Posts Tagged ‘toledo’

Friggin Awesome Burgers in Toledo!

// June 14th, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog, Restaurant Reviews

Tin Chef Chuck

I recently had the opportunity to try out two new burger joints in Toledo.  What is really newsworthy here is not how great they were, nor how awesome the service was or even how good the food was.  What really has excited me is that we now have two new restaurants that are pushing the culinary envelope.  Places that really have something unique to eat.  These are not another cookie cutter place that reheats generic burgers bought in bulk from a large restaurant supply house.  Rather each uses really high quality meat, makes handmade patties and then creates truly unique flavors by using really fresh ingredients.  Before I really dive into these new places, I need to mention one of my all time favorites.  Not quite as hip as Bar145, and not quite the gourmet experience you get at BurgerBar419, but if you are looking for an honest to God, greasy spoon awesome burger- you need to go to the Green Lantern on Broadway.  Don’t let the appearance fool you.  The Green Lantern has been around since the 1930’s for a reason.  It’s not heart healthy, but it is a great greasy cheeseburger place.  Stop in for breakfast and lunch.  Try a double Goopy, and tell Mo I sent you.  You go there once and I promised you will be hooked!

The first new place I want to talk about is Burger Bar 419.   Burger Bar 419 is located in South Toledo on 4400 Heatherdowns Blvd. or across from the Distillery in the old Matthews.  The first time we went there, we had almost every appetizer!  Start with the basic, good old fashioned French Fries.  The battered fried onion petals were good but nothing special, but then cam e the roasted marrow bones with sweet onion marmalade.  The first time we had this- it wasn’t perfect.  In fact it was almost raw.  But for crying out load- bone marrow in Toledo, minutes from my house.  Yes there were several errors in technique- but the concepts are there.  We were there a day or two after the place just opened.  The execution has gotten better and this really has become my favorite hangout in Toledo.  The pickled vegetables are awesome.  The chipotle pickled pineapple and goat cheese is great, I personally love the crispy pork belly with homemade kim chee!  This was another dish that was undercooked on our first go around, but the flavors and potential was there.  It was spectacular the next time we went.  Make sure you try the sriracha-soy deviled eggs with bacon and arugula.

The Burger Bar 419 has 15 or so burgers and they are all $9.00.  The offer a wide selection of home made mayonnaise and aolis, as well as several unique ketchup’s and mustard’s.  The Heater, Italian, Pate Melt, and Vintage Bleu are all awesome.  You can’t go wrong when you use all fresh ingredients and combine great flavors.  I can’t wait to try all of them.

We had the milkshakes for desert.  So far, this has been the biggest shortcoming of Burger Bar 419.  They were small, over priced and nothing memorable.  Personally, I would save your money and go to Handel’s!  Don’t let the deserts stop you from checking this place out though; I am sure it will become one of your favorite Toledo hangouts.

The other place we recently went to was Bar145° on Monroe Street.  Bar 145 is very different from Burger Bar 419.  First, it has a totally different atmosphere.  It seems more like a club than a burger place.  They have live music, a dance floor and a large bar.  There appetizers include fried pickled green beans, fries, artichoke gratin, a baked potato waffle, bourbon onion straws, mac and gouda, pretzel chips, and smoked salmon with garlic flat bread. By the way- any idea how Bar 145 got it’s name?  Overall the appetizers were pretty good, but nothing spectacular.  Most were served with generic salted/peppered flat crackers, which I think detracted from the flavor of several of the dips.  They have a few burgers on the menu, but they do a build your own menu.  What is nice here is that they use really high quality ingredients and do a pretty good job of creating your custom burger.  I may be splitting hairs, but I wish they would create a few more signature flavors by combining the awesome ingredients that they offer.  Surprise me, don’t make me think- create that special, signature burger for me!

We didn’t really try out the bourbon, but did have several of their gelato’s.  They had some nice flavors- but I am really partial to my salty caramel, so make sure you read TC Josh’s reviews as well.

