a good dinner, a good shift.
I liked what I cooked today... mostly.
The menu (in addition to pizza, burgers, salad bar, and deli sandwiches, which are always available):
Chicken Provençal with Steamed Rice -- mneh, kind of so-so, tomato cream sauce with basil, pre-diced chicken, blech.
Steamed Vegetables -- nothing special. Carrots, broccoli, peas.
Wasabi Ginger Rice Cakes -- these were fucking DELICIOUS. Best Sodexho recipe EVER. Cooked jasmine rice mixed with wasabi, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper, then spread out on sheet pans and cooled. Scooped up, rolled into balls, fried on the flat top, oh my GODS these were worthy of jpeace at his manic best.
Mexican Risotto -- okay, I almost didn't make this the way it was described. Arborio rice, chicken base, onion, garlic, corn, cilantro, and grated pepper jack cheese. It was fabulous.
Ancho Chile Barbecue Beef -- This recipe was for brisket (which we didn't have), ancho chiles (ditto), and prepared barbecue sauce. Bah. I rebelled. I took the flank steak (score!) and the chiles de arbol that we had, braised them in the tilt skillet with beef base, chili powder, a little cinnamon, and a lot of onion and celery. Then I shredded all 30 pounds of flank with a fork and my hands, put in on sheet pans, and dried it in the oven until it was crispy. I took the dried beef (aka Sonoran carne seca) and stewed it with the braising liquid, lime juice, diced tomato, and lots off minced garlic. I was quite happy with it. The lead cook almost came in his pants when he tasted it.
The kids, of course, thought the oh-so-carefully-worked texture was "too hard" and the subtle, complex flavor needed... barbecue sauce. *sigh*
But some of them relished it just as it was. And I got to teach a cook how to make roux, and how to use that to make alfredo sauce.
The menu (in addition to pizza, burgers, salad bar, and deli sandwiches, which are always available):
Chicken Provençal with Steamed Rice -- mneh, kind of so-so, tomato cream sauce with basil, pre-diced chicken, blech.
Steamed Vegetables -- nothing special. Carrots, broccoli, peas.
Wasabi Ginger Rice Cakes -- these were fucking DELICIOUS. Best Sodexho recipe EVER. Cooked jasmine rice mixed with wasabi, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper, then spread out on sheet pans and cooled. Scooped up, rolled into balls, fried on the flat top, oh my GODS these were worthy of jpeace at his manic best.
Mexican Risotto -- okay, I almost didn't make this the way it was described. Arborio rice, chicken base, onion, garlic, corn, cilantro, and grated pepper jack cheese. It was fabulous.
Ancho Chile Barbecue Beef -- This recipe was for brisket (which we didn't have), ancho chiles (ditto), and prepared barbecue sauce. Bah. I rebelled. I took the flank steak (score!) and the chiles de arbol that we had, braised them in the tilt skillet with beef base, chili powder, a little cinnamon, and a lot of onion and celery. Then I shredded all 30 pounds of flank with a fork and my hands, put in on sheet pans, and dried it in the oven until it was crispy. I took the dried beef (aka Sonoran carne seca) and stewed it with the braising liquid, lime juice, diced tomato, and lots off minced garlic. I was quite happy with it. The lead cook almost came in his pants when he tasted it.
The kids, of course, thought the oh-so-carefully-worked texture was "too hard" and the subtle, complex flavor needed... barbecue sauce. *sigh*
But some of them relished it just as it was. And I got to teach a cook how to make roux, and how to use that to make alfredo sauce.