Can't think of a title at 3:45am, I'll name it Pizza

I'm making a habit of these late night posts. I keep waking up at odd times in the morning with no way of falling back asleep. Today I am fighting the urge to nap after school. Must sleep through the night tonight.

Yesterday was my first day at ALMA. Italians are way too funny. The chef uniforms they gave us are borderline too sexy for a school environment. Much more flattering than the over-sized cotton-poly blend  uniforms we got at the FCI.

I met chef Bruno. He tries to be strict but I know he is a softie at heart. He said ALMA produces professional cooks who aspire to work in world-class restaurants and if that is not your goal than you are wasting your time and money at ALMA. Well, I'm here for my passion for food and the for the experience. Maybe one day Chef Bruno will understand that.  

Here's what I'll be studying at ALMA: history of Italian cuisine and culture, wine, ...

...Okay before I go on I need to elaborate on the wine classes. There is a designated wine tasting room and it's already my favorite room. When chef Bruno showed us the class I commented on this being the room where we get drunk and he happily agreed! This is definitely going to work out. 

We have wine classes a few days a week with a personal wine coach. He said he has been tasting wine professionally for over 20 years and wants nothing more than to pass the knowledge along so someone else can find it useful. Thank you and please do pass that knowledge in my direction.

In addition to the history and wine classes, we have Italian language classes. The bulk of our schedule is taken up by kitchen class, naturally, and chef demos. Chefs from all over the country come and show us the signature dishes from their region. And last, but my second favorite part of the curriculum, are the field trips. We take field trips to food production sites all over Italy.  

The most disturbing part about being in Italy is the chain smoking. The best part of being in Italy is the eye candy, and it's plentiful.

Benvenuto

It's 6:30 AM, I can't sleep. I blame the jet lag situation. I have to be at ALMA at 9 so I have a few hours to kill. Of course watching the last few episodes of Prison Break would be the perfect solution right now but I realized the hard way that Netflix does not operate in this part of the world. In the past three weeks I've watched almost all 4 seasons of the show. I feel like a parent sending their child to college. I've devoted all this time and I am so close to watching it graduate.

At least this gives me the chance to catch up on Foodgasmico. I openly admit my negligence to this blog but hey, brilliant writing cannot be rushed or faked. I'm here now though, in Italy, feeling inspired and open.

Yesterday, or today, or whatever 6 hours ago was, we met the other people in our class. We all live in the same apartment complex and I am so impressed by this place. It's brand new, clean and spacious. Which was a pleasant surprise from what I was imagining my living situation would be in a small town in Italy.

Needless to say, wine brings people together and luckily the rest of the world speaks English so we can all be friends. As newly acquainted friends, we walked around Colorno and found ALMA. ALMA, the international culinary school of Italian Cuisine. I can say that in Italian too. La scoula internazionale di cucina Italiana. I don't care in what language you put it, when I walked up to this place it took my breath away. A phenomenon that does not frequently happen to me. This place is massive, beautiful and there is a tranquil river gently weaving around the corner.

My camera is still packed but Google can help right about now. This is ALMA, the castle to the right of the A and in front of the beautiful gardens, which I want to turn into wall paper and put all over my future home.

And this brings me to my last topic. What was the first thing I ate in Italy, you ask? A slice of cold pizza, bread, prosciutto, cheese, and nutella. I still haven't decided on how I feel about my first meal but there is one thing I do know, it was delizioso!

I think this was the best decision of my life.

This will make you hungry

I cannot wait to go home to my mom's cooking. There's no better sight than this.

Spinach pie perfection. Mom you're amazing.

Culinary School Recap

Six to seven months at the FCI is equivalent to three years in the restaurant world. Yeah, I totally buy that. It's all about the cooking. I've never been so into my studies. Here's a recap of some dishes I've made.   

Chicken Scaloppine over Egg Fettuccini

Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Orzo Salad

We wrapped it in caul fat. The purpose of the caul fat is to baste the meat and keep it moist but I also think it looks cool. 

And a few sea dishes. 

Seafood Risotto

Flounder Alla Mugnaia. Made in the style of the miller's wife because she had access to flour, or so goes the story.

Insalata di Mari

Buon Appetito!

I think I'm Maturing?

