My other favorite subject - FOOD

[chefrusso]

Hello all,

I was really happy to see this category because it allows me to talk about my "other" passion. Before I started playing guitar, my first passion was cooking and everything relating to food. Consequently, I spent most of my life studying nearly everything there is to know about the subject and turned it into a rewarding and fulfilling career. I've worked in just about every type of foodservice establishment from luxury megayachts to local eatieries, so my experience in the industry is quite unique. Anyway, I know that we as aspiring guitarists can definitely have more than one hobby, so if you have any questions relating to food or cooking, this is the place to ask. If you would simply like to discuss your favorite dishes or your favorite restaurants, I'd be more than happy to oblige!

[Mark SL]

Hey Chef,

I love food, and probably spend way too much on trying out new restaurants. But, hey, I live in a pretty good food city so why not, right!

I wish I could cook myself though

[chefrusso]

You are right about that Mark. Chicago is definitely one of the food meccas of the USA and is home to one of my all-time favorite chefs - Charlie Trotter. I have just about all of his cookbooks because his food is so artistic and beautifully presented. Actually, his dishes and recipes have inspired some of my own creations. I have yet to visit the city myself, but it is on my bucket list for sure.

[alcoyot]

I do remember Chicago having really good food as well. I think the best city in the US might be New Orleans. That was my favorite at least. Here in NYC there is a ton of awesome stuff, and it seems to be getting more and more of a "foodie" place from what I can see every year.

[Stan]

Never been to either Chicago or New Orleans... However, I did live in Brooklyn for about 7 years... New York has lots of places to eat - and from all over the world, too!

I'm a better cook than my wife, and I'm the one doing most cooking at home. Which is kinda ironic considering that my Mother-in-law had a very successful catering business and published three cookbooks and she's a great cook. Family gatherings are ALWAYS tasty!

So - are we just going to talk about food here (nothing wrong with that, of course) - or are we going to share some recipies, too?...

Just wondering...

[chefrusso]

Food, recipes, questions, tips, restaurants, memories, etc. Anything and everything related to food.

New Orleans is a city I've had the pleasure of visiting twice, and I would say that if you're really into food, this is a place you really need to visit. Everything's spectacular there from the small mom and pop establishments to the fine dining restaurants and they really take their food seriously in that town. I'll never forget my first real gumbo. It inspired me to learn how to truly re-create it myself. It's all in what's known as black roux and a wonderful herb named sassafras. Roux is a traditional French thickening agent which is any form of fat, i.e. clarified butter, duck fat, vegetable, and flour that is cooked together until it reaches a desired color and depends on what it is going to be used for. Black roux is cooked until it is chocolate brown and it imparts a wonderfully nutty and toasty flavor to the final dish. Sassafras, on the other hand, is a wonderful spice that grows in the wild in most areas of the South. Anyone who has had real brewed root beer has enjoyed the taste of sassafras root. The leaves are much more subtle in flavor but are distinct enough to be missed if they are omitted from the recipe. They also make a wonderful tea.

Being that I grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY, I am very familiar with NYC and how much of a foodie town it truly is. I was on a yacht a couple of years ago that spent the summers up there in Chelsea Piers and I really miss it. Not only because it was always a homecoming of sorts, but because the food there is second to none. From the shish kabobs on the street to the incredible restaurants, you can't find anything quite like "the city". I love taking a tour of all of the international neighborhoods and sampling their traditional foods while I'm there. I feel like I'm traveling the world within a few short miles. I always have to swing by Arthur Avenue in the Bronx while I'm there because that was a special trip I often took with my family to stock up on traditional Italian ingredients, especially the fresh breads from the bakery!

Stan, it's not too ironic that your wife doesn't cook. They say it skips a generation, and I think that's completely true. My grandmother (mom's side) and great aunt (dad's side) were amazing cooks, but my mom and dad, not so much. I've been trying to get my daughter interested in cooking myself, but again not so much.

[Mark SL]

New Orleans!!...

Love that city, learned what true deep south cooking was. Gumbo and Jambalia, (who knows if I spelled that right, doesn't matter). The spicing is perfect and I had no clue what it was, thanks for the lesson Chef, good to learn about new spices =)

I like dishes with garlic, basil, and mint is one of my new favorites to balance out really spicy chili peppers. Brought that one back from the amazing street vendors of thailand

[alcoyot]

Is there a dish called Kanga? Then you could serve kanga and roux

[chefrusso]

Is there a dish called Kanga? Then you could serve kanga and roux

Good one!

New Orleans is such a wonderful city because it combines the cultures and flavors of three different cultures - French, Spanish, and African. You can see it in the archtecture, the music, and the food. Classic French and Spanish cooking techniques were combined with African flavors and voila - Cajun cuisine! European instruments were combined with African beats and voila - Jazz! I find it truly amazing how different cultures have mixed throughout the ages and it's mostly apparent through food and music. I've always thought that when it comes down to it, food and music are reflections of the soul. When different cultures mix, invariably their foods and their music combine as well.

[chefrusso]

I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving this year! I'd say that it is my favorite holiday of all because of all the wonderful food, and the celebration of all of the things we're truly thankful for. I know this post won't help you too much this year, but I wanted to tell you all about a technique I've learned over the years that really helps you prepare a flawless, moist turkey (or any type of bird for that matter) that you and your family will love, and it will even make you look like a rockstar in the kitchen.

The technique is called BRINING and it basically involves soaking your bird in a saline solution for several hours which allows seasoning, and most importantly, moisture to soak into the meat through a process called osmosis. Basically, the process of osmosis occurs at the cellular level where the concentration of a solution reaches equlibrium both on the inside and the outside of the cell's membranes. When you first submerge your bird into a brine solution, moisture is drawn out of the cells in order to compensate for the higher concentration of salt in the liquid. Over time, however, the moisture will return into the cells, bringing the seasonings in along with it. The bird's individual cells will become infused with both flavor and moisture which will translate into one tasty bird.

Other foods can be brined as well, and you've already eaten many brined foods, such as ham, bacon, and corned beef, not realizing that this is the process they used to alter the flavor and texture of the finished product. If you read the packages on some meats, you'll see a label saying, 10% water added, which actually means that the meat has been brined, usually in a simple saline solution.

Here is a great recipe for brining turkey, provided by Alton Brown on the Food Network, that will get you started on the whole process.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

As long as you keep the salt concentration of the brine the same, you can feel free to add whatever sort of stocks, herbs, and spices as you see fit in brining your own birds. Once you try this method, you'll never want to prepare a turkey any other way!