There are several restaurant cookbooks in stores these days. Todd Wilbur, for example, has written several restaurant secret recipe books. Let's say you've eaten at a certain restaurant, you get the book, and you see the recipe for the dinner you ate there, awesome! You thought it was one of the best things you ever ate, otherwise why would you get the book. So, you make the recipe at home, and it taste different, why?
It may taste even better, or it may be worse. Here is the caveat, where you obtain your ingredients and where they get their ingredients are probably different places. You buy retail, they buy wholesale. The brands are different, thus seasoned differently, and who cooks them, can cause deviation from the original recipe and we all put our own personal touches on everything.
Meat, Poultry, and Fish being involved can really change the dynamic. Organic, Free Range, Wild, Domestic, and the list goes on. One solution, become friends with the owner, have him or her sign your book, and explain how you duplicated their recipe, and it wasn't quite right. I'm sure they will be flattered enough to go over what you did, bought, etc and help you achieve your goal. You will still eat there, even if you can make it at home, because it's easier to eat out, but now you know you can do it, mission accomplished.
Seeing Alton Brown, last Saturday night, at the beloved Maid Rite restaurant in my hometown of Quincy, IL brought back a flood of memories. In Quincy, it's an institution, a landmark, a part of history, it is the town's identity.
There are so many food and wine shows on television these days, it's hard to decide which ones to watch. Add to that all the different networks that carry them. We all know about the Food Network, but add in PBS, DIY, Fine Living, History, Bravo, BBC America, TLC, Discovery Home, The Travel Channel, Fox and the occasional prime time network specials and you can go crazy trying to keep up. So what do you do, what else, watch all of them.
I remember a news story, I heard on the radio with Mark Bittman, food writer and cookbook author, on NPR discussing being an amateur pilot and flying the same leisurely air route that Yankee's pitcher Cory Lidle took before his fatal crash.
Now, this is a big story, but if it hadn't happened, what news item would have been used that day? There are millions of news items that never see the light of day, because something bigger and more sensational replaces them. If your a news junkie, you can read the paper, but things get cut there, as well. Is there any way to really know everything going on this planet, on any given day, that is newsworthy? The news is subjective, and news stories get dropped by editors, because lets face it, their in it to make money and the big stories sell and they will beat a story to death to get ratings.
Sauce:
16oz tomato paste
48oz water (add 8oz more if you need to thin, to thicken add a little grated Parmesan or Romano cheese)
32oz peeled chunky canned tomatoes (for red sauce add a pinch of paprika)
1 onion (medium white) dice, saute in skillet, in enough extra virgin olive to cover, do not burn, add to your sauce
Cook on stove top at medium heat, watch closely for thickness, if it cooks to fast, the sauce will stick, stir occasionally
Season sauce with:
1 1/2t basil
1 1/2t parsley
1/4t thyme
1/4t rosemary
ground bay leaf (optional)
1 1/2t salt
2t garlic (minced)
1/4t Italian seasoning
1/4t baking soda
pepper to taste
1t sugar
Meatballs:
4 lbs - 85% lean hamburger (can substitute 1/2 lb of pork, turkey or veal)
8 medium eggs (plus 1 or 2 more for fun)
4 cups bread crumbs (soak hard chunks in water)
1/2 cup grated cheese (Romano or Parmesan)
4t salt
3/4t black pepper
1T parsley
1T basil
1 1/2T chopped onions (dried)
2t garlic (minced)
Use warm water to soften bread crumbs. Mix all ingredients with hands. Roll into balls and drop them in your sauce to cook.
I survived Culinary School, how at 46, I managed it, will remain a mystery. I guess I can contribute it to will power, tenacity, proving to myself and others I could do it, and my love and passion for fine food and wine. The extended study in Italy and France proved to be a cakewalk, after the intensity I went through in Denver. Then I went back for another week of school, when I got back home.
Now I am a Chef, which means I know more than some, and less than others. I can cook without recipes, I can taste wine blindly and critique it, and basically practice being a gourmet snob. I will never be able to eat out again, as I will be too critical of the food, drink, & service. I won't be able to follow a recipe, without over analyzing it. The Food Network is my 2nd home, the kitchen is my 1st. I have learned to have thick skin, be a learning sponge, accept critizism, and work as a team member. I have been burned, cut, bruised, and battered. And now when I go out into the real World, I get to do it all over again.
It was the greatest experience of my life, next to my wedding & sons & grandkids being born. Those, who say you are never too old to go back to school, obviously have never done it. 26 years between college and culinary school is a long time, what was I thinking, .....hmmm, that I wasn't doing what I wanted to do with my life, and my former company was more than happy to get me there.
Follow your dreams, if you don't, no one is going to do it for you!

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