04.08.08

Vinegar Redeux

Posted in The Story, Teaching Classes at 10:13 am by Chef Matt

As I mentioned a few weeks back when describing my vinegar class to you all, the class was such a success, that we decided to re-run it. Well, time keeps marching on and yesterday was the day when the “re-run” became simply “the run”. And yes, the class went just fine. (Something about having done a class before just makes the whole process easier to handle…)

My proposed guest speaker for the class…

In addition to this, I have my next class topic already set-up. It’s going to be on how to cook with different types of salt. LifeStyle has an amazing selection of salts, and I have wanted to run a class covering different ways to use them for some time now. So while poking around with ideas and recipes, here is the tentative menu I’ve come up with for that upcoming class:

• Focaccia with caramelized onions, sage and salt
  
• Spicy salt squid
  
• Cauliflower and potato frittata with truffle salt
  
• Farfalle pasta with asparagus, hazelnut and mascarpone with smoked salt
  
• Salt-rubbed pork loin with apricots
  
• Fresh strawberries covered with a salted dark chocolate ganache

Which reminds me of something. In case you all haven’t seen it in the “Main Menu” to the right, I’m now offering my cooking teaching services to the general public. I’ve really enjoyed coming back into the world of culinary instruction, and so I would love the chance to share it with you.

So if you are looking for your own personal class, drop me a line, and let’s see what we can cook up together. But if not, I hope you can make it to Bedford, PA for my class on salt in two weeks. See you all there!

Chef Matt

Permalink 6 Comments

03.10.08

My Very Own “Big Night” Moment

Posted in The Story, Greatest Hits, Recipes, Teaching Classes at 11:28 am by Chef Matt

A fabulous film, and of course it doesn’t hurt that it’s about Italians…

For those of you who don’t understand, “Big Night” is simply the best film ever made about what it is to be a chef. (Yes, even better than “Ratatouille”) Perhaps I am slightly biased in that it has to deal with Italian chefs, but regardless, it is still amazing. (Definitely better than “No Reservations”.) If you haven’t seen it yet, and have any interest in the culinary world, you must go rent it now. It is exactly what all chefs have to go through several times in their career.

To briefly explain for the poor souls out there who have not seen this film, it is about two brothers, one who is a fantastic chef who is unwilling to alter his cooking styles to match public tastes, and the other who wants to be a success with the public - even if it means making compromises on the food to sell people what they want. Simply put, it is about artistic integrity vs. selling out - from a culinary point of view.

At least I had been presented with the reality that this dichotomy existed before I was recently presented with it. I guess it helped me prepare for it on some level, but still it was amazing how it tore me in two directions so strongly.

Another cooking class up in Bedford, PA was coming up at LifeStyle and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. With the approach of spring, I wanted to teach a class on “Springtime in Tuscany”. It was going to feature lamb chops and grilled asparagus and a whole host of wonderful dishes prepared with the simple, straightforward style of Tuscan cooking. But the owners wrote back to me saying that while the class sounded great, they didn’t like how it used so few products from their store. Simply put, if they were going to pay me to teach a class in their store, I had to involve (read: “sell”) more of their merchandise.

So here it was, the integrity of my recipes and vision versus the need to follow the requests of those footing the bill. I was torn. On the one hand, it hurts to have a menu rejected like that. On the other hand, they had every right to make such a reasonable request of me since it is, after all, their store. I was not sure what I was going to do. Give up and tell them to find some trained monkey to hock their wares? Or maybe I should be more flexible in my menu seeing as how this is a great gig, and I don’t want to lose it just for the sake of my stubborn pride.

Cooking in the class with generous amounts of vinegar. As you can see, it makes me happy. Photo by Ken Sepeda

Suddenly it hit me. I have always been a big fan of their selection of olive oils and vinegars, so I decided to alter my menu just a little bit, and turn the class into a lesson on how to cook with different vinegars. My menu was changed only slightly in the long run (lamb chops and asparagus remained) but now the owners were very happy that I was showing the class how to use so many of their products. Compromise wins again!

The class was an enormous success as the food was awesome and my students loved it all. It was such a hit, we have decided to re-run the class again later next month. Here is the menu of dishes I presented (and the vinegars I used):

• Marinated Artichoke Hearts with Hazelnut Gastrique (white wine vinegar with cinnamon and nutmeg)
  
• Italian Bean and Tuna Salad with White Balsamic Vinegar (white balsamic vinegar obviously)
  
• Asparagus Vinaigrette (orange balsamic)
  
• Candied Cranberries (red wine vinegar) (These were placed on the asparagus vinaigrette)
  
• Lamb Chops Aceto (marinated in white wine vinegar with mint and lime, drizzled with fig balsamic after cooking)
  
• Strawberries in Balsamic (chocolate balsamic vinegar)

Click for larger image. Photo by Ken Sepeda

Artichokes with Hazelnut Gastrique
What may at first seem like an odd combination, this dish works well as an appetizer to surprise your friends and family with. The sweetness of the gastrique plays well with the tartness of the artichokes and the vinegar flavors blend in with the naturally good flavor pairing of hazelnut and artichokes.

