02.28.09
Posted in Other Fun at 3:44 pm by Chef Matt
Socrates ain’t got nothing on my philosophizing!
“I just drank WHAT?!?…” |
Another pseudo-philosophical question has crossed my mind when I was cooking the other day. I had set aside some beef that I had browned for a stir-fry, and was cooking the vegetables. The smell coming off the collective piles of food was just heavenly. My mouth was beginning to salivate in anticipation of my favorite moment of preparing any stir-fry - the moment when I can add the meat back into the pan.
It’s a sublime moment for several reasons. First off, it means you’re almost done! Secondly, you can begin to shape the sauce in the pan into something heavenly. But the real fun of it is the moment those lovely accumulated juices in the bottom of the plate storing the meat hit that hot pan, and erupt in a sizzle that just seems to scream out, “You bet your ass I’m cooking now!”
It almost seems impossible to me that there are people who actually don’t use those accumulated juices. They are one of the great elements to all cookery. If you are one of those people who wash them down the drain, I tell you what - put them in a Ziploc bag, and mail them to me instead. I’ll put them to good use.
“Duck fat” - such a great combo, they are tattoo-worthy. |
Murmuring to myself about “accumulated juices” (yes, I do this) the following thought came into my head: “Are the words ‘accumulated juices’ the greatest two-word combo in the culinary lexicon?” What two words in direct juxtaposition elicit the best image, concept or feeling with relation to food? As I gave it some more thought, I came up with some other contenders:
- “Duck Fat”
- “Extra Butter”
- “Foie Gras” (OK, that’s cheating…)
- “Artisanal Bacon”
- “Beer Braised”
- “Chocolate Covered”
- “Bourbon Glazed”
- “Bacon Wrapped” (from my wife)
- “Free Sample” (ha)
Anyway, I welcome any and all other ideas from you, and when we have a list, let’s put it to a vote! So let me hear your great ideas people!
Chef Matt
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02.20.09
Posted in The Story, Recipes at 9:13 am by Chef Matt
Disclaimer: I’m not one for disclaimers. But in this one, I have to apologize for the truly horrid nature of the photos. I wanted to do this project for you all, but I left my camera with a friend in London, so all I had was my camera phone. And it blows. So I’m sorry the pictures are such crap. But it’s my scintillating writing that’s what brings you back anyway, right?…
While I was awaiting re-entry into the UK over the holidays, I was poking around in all manner of old documents. Many of them were related to my attempts to secure a UK visa, but others were of a more nostalgic nature. When I went through my mother’s recipe box though was when I discovered some of my earliest attempts at recipe writing as a kid.
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Yeah, that’s my handwriting. Click each for larger. |
Now sure, I had some recipes for how to heat soup, and how to put American cheese and raisins on bread and heat that in the toaster, but those I’m not actually counting. Instead, I found what I had always remembered to be my first recipe, which was for a tomato-mushroom sauce for pasta. I figured it might be fun to cook it exactly as I had it written, and to see how it turned out. (And also to see if knowing what I now know, ways for improvement…)
Now I know my handwriting on an old 3X5 card may not be the most legible thing ever, so here is the recipe as it appears on the card:
Matt’s Mushroom Sauce
3 Tbsp Olive Oil (XVO)
3 cloves garlic - sliced
2 lbs fresh Italian plum tomatoes (2 cups +)
salt and pepper to taste
5 large fresh sage leaves (1 tsp diced)
1 medium large onion - chopped fine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2-2/3 lbs fresh white mushrooms
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
optional: porcinis and soaking water
optional: pancetta and/or anchovies
1. Simmer oil, 2 cloves of garlic, and tomatoes over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper and sage and let simmer on low heat while rest of sauce is prepared. (add porcinis w/ s+p & herbs)
2. Wash mushrooms and pat dry w/paper towel - cut lengthwise w/their stems and set aside.
3. Sauté onions and oil in large skillet until onions are translucent.
4. Add remaining clove of garlic - cook until garlic turns gold.
5. Add mushrooms (w/some salt + pepper) lower heat and cook until all liquid they give off is evaporated. (then add pancetta)
6. Add white wine - simmer until it evaporates (add anchovies)
cook 5-10 min.
