Family/Staff Meals

[MadMel]

Hmm seems I've been missing out on that. Gotta give it a try out sometime. anyway, we would usually rotate the person cooking the staff meal throughout the whole kitchen brigade, barring the head chef. Even the sous gets his turn.. Everyone has their own special dishes that they call on.

 

[jhmaass]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYC76Pmo_04

There's a video of a cook at Del Posto making bolognese. This is the same way I learned to make bolognese from my old chef that is a 70+ year old Italian immigrant. Between him and Batali, I wouldn't doubt that this is the most accurate way.

 

[cnochef]

Guys, Bolognese sauce does not consist of "hamburger meat"! Ideally it should be meat that is ground with a chili plate which is a much coarser grind than for hamburger, more like a medium dice. The inclusion of pancetta, veal and pork (could even be Italian sausages removed from casing) makes it so much more flavorful too.

And yes Bologna IS the land of milk, cream and butter so the addition of milk or cream is absolutely authentic.

I also follow the Marcella Hazan recipe in that I saute my mirepoix and brown the meats, then add wine to tenderize the meat until it's pretty much au sec, add tomatoes and reduce for hours at simmer, add dried herbs and finish with the milk or cream to add desired richness to the sauce.

BTW, the amount of milk or cream added at the end is actually quite small. I only use about 1 cup for 3 litres of sauce.

 

[MadMel]

Ok that I have seen. I was thinking more on the lines of a cream sauce bolognese, you know, like a white sauce kinda thing. Basically, the way I was taught was the same except we use fresh tomato sauce instead of tomato paste. I've seen some chefs putting in a small amount of cream when finishing the sauce.

 

[chefofthefuture]

Cooking is very subjective to someone cream in a bolognese sauce is an insult, to others it's delicious; it's all just a matter of taste.

Personally I use this recipe http://FXcuisine.com/Default.asp?language=2&Display=150&resolution=high and it's taken from two Bologna home chef's who wrote a cookbook on authentic bolognese cooking (according to them?). I've made some minor alterations to my version where I use guanciale in place of speck, and I use anchovies at the end for seasoning. I also throw in a few oxtails or pork neck bones during the stewing stage to add that beautiful gelatin to the sauce. In my case I don't use cream because the sauce cooks down and thickens quite nicely with bechamel, and I feel that the cream dulls some of the flavors where as milk still brings dairy to the party without changing the texture or viscosity of the sauce.

I'm sure if I made my version for the two authors of the aforementioned cookbook, they'd be somewhat upset. However, when i make it in my restaurant it's one of my best sellers and I constantly get compliments. So I guess to each his own?

 

[Chef Niloc]

Guys, Bolognese sauce does not consist of "hamburger meat"! Ideally it should be meat that is ground with a chili plate which is a much coarser grind than for hamburger, more like a medium dice.

I new it! I new it had to be some pizza place short cut that these guys had picked up.

The inclusion of pancetta, veal and pork (could even be Italian sausages removed from casing) makes it so much more flavorful too.

I also follow the Marcella Hazan recipe in that I saute my mirepoix and brown the meats, then add wine to tenderize the meat until it's pretty much au sec, add tomatoes and reduce for hours at simmer, add dried herbs and finish with the milk or cream to add desired richness to the sauce.

yea these boys missed all that stuff too...Thay might still have jobs if they new what mirepoxi was...god it so hard to find good help.

BTW, the amount of milk or cream added at the end is actually quite small. I only use about 1 cup for 3 litres of sauce.

I had a felling this was the case. The two cooks that made it for me did as follows

Put 2 lb ground beef in pot
Cover with heavy cream (about 2 qt's)
Turn fire on and wait for diarrhea to boil
Add a random amount of marinara sauce that chef made to pot and or just use straight tomato paste.
Add cooked but chilled pasta to pot
Cover with a ungodly amount of the best grana padano chef could find...
Note: do not use a cheese greater instead whittle at the wheel with a 10" chef knife, and don't worry about that wax on the outside...it's all good

That's it! Surve to staff and wait for vomiting to commence

 

[cnochef]

@Chef Niloc:

Yuk! No wonder you didn't like that "Bolognese" sauce.

 

[ThEoRy]

I new it! I new it had to be some pizza place short cut that these guys had picked up.



yea these boys missed all that stuff too...Thay might still have jobs if they new what mirepoxi was...god it so hard to find good help.



I had a felling this was the case. The two cooks that made it for me did as follows

Put 2 lb ground beef in pot
Cover with heavy cream (about 2 qt's)
Turn fire on and wait for diarrhea to boil
Add a random amount of marinara sauce that chef made to pot and or just use straight tomato paste.
Add cooked but chilled pasta to pot
Cover with a ungodly amount of the best grana padano chef could find...
Note: do not use a cheese greater instead whittle at the wheel with a 10" chef knife, and don't worry about that wax on the outside...it's all good

That's it! Surve to staff and wait for vomiting to commence

Holy ****! You fired them promptly yes?!

 

[WildBoar]

x2 on the courser chop, and even better if made with wild boar shoulder instead of beef :happymug:, although that may make it more Tuscan/ Umbrian. And to keep it lighter but get some of the flavor, a bit of heavy cream at the end (vs for the duration of cooking).

 

[Chef Niloc]

Holy ****! You fired them promptly yes?!

No they quit because I made fun of there "fine Cuisine" dumping it into the trash and yelling

you can't serve this slop, not even to the $hi+ eating waitstaff, I wouldn't suave this crap to bin laden

or something along those lines.