• 2 Tbsp water
  
• 2 Tbsp sugar
  
• ½ cup sherry
  
• ½ cup sherry or flavored wine vinegar
  
• ½ cup halved hazelnuts
  
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  
• 1 can marinated artichoke hearts - drained
  
• 1 loaf Italian bread - optional

1. Combine water and sugar, and boil until sugar begins to take on an amber hue.
   
2. Add sherry, reduce until almost all liquid has evaporated.
   
3. Add vinegar, reduce by a little more than half
   
4. Pour mixture over hazelnuts, stir to cool.
   
5. Whisk in olive oil to form emulsion with liquid in bowl.
   
6. Pour mixture over artichoke hearts, serve on thinly sliced bread if you like.

Chef Matt

Permalink 9 Comments

10.05.07

An Offer I Had to Refuse…

Posted in The Story, Teaching Classes at 8:54 pm by Chef Matt

About two weeks ago now, I had the second of my cooking classes up in Bedford, PA. The first class had a waiting list that was almost long enough to fill the second class, so we just decided to run my first class over again for those who couldn’t fit in the first time around. Apparently my first class received such rave reviews though; this class had a waiting list of its own! Ahh, the cost of fame…

Scolding my class for not using enough wine in their food. I am firm, but fair… Photo by Ken Sepeda

I wanted to give this second class a little something different, so I was going to make a different risotto recipe - risotto with pancetta and asparagus - but asparagus was just too far out of season to find anywhere. So I had to stick with my original recipe of saffron risotto with shrimp and marinated artichoke hearts. (Oh darn…)

Like my first class, the group really involved themselves in the class, laughed at my jokes, and asked questions about things they were interested in. I was worried when one of the first questions was, “What species of pine tree to pine nuts come from?” (Answer: “I have no fucking clue.”), but I covered for it well enough and the rest of the questions were more manageable. In the end I did receive a round of applause and everyone was effusive in their praise both of the food and my presentation.

Ladies, ladies please! There is plenty of me for all of you!

The first surprise of the night came shortly after the end of the class when one lady came up to my demonstration table and asked me to sign her recipe packet. Yes ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in my life someone asked me for my autograph. Next stop, Hollywood!

A few more people came up and asked me specific questions about the dishes I’d just demonstrated which I was happy to talk with them about. It was in this series of conversations that the next surprise of the evening occurred. A man came up - who knew my parents actually - and asked me if I would consider moving to Bedford. My raised eyebrow must have shown him that my interest was indeed piqued, so he continued. Some friends of his have recently renovated a hotel in Everett, PA, and they had a chef lined up from Pittsburgh who fell through. He wanted to know if I wanted to be the head chef at this new hotel/restaurant.

Not only had I been asked for my first autograph, but my first attempt at being “poached” had happened as well. Simply put, he was trying to steal me away from my job and give me the ultimate promotion in the culinary profession. I’ve been a professional chef for just under 14 months, and I have been offered my first executive chef position. I dare say that’s not bad by any measurement.

But I had to tell him “no”. There are three good reasons:

How could I leave all the glamour of teaching behind?… Photo by Ken Sepeda

1. I like living in DC for now. While I have mentioned before that I have no interest in working in downtown DC, the DC area still has many fabulous restaurants to work in and learn from. I’m situated in a great place to start my career and continue forward in the years to come. And the job I have in DC right now is one I love. It’s not every job that lets you make your own root beer and saw pig heads in half. And I get to do these things without the pressure of it being all on me if they fail…

2. I don’t think my wife and I are ready to move just yet. Not only do I have a good job, but my wife has a fabulous job that she is advancing in as well. Just because I have a good lead doesn’t mean she does, and I am not sure what Everett, PA holds for her as far as her career is concerned.

3. Most importantly, I just don’t think I’m ready for it. I’ve learned so much and come so far in this past year, but I know my limitations. Someday I’ll be able to open my own place, I know I will. But today is not that day, and neither is tomorrow. I’m not going to fall into the trap of setting phony deadlines for myself, so let’s just say that I know when the time will be right. And when it is, I’ll be open to such offers.

But until then, I’m just going to have to enjoy the fact that at least people are asking if I’m interested. I guess I’ll just have to pass the time holding more classes and signing more autographs!

Chef Matt

The obligatory group shot with my class. I’m the guy in the chef’s coat in the front… Photo by Ken Sepeda

Permalink 7 Comments

08.09.07

Back to Teaching

Posted in The Story, Teaching Classes at 10:52 pm by Chef Matt

A long time ago - back when I was still working at Tirolo in fact - I was wondering if I should go back to becoming a cooking instructor, or maybe pick up some extra catering hours to help earn some more money for myself. The Tirolo job - being my first cooking job was one that did not pay enough for me to stay afloat by itself, and the fact that Sarah was trying to keep labor costs as low as possible meant that I was earning a very paltry paycheck.