7. When pasta is done, combine contents of skillet + saucepan and add the parsley. Mix, toss + serve!
The beginning workings of the sauce. |
So to start off, there was the simmering of the garlic and adding of tomatoes. (It’s winter, so I used some nice canned tomatoes instead of fresh.) As is my style, I added them whole, and crushed them in the sauce as they cook. I know it didn’t say to do this, but I figured I’d've done that back in the day as well… (maybe).
Porcinis and breaking down tomatoes - I may have been on to something here! |
I actually somehow had some dried porcinis in this new kitchen of mine. A quick soak brought them back to life, and I figured would add a nice depth to the sauce. I must have really been thinking ahead as a kid! (I also give myself credit for the optional addition of pancetta and anchovies. I had neither on hand for the making of this batch.)
Sauté of onions, garlic and mushrooms. If only some pancetta had been involved. |
In a separate pan, since I seemed as hell-bent on dirtying as many pans as I could even as a child, I put together the sauté of mushrooms and onions. The mushrooms browned nicely, and then I added the white wine and then some porcini water for flavor. How appropriate (prophetic?) that my first recipe had a “deglazing” step!
Combing the pots. |
I was supposed to combine the contents of the skillet and the saucepot, but I didn’t say which was supposed to go into which… I chose to pour the saucepot into the skillet if only to make sure the skillet was thoroughly deglazed. The penne was almost done cooking, so it looked like we were going to be just on time.
Now that looks like a mushroom sauce. |
The result was slightly as I remember it, a little too brown to be completely appetizing. The techniques were OK, but I had not yet learned the importance of “eating with the eyes” first. But this is also a recipe I had not made in easily 20 years, so forgive me if I forgot that point…
The final product - enjoyable, but not memorable. |
The final product came to the table, and with a little bit of Parmesan from my cheese grater we were in business. The final dish tasted just fine - like what one would expect from a mushroom sauce ordered in a standard Italian restaurant. Nothing special or exciting, but all the same, not a bad first attempt by yours truly!
So what would I have done differently now? First of all, I would have done it all in one pan. All my sauces tend to cook together these days. So I would have sautéed the onions and mushrooms, would have deglazed with red wine, added the herbs, then the tomatoes and porcinis. I would also make sure the porcinis and pancetta were mandatory. The anchovies might be a tad much, and unnecessary.
I am one of the people who is an outspoken fan of white button mushrooms. They really do have a lot of flavor. But in a mushroom sauce like this, I would make a little more of a mix. Add some sliced creminis and maybe some shiitakes as well. This would add depth and richness to the mushroom flavor of the sauce.
But finally, to take the sauce in a totally different direction, adding lemon juice instead of wine as well as some lemon zest and sautéing in some spinach might lighten up the colors, brighten the flavors and create a more appealing sauce all-around. A touch of mascarpone cheese and some hazelnuts might not be a bad addition either. But that is another recipe for another time…
Chef Matt
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02.14.09
Posted in The Story at 6:21 pm by Chef Matt
“The weirdness of my life is something that never ceases to surprise me,” I said into the phone.
“Yeah, this is quite a story,” she replied.
So with our date and time to meet up agreed upon, I hung up the phone, and tried to put the story of how I got to this point back together in my mind….
OK, so about two years ago now, I decided it was time to get a tattoo. You all know about that. And of course several people have taken notice of the tattoo across the web. The favorable response to my tattoo (my mom notably excepted) has been overwhelming and appreciated.
But these mentions are nothing compared to Melissa at WineChef who took notice of my tattoo and wants to work it into a book about chefs and their tattoos! I was of course honored to be paid such a compliment for my tattoo. I of course thought nothing would come of it, but it tickled me as a thought all the same.
