Team Meals

For those of you who may not know I work in the industry running a restaurant and kitchen. I find it to be very rewarding. Building and developing a team that backs you and is passionate about what they do. Part of being a good leader is making sure that you invest in your team. While financially this is true, you must also invest in them on a personal level. Taking the time to get to know your team, making sure that you genuinely care about them is important. Building a bond between you and your team is crucial to good morale. Building the bond between the members of your team helps build trust and team work.

As the leader of my team I find that the best way to achieve this is through what I and some of the people in the industry refer to as Family Meal. The team comes together before we open for their break and we sit around a table and eat together like a family. The one topic not discussed is work. We all talk about the things we have going on outside the restaurant. Thinks like children, parents, significant others etc.. One of the important things is that this meal not be made by the team members but by whom ever is in charge. One of my go to favorites to prepare for breakfast for my team is Chilaquiles. I would like to share this recipe with you all.

Sauce:
Roma Tomatoes            4ea
Onion (red or white)     1/2 ea.
Cilantro                         1 bunch (stems removed)
Garlic                            4 cloves
Fresh Serrano peppers    3 each
Red Chili Flakes           1 tsp
Lemon Juice                  1 oz
Lime Juice                     1 oz
Chipotle Pure                 1oz
Salt and Pepper               to taste

Combine ingredients in a pot add water to cover bring to boil, allow to cook for 15 minutes. Place ingredients in a blender and pure.

Main Dish: Yeild: 1 portion
Corn chips (freshly deep fried preferred)      3 oz
Sauce                                                              As much as you like depending on preferred sauciness
Eggs (scrambled or fried)                              3 ea.
Cheddar/Jack Cheese Mix (Shredded)          2 oz
Chopped Onions                                            1 Tbsp
Chopped Cliantro                                           2 tsp
Chopped Avocado                                          1/4 each
Sour Cream                                                     1 oz


Place chips in oven safe dish, top with desired amount of  sauce (while hot). top with eggs and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees only long enough to melt the cheese. Top with onions, cilantro, avocado and sour cream. Enjoy.

Eating Around

Over the past four years since my last post, as many of you, I have done a lot of eating. Some great meals some not so good ones. But none the less, I feel very lucky to have had meals in 4 countries outside the U.S. all of them amazing. In addition to those great meals abroad I have had great meals here at home. Some at very high end restaurants and some meals at dives. I have cooked may great meals and had many cooked for me. While I may not have posted in a while my love for food has not diminished. My next post will contain a recipe for my readers. I have many new recipes that I have developed and hope that  you will enjoy them as much as I have.

If there is anything specific you would like to see or any questions any of you might have about cooking or a recipe let me know by leaving a comment.

Pura Vida!!!

On my recent trip to Costa Rica I experienced a lot of great food. I had everything from baked Tilapia and Tilapia ceviche, to a desert that I am not quite sure how to explain. I got some great recipes from my wife’s grandmother who is an amazing cook. The best part of talking food with her was that she was as passionate about food as I am.  The hard part was that every recipe she gave me was verbal and as luck would have it there was never a pen handy.  As good as my memory is, I only remember 2 recipes, which I will be sharing, the Tilapia ceviche and the desert that I am not really sure what to call. When I asked what it was called, I was told tat there really isn’t a name for it. The desert just had to taste great. I will be putting the Tilapia Ceviche in today’s blog. The desert recipe may be a while, as I have to find a suitable substitute for one of the main ingredients, so be on the lookout for it soon.

 I have been to Costa Rica twice and I must say from a food standpoint, it does not disappoint. Aside from the food being so tasty, Costa Rica is a beautiful country with a ton of culture, beautiful beaches and even more beautiful rainforest. I hope you enjoy the following recipe and until next time, Pura Vida!

Tilapia Ceviche

Yield 4 servings

Tilapia Filet                                            8oz

¼ inch Diced Red onion                       ¼ cup

Minced Garlic                                        2 Tbsp.

1/8 inch diced Red Bell Pepper          2 tbsp.

Chopped Cilantro                                 1/2 oz.

¼ inch diced cucumbers             1/8 cup

Salt and Pepper                                       To Taste

Juice from Mandarin Lemons          Enough to Submerge ingredients (Amount May Vary)

Combine above ingredients, cover and place in refrigerator until the Tilapia has cooked in the lemon juice. Just before service add 1/3 cup of Ginger ale to cut acidity. Add one tablespoon of Ketchup to each portion. It is recommended that you serve them with crackers or Tortilla Chips.          

