06.22.09
Posted in The Story, My Cookbook at 6:16 pm by Chef Matt
It’s funny how every day I think about what it is I’m going to work on for my cookbook. Do I make up a new recipe and give it a shot? Do I try a new revision of a previous recipe that dawned on me when I gave it it’s first test run? Or do I just screw it all and eat out instead? (Anything but Italian…)
Mmmm… starch. |
And of course I have to choose between working on antipasto dishes versus pasta dishes versus polenta and so forth. I have to keep all the chapters afloat like an expert plate-spinner if only so I don’t get too tired of one type of Italian food. (No matter what I choose though, my starch intake remains firmly through the roof…)
There is the other decision that has to be made whenever I try a new recipe. Does this recipe have potential, and thus just needs a tweaking or slight revision, or is it so far off the mark that is has to be scrapped? As luck would have it, I’ve only had one recipe so far that I felt needed to be thrown out completely. It involved sugar snap peas, bacon, mint and balsamic vinegar. And we’ll never speak of it again.
But the best part so far is the recipes that are so good, that are hitting on all cylinders, that people are already asking me for copies of the recipes so they can make these dishes themselves. I guess the question is - do I share the recipe with them, or tell them to wait for my cookbook to come out?…
To help illustrate this dilemma in my head that I find myself faced with, I will re-use a previous photo I made for this blog:
Of course I never choose the “Dickhead” route in this situation…
But tonight is time to re-work the cauliflower pasta recipe. I’m gonna give it a shot as a risotto instead. We’ll see where that takes us, and who knows? If it works for me, maybe I’ll finally share it here with y’all!
Chef Matt
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06.10.09
Posted in The Story, My Cookbook at 7:40 pm by Chef Matt
A lot of the recipes I have for this cookbook are ones that I have made over the years, and I’m practically using the cookbook as an excuse to write them down for the first time. However, there are others that actually seem to come to me from the ether. Recipes that just appear in my head for one reason or another which need to be worked on and tested, because I think that they may actually show promise.
One such recipe came to me while I was taking a brief nap one afternoon. I was lying on the couch, and suddenly the flavors of olives and hot peppers on spaghetti started to come to me, and so I awoke with a recipe idea that I needed to write down right away. I actually ran it by some friends of mine as well, asking for some input as to what the “green” element of the pasta should be. I’m playing with the name “Pasta alla Swan” for this recipe as it develops right now, since that’s the nickname of my friend who came up with the winning idea.
Who am I to question where inspiration comes from?… |
A different recipe came to me when I saw a beautiful head of cauliflower at the farmer’s market the other day. Sure, it was obviously out of season, but hey, inspiration happens where it happens. I wanted to make a dish that used brown butter and cauliflower on a pasta dish. I started working with other flavors that go great with cauliflower. Flavors like hot pepper, garlic, Parmesan, almonds, walnuts, parsley and scallions were all tested in my trial runs for the dish. The result was a sauce where blanched cauliflower was browned in butter with almonds, then garlic, a little bit of red cherry peppers and scallions were added and heated through. When the pasta was cooked, it was coated with a tablespoon of butter and some breadcrumbs. Then the cauliflower mixture was stirred in, and the plates were topped with Parmesan and parsley.
The result was good…but not great. The real problem is that the flavor was one that slowly built in complexity and depth as you ate the dish, which is true of so many dishes that feature cauliflower. Everyone who has tried this recipe so far was uninterested at first, but by the end was begging for seconds. I need a better way to make the dish really jump out at people and have more kick from the start. If only there was some way to push that desire for more with every bite people take – not just the last few.
If you’re doing cauliflower, it better have garlic. But that’s just me… |
After kicking a few other flavor ideas around in my head, I decided to turn the whole problem on its head. Instead of a pasta, why not make it a risotto instead? A rich, creamy, garlicky risotto into which I stir the brown butter, cauliflower and peppers at the end, and then top it with scallion greens, Parmesan and parsley. The flavor profile would be very similar, but maybe with this more strongly flavored base, I could perhaps have a recipe that was top-notch from the first bite to the last.
