Don't get me wrong there is a lot to be learned from these shows, but unfortunately what they are teaching us is that you have to be able to create a meal in under an hour! If you are a really good cook you can do the meal in under a 1/2 hour...This is BS!
Why do we have to rush one of the greatest experiences we are provide with from God? Eating and the experience of food. All of your five senses are involved in a good meal; sight, sound, smell, taste, and feel. Think about it, eating is as good as sex, maybe better...
I won't go there, but sit back take a breather and think about what and why you eat.
Is it just to make a turd as a good friend told me as he ate a power bar, to get him through lunch?
Sounds offensive but why do we eat? To nourish just our body?
Or should we be eating to nourish our soul...
I am not a head chef, a chef for hire, or a restaurant owner, but I have had formal training, worked as a cook, prep cook, private chef and have cooked for my family for over 30 years. In that time I have learned that eating is one of the greatest experiences in life. It should not be wasted, taken for granted; or God help us rushed...
Listed below are seven of my signature dishes and the base for my gravies. The recipes are not posted complete, just the idea of the meal. If you want the nuts and bolts, are family or a close friend drop me a line and I will give you the goods.
Each of these dishes take at the minimum 1 + hours; most are 2+ days, yes days... As I am typing this article I am in the middle of one of my 2-4 day recipes. Drunken Chicken. More on this later.
To me the total time to prepare a meal is the thought/planning of the meal, the acquisition of ingredients, the preparation, the actual cooking time, and the plating (presentation). None of these steps can be rushed, as we are taught on most cooking shows in this day and age.
Many years ago I started to watch the original "Iron Chef " from Japan (Fuji TV). I was hooked by what these chef's could do in 60 minutes, it was mind boggling. This was the original cook, under time constraints show and I feel that all of today's get it done quickly food shows have evolved from there.
My time consuming meals.
#1
Pulled Pork (1 week, top tier time wise)
Marinade a pork shoulder roast (dry rub) for at least 2-4 days. (Kind of hard to get the pig to stand still...)
Marinade the pork shoulder in New Castle beer for 2-4 days. (The pig usually does not mind a New Castle bath)
Cook for 8-12 hours (low and slow).
Cool down for 1 hour.
Pull the pork (remove fat, bones).
Put the pulled pork in a pan with au jus & beer and warm up.
Serve on a nice bun with sweet relish.
What's the rush?
#2
Lobster "Williamberg" (1 to 1 & 1/2 days)
Blanch lobster tails until slightly red 2-4 minutes.
Remove from pot, cool down (1/2 hour)
Remove shells and clean lobster meat (1/2 hour)
Package lobster meat for tomorrow, yes tomorrow.
Go to bed, got to get up early tomorrow...
Start your lobster sauce by throwing all the shells (even add shrimp shells if you have them) into a large stock pot, add other ingredients and start the long, long, long, process of reduction. As your day winds on you will keep adding water, tasting, changing, tasting, reducing, adding water...
You will then remove and strain all of the ingredients in the stock pot. Next you mash the shit out of the shells and veggies through a sieve into the stock pot so you have a very, very, very rich broth. You will need to strain again (even finer, you only want the broth left).
Next you continue with the reduction, tasting, making changes, tasting and when you are sure of the taste, start with the final reduction...
During the day of reduction you will have also have made a simple lobster salad (w/mayo and other ingredients); cooked the best artichokes you can find removing all leaves and silk so you have a perfect 3-4 inch round heart, trimmed so it fits nicely in a ramekin.
As you finalize your sauce you will start to thicken it; it has to be the consistency of a light mud, not runny, not liquid, not hard...
Thick because you will use so very little, about 1-2 tbsp per serving (the flavor intensity is amazing).
Next you build the Lobster Williamberg; artichoke heart on the bottom of the ramekin. A little butter, a little grated Parmesan cheese, the lobster salad, a little fresh grated cheese and a little browned (bay leaf infused) panko flakes on top. Put your ramekins into a water bath, and into the oven for about 30 minutes, remove from oven and drizzle your sauce over the top. Serve with broiled shrimp & homemade cocktail sauce, and bay leaf infused butter seared scallops.
Now we are talking about a meal! Only 10 people have ever had this creation, yeah they are still waiting for the next time...
#3
Drunken chicken/turkey (1-4 days). I got the idea from an Alton Brown recipe from one of his 1/2 hour shows...