A Childhood Memory and Favorite

As a kid growing up, Saturdays were our (me and my sisters') day to hang out with our dad. We would do all sorts of things on Saturdays like go play golf, go to the movies, slot car racing and usually watch Mel Brooks' History Of the World Part One. We did not always do a cooked breakfast, but when we did it typically was Corn with Eggs and Tortilla. My dad was trying to get the corn to taste like the corn on a Chilean dish called Pastel De Choclo, which he came pretty close too, and he turned it into a breakfast. This is the dish that inspired me to start cooking as I would try to recreate it. While making this dish, I also realized my love and passion for cooking. It ultimately led me to culinary school, becoming a chef, and working in restaurants. Over the years I have tweaked this recipe to make it my own. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, as a matter of fact I will be making it for my breakfast today as soon as I finish sharing my recipe with you.

Yield: 1 serving
Canned corn    1 ea.
Butter               1 tbl spn
Garlic Minced  2 tbl spn... You can never have too much Garlic.
Dried Basil       2 tsp
Mrs. Dash Dries Chipotle flakes   2 tsp
Kosher salt       To Taste
Pepper              To Taste
Whole Shelled Eggs   2 ea.
6 inch Tortillas Corn Or Flour   2 ea. (For my Photo I used whole wheat pita)
Avocado         1/4 ea.      

-In an 8 inch saute pan melt the butter and add the garlic to lightly brown over Medium high heat.
-Add Corn to pan and toss. Allow to cook for 2 minutes.
-Add Dried Basil, almost all of dried Chipotle Flakes Salt and Pepper toss and allow to cook additional 2 minutes.
- Push all corn in slightly toward center of the pan. Using a spoon or spatula make 2 holes about the size of a 1/2 dollar in the corn, if corn slightly falls back into the holes it okay.
- Crack open eggs and place in the holes you made in the corn sprinkle remaining Chipotle flakes on eggs.
- Place lid on saute pan and reduce heat to low. Allow to steam until eggs are almost fully cooked.
-Lift lid and place tortillas on top and replace lid. Cook for 45 seconds.
- Eggs should be filly cooked, yolk should be hard.
- For Plating remove eggs from pan. Mound corn in center of the plate. Place eggs on top of corn. Slice avocado and place on top of eggs.  Fold tortillas and place on edge of place.

Mix and Match Dinner

So a few days ago Cristina and I came home and decided to make dinner. Neither one of us wanted to go to the store so it was time to raid the fridge and see what we, and by we I mean what I could come up with. We had a butternut squash and Cristina has been wanting me to make butternut squash Gnocci. So that was one item... But what to do with it. I continued to look through the fridge where we had
kale, butter, cherry tomatoes, avocado, red bell peppers, shallots, minced garlic and 1 green onion. This is what I came up with...

Chilled Roasted Cherry Tomato stuffed with Mango and Avocado Salsa

Yield:1
Cherry Tomato                   1ea            Top cut off seeds removed
Blood Orange Olive oil      1 tsp
Shallots                               1 tsp        Minced
Avocado                             1 tsp         Minced
Mango                                1 tsp         Minced
Red Bell Peppers               1 tsp          Minced
Garlic                                 1 tsp         Minced
Lemon Juice                      1 tsp
Kosher Salt & Pepper         To Taste
Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar         2 tsp
Lime Olive Oil                                    1 1/2 tsp
Green Onion                    1/2 " sliver   2 ea.

Ok so here we go ..
Take the tomato ans drizzle with the Blood Orange olive oil. Bake at 300 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool at room temperature for 5 minutes and place in Fridge to cool.
Gently Mix remaining ingredients minus the green onions.
Using a spoon place salsa in the tomato.
Garnish with green onion slivers.              

Butternut Squash Gnocci in a Burnt Butter Tarragon Garlic Sauce topped with Toasted Butternut Squash Seeds and Crispy Kale.


Yield: 1 portion
Butternut Squash Whole          12 ounces
Blood Orange olive oil             2 Tbl
Egg                                           1 whole
Whole wheat Flour                   As needed
Nutmeg                                     2 tsp
Cinnamon                                 1 tsp
Kosher Salt                               1 1/2 tsp
Pepper                                       1 tsp

Sauce:
Butter Unsalted                        3 oz
Dried Tarragon                         1 tsp
Garlic Minced                          1 tsp
Salt and Pepper                        To Taste

Crispy Kale:
Olive oil Canola Oil mix          2 Tbl
Trimmed Kale                           3 pieces the size of a quarter
Kosher Salt                               To Taste

Peel and cut the butternut squash. Remove seeds. Clean the seed and toast them.
Drizzel Cut squash with Blood Orange olive oil. Roast at 350 degrees until tender. Time will depend on the thickness.
Mash squash with a fork and chill. Once chilled mix in one whole egg. ADD salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon and mix. Slowly and gently fold in Wheat flour until it is firm enough to roll into a log 1/4" in diameter (use only 1/4 of mix for one plate). Be careful not to overwork or the Gnocci will be dense and not light and fluffy. Cut the rolled dough in 1/4" pieces. Cook in Boiling salted water.