There are chefs I admire and then there are chefs I have yet to admire. Today I met a chef from New Orleans and he’s pretty big time. Sure, I’ve heard of him, I’ve seen him on TV, I’ve even drooled over his dishes. Yet, I hadn’t truly appreciated him. This time, I speak of John Besh. He’s one of the most humbled and down to soil celebrity chefs I’ve met. Listening to this man is more like listening to your favorite uncle than listening to some sort of know-it-all master chef. I appreciate that extensively. Thank you Chef Besh.

I got my hands on his newest book called, My Family Table. I like this book. It’s not only because it is personally autographed to me, but mostly because his soulful voice jumps out of every page like a picture book. There is especially one line that struck me personally. He says he spent most of his career manipulating food into things they inherently were not.

I have to admit, reading that sentence gave me a sense of gratitude. I'm beginning to recognize the evolution of my food style and I appreciate it. This is raw. This is real. This is fundamental. I am freaking out and I want more!

If there is one thing I know right now, one thing I can be certain about, it's that I uphold each ingredient to it's highest value. I vow to never attempt to make an apple taste like a strawberry.  I vow to obsess over the essence that makes each ingredient as special as it is. I vow to only make a cantaloupe taste even more like a cantaloupe. If I ever deviate from this philosophy, then I will happily go back to accounting.

This is my vow and I dedicate it to my cuisine, my agriculture, and my kitchen table.  

Meeting an Iron Chef

Volunteering… how I have a newfound appreciation for it. Working for free is no foreign concept in the food world. If you're looking for exposure, you probably won’t be attending a James Beard Foundation (JBF) dinner because you were hired to cook it, no, people like Mario Batali do, but volunteer and that’s a different story.

I got to volunteer for a JBF dinner through the dean of my school, Chef Cesare Casella. He provided a plethora of cured meats for the event including two giant legs of cured pig. Yup, that amazingly delicious prosciutto.

 

We were prepping our tables including setting up this heavy duty contraption which held the whole prosciutto leg. Suddenly I look up and I see Mario Batali casually walking across the room! Turns out, he is cooking dinner for this Italian Feast thrown by the JBF. I had no idea! I especially had no idea that Chef Casella and Chef Batali are good friends.

Chef Cesare is in the red chef coat with the rosemary in the pocket.

But, by far, the coolest thing that happened to me all week was my first encounter with an iron chef:

 

What’s better, the yellow socks or the orange crocs? 

Pretty sure those were getting auctioned off for more than most people make in a week.

Another victory in my food world!

Caponata

Caponata is a classic Sicilian veggie antipasto. I’m sure Italians are particular about the ingredients used but I think you can put anything you want/ have in this dish. The most important components are the sweet and sour sauce, eggplant, and olives/capers.

Before I get into the details of the dish, I want to note that I’m changing my recipe presentation somewhat. This might happen from time to time as I develop my recipe writing style. I want to organize my recipes so they are most efficient in getting you organized and ready to cook.

You’ll notice a new term in my recipes, mise en place. Mise en place refers to all the prepped ingredients that are ready for cooking. It’s an organized way of cooking and it makes things easier. The first step of the recipe is to prepare the mise en place.  

The Finished Product:

Mise en place:

1 eggplant, medium dice

1 small red onion, small dice

1 red or yellow bell pepper, large dice

1 celery stalk, medium dice

Red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon capers, drained

red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons

sugar, 1 teaspoon

1 tomato, medium dice

1/4 cup black olives, roughly chopped

Basil, torn¹

Parsley, chopped¹

Extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

Salt & pepper

¹ Since these herbs won’t be added until the end of the dish, wait to prep them until closer to use.

Cook:

In a large, deep skillet, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom and sauté the eggplant until it is browned all over. Don’t forget to season during this step. Remove the eggplant from the oil, set aside, and add new oil to the skillet, if needed. Add the onion, pepper, and celery and cook over medium heat until the veggies begin to color along the edges, 9-11 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, capers, salt and pepper. Next add the vinegar and sugar and reduce. You can add a little water to help dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, taste it. How’s it taste to you? Do you want more acid, more sweetness? Adjust according to your preference.

If you want to cook well you have to taste along the way. If the dish doesn’t taste good as you are preparing it, chances are the finished product won’t taste good either. So sample and adjust as necessary.

Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Add back the cooked eggplant, olives, basil, and parsley. Taste, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Cook 5 more minutes to marry the flavors. Add the toasted pine nuts² and serve.  

² I recommend toasting them in a dry skillet for a few minutes over medium heat.

Enjoy Avital