem and was delicious. The rack was like butter, a perfect medium-rare. The artichokes were good but could have been better. The last thing to know is to never, ever put your sauce over your meat, always around. If you put it over it takes away from the beautiful color the meat has. If i had a picture of this dish i would post it but unfortunately i don't think the chefs would have taken kindly to me snapping a photo before serving them.

Outcome:
Practical - 90% (second highest in class, highest was 92%)
Theory - 90%
Evaluation - 94%



It ended a great week of cooking and started a weekend full of fun. Saw West Side Story saturday night, even though someone tried to set off a bomb in times square but thankfully nothing happened. Spent sunday visiting the statue of liberty, ellis island, south street seaport, and central park. It felt like summer and was a bit humid but i welcome the warmth and hope it is here to stay.

This week we start desserts and pastries, so best week ever might be challenged. Today was good but incredibly unhealthy. Butter, lard, eggs, pancetta, etc....all baked to a flaky goodness but oh my i felt like i was covered in crisco by the end of the day. Not too mention the goodies the pastry department sent down during the day: molten lava chocolate cake and these banana cakes with banana ice cream = delicious = incredibly unhealthy. Tomorrow and the rest of the week probably no better from a health standpoint but i don't care cause it is all going to taste amazing plus i run i think i can afford a little dessert!

Risotto Challenge

For those of you who have been craving the Foodnetwork esq challenges, this past week was about as close as it gets without having a tv crew in the kitchen.

On wednesday we had a risotto challenge. Who could make the best risotto con mare which in english is seafood risotto. It had shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, lobster, squid, and octopus. To make the perfect risotto one must first sweat out some finely diced white onion but be careful, you don't want to put any color on the onion. Then you must add your rice, preferably carnaroli, and heat the rice. Yes, heat the rice, get it nice and warm but no color. Next on the list is to deglaze with white wine. Do this off the heat unless you want to singe some eyebrows. Should have mentioned this earlier but have some chicken or vegetable stock that is simmering and warm. After deglazing add enough stock to cover the rice and let simmer. The liquid will cook down and you will have to add more stock until the rice is tender. This usually takes about 15 minutes but can very. Just before the rice is done you add your seafood mixture that has already been cooked and just needs to warm up in the risotto. At this point you take the pan off the heat and add some tarragon, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to season. This is how you make a montecetura. This means you make it creamy and smooth but not too soupy and not too thick, perfect. In some risottos you use butter and cheese but for this one you use oil. Serve in a warm bowl. Good Stuff!

There was a time limit on the challenge, however i felt the time was more than enough and was either the 3rd or 4th done. It was perfection and it had a very nice, light tarragon flavor. In the end it came down to myself and my partner. Each station in our kitchen is made for two people and we cook there for the whole week and then rotate. She also had a great risotto and in the end both of us were awarded the win. It was very close and i was very happy to be considered for the win.


Our winnings!!! We cooked it first before taking it home of course.

I almost forgot the chocolate...

Last week we had the pleasure of listening and tasting the delicate and delectable chocolates and desserts of Jacques Torres. Chef Torres is a master chef and master chocolatier and is amazing with pastries. He made these marshmellow pistacio things, cranberry pumpkin seed peanut brittle, black and white cookies, and these little fried pieces of dough that he called fried clouds. Oh, and he made some little chocolates with pistacio as well. He worked so fast but so delicate at the same time. Amazing stuff. He also made this chocolate structure that he put all the goodies on and a Louis Vuitton chocolate purse. Again amazing. I will have to wait and see how dessert week goes but i am thinking speciallizing in desserts and pastries would be awesome. Next week is the start of desserts, should be an exciting week.



Then the next day or maybe it was the day before, i really don't remember, a couple of us went to this place called Vosges. They specialize in chocolates and coffees and teas. It was great. Had this curry, pumpkin spice, chocolate chip cookie that was to die for, a great cup of tea, and a chocolate infused with taleggio cheese. It was pretty good stuff.

I highly recommend it and probably will go back a couple of times. Definitely a place if you have had a rough day and need a pick me up or just a good place to relax and have fun.

Chicken, Pork, Beef oh my!