But as it stands, I have no idea. That is the next test I have to try. It’s a rough business making a cookbook from scratch - especially with no publisher helping me to foot the bills at this point. But all the same, it’s not so bad eating the test results as I go!
Now I just need to go out and buy another head of cauliflower…
Chef Matt
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05.26.09
Posted in The Story at 5:16 pm by Chef Matt
Even in the down economy, I have to think forward to the time when I may be lucky enough someday to open my own restaurant. Sure, I’ve had such flights of fancy in the past, but if I’m going to give it a real go at my own place, I would need to really carefully consider such things as location, menu design/cuisine style, and of course the various and sundry restaurant equipment.
I mean, exactly how many of these do I actually need to open a restaurant?… |
When I was down in North Carolina visiting the (alas, now closed) Starlu Restaurant, the amazing head chef, Sam Poley, took me around and showed me all the things he had done to spruce up the space he had procured. The level of detail - since this was early in my culinary days - was truly astounding. All the things one had to think about from the tables and chairs, to how far apart they would be placed, to the plates, napkins, flatware - it was a dizzying array of items to consider, and the cost was also quite impressive.
I knew then that opening my own place was not going to be a flight of fancy, but rather something I was going to have to carefully consider since it was going to be quite the investment to procure not only the space and the food, but of course all the professional cookware as well.
Who knows when that day will come, but I’m thinking about where the economy is now as a possible time to consider my options. Places are closing, and while that means competition is tight, it also means there could be some great deals to be had out there. So long as I keep my eyes and ears open, I know I’ll be ready when the time is right.
Chef Matt
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05.15.09
Posted in The Story, My Cookbook at 4:42 pm by Chef Matt
It has been a while since I have reported on a test-kitchen scenario on this blog. Heck, I think the only time I really remember doing that here was back when I was working on different varieties of butternut squash soup. But in my continued research as part of writing my cookbook, I came across in my various notes and cookbooks a collection of different ways to make gnocchi. I was astonished. I really thought this was one of those recipes where the culinary jury had handed in its verdict long ago: the potatoes are boiled and you then proceed with making gnocchi.
But much to my surprise, I found several sources, all of which I consider to be very trustworthy, that had different methods of cooking the potatoes. Some said to boil, some said to steam and some said to oven-roast them. But what I found most interesting about these differences was the one thing they all had in common - they ALL said, no matter which cooking method they advocated, to cook the potatoes whole, with the skins on, and then peel them afterward. Interesting.
Three cooking methods, three pots and pans, three times the clean-up. |
So this called for a little test-kitchen magic! I knew that I didn’t like gnocchi made from 100% russet potatoes, and I found ones made from Yukon golds are a tad waxy. So I first measured out the potatoes to a 50-50 mixture by weight between these two varieties. (About 1 large russet to 2 medium Yukon golds.) One batch I steamed, one batch I boiled and one batch roasted away in a 350 degree oven.
Mmmm… 3 gnocchi. How can I be so generous?… |
As the potatoes finished, I noted the cooking times that it took for each method, and began to peel them and pass them through a food mill to make them wonderfully smooth (very necessary when making gnocchi). I measured in equal amounts of flour, salt and pepper into each batch and began the wonderful process of hand-rolling out the batches. But first, I made sure - as one must always do - to test cook a few from each batch to make sure I had enough flour mixed in. It is a delicate balance with gnocchi - too little flour, and they will fall apart in the cooking water. Too much flour and they will be heavy, gummy dumplings with no potato flavor at all.
Gee, I hope I made enough… |
Once I was convinced I had the right flour to potato ratio for the batches of gnocchi, I rolled them all out and assigned them numbers so that my tasting committee would not know which cooking method had resulted in which batch. From my tasting of the test gnocchi, I was pretty sure I knew which one I would like the best, but I wanted to see what others had to say as well.