Marinade a whole chicken/turkey in; one cup brown sugar (dark), a half cup of kosher salt, one cup of bourbon (or more), and water. The chicken/turkey needs to be completely submerged in the fluid. I mix the bourbon, salt, and sugar mix in water to dissolve before submerging the whole chicken/turkey. Let it marinade for 1-4 days (in the fridge). Drain bird, (give it a sobriety test, walk the line!) add seasoning (your choice) and cook how you like. Tonight I am smoking the whole bird on the grille (apple wood chips, thyme leaves, rosemary leaves).
Sometimes I flavor the bird with a spice mix and roast in the oven.
#4
Lobster shrimp ragu. (6-8 hours)
This is a recipe that knocks the your socks off!
The wine that I have in our cellar is a critical part of the meal. The wine has a distinctive pepper finish to the pallet.
The basis for the meal comes from the following cookbook;
"The Scotto Family, Italian Comfort Food".
http://www.amazon.com/Italian-Comfort-Food-Intensive-Restaurant/dp/B000GG4ITW
First you blanch the lobsters, cool, take the meat out of the tails, set aside in the fridge, put the shells in a stock pot and start your ragu base. Add the trinity (carrots, celery, onion), water, spices, shrimp shells, olive oil and reduce for at least 4-8 hours, keep adding water, tasting, adjusting and reducing. To finish the reduction you have to mash the shells, trinity and spices with a potato masher and then strain fine. You now have your base for the ragu. Add your tomatoes, paste, and olive oil and simmer, simmer, and simmer, adding fair amount of pepper (red), again let it simmer for 2-4 hours tasting, adjusting and fine tuning. Once the sauce is ready, prepare your pasta, and at the last minute add the raw shrimp and blanched lobster chunks to the sauce. Cook for about 3 minutes and it is ready to serve over your pasta with a nice loaf of fresh bread, fresh parmo, and wine.
WOW, one of my all time favorites, if you have ever tasted this, remember???
#5
Sushi...(1-3 hours)
If you have never had real or excellent sushi before then this is not for you...
Or should I say you are scared to try sushi? Something I have heard many times.
It tastes like fish, come on, you should know that fresh fish does not taste like the general public's perception of fish.
The only way to learn how good sushi can be is to go to a good sit down, go out to eat restaurant. A good sushi meal is very expensive, be prepared, but do your research and find a reputable restaurant and go for it! Sit at the sushi bar not at a table to get the full experience.
As your meal progresses ask the Chef to make you something off the menu, this can be exciting and is a complement to the chef (telling them that you trust their judgement). Give it a try!
The art of sushi is amazing, it is about freshness, aroma, taste, presentation and satisfaction.
Just how I feel about it...
I have taken two sushi classes just to learn the basics, and wow, what an art sushi is. Many sushi artists spend years as apprentices to learn the trade. How to select, to cut, and how to prepare.
The rice is critical for good sushi. To make and prepare sushi rice you need a good rice steamer and a wood sushi rice bowl. Then the knowledge on how to use them properly. Take a class, kind of fun once you get into the art.
The ingredients are the most important part, you must have a good fishmonger to buy from, look around and you will find one.
Marg & I have a favorite sushi fish that can be hard to find, (in Colorado) Escolar. This is a nice creamy white fish that is very oily so be careful how much you eat. Google Escolar and read some of the warnings. In 20 years of eating this fish we have never had any gastro problems.
Another must is the proper prep and making of Tamagoyaki or Tamago. This was taught to me in one of the classes I attended. You will need the proper Tamago skillet and a lot of patience. Remember it takes time to create. This is my wife's favorite, if I do it properly.
I like the preparation of sushi the most, it is fun to let your guests help in the prep. Show them how to build, roll and get messy.
All of the rejects are good fodder for trying harder, no waste!
#6
Eggs, butter, garlic & cream on a warm baguette...(1 to 1& 1/2 hours)
This is a recipe I came across while reading "White Truffles in Winter" an excellent read.
