Seeking A Culinary Identity

            It is very common for younger generations to question their future endeavors. Many college graduates and adults, well into their late twenties, are still finding their place in the workforce, what they want to spend forty to fifty hours a week doing. There are those who even go to college for something totally the opposite of what they end up pursuing, only a few years into their futures. As for myself, I am happy to say I have somewhat of an idea of where I can see my future going, but only so far. It's hard to tell people you don't know what you want to do when your currently enrolled in a career specialized college. But, to be honest I don't know.  I am still trying to find my place in the food industry; what interests me the most about cooking every day. What’s it about plating food with tweezers and small serving spoons that intrigues me; or how excited I get to style food on a plate, stage it with props, and snap shots for you to see? Perhaps, I am on an inspiring journey, searching for my culinary identity.

Recently I read an article online about a person who was seeking their culinary identity, and it opened up my mind to something I never really considered before. I have always been curious to what exactly my cooking style was. I realized that, I am one of hundreds of culinary students, here at the CIA, finding their culinary identity. Exactly, that’s just the word to describe it! Culinary Identity is about finding your style through geography, culture, tradition, education, and trends in the food industry. Similarly, this concept can be used for any person finding their self in the world, what they have passion for, or their identity in the work force. But, as for chefs out there seeking their culinary identity, what is it that speaks to their style the most? Farm to Table American or classic French cuisine? How about presentation styles; are they into presenting food to an audience with more of a homey rustic approach or is it fine dining quality? Do they like small, intimate restaurants, that turn a table every 2-3 hours, serving guests tasting menus with miniscule portions, or do they like high volume production, catering to wedding parties of over two hundred people in one sitting? On spectrum of food media, perspective chefs may consider writing cook books, working for a food magazine testing recipes, or on Food Network in front of a camera crew. The options are substantial, and that may be why as chefs, we find ourselves in a frenzy over what we want to do. We often hope that miraculously we are told what we are going to like for the rest of our lives, so we no longer have to wait and wonder. But, in this life the only way you are going to find your passion is through trial and error, working, staging, experiencing, and be educated. “There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you, and there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself”, a quote from Lemony Snicket, Horseradish.

Aspiring chefs may find it difficult to settle on what they see oneself doing in life. Most of the time a life of a chef revolves around a swinging kitchen door, other times they are traveling in box trucks unloading prepped food for a wedding on the beach, and sometimes they share their experiences and love of food in cookbooks and on television shows. With the countless options there are, you as a chef will find what you are seeking, and what exactly your palate for life is!

Wine and Dine

             I was really feeling a pasta night, although I feel that most nights.  I decided to make linguine and bolengaise which is most likely my favorite pasta dish! It is a meat sauce taken up 10 notches, with the addition of mirepoix, extra garlic, and a "splash"red wine to make it that much more flavorful. I also had this idea, to create a zabaglione, which is egg yolk and water whisked over a double boiler, until the egg yolk becomes "cake batter consistency". This is usually the process in creating a hollandaise sauce, but... this is not what I was making. Instead I took the zabaglione and folded it into ricotta cheese. There have been times in the past, when I have eaten Bolognese with ricotta, and I think it changes the whole profile of the dish. I don't mix in the cheese, I usually just place a dollop on top. I thought the egg yolk would make the cheese that much more creamy as well as add a little color to the dish. I seasoned with a little nutmeg and salt, making it a creamy and dreamy experience!

Plating:

I used  a plating spoon, which is a smaller version of a serving spoon, to place down a little bit of the zabiglione and ricotta mixture at one end of the plate pulling it toward me, creating a "swoosh" effect. Thereafter I placed down the pasta. I follow Chef Steps on Instagram where I see posts of a particular way in plating long pastas like fettuccine or spaghetti. I wanted to try and mimic that chic style in my dish! In order to do this I had to use a carving fork to twirl the linguine in which I then placed it toward the end of the zabiglione "swoosh"!  A background of red decor highlighted the tomato in the sauce.  And the wine setup set a romantic theme.

A Dinner Date Starring Hydrangeas

           First off, I have to explain the story behind the hydrangeas. Aren't they so beautiful and lush? Hydraingas are one of my absolute favorite types of flowers! My neighbor has a hydrangea bush that's at least 7 feet tall, running down the side of their house. Every year when it blooms, I want to run to their front yard, pick a bunch, and run back before anyone can catch a glimpse of me. But, unfortunately I haven't had the chance to act foolishly.  Anyways, these dazzling puffy mounds in the pic above did not come from my neighbors house. They actually came from my grandmother. My stubborn Italian Gma, who insisted she bring the flowers over, because she  had one too many in her yard. I couldn't possibly turn down the offer of her to come by; so all these flowers have been casually lying around my house (everywhere ) and I thought they would be the perfect back drop to this dish.

Though I would love to talk more about flowers, I must elaborate on the dish I present before them. I did some different things in order to bring this dish together. The chicken thighs were placed in a quick brine of water, salt, sugar, garlic, and orange. I seasoned and roasted them off in a 400 degree oven until golden brown and crispy. The key here was to place the chicken on a metal rack over a sheet tray so that it's not sitting in its own grease when cooking. Chicken thigh is great to work with because you are almost always guaranteed it will be moist at service time. It's on a bone which keeps in moisture!!! It's a wonderful thing! Compared to chicken breast which is great too, don't get me wrong; because it defiantly has its benefits, but it dries out more easily and doesn't always deliver the same tender, succulence that thigh meat provides.

As for the other components of my dish, I made polenta as the base, along with  sautéed curly zucchini as the veg, and then created a finishing sauce, that I poured over the top. Any ways, Polenta is a fabulous carb. It's the best when it's loaded with cream, butter, and cheese; the recipe for a heart attack. But, that's ok it's all worth it in the end. I have to admit though, my polenta isn't quite that, instead all I added to it was butter and a pickled red pepper and corn relish.  It took on  interesting flavor profile which was sweet and acidic from the relish ingredients. As for the zucchini, I used a nifty tool my mother bought. Its a gadget that twirls food, turning it into a long spiral shape.  I sauteed the zucchini in butter and herb de Provence. And finally the sauce, which I made by reducing down white wine, and combining it with pear simple syrup. It was a unique component to my chicken dish, and took on a fruitful flavor.

Chili, a Crowd Pleaser

           I was rummaging through the food pictures on my phone, and came across this colorful dish. It was during the month of August that this bowl of comfort was produced, when my aunts came over for dinner. I was off from school for a short summer break, bored, feeling the need to get creative at the stove. I decided to invite my aunts and their families over for dinner as a thank you to them for all that they do. I had recently graduated from high school and they helped my mother throw my graduation party. I felt the best gift of thanks to them was in the form of food. SO... I set out to the grocery store to gather my ingredients.

The dinner that night was chili. I wanted to get creative, and decided to toss my recipe books aside, to come up with my own version of chili. This chili was made with stew beef, creating a "pulled beef" consistency. I made fresh tomato sauce and instead of basil I used cilantro which gave it a vibrant Latin flavor. I added it to the chili with red wine, roasted green peppers, cannelloni beans and caramelized red onions. And yes, I added chili powder because no chili is complete without those essential spices (chili, red pepper, cumin, garlic, and onion). The method to making chili is known as the stewing method; this means that anything being stewed must be completely covered with liquid... Just like a classic beef stew! Usually chili made with ground meat is made in minutes because it only takes a short while to cook ground meat. My chili cooked for hours until the meat was fork tender. YUMMO