What are you talking about? There’s no way this photo was staged! |
The taste test was simple enough. I cooked up small batches, dressed them all with a simple tomato-cream sauce I had whipped up on the side (one of the best gnocchi accompaniments known to man), and gave them score sheets to make notes on the different batches. I wanted to know what they thought of the flavor, the texture, the mouth-feel and so forth. So keeping the batches straight (I hope) they passed down their verdicts.
While it is of course impossible to have 100% agreement on which was the best, the strongest performer was by far the gnocchi made from the steamed potatoes. I also thought this one was the best, and at the end of the day, doesn’t my opinion matter the most here, seeing as how it will eventually be my name on the cookbook? Though I do have to admit, I was happy to see that my taste panel backed up my opinion by giving strong numbers to the steamed potato batch as well.
Obligatory beauty shot. Those really do look awesome… |
So there we have it. I have a technique for making gnocchi, and it was actually different from the one I thought would be the obvious winner. In fact, had I not done this research, I probably would have just advocated boiled potatoes for my gnocchi - the way I have always done it up until now…
While writing a cookbook is turning out to be a lot of hard work, all the same, it is a ton of fun when I get to do experiments like these. Especially ones that result in having a few tons of leftover gnocchi to enjoy!
Chef Matt
P.S. For those of you hoping to see my final gnocchi recipe here, please I have to save SOMETHING for the cookbook, don’t I?…
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05.13.09
Posted in The Story, Recipes, My Cookbook at 7:36 pm by Chef Matt
Wow, I just have to break in here and say that I am really amazed at all of you who have written in to me offering some sort of help one way or the other with the cookbook. From help with layout, to proofreading, it is really overwhelming in how awesome you all have been! So thank you so much for your support as I go down this road! You guys are the best!
So, I guess I need to supply you all with an update. Right now, I am writing recipes like a madman, comparing techniques for different recipes, and cooking up a storm. It is busy work putting together a cookbook as I am learning, but I have to say, the experimentation so far is quite delicious!
The only downside to writing a cookbook on Italian cooking is that I do find myself getting a little tired of Italian food here and there… When my friends ask me where I would like to go out to eat (on the rare nights I eat out now…), my only response is, “Anywhere but an Italian restaurant.”
Keep your advice coming in people. If you know a publisher (or are a publisher) who may be interested in this project, I would love to hear about it! If you just want to test some recipes, well, I can offer that as well. Here is another recipe from the book that I have recently brought about to a successful conclusion, so I offer it up to you as something to share with you all since you have been so good to me! Enjoy!
Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts, Pine Nuts and Butter
And it looks pretty too! Click image for larger version. |
Brussels sprouts are one of those vegetables that I thought were terrible as a kid only because I never knew how to cook them properly. It suddenly seems that everybody figured out how to cook them properly, and they are now one of my favorite vegetables to work with. And this is just one of many great dishes I have discovered using them.
½ lb - fettuccine
4 Tbsp - unsalted butter - divided
½ ea - white onion – diced
1 clove - garlic - minced
¾ lb - Brussels sprouts, cleaned, shaved thin
3 Tbsp - pine nuts – toasted
1 Tbsp - fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp - fresh flat leaf Italian parsley – chopped
½ tsp - freshly grated nutmeg
To Taste - salt and pepper
As needed - grated Parmesan
1. In salted water, begin cooking fettuccine.
2. Melt 3 Tbsp butter in skillet over medium high heat. Sauté onions until lightly colored.
3. Add garlic, cook until fragrant – about 30 seconds.
4. Add shaved Brussels sprouts, cook until lightly browned.
5. When pasta is al dente, strain, and return to pot it cooked in. Add Brussels sprouts and remaining 1 Tbsp butter. Toss to combine.
6. Add pine nuts, lemon juice, parsley and nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Serve immediately, and pass grated Parmesan at table.