In the end these are 2, no make that 3 great places.  If you are looking for breakfast during the week or on Saturday, the make sure you try the Green Lantern.  The Green Lantern is also a great place to grab lunch during the work week.  Once you meet Mo (Maurice), you will fall in love with the Lantern!  I look at Burger Bar 419 more as my local neighborhood hangout, where I can sit at the bar and talk to the chef as he cooks my next burger.  Bone marrow, pickled vegetables and cold Heineken and an awesome burger- can it get any better? To me Bar145 is that place you go to on a Friday or Saturday night, have a great burger and take in some great music.  All 3 places offer unique atmospheres- each may be more appropriate depending on your mood or day of the week.   But all 3 of these places need to be experienced.  If I hear one more person complain that there is nowhere to go, nothing to do, no where to eat in Toledo- I swear I am going to slap the #@%& out of you!  Places like these 3 restaurants would have waiting list in any other city- if they struggle, it’s your fault!  Take a walk on the wild side and try one of these places this week, in fact, try all 3 and leave a comment on which one you think is best.

 

Tin Chef Chuck

 

Garden in a jar…

// June 3rd, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog

Tin Chef Chuck

I have always enjoyed growing my own vegetables.  Recently I have really tried to increase the variety and size of my garden.  There are many reasons; first and foremost, fresh vegetables just taste better.  They are also better for you.  I am sure everyone has noticed that the cost of food is also going through the roof.  This is a trend that I am becoming increasingly concerned with.

I’ll try to stay politically neutral, but with the increasing cost of oil, the massive national debt, and my overall feeling that our economy is only going to get worse, I am planning for potential food shortages.  If this doesn’t happen, great, but I still suspect it will cost an arm and a leg for a carrot.  Many of the disaster planning and survival sites have talked about sprouts.  I will be honest, I didn’t know a lot about growing your own sprouts, but after a little research, I have my own sprout garden.

The only thing I ever new about sprouts was you paid four or five dollars for a little plastic tub of sprouts at the grocery store.  I would use them in salads, on sandwiches, stir fry, all the usual stuff.  What I didn’t know was that fresh sprouts are incredibly good for you.  I also didn’t realize all of the things you could “sprout” or how easy it is to grow your own.  It is also very inexpensive.

I picked up a “sprouting” jar for about 10 bucks at a local health food store.  I also bought a selection of different seeds to sprout.  It’s super easy to grow your own.  Soak the seeds in water for a few hours and drain, then rinse 2-3 times a day, keeping in a dark place.  In a few days you will have a jar full of sprouts.  You need to bring them into the light for a day of so and they will turn green.  Voila, ready to serve and enjoy, for a few cents!

My suggestion is to buy the little plastic strainers for the tops of the bottles and pick up some mason jars; it’s a little cheaper that way.  I would get several so that you always have a fresh batch that is ready to go.  There are several other ways to grow your own sprouts, but this one worked pretty well for me.  It will be nice to have fresh “green” stuff this winter.

Has anyone else grown their own sprouts?  If so, would like to hear from you and have you share your experiences and advice.

TC Chuck

Spring, Finally…

// April 7th, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog

Within the last week, I have seen snow, severe thunderstorms, and finally the sun.  And it’s warming up.  Finally spring is here.  It’s been a while since I have posted anything.  In my defense, I have been pretty busy and away from the kitchen.  OK, no excuse.  During my absence, Carolyn and I did visit Paris.  We had a great time during our mini-vacation.  It’s funny, but the one thing that I came away with was mustard.  We enjoyed some great food and drink, but mustard was a recurring theme.  Sure we use mustard back home, but it’s usually on a burger or chili dog.  I use it in vinaigrettes, but it is usually a background flavor.  In Paris it was the star.  At most tables, they had little caddies that had salt, pepper, and mustard.