Fast forward to two weeks ago, and Melissa asks if I can get my tattoo photoed by a professional photographer friend. She is putting it together for an article for Meatpaper - a relatively new magazine “of art and ideas about meat.” Turns out progress on the book is being made, and this is just one of the stops along the way. And combining art and meat - well, a pig tattoo is just a natural, huh?
The catch was, I was just about to head back to England, and no, I don’t have any professional photographer friends who live here. I’m still working on making your regular “garden variety” friends - ones who aren’t “professional” anything! So Melissa got me in touch with Shuna from eggbeater, who is not only a talented and accomplished pastry chef, but also a darn good photographer to boot. Shuna and I trade some emails, and a few missed calls, but finally get in touch on the phone yesterday.
Borough Market. Nice and empty - no problem taking my clothes off here! |
“So have you heard of Borough Market?” she asked.
“I’ve pretty much not heard of anything in London. I’m really new here,” I replied.
“Well, Borough Market is THE place for foodies in London. It’ll be perfect for our photo shoot! It’s a great place to wander around and see everything - unless you’re a vegetarian…”
I laughed at her joke and told her that not too many vegetarians took the time to get pigs tattooed on their shoulders. So after arranging a place to meet, and telling each other what we’d be wearing, I had to reflect for just a second on what all was happening here.
“So I’m traveling to a crowded market in London on Valentine’s Day to take my shirt off in front of a ton of people so I can get my tattoo photographed by someone I’ve never met before so it can be put into a magazine called ‘Meatpaper’…”
There was a pause and a slight laugh on the other end of the phone.
“The weirdness of my life is something that never ceases to surprise me…”
Chef Matt
P.S. Stay tuned for the results of the photo shoot!
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02.13.09
Posted in The Story, Rants and Raves, Other Fun at 7:37 am by Chef Matt
It was 11:30 at night when suddenly the power in my flat went out. I wasn’t exactly sure what had happened, which is always the case when your power first goes out, but I knew enough to check the circuit breaker. Everything in there was in fine shape, so I decided to call the emergency number for the leasing agents. It was late, and it took a while to get someone to answer (the emergency number - go figure) but he was unfailingly polite given the circumstances. I explained that my power had suddenly gone off, while all my neighbors were fine, and he explained, “I’ll leave a message with your contact to call you in the morning, since I don’t think I could get someone to stop around at this time of night.”
Part of the problem with the lights being out is that my flat is still full of moving boxes… |
Since the majority of my readers are American, allow me to translate that last sentence into American from British for you. “It’s nighttime you asshole, your lights are SUPPOSED to be out. Stop calling me, numb-nuts and we’ll deal with it in the morning.”
Morning came around, and with the lights still out, I called my leasing agent once again. He informed me that the house was under warranty with the building company still (it’s a new flat) and so any problems should be addressed with them. I called the housing company and they said that the leasing agent should be able to get me in touch with the power company. I called the power company’s emergency number (supposedly for outages) and nobody was there to answer the phone.
Sigh.
It was about this time that a thought began creeping into my subconscious like an unwelcome relative - I didn’t want it there, and it wouldn’t leave… I had been out of the country for 2 months… could it be that the electric bill had not been paid?
It was about this time that I decided to break a minor law, and open some of the envelopes addressed to my landlord that for some reason had been delivered to us. The first one was from the electric company. In large red letters it read:
“Good Lord Watson! Have a look at this!!” |
FINAL NOTICE OF OVERDUE BILL
Ah. For those of us in the detective industry, we call this “a clue.”
So I called the number on the bill allotted for “instant payments” and when I gave the overly-eager account rep my account number, he informed me that this account had been closed.
Wait. What?…
“Yeah, the bill you have there was paid, and the account was closed and transferred over to the company letting your flat.”
“So the bills have all been paid?”
“Yeah, you’re fine, we haven’t cut you off.”