Serves 2-3
Keep that help coming people! Thanks so much!
Chef Matt
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05.08.09
Posted in The Story, Other Fun at 6:37 pm by Chef Matt
Sorry for the delay in writing, but I have been up to a lot here.
I just wanted to show you all the final shot in Meatpaper magazine of my tattoo. The end result of the photo shoot actually put into print.
The shot of me in Meatpaper. Any magazine this cool deserves your subscribing.
Click for image larger (legible) version. |
In case you all were doubting that this was real, I just wanted to show you that, yes, I really did take my clothes off in public for a good reason. In fact, the photographer (Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater) posted more of the photos from the photo shoot on Flickr. You should be sure to see all the tags she put on the photos - they are quite funny.
And of course, thanks so much to Melissa at Inked Rouge Chefs, who got this whole thing started in the first place! It’s been a surreal experience, and I can’t wait for the book to come out!
Chef Matt
P.S. I feel safe in the posting of this bit of the magazine because, heck, 3/4 of what is written there is stuff I wrote myself anyway… 
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04.10.09
Posted in The Story, Recipes, My Cookbook at 8:45 am by Chef Matt
Just so you all don’t think I’m sitting around doing nothing in my spare time - which is stunningly close to the truth - I want to throw a small update your all’s way as to what I’m actually doing in the endless hours on the couch. I’m sifting through the countless pages, word files, notes in cookbooks and scraps of paper I have here and there and seeing if I have enough recipes to put together my first cookbook.
For now, it’s a mystery.
And I hope to have a better cover and title… |
“What is the cookbook about?” I hear you all asking. Well, at least I hope you are asking if you have read this far…
“I can’t fully tell you just yet,” I reply since I’m a jerk.
Seriously though, I have an angle on my cookbook that I want to keep quiet for the time being since I think the concept is one that nobody has actually ever attempted before. Hopefully the innovation inherent in my concept will provide me with a niche that could tip the scales in my favor towards actually getting this thing published somewhere. But I do think it is safe enough to let you all know that the main culinary thrust of the book will be - of course - Italian cuisine.
So if I can’t tell you fully what the book is about, why in God’s name am I telling you that I’m even doing this? There are two main reasons:
- If I were to write a cookbook, or any kind of book, and not tell you all about it in the process, then there would be a certain level of betrayal from me to you, my loyal readers. This blog is about my evolving story in the culinary world, and I think this counts, so you all should know about my endeavors - even if they don’t pan out - from the get-go.
- This post is acting as a “feeler” post among you - my aforementioned loyal readers - to see what/who you may know that could help me. The connections/opportunities that have literally fallen in my lap as a result of this blog thanks to you all has never ceased to amaze me. And maybe one of you out there knows/holds the key I need to know in order to get this book out there and published. If so, I would love to start down that path at the same time as I am compiling all these recipes together.
And lastly, since everyone likes a good recipe, allow me to share one of the recipes I recently created for the purpose of the book. It was received with rave reviews from all it was presented to, and I thought it was pretty kick-ass myself! Enjoy!
Mixed Seafood Risotto
1 recipe court bouillon (I will add this in a separate section - in the meantime this recipe works fine)
½ lb 20-24 shrimp – peeled and de-veined
20-25 mussels – in shells
4 cups “weak” chicken or seafood broth (basically 1/2 - 1/3 strength so as not to overpower your risotto)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 leek - white part diced, greener parts sliced in semi-circles – divided (deep green parts discarded)
½ medium white onion – small dice
2 cloves garlic – minced
½ cup white wine
1 cup risotto rice
3 tubes calamari – sliced thin
3 Tbsp vodka
Salt and pepper to taste
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Heat court bouillon to a light boil. Add shrimp and mussels and cook for 3 minutes. Remove seafood and cool in ice bath. Remove mussels from shells. Set cooked seafood aside, discard court bouillon.
- Heat broth in small saucepan, keep warm through cooking.