Well the times soon changed as I moved on to Vero, and was earning enough there - thanks to a larger hourly wage and more hours - that I didn’t have to work hard to find outside employment. Though in a weird twist of fate, I was actually doing quite a bit of catering work while I was at Vero simply because that was such a major focus of the business.

Now, as a chef at Rustico, and a salaried one at that, I make enough money that I only need to do these jobs when I feel like doing them. The urgent need to find other sources of income is gone thankfully, and in its place there is the chance for me to pick and choose the extracurricular activities I actually want to do.

And teaching cooking is always one of those things.

Italian style - the only way to make something look good without any sort of functionality whatsoever.

With my incredibly full schedule, I was hardly going around looking for opportunities to be a teacher. Rather, this was an instance where the job fell into my lap. Up in Bedford, PA - where my parents have that aforementioned “cabin in the woods” - there is a new store that has opened that is dedicated to Italian food and design. It’s called “Lifestyle” and it is a wonderful addition to the (until now) culturally bleak offerings in downtown Bedford.

Well, as my mom loves to do, she got to chatting with the owners, and let them know how I’m not only a chef, but way back in the day, I used to teach Italian cooking. Well, they were of course very excited about this revelation, so to skip ahead to the good part, I’ll be teaching a class there on Northern Italian cooking this Monday night!

I’m extremely excited to be back in front of a class again. And this time I am doing so with a culinary degree and over a year of kitchen experience under my belt. When I first started teaching the course, I almost felt like a bit of a fraud - I was simply someone who knew a lot about the subject, but with no real credentials. Now I’m fully bona fide, and while on the one hand this puts me more at ease - people tend to accept that any for real “chef” who shows up is just right about whatever he says - it also has opened that pit in my stomach of performance anxiety. I mean, I’m really supposed to know this stuff now, so if I freeze in front of the class - well, that just won’t be cool.

On the menu for the night: Risotto! (YUM!)

Fortunately, this is a subject I’ve taught before, so I’m intimately familiar with the subject matter. Throw in my love of cooking and teaching, and I am hoping that it’ll all be like riding a bicycle. Easy to remember, and easy to make a fast get away if things go badly.

Oh yeah, and the class sold out really quickly - so if I do a good job and get another gig, I’ll let you all know ahead of time!

Chef Matt

Permalink Comments

10.03.06

Catering or Teaching?

Posted in The Story, Teaching Classes at 11:24 pm by Chef Matt

So I was brainstorming during my break today about ways I can make a little extra money since I am not getting all the hours I need at Tirolo. Even with my new salary, I am still not pulling quite my fair share of the family income, so I need to find some sort of extra cash generator. (Since not quite enough of you click on the ads here. Not that you should stop…)

The first thought that entered into my brain was catering. I have some experience with catering, mostly as a server/bartender and there is a very clear cut pro/con balance sheet for the career:

Pro: The money is quite good
Con: The work generally sucks

Ahhh… cooking for 200 people. Really personal.

Before any caterers start railing in anger against me, allow me to explain why I am not a fan of the work involved with catering. The simplest way I can do this is to use a sports analogy, which is easiest for me, since my dad writes a sports column. (www.sportscurmudgeon.com) The problem with catering is that you are always playing an “away game”.

See, when you are in your own kitchen, be it your home or your restaurant, you are the home team. You know where everything is. You are working with your own equipment and you know all its little nuances. And most importantly, you are usually cooking for a crowd that the kitchen is designed to handle. (Restaurant kitchens are made big enough to handle the seats outside and you rarely try to cook for way too many people in your own home - except at Thanksgiving of course…)

But when you are a caterer, everything is the exact opposite of this. You are in a kitchen you don’t know with equipment you have never used before. Trying to find where everything is can be a total nightmare (especially when you need things immediately). And most importantly, the kitchen you are cooking in is never designed to handle as many people as there are at the party. How do I know this? Because if it was designed to handle that many people, they wouldn’t have to hire a fucking caterer!

But I digress…

Can anyone tell me the primary ingredients in pesto?… Anyone?… Anyone?…

The other idea, as will be obvious to those of you who read the title of this post, is to go back to teaching. I used to teach for Fairfax County adult education in a course on Northern Italian cooking. I loved teaching, and still do, but the money is, well, “teacherish”. So without further ado, the pro/con matrix for teaching:

Pro: The work is quite good
Con: The money generally sucks

Sure, these are not my only options, but these are great ways to do work that does not require a ton of time or “outside effort” (show up, do the job, go home, drink a beer) and thus bring in the extra income without being too attached to another employer.

I guess what I am asking here is, “What do you all think?” I would really like any feedback you all can offer.

Oh and of course, if anyone is looking for a personal chef, please feel free to drop me a line as well! I know how to cook Italian/Austrian pretty well nowadays. Just ask my boss.

Matt

Permalink 3 Comments