This past week has been all about meat and a lot of it. You name it we cooked it, chicken, hens, quails, duck, rabbit, veal, pork chops, lamb chops, pork tenderloin, top round, veal liver, tripe, sweatbreads, and filet mignon. Overall, it was a good week and i can cook meat pretty well but i must say that i can see why one might become a vegetarian and the past couple of days i have been eating more fruits and vegetables. The roasted duck, anitra arrosto, the pollo alla cacciatora, and the lamb chops were the favorites of the week. Definitely the low point of the week was the organ day. Not that is was a bad day but i do not like liver, tripe, or sweatbreads. So, that is it for meats, not a whole lot to say about that.

On the restaurant front it was a very busy weekend working at Salumeria Rosi. Saturday i worked a 13 hour shift from 9:45am to 10:45pm but man we were moving the entire time. We did 141 plates at lunch alone and for a restaurant that only has 9 tables that's a lot of food. We had a half hour lull around four so i was able to eat something and prep for dinner service. During open and lunch i worked the deli counter making sandwhiches, slicing meats, and serving cheese and meat plates. Then it was off to the kitchen for dinner service. Making most of the salads and some of the smaller things that i have down pretty well now. Before i knew it the clock had hit ten and i was smashed. Even as tired as i was i enjoyed being there, i work with some great people and i learn so much every time i work. I look forward to going back on wednesday this week and hopefully will have some stories to tell on thursday.

Thankfully this week we move on to fish. We filleted some fish today and made two pretty good dishes by just searing the fish and making a pan sauce. The rest of the week is mostly devoted to seafood until friday when we have our second practical. This one i am ready to rock and want to put forth some perfection.

Running...

Running to class, running around the kitchen, running to catch trains, buses, and cabs, running across the brooklyn bridge and in central park and just running to clear my mind. Since the last 14 years of my life have been devoted to the sport and I know at least the next 14 years will also be devoted to running that i needed a post about running.

City running is a world away from the trails and mountains of colorado. Central park is about as close as it comes and even that is a far cry from "trail running" especially when there is tens of thousands of people in the park at any given time. As a runner, though, we adapt to our surroundings and make the best of it. I have taken a liking to running over the Brooklyn Bridge into lower manhattan and over to the Hudson. It can actually be a pretty peaceful run if you hit early enough or the weather is bad. Otherwise if it is nice out and in the afternoon, forget it, the bridge is packed with tourists and wall street commuters. Or there can be a demonstation or march across the bridge, like on good friday, and it comes to a stand still (yeah, major mistake on my part).

It's been a tough transition for me going from being in the best shape of my life to only running 4 to 5 times a week but i am starting to find my rythem. I am going to run the Healthy Kidney 10k in may, so that will keep me motivated. Being on my feet in a hot kitchen for at least 7 to 8 hours out of the day makes it tough to want to get out in the afternoon or evening so i try to get out in the morning. I always had an admiration for those who train and work full time and have a greater appreciation for it now that i am not just working at the running store where i had a pretty flexible schedule. But that's life and like i said runner's adapt and i am adapting to my new surroundings. Mountains for skyscrapers, trails for concrete, wildlife for taxis.

This past weekend i quietly snuck away to Boston for the weekend and it just happened to be the weekend of the Boston Marathon. First of all what a great weekend! As much as i love to cook and be in the kitchen it was nice to get away and play hookie for a day. I got to visit with some "colorado friends" as i refer to them with my "new york friends" and it was great to see all of you. The weekend was great, the race great, and the company great and it fueled the fire to keep getting out on the roads and running. Also a congrats to all who ran and completed the marathon.