- In separate saucepan, melt butter and sauté white part of the leeks and the onion until translucent.
- Add garlic, sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add rice, and cook while stirring until coated with butter and shiny, about 1 minute.
- Add white wine, cook until absorbed by rice.
- Add broth, 1-2 ladlefuls at a time, stirring between additions, letting rice absorb broth between each addition, until only 2 ladlefuls remain.
- Add cooked shrimp and mussels as well as calamari rings to risotto, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add vodka and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add remaining broth, cook until absorbed by rice, taste and correct for seasonings.
- Remove risotto from heat, add butter and reserved sliced light green leeks.
- Stir in fresh lemon juice and serve immediately.
Serves 3-4
If any of you out there have any ideas or contacts for the book, or if you want more details on how to cook risotto (which I cover elsewhere in my book), or even if you just want to say hi, drop me an email!
Chef Matt
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04.08.09
Posted in The Story, Reviews at 4:48 pm by Chef Matt
Last weekend, I went to Portugal with Caroline, and we had a fabulous time. I won’t bore you with the travelogue of my trip, but rather cut straight to the chase with the food. I never thought the food of Portugal was going to astound me, since I had never really seen any Portuguese restaurants in DC when I was growing up. (Usually the lack of a specific country’s cuisine in restaurant-form in a “world city” like DC is a sure sign of how that country’s cuisine is not so awesome. Scotland for example…)
But I digress. I figured the food would be similar to that of southern Spain, possibly a bit more fish-focused, but all in all, nothing special. I was happy to discover I was wrong. We had some truly fabulous meals, but there is one in particular that stands out among the rest.
The courtyard of our lovely hotel. |
When we arrived at our amazing hotel in Evora, the Albergaria do Calvario, we were presented with a list of local restaurants that they really thought were great. The first one on the list jumped out at us as being a family-run place with a real authentic Portuguese style. Well, if we were going to sample the local flavor, it should be “authentic,” right?
We had the hotel make a reservation at Taberna Tipica Cuarta-Feira, and thankfully they gave us the directions as well. We never would have found (or been able to pronounce the name of) this place on our own in the back-alleys of this medieval town. We were warmly welcomed, and sat down at one end of a large table on small wooden stools. Sliced local salamis and bread were there waiting for us next to our “Reservado” sign, and before we had even gotten comfortable, the owner’s son had brought us a warmed-just-to-melting piece of local cheese and asked us with a friendly smile what we would like to drink. Caroline had water and I had white wine.
Both were brought out quickly with two large button mushroom caps filled with olive oil, garlic and parsley, and quick-roasted in the oven. Such a simple melding of flavors, they were just fabulous, and they emptied their delicious juices all over the plate which just begged to be sopped up with more of the bread.
We had still not seen a menu, but that didn’t seem to matter, as we were thrilled with what was coming so far. And then the black pork arrived. I have learned this is a specialty of the house, and I can see why. Braised local pork neck is seasoned to perfection and braised to absolute succulence. Served with the best oven-roasted potatoes I’ve ever seen, saffron rice and a mashed spinach that was worrisome to look at, but delicious to eat! Every bite was enthralling. And the wine kept coming without my even having to ask!
Eating the early bird special? Hell no! |
Since we are American, we were of course one of the early tables to be sat - even though we arrived at 8pm - and soon we saw more and more locals coming in and filling up the spots next to the other “Reservado” cards. And with each table, the same series of dishes arrived without asking. There were no menus. Just a cozy restaurant that could seat 30 people if it crammed in tight, with a father and son working the tables and the kitchen simultaneously (the mom seemed to be in the kitchen all the time) as if they had invited us all over to their house for dinner.
The dessert was a delicious almond cake and a local egg dish that is basically a broken custard. But the amount of sugar that is in there makes up for it’s condition, and it’s of course delicious. This was served with tiny glasses of a local wine that is similar to port, but they insisted was not port, since, well, this was Alentejo - not Porto.