So my latest inspiration is mustard.  I am going to try a few recipes that I have in mind once I get back in the kitchen.  I have made a few salad dressings (sauces) with more of a mustard base- they were really good, and honestly unlike anything I have had in the states.  So, I promise to post more on this soon.  In the meantime, would you mind passing the Grey Poupan?

Tin Chef Chuck

Tin Chef Chuck & Sous Vide

// February 8th, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog

Tin Chef Chuck

Sous vide is French for “under vacuum”.  It was first used by the French in the 1970’s and is beginning to become more popular in the states.  Sous vide uses a low temperature water bath with a very precise temperature range. It hasn’t really been adopted into the home kitchen for a couple of reasons, mainly the expense.  Sous vide machines were initially adapted from science supply house lab equipment, which tended to be pricey.  Also, the home vacuum machines didn’t work as well, requiring commercial sealing equipment.  So a basic setup would cost several thousand dollars.  Fortunately, there are now a few home units available for a much more reasonable price.   I recently picked up the Sous Vide Supreme on Amazon for under four hundred dollars and I am using my cheapo vacuum sealer for now, although I must admit I have my eye on the VacMaster VP210C Dry Piston Pump Chamber Machine.

As is usually the case with me, it was an impulse purchase.  My wife, Tin Chef Steve’s wife and several of the girls in my office have recently been doing the HCG diet thing.  And I must say they all look great- but do you have any idea how hard it is to cook 100 grams of chicken, fish or lean red meat with no fat of any kind?  A little lemon juice and seasoning- that’s it.  I was inspired when I watched her cut up and weigh the meats in 100 gram portion and then place in regular zip lock bag.  Over cooking a few of the little portions helped trigger my impulse- voila, two days later I was unpacking my machine.

The idea of sous vide cooking is that you cook the food at a relatively low temperature for a longer period of time.  If you want your steak medium rare, the goal is to get the center pink at 131°F.  Normally you need to cook the steak at higher temperatures which creates a “bull’s eye” effect, hotter at the surface with gradually decreasing temperatures towards the center.  That said, the outer portion is also closer to well done.  Sous vide gets everything perfectly cooked.  Once done, you can quickly sear the outside to brown the meat, also known as the Maillard reaction.  The Maillard reaction occurs when the denatured proteins on the surface combine with the sugars present, creating that wonderful “meaty” flavor and changes the color. High temperature, low moisture levels, and alkaline conditions all promote the Maillard reaction.  In cooking, low moisture levels are necessary mainly because water boils into steam at 212° F (100° C), whereas the Maillard reaction happens noticeably around 310° F (154° C).  Browning of food does not occur until all surface water is vaporized. When meat is cooked, the outside reaches a higher temperature than the inside, triggering the Maillard reaction and creating the strongest flavors on the surface.  With sous vide, the Maillard reaction will never occur, thus the extra step is needed.

Cooking tenderizes food by breaking down its internal structure. This process happens faster at higher temperatures. Because sous vide is done at such low temperatures the cooking time needs to be increased to achieve the same tenderization as traditional techniques.  Although it takes time, tougher cuts of meat (and cheaper) can really come out amazing.  I have cooked lamb and beef so far, but I have some short ribs ready to go.  The sous vide technique allows you to cook tough cuts of meat at an incredibly low temperature, allowing you to tenderize them while remaining perfectly medium-rare.  This is very effective for roasts and other pieces of meat that I usually braise or roast, but often dry out or get overcooked in the process.  So for my short ribs, I have read that it may take up to 36 hours.  I will let you know how that works.  Although possible, it is much harder to overcook things as well.  Another advantage of sous vide.

Obviously, this isn’t quite a “Rachel Ray” thirty minute meal.  It will take a little pre-planning;  kind of tough for my personality, but I’m working on it.