I wasn’t sure if this was good news or bad news… It’s nice to know my credit rating was still intact, but by the same token, I was still - quite literally - in the dark.
So I called the building people again and explained that I had checked with the power company, and by their reckoning, I was supposed to have power. The incredibly nice lady at the other end relented, and sent someone around to take a look. This man confirmed that my lights were out and the circuit breaker was good, but he noticed that I wasn’t even getting power to my meter. “Well, that’s Southern Electric’s area. We deal with it once the power reaches the meter. You’ll have to call them.”
Back on the phone to the emergency outage number, I was relieved to see that someone had finally decided to show up to work. They offered to send a technician right around. About half an hour later, he arrived, and confirmed that my power was out (thank God, I thought there was some sort of collective insanity going around) and indeed it was not reaching my meter. His special power that separated him from the last guy who had stopped by was that he was able to go out to the street to make sure there was electricity coming in from the main power lines. A few minutes later, he knocked on the door to tell me that everything was fine at the street, which meant he had to send around a different kind of technician to work on it.
“When will that be?…”
Yeah. Creepy. |
“Later today mate,” he said with a wink. I’ve never felt more unsettled by a man winking at me before - and that includes the guy who did it to me in a strip club bathroom…
Several hours later, two men stopped around to take a look at the situation. These were the first guys who actually pulled out something I would refer to as “tools” to begin working on the problem. Obviously, these were the guys I needed all along because in no time, they had all kinds of cool gadgets that made variously-pitched beeping noises hooked up to my power lines, and within 5 minutes the obviously senior of the two men asked me, without looking up from his beeping device, “How many meters is it to your front door?”
“From where you’re standing?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know… umm… five? Six?” I guessed, looking down the hallway.
“Ah good, that mean’s we’ll only have to dig outside.”
Wait. What?
Apparently this beeping device could pinpoint exactly where in the line the problem was, and it was telling us all (well OK, just this other guy) that the problem was exactly 9.2 meters down the line. The two guys got out some more big beeping things to find the line in my driveway, and soon they were full on digging up the front of my house. God bless these two electrical company soldiers - through the dark and cold, they dug one hell of a trench and found the main supply line to my house, with a tiny nick in it, buried 5 feet below my driveway. They replaced it, and soon my house sprang to life with a fresh dose of electrical juice.
Total power outage time: 22 hours
Phone calls made: 9
Cost to me: £10 in cell phone minutes. (The repair was on Southern Electric’s dime.)
Cups of tea consumed by repair people: 7
Time to re-fill hole in front of my house: 2 days and counting… I wonder who I have to call for that?
Chef Matt
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02.09.09
Posted in Other Fun at 12:20 am by Chef Matt
So I am back in England, and suffering from jet lag. While lying in the dark, a thought came to me. I thought perhaps I would share it with you, and would love to hear your answers to this as well…
Mmmm… beer. |
In my life, have I consumed (by volume) more beer or wine? Usually beer is drunk in larger quantities at a time (12-16oz versus 4-5oz), but at the same time, wine is usually enjoyed on a more regular basis with meals, while beer is consumed when one goes out to a bar (pub) to celebrate.
Now for some people, this question would be simple to answer. For example, for my dad, the answer would obviously be “wine,” while for some of my college friends the answer would obviously be “beer”. So for those of you who fall into the “that’s easy” category, I pose the follow up question:
Mmmm… wine. |
If you’ve had more wine in your life - has it been more red, or more white?
And if you’ve had more beer, has it been more from the draft (draught) or bottles/cans?
Perhaps this is not he deepest of discussion topics, but it did take up a lot of time tonight while I tried to get back to sleep to figure it all out. Since I’m an equal opportunity drinker, it actually took some consideration on my part to figure which I had more of. I think the answer for me is “beer’ and more out of bottles/cans than draft. But if you add it all up - I think all the volumes are really close.
Now I think I have to work to get tequila caught up with the rest of them! 
Chef Matt
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