Last Sunday, I had the pleasure to host Liam Gough as a ‘Chef In Training.’ I am honored that he selected me to help him pursue his interest in the culinary arts. My goal for the day was to expose him to highlights in the process of preparing dishes suitable for fine dining – as much exposure as was reasonable for a 12 year-old’s first engagement.
Three minutes after his arrival he was onto his first duty, drying the pots I used for Saturday’s dinner… Note: I am the only one permitted to clean the pots, pans, and knives in my kitchen – a culinary hall of mirrors – LOL. Anyone with a clean towel and steady grip is qualified to dry…
Phase two was a visit to the (Sunday Sacramento) Certified Farmers’ Market. We browsed the offerings from a multitude of vendors. I didn’t keep track of how many introductions I made for Liam – at least a dozen. As we strode through the market part of our conversation focused on the importance of the first-name based relationships I have with many of the merchants. This particular Sunday I spent a few extra moments with each of them exchanging personal Thanksgiving experiences.
I mentioned my penchant for previously undiscovered food items to Liam – more than once… Fortunately, this market excursion did not disappoint me or my young Squire. pictured: “Liam and the Giant Daikon Radish” [movie title], wild [true] yams, and Hercules carrots.
Liam and I munched on more familiar items like authentic French croissants prepared by my friend, Sabina, and pecked at greens and veggies from numerous stands – which led me to purchase a perfect bunch peppery arugula. I tried to minimize my technical advice… putting forth my best effort to animate the information when the appropriate occasions arose.
After a quick stop at the Sacramento Natural Foods Coop for items like cheese, butter, and crackers, Liam and I returned to Chez Pye. He masterfully peeled and minced a garlic bulb but in the Liam vs. shallots match, the shallots won. He says he’s up for a rematch. After a brief demonstration, I asked him to brown 2 lbs. of Argentinian pork sausage. Unexpectedly, a good portion of the sausage became ‘overdone.’ Not burned, just overdone. This led to a “teachable moment” – the stuff they don’t put in the text books at cul school…
Anyone with moderate cooking skills can follow a recipe and produce a tasty dish, however EVERYONE (including the best chefs) will make mistakes. The answer to a simple question elevates those touched by the culinary gods above the mortal frailty of the ‘olive oil flavored PAM’ abusers…
“Can you civilize your failures?”
“I’ve got to experiment further. He’s only a few days old, remember. So far he’s been kept in complete darkness. Wait till I bring him into the light.” – Baron Victor von Frankenstein.
Liam and I prepared a sauce from fresh tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped young yellow onions, chopped shallots, minced Thai chili, and dried wild oregano. I added the meat to the sauce and let the mix simmer for approx 15-20 min. In a separate pan I suatéed sliced fresh green beans in evoo, butter, and s&p, and added them to the pot. BTW: simmering lightly to mediumly cooked green beans in a sauce provides a great sink for burnt flavors and adds complementary vegetal notes. Liam also minced 2+ tbsp of corn nuts which were added to soften the texture and add a creamy sweetness to the sauce – further muting the pronounced toasted character of the sausage.
Our bolognese was served with whole grain bucatini. There are no pictures of the plated results because the pan was hit by a school of pasta piranhas. A carnivorous land dwelling species found in and around the tributaries of the Sacramento River. They ate it all, no kidding – LOL
Thanks Liam. You rock and you’re welcome to come back anytime!
The Flavor Democracy 