My first Sous Vide Experience

I picked up a few really nice filet mignon cuts, a lamb steak, and some short ribs.  For the HCG diet, I cut the filets into about ¾ inch slices, which came amazing close to 100 grams.  I adjusted the weights and sealed each in a vacuum bag with various spices.  I really mixed it up- Cajun, garlic, thyme and a few other combinations.  For the lamb, I tossed in some Herbes de Provence.  I tossed the bags into my Sous Vide Supreme set at 132° F for about 2 ½ hours.  I then dropped one filet into a hot nonstick pan to quickly brown them.  Pretty darn good…  And my wife has 5 other meals in a bag ready to go.  I am looking forward to the short ribs and I can’t wait to start playing with eggs.  Now that I think about it-  I bet I can come up with a pretty amazing Jigs Dinner…

Tin Chef Chuck

Spinach Ravioli with ricotta cheese and quail eggs

// December 16th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog, Recipes

Tin Chef Chuck

Every now and then you hit one out of the park.  Not sure if it’s luck, good karma or what, but this was one of those nights.  It started out like any other ordinary evening.  I went to Churchill’s to pick up a few things and stumbled across a box of quail eggs.  I had been looking for these for at least a year.  I had a few steaks in the frig already and picked up a few walleye fillets for my son.  I didn’t have anything special in mind, but I picked up some organic baby spinach and ricotta cheese as well.  My brother-in-law Jimmy came over and we worked on the short bus for a while.  He really rocked out with the grinder…  but that is a different story and web site.

I decided to make ravioli.  I filled my food processor with as much spinach as I could jam into it.  I drizzled in a few teaspoons of olive oil, changed the blade to the dough mixer and added my pasta mix.  Four cups of flour, four eggs and a pinch or two of salt.  The dough was a little sticky, so it took another half cup of flour or so.  I then ran it through my Kitchen Aid with the past attachment.

Quail egg & Ricoota filling

For the filling, I mixed up the ricotta with some dried basil, salt, pepper and really good fresh parmigiano reggiano cheese.  I put it in a piping bag and piped out small rings on the pasta, about an inch and a half or so across.  I then cracked the quail eggs into the center of the ring.  I put another layer of spinach pasta on top and used a little water to seal the raviolis.

I dropped them into salted boiling water and cooked them for about 2 minutes, just until they began to float.  I couldn’t come up with a good idea for sauce, so I served them with a little bit of goats cheese.When I cut into one and tasted it- wow.  If I ever open a restaurant, these will definitely be on the menu.  The yolk was still soft and when mixed with the goats cheese, the ricotta filling and the fresh spinach pasta- just amazing.  I only wish the pictures could do it justice.  I really wish I would have made pictures of each step.  I definitely will next time.  This was actually really easy to make, but was one of those out of this world dishes- and I made it!  Give it a try, you’ll be hooked!

Tin Chef Chuck

Tin Chef spinach ravioli with ricotta and quail eggs

Toledo Farmers Market: Saturday October 30th

// November 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // Recipes

Tin Chef Chuck

Steve and I were at the Toledo Farmers Market Saturday and did a little cooking demo.  It was a little chilly, but there was a great turnout.  Steve made his brussel sprouts and I cooked squash gnocci.  Our little butane burners were no match for the windy weather, but Mike helped out with a grill.  My mom was in town and stopped by and my son was back from Ohio State for the day as well.  We met a lot of great  people and look forward to doing it again next year, hopefully in a little warmer weather.

 

 

Squash Gnocci

  • Squash- Butternut, buttercup, or acorn
  • Flour 2-4 cups
  • Parmigiano reggiano cheese 2 cups grated
  • Eggs, organic 2-3
  • Russet potatoes 2-3

To make my gnocci, take your squash and cut it in half or thirds.  Roast it in the oven at around 350 degrees for 30 minutes or so.  It should be soft and easily pierced with a fork when done.  Also bake a few potatoes at the same time.  Allow both to cool and scoop out and discard the seeds.  Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh of the squash and place on a cutting board or baking tray.  Add about 2 cups of flour, 1-2 cups of  grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.  Add one or two of the potatoes and mix well with your hands.  Add 2 eggs and continue to knead the mixture.  You may need to add more flour.  You are aiming for a dough like consistency that is not too sticky.