As we slowly savored our desserts - since eating fast was now out of the question in our filled-to-bursting stomachs - we realized that this was perhaps one of the ten best meals we had ever had. It was simply fabulous. So we began to discuss some of the other great meals we would put in that category. I’m not going to burden you with more stories of great meals I’ve had, but rather cut to the surprising conclusion that we arrived at:
Almost NONE of the meals we put on the list were ones we’ve had at world-renowned restaurants.
We’ve eaten at plenty of them (not all of them to be sure, but enough to know what we’re talking about here…) and yet when we think back to the truly great meals, we kept coming up with were small cafes and unknown restaurants around the world that served food that was so authentic, so unpretentious, that it stayed in our minds forever.
The view is lovely - but that doesn’t make the food better - and it doesn’t necessarily make the meal memorable either… |
And this meal was another such example. There was no menu - not because the chef was above such trivialities, but because that was all he and his wife could cook in one evening! This was beyond “traditional” Portuguese cuisine, this was being invited to the best dinner party in town. And these are the meals I’ll remember. I couldn’t speak to anyone else in the restaurant, and yet I felt like we were all good friends. Food this good, hosts this friendly, and the fact that I didn’t need to consider the opulence of my environment at any time all meant this was a meal to remember.
Furthermore, it gave me more of a sense of where I want to go as a chef. I always wondered what it was about some of the chefs I worked with that got under my skin, and now I can finally put my finger on it. Pretension. It’s bad enough to have to seek out the rarest ingredient to include in a dish, but then it always has to make an appearance on the menu as well so you can prove to your guests that you know more than they do. It’s like culinary “oneupsmanship”.
But as I now see, if you make great food, there is no need to show it off with the settings around you. There’s no need to have 14 different types of wine glasses and three sizes of spoons. There’s no need to come out to the tables and talk about the food, the guests are already enjoying it plenty. The simple truth is that good food needs to be written about. Great food speaks for itself.
This was a valuable lesson to receive. Now I just have to see how I can apply it as I go forward.
Chef Matt
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03.09.09
Posted in The Story, Recipes at 10:30 am by Chef Matt
With time to kill here in Oxford, I’m able to invent dishes that come to mind when I have some things laying around in the kitchen. It’s arguably the greatest perk of not actually having a full-time job. The other day we bought a whole chicken, and I used the breasts and wings for a chicken pot pie, and I turned the carcass into a stock which I used as the base for an awesome black bean soup. So now I was presented with the opportunity to invent something from the legs.
So I decided to make up a recipe for Chicken Legs Braised in Red Wine with Porcini Mushrooms and Risotto. Sounded good to me, and just to be on the safe side, I took photos as I went along. (You’ll notice a marked difference in how a real camera records these events as compared to last time.) I figured if it was good, I’d share it with you, and if it sucked, well, photos are easy to delete. Fortunately, the result was a success with my wife and flat mate practically licking their plates clean, so I figure it worth sharing with you what I did. I hope you try it and enjoy as well!
Be sure to soak for about 20-30 minutes. |
First, soak some dried porcinis in warm water - about 3/4 cup. Many great recipes start with this step, so I figured why not start with the proven methods? When they are done soaking, take out the mushrooms (no need to chop) and strain the liquid, but be sure to save it! That water may look dirty, but it is 100% flavor!
Salt and pepper the meat well. |
Next, cut apart the thigh and drumsticks of the legs. This allows the chicken to cook faster, and it’s easier to manipulate these smaller pieces. I prefer leg meat for braising - the result is more flavorful and juicier. Also, it’s important to have pieces that have bones in them for a good braise since the gelatin they add helps thicken the sauce.
Why wouldn’t you use it?… |
How could a chef with a tattoo of a pig on his back leave bacon out of a recipe? Rendering some bacon adds fat and flavor, and also creates a garnish for the end. Render the bacon to crispy, remove and set aside for garnishing the final dish. Add a little more oil to the pan if needed so as to brown the chicken.