Practical #1

So, the first practical is behind me and i am thankful for that. Overall not a great day but not a horrible day and for those of you who know me well than i don't need to explain any further but here is how the day went. I would say today was like a quick fire challenge or an episode of chopped.
The day started off well with our second theory test which was giving the ingredients and procedure for besciamella.
That part i aced. Moving on to part two of chopped.
From there we were given two recipes from our text that we had covered in the previous weeks and specific times when we were to present our plates. The first was caponata which is a great eggplant and pepper antipasta.
That part i also aced. Moving on to part three of chopped, the final.
From there it went downhill.
The second dish was ravioli filled with a spinach and ricotta filling. Making the ravioli was the easy part. However, making the butter sage sauce was a bit more difficult for me today. Actually i made it perfectly but my timing was off by about 3 minutes and that 3 minutes threw everything off. I was early and therefore had to take it off the heat and my sauce broke, meaning the butter, oil, and water seperated and when i tried to bring it back it just didn't happen. Therefore leading to my downfall and my dissapointing grade on practical #1. If i was on chopped, i would have been chopped here and lost the money.
Thankfully my caponata and my knife skills were dead on today because that is what saved me. Apparently i have some of the best knife skills in the class, so that is a positive.
After the dust settled i was above the average for the class but below my standards and where i expected myself to be today, so, on to the next day to keep learning and keep practicing.
Theory Test #2 = 95%
Evaluation #1 = 86%
Practical #1 = 75%
Language Test #2 = 97%

I look at it like my running, when i don't perform well i look at how i have trained and what i have done leading up to that performance. I look at how i was mentally prepared and if i was focused on the race and i analyze what i could have done better and what did go well. It's the same in the kitchen, i look at what was good and what needs improvement. It's a progression, you stack consistent training on top of consistent training and you reap the benefits on the road, track, and in the kitchen. I think that is why i love being in the kitchen because it is so much like running because you control so much of what you produce. You get out of it what you put into it. If you run a little and put a little time in here and there than average you will be and if that's what you want then great. But if you want to be one of the best then you have to be willing to put in the time and effort, no one is going to hand it to you. The same goes for the kitchen, if you want to be a great chef you have to have the passion and the willingness to put yourself out there everyday. My standards and goals are always lofty but what would life be if it wasn't a challenge, if it didn't teach you, if you could always just get by...to me that wouldn't pay respect to what we have been given here in this life and it just wouldn't be fun.

Anyways, off my soapbox, now on to the new week and to start proteins, starting first with chicken. Should be some good stuff cooking in the kitchen over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned...

Amazing

That is how i would describe my week. After a rough start on monday when i wanted to throw pots and pans across the kitchen the week could only get better from there and better it did. On tuesday i made some pretty darn good gnocchi, "fluffy and decadent", those were the words from Chef Guido and Chef Haley, so needless to say i quickly forgot about monday and was on cloud nine.

Wednesday was a very long day with language in the morning before heading to the kitchen and then immediately leaving after class to head to my first day at my internship. I am interning at Salumeria Rosi which is a little Italian restaurant/deli on the upper west side. The restaurant is owned by the dean of the program i am in. To date it is the best Italian restaurant i have ever eaten at. The food is so simple but so deep in flavor. Working the dinner shift wednesday night was an eye opener and i learned so much that night. Everyone in the kitchen working together to get dishes out on time and just right. It is a very small kitchen so you always have to be on your guard and watching every step you take. By the end of the night i was helping prepare a few dishes and eager to return to continue to learn.

Thursday was egg day and we prepared a frittata, a fiorentina, and a Pontormo Salad which is amazing. The pontormo salad is an original from my dean that he is famous for and can be ordered at the salumeria. Its full name is Insalata Uova e Carne Secca dell Pontormo and the recipe is as follows:

extra virgin olive oil
70g diced pancetta
2g parsley
2g marjoram and thyme
2 eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
mixed greens
red wine vinegar
balsamic vinegar
First you can make your dressing by whisking together the herbs, oil, vinegars, and some salt and pepper. Then in a small saute pan heat up some oil and put the pancetta in to render some of the fat. Cook until it just starts to brown then put in your two eggs. Just crack the eggs and put them right in and sort of scramble them with a spatula. You want a nice mix of yellow and white from the eggs. Cook for only a few minutes and leave the eggs just a bit wet. Toss your greens with your dressing then toss in the egg/pancetta mix. Toss that all around and plate and serve immediately. It is a fantastic dish.