To make the Sauce, Mel the butter over a low flame. Once putter is melted add Garlic and Tarragon. Cook Until the butter begins to brown. you will smell a popcorn aroma. Add salt and Pepper to taste. Immediately remove from heat and add Gnocci to sauce and toss.

Crispy Kale:
Place Cold Oil in Cold Saute pan
Place Kale in pan and turn on heat to medium high heat
Fry until crispy flipping occasionally.
Once crispy Remove from pan an place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Lightly season with Kosher salt.

I hope you enjoy these two dishes as much as I did.
Bon Appetit

Something Different

So as many of you may know I have worked in corporate restaurants since I was 15. Every company I have ever worked for has had great food and I have the belly to prove it. However no matter how good the food or how extensive the menu, having the same things over and over again gets very boring. Many of us in the industry end up doing one of two things. Either we begin to trade out food with other restaurant managers, or like me we begin to "play" with the product we have available to us. Depending on where I have worked and how extensive their menu, I have had opportunities to be more or less creative. Today I had a recipe that I just could not get out of my head. I had to make it happen. So when it came time to make my meal for the day I brought my creation to life. It was amazing. It came out better than I could have ever imagined so I have to share it with you. So here it is, Spicy Ahi Spring Rolls!

Yield 2 Spring Rolls
Ingredients:

Spring roll wrappers 2 per roll
Easy egg (egg wash to seal roll)
Avocado (1/8 ea. sliced)

Mix The following ingredients:
2 tsp Furikake seasoning
4 oz sticky white rice

Mix the following ingredients together in a mixing bowl:
4 oz Sashimi grade Ahi Tuna (cut in 1/4 inch cubes)
1 Tbsp green onions (sliced)
1 Tbsp diced sweet white onions
1 oz ponzu
1 tsp sesame seeds (toasted)
1 Tbsp mayo
2 Tbsp Siracha
3 oz shredded Napa Cabbage

Directions:
-Lay out 2 wrappers. One directly on top of the other.
-Spread 2 oz of rice mix just lower than centered. Spread to 1/8 of an inch square rectangle length wise. Be sure to leave room at edged and top to be able to roll.
-Place avocado slice on top of rice.
- Place 1/2 of Tuna Mixture on top of rice and avocado. Match size and shape to rice.
-Roll bottom corner up an over. Push down lightly to form. Apply egg wash to side corners and fold over. Coat remaining top corner portion with egg wash. continue rolling making sure it is tight. Be sure that the Flaps that fold over have egg wash where they touch to ensure a good seal.
-Fry in 365 degree oil for 3 minutes.
-Let cool slightly and than slice.
Note: Tuna should still be raw in center.

Southern Style BBQ

What are the different types of BBQ you find in the U.S.A? In all reality there are many types of BBQ in the U.S.A. most of which involve dry rubbing the meat and slow smoking using some type of wood or another.  The most commonly used woods are cherry, mesquite and hickory.  There are also different schools of thought on how to smoke meat. Some people swear by open wood pits while others prefer closed smokers. No matter what your preference, real BBQ is smoked. Everything else is just grilled. 

It is possible that I was spoiled by running a kitchen of a southern style BBQ restaurant for almost 3 and a half years, but almost every restaurant I have been to that boasts great southern style is horrible. Most places either don’t smoke the meat long enough, too high a temperature or they smoke it for way to long.  When it is under smoked, the meat is tough and chewy. When you cook the meat at too high a temperature the same thing happens. When you smoke meats too long, the meat may fall off the bone, but the meat dries out and no amount of sauce can save it. It is really a delicate process that takes time as well as trial and error to perfect. This blog was inspired by a recent experience at a high end casual restaurant that boasted good BBQ and turned out to be a real disappointment.

With how many years I have worked in the industry, I understand that all of us in the industry have our moments where we are less than perfect.  No matter how good you are in the kitchen, bad dishes do occasionally go out to the guest. It is for this reason that I believe in second chances.  Look for a review of Bone Yard Bistro in the near future.