It almost looks good enough to eat as is, huh?… |
Brown the chicken pieces thoroughly on all sides. This is important in a braise, and something that I sometimes mess up due to laziness and over-crowding the pan. Take your time, and do this in batches if you have to in order to make sure you get a nice browning on the chicken. When browned, remove the chicken from the pan, set aside and pour out all but 1-2 Tbsp of the fat.
Garlic and porcinis. This also looks good enough to eat as is. |
Throw the soaked porcinis into the pan along with 2-3 chopped cloves of garlic. Cook until nicely browned (about 1-2 minutes) then deglaze the pan with the water from the porcini soak as well as 1 cup of red wine.
This does not look particularly appetizing as is, but it is really an important step. It’s deglazing after all! |
Bring the wine and porncini water to a boil. Because you want to cook the alcohol off, let it boil at a good clip for about a minute. Add some dried thyme and dried rosemary as well as a few bay leaves. Return the chicken to the pan (along with accumulated juices!), reduce the heat to low, cover, and braise for about 1-1.5 hours (flipping chicken every 20 minutes or so) until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender.
I almost didn’t need the knife at all. That’s a perfect braise. |
Take the meat out of the pot once agian, and cutting it off the bone should be really easy. If you have to work to trim the meat off, then it is not done - keep cooking. When the meat is falling off, shred the meat (or chop roughly) and throw away the bones, cartilage and any especially fatty pieces of skin. Return the meat to the pan, taste and correct with salt and pepper, and keep warm.
The risotto here is just a base, it doesn’t need to be super-flavored, or else it will compete with the braised chicken. |
Make some risotto. I’m not going into the many steps and techniques needed to make a perfect risotto here. Perhaps I will talk of that some other time. Basically I made an onion and garlic risotto, with white wine and broth to cook the rice. The mantacare (the fat stirred in when the rice is done cooking) was done with 2 Tbsp butter and about 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan.
The finished dish. |
Plating is easy, just remember that the bacon should probably be warm, and by now it’s assuredly cold. But that’s why the good Lord gave us microwaves. Place the risotto on the plate, top with a generous portion of the shredded chicken and porcinis, spoon on some sauce from the braise and then garnish with the warmed bacon and some wild arugula.
I’m happy with the result, and hope you enjoy as well!
Chef Matt
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03.05.09
Posted in The Story at 7:15 am by Chef Matt
I finally got my camera back, so I can now share with you the photos from my topless photo shoot in London. These are not the official pictures for the magazine, but rather the photos my wife took of me having my photo taken by Shuna of eggbeater. Shuna was not only awesome to work with, but she was a total wealth of knowledge about the kitchen culture of England as compared to the US.
But what I’m sure you tuned in for is to see pics of me making an ass of myself in public. Well, I never disappoint, do I?… So since you know the story of what happened already, I’ll just present this to you as a photo essay with commentary. Enjoy.
Borough Market. I’m so glad there was nobody there to see me take my shirt off… |
We went down a quieter alley for my first shots so as to get me used to the fact I would be posing topless. |
As you can see, it doesn’t take me long to get used to the concept… |
Some more shots against an old door frame exhibit the true whiteness of my back. |
Moving up to the busy market area, we get set to take some more shots where there are more people around. |
I wasn’t actually bothered by disrobing in front of a thousand people, so much as exposing myself in front of a 3-year-old girl… |
The reason for shooting up here was because of the pork butcher sign, which I thought would make a cool background for a shot of my tattoo. |
Just in case you want to know what I look like up close with my tattoo.
And yes, I did shave my back for this. |
The real photos will most likely be available in the next issue of Meatpaper, so the time to subscribe is now! But of course, I will keep you all posted as to when the photos appear there. And of course, keep checking by inkedroguechefs.com as well for when that book comes out. I’ll probably be buying a few copies of both for myself…
Chef Matt
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