Like i said the week only got better and we ended on friday with pizza day. We made the traditional pizza margherita and pizza bianca con rucola but then we were free to make as many pizzas as we wished with whatever ingredients we had in the kitchen. My favorite of the day was a calzone i made with roasted vegetables consisting of peppers, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, onions, and asparagus then topped it with ricotta cheese, some browned sausage and a spicy tomato sauce i made earlier in the day. Wrapped that all up and baked it....Amazing! At the end of the day we made some focaccia that was also pretty decent although i think we could have done a little better. Either way it was a great way to end the week.

Yesterday i worked my second day at the salumeria and worked the deli counter. You have no idea how many different kinds of salumis and hams there are til you come in to our store. And we sell it by the truck loads. The owner (my dean) currently has a whole walk in refridgerater dedicated to all the meats we have and has about 70 prosciutto di parma hams curing in Italy as we speak. Pretty amazing stuff. Again it was great to watch and help when i could with that area of the business because it is so different from the kitchen but at the same time we have to help eachother out with so many different tasks. So, an amazing week and thankfully i just get to relax today and hang out on a beautiful day in the city. Also, 7 weeks til Italy! Let the countdown begin!

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta

Fresh pasta, dried pasta, stuffed pasta, every type of pasta you can think of we know how to make. Needless to say i was pretty excited about this week because more than half of my diet is pasta. Made a great fettuccine dish on tuesday, preped the lasagne on wednesday, then made the lasagne, ravioli, and tortellini on thursday. The lasagne, which as it happens i am eating some right now as i type, is the typical northern Italian lasagne with a meat ragu, besciemelle sauce, grated parmaggiano reggiano and grana padano cheeses and pasta verde. Pasta verde is fresh spinach pasta rolled out into lasagne noodles. The ravioli had a ricotta mixture in it and the tortelli all bolognese was stuffed with a mixture of ground turkey, pork, veal, prosciutto, mortadella and herbs and spices that we cooked earlier in the week. These later two we made with a simple butter, sage reduction sauce. The sauce is relatively easy because all you need is butter, sage, and some of your pasta water but the tricky part is the timing: too short and its all buttery, too long and its burnt butter and burnt pasta but just right and its a creamy, light, and very delicious sauce.



Another exciting part of this week was witnessing chef extraordinaire Jacques Pepin work his magic. He dismantled a duck with surgical precision and then used every part of it creating four amazing dishes.
1.) Zuppa di Farro except in French and with duck just can't remember the name of it but it was made with the duck carcass and a bunch of different vegetables and herbs. It was amazing.
2.) Duck pate served on toasted baguette, also amazing and i am not a big fan of pate
3.) Chinese pancakes with roasted duck skin, celery, cucumber and carrot with a miso glaze
4.)Seared duck breast
All was amazing and i don't think i can truely say that enough to get my point across. It truely was a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch, listen, and taste from the hands of one of the greatest chefs to ever walk on this planet.

One last thing I wanted to mention is that I will be interning at Salumeria Rosi. The restaurant and salumeria is located on the upper west side at 73rd and Amesterdam. I will get to work both in the kitchen and at the counter of the salumeria. It is definitely one of the best restaurants i have ever eaten at and i am so excited to have the chance to work there and get some real experience in a new york kitchen. It is also owned by the dean of my program, Cesere Casella, who grew up in italy and learned from some of italy's finest chefs. I start this wednesday and i am sure i will have stories to tell so stay tuned.

Cutting the cheese

No, not farting you dirty minded people. Actually we made cheese this week, we made mozzarella and ricotta. Both were very easy to make and throughout the day we tried all sorts of Italian cheeses. The mozzarella balls we marinated in olive oil and herbs for a couple of days in the fridge and finally brought them out today and they were delicious. The ricotta we made into a dessert cheese. First of all to make ricotta all you do is take some whole milk and boil it with citric acid and some salt until the whey seperates from the curd. Strain it through cheese cloth and let it hang to let the moisture drip out. Then mix the curd with heavy cream. We then added honey and cinnamon, mixed it up, plated it and drizzled with honey and dusted with a little cinnamon to top it off. Yes, it was excellent and if it had been a cooking challenge we would have won.