"White Truffles in Winter imagines the world of the remarkable French chef Auguste Escoffier"
http://www.nmkelby.com/www.nmkelby.com/White_Truffles_in_Winter.html
To start, gently, yes very gently (no air bubbles) whisk 6 eggs, set aside, peel a large garlic clove, put a 1/4 - 1/2 pound (yeah that much) of premium salted butter in a large skillet, start to melt slowly, take the large garlic clove skewered on the end of a long thin knife, slowly, yes very slowly stir the butter with the garlic clove as it melts. Do not let the butter heat to quickly, if it is starting to bubble you have to much heat, low and slow, continue to stir. Once the butter is fully melted (15-20 minutes or so) add the eggs, very slowly, season lightly (S & P only) and continue to stir with the garlic clove (slowly) as the eggs start to thicken. Continue this process until they are slightly wet, not dry, remove from heat, split your warm baguette (6" or so) on a warm plate, drizzle with heavy cream, add the eggs to the baguette, open face.
Enjoy and feel your arteries harden...
#7
Spaghetti Squash Casserole. (1-2 hours)
I think this is the one that won my wife and daughters...
I remember the first time I made this over 30 years ago and the look on their faces when I told them what we were having for dinner. Then their smiles when they took their first bite, second, third and so on.
Large fresh spaghetti squash, spinach noodles, zucchini or yellow crook neck squash, mushrooms, spaghetti sauce (home made is best) parmo /reggiano grated cheese, shredded Colby/jack cheese, spices.
Cook the spaghetti squash in the micro, saute your zucc/yellow squash, prepare the noodles al'dente, combine all ingredients in layers in two deep casserole dishes (one to freeze for another time), bake covered, then remove the covering and melt/brown the cheese topping.
I still do not remember how I came up with this one other than by looking around the pantry and formulating the recipe from available ingredients.
This has been a family favorite ever since.
#8
Gravy/sauce (1/2 to 2 hours)
The soul of any sauce is the ingredients and how you manipulate them into a sauce/gravy that can stand alone.
Like the old saying; "you could put that on a boot and eat it".
One sauce that I use is derived from my mother and her sour dough recipe. Each time I make my pulled pork I add some of the juice from the previous roast. Kind of like sour dough starter.
This juice from the roast is one of my sources of stock, for certain gravies. My current jar of au jus was started 2 years ago. Thus, this sauce would become the ultimate as far as time goes, over two years to make...
Gravy; start with your stock of choice and start your reduction. Flavor with spices, Marshalla wine, soy sauce and continue the reduction. The base of the gravy has to be intense as you will mellow it once you are close to serving. Again just keep reducing to intensify the flavors. Once you are about a 1/2 hour from serving you start the mellowing process with butter and cream (1/2 & 1/2 is fine). Once you have the taste and color you want, thicken to your preference.
The pleasure of eating is being taken away from society by the madness that we ourselves create.
I remember another cooking story that I have enjoyed and learned from.
The author tells about his quest to prepare a 12 course Victorian meal. He went so far as to use a period wood/coal burning cook stove for the cooking of the meal.
Quite a story, I recommend the book.
"Fannie's Last Supper" by, Chris Kimball.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130536078
For me the basis of the story was that over time we have developed ways to save time, and yes I feel this is good. The problem is that once we create more free time, we immediately fill the void with some new useless waste of time or technology. Instead, why not slow down and enjoy what is right in front of you.
He wrote; "This has always been the promise of science, to alleviate the less desirable aspects of the human condition. The problem of course, is that technology has taken away too much of what defines humanity, leaving us with little that goes to the heart of being a useful, happy person."
Our lives should be about balance, work and free time both.
With the 5-6 hours of free time from working; what have you decided to do with the extra time you now have?
What the author was able to recreate with his 12 course meal was true social interaction, with rewards.
We do not have to search for fulfillment. We have to realize it is staring us in the face everyday.
My fulfillment comes from the idea, the creation, the taste, and watching people enjoy a meal.
Remember a good burp once and a while is a good complement to the chef also...
As a cook/chef, one of the greatest compliments I ever received came from a family member (no names, they will know).
They are well know for the speed with which they eat.
I had spent 1 1/2 days preparing my "Lobster Williamberg" meal for them at their house for a special occasion (this is very difficult to do, since I had none of my own toys to use). The dish is served in a small ramekin because of the richness. The family member dug in at their usual speed and after 3 spoonfuls of the Lobster Williamberg I noticed that they had changed. They chewed, smelled, closed their eyes as they swallowed and started to smile. Once they had finished their portion, my wife & I offered up the remaining portions we had left to them, we have enjoyed it before and will again.
They then proceeded to finish ours in the same wonderful fashion...
Through experiencing food someones life had been changed...
Time you now have?
With rewards everyday,
a meal.
W
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