The last two days we have been doing antipasti, vegetable yesterday and seafood antipasti today. Both were very good, however i prefer the seafood antipasti we made today. We made Tartara di tonno (tuna tartar), Sopressata di polpo (octopus terrine), and Crudi di pesce (basically raw fish garnished however you like). We also shuked some oysters and clams and dressed those up a bit as well and served them. Are octopus is marinating over night so i will let you know how that tastes after tomorrow. The rest of the dishes were very good, if you like raw fish, my favorite was the Crudi di pesce. I took some mackeral and sliced it thin, a grapefruit supreme, and some parsley and rosemary for decoration and drizzeled some lemon infused olive oil over top and a dash of sea salt. Excellent! (see pic at top)

Last night my mom was in town for business and so we went out to eat. We went to Salumaria Rossi which is owned by the Dean of my program Cesere Casella. It is a small place on the upper west side and is half restaurant, half deli selling fine italian salami's, chesses, and breads. It is an excellent little place and i highly recommend it to anyone making a trip to nyc. Also i am going to try and intern there over the next month to get some real experience in the kitchen!

As always if anyone wants recipes just let me know or if you have any questions please ask. Til next time...

Ciao

Chef Demonstration

Another good day of classes...I know some more Italian...Io sono ragazzo americano e studente dell' accademio culinario italiano. Just a little something for you and hopefully more to come.

But on to the exciting part of the day. There was a guest chef demonstration at the school today and the guest chefs were the Lee Brother's. Famous for their mail order catalogue for broiled peanuts and other fine southern food products. They also have two cookbooks out: Their first, The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook and just released Simple Fresh Southern. Also have done travel and food writings for the New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Food & Wine, and Martha Stewart Living. It was a great demo and they explained how they got started in cooking and a mail order food service to now having two cookbooks and being on Foodnetwork and the Today Show. They cooked three of their recipes for us which were all very good. The first was their cabbage and lime salad with roasted peanuts. Second they served us collard greens with poblano chiles and chorizo which was excellent and i am not a big fan of collard greens but these were excellent. Finally we had braised oxtails with simple grits. Another excellent dish, the meat just fell off the bone and was so savory and flavorful and went great with the grits.

If anyone wants the recipes I can email them to you. Also some pictures were added and i will continue to update them.

Ciao!

Buongiorno!!

First day of class is in the books. Unfortunately there was no cooking and thus no cooking challenges, just reading, studying, and reciting Italian. We did get to have lunch at the school which was prepared by students who are in the French program. It was pretty good for a buffet type meal. Our first day in the kitchen will be on wednesday.

I guess the exciting thing that happened today was taking the wrong train this morning and going the wrong direction. Thankfully i was still on time for class and i learned a little bit more about the city. I figure the best way to get to know the city is to get lost because then you never know what you might stumble upon.

Going to post pictures soon!

New York, New York

Well I am finally here, actually got here on monday but in any case i am here. I have to admit i was a bit nervous sunday night but the last three days here in the city i have realized i had nothing to be nervous about, i love the city and know this was definitely the right move.

Thankfully the weather has been great and i have been able to go all around the city walking around and familarizing myself with the city. My apartment is in a great location in Brooklyn Heights with all these small tree lined streets and old brick buildings. Three blocks down is the Brooklyn Heights promenade which overlooks the East River and looks over to the Financial district of downtown Manhattan. Great views of the city, statue of liberty, and brooklyn bridge.

With the beautiful weather i have run into central park each day and found a new route each day, not too bad for a park in the middle of a city full of steel and concrete. And for those of you in colorado you will be glad to know that i have found my new "fontenaro" which is the bridle path and "running track" around jackie o res in the middle of central park. I imagine i will do most of my workouts there.

That's it for now, i have orientation tomorrow afternoon then classes start monday morning!

The beginning of a new adventure

I am starting on an exciting new journey into the culinary arts. This blog will be used to keep everyone updated on the exciting new things i am doing. I will post recipes, pictures, activities, and what ever else comes across my mind.

First I will let everyone know that I will be attending the French Culinary Institute in New York City and will be enrolled in their Italian Culinary Academy course. This course involves spending time in nyc as well as Parma, Italy. Very much looking forward to both nyc and Italy.

I start March 15th in nyc but am spending some time at home in Michigan right now, so, when i get to new york more posts will follow.