Toledo's Farmers' Market

Allow it to set up in the refrigerator for an hour or so.  Pick of small pieces and roll into a mini loaf, preferably on a gnocci board.  Since we were making so many, we actually used a piping bag with a large tip and piped out long lines on a baking sheet.  We then cut them to size.  They can now be frozen, otherwise use immediately.  Boil well salted water and drop in the gnocci.  When they float to the top, they are done.  We finished them off in a sautee pan with brown butter and sage and a sprinkle of kosher salt.  Using 3 different gnocci worked well and the different colors looked really nice.  Each type of squash had it’s own unique flavor as well.

Steve’s Brussel Sprouts

  • 1 lb. brussel sprouts rinsed, trimmed & cut into half or quarter if large
  • 1 medium  onion diced
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 oz. walnut pieces coarsely chopped
  • Brown sugar
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Vinegarette (Garlic Expressions)

Mix brussel sprouts, onion, about 1/3 cup olive oil, salt & pepper to taste in a bowel.  Heat large saute pan ( I prefer cast iron) over medium high heat.  Add 1 tbsp. of oil to pan.  Continue to heat until hot but not smoking.  Add brussel sprouts and cook until they have a nice charred color, stirring occasionally – about 10 minutes.  While brussel sprouts are cooking, toast walnuts with a drizzle of olive oil in small saute pan over medium heat – about 5 min.  Transfer walnuts to a paper towel, lightly salt and sprinkle with 3 tbsp. of brown sugar.  Combine walnuts to brussel sprouts and drizzle with vingarette.  Serve warm.

Try these recipes.  They are really easy and I promise you will love both the squash and brussel sprouts.

Tin Chef Chuck

I am so confused

// July 29th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Blog

Tin Chef Chuck

So what should we eat???  Really?

I just finished eating a tomato sandwich with arugula, mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise (made with olive oil), kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper on fresh Italian bread.  It was spectacular.  I bought the tomatoes at a little road side stand.  No matter how much I try, I can almost never find tomatoes that really taste good anymore.  Not like the ones I remember as a kid.  Not like the ones my dad and I grew in the backyard.  Why?

I bought some water melon today from the grocery store.  My wife Carolyn is a little peculiar when it comes to water melon.  She hates water melon.  Well, she hates American water melon, which in reality is probably from Mexico or some other far corner of the world.  But she loves Italian water melon.    Come to think of it, I am not sure I like “American” water melon either.   The stuff I bought wasn’t all that great.   A long time ago, I was in Naples, Italy working at the Naval Hospital there.  Carolyn came to visit and we bought slices of water melon from a street vendor.  His truck was parked between the US Naval Support Activity and the NATO base.  It was a big sweet water melon sitting on a huge block of ice.  He cut each of us a slice and collected sixty zillion Lira, which if I remember was about 30 cents American at the time.  It was incredible.  Although I would never admit this to Carolyn, she is right.  (I would hate to have to turn in my man card.)  Never the less, Italian watermelon is way better than anything I have had here recently.  So where has all the good food gone?

This also made me think about what we eat and what we should be eating.  As a cardiologist, people always ask what they should eat and how to improve their diets.  I have never really had a good answer.  It seems that everything that I have been told about food since medical school has been wrong.  Salt is bad for you, don’t eat red meat, eat this, don’t eat that, eggs will kill you.  The good news is all of the stuff that I refused to give up, because I was young and invincible, may have been the right stuff after all.

Back to the tomatoes.  Did you know that most tomatoes that you buy at the local grocery store are picked green.  They are then stuck in a room with ethylene oxide, which turns them red, but never really ripens them.  This way that will last longer to allow them to be transported and stored for months.  There is never time for nature to concentrate the natural sugars and flavors.  In essence you are eating a green tomato that looks red, but it’s not ripe.  I am not sure, but I bet that has something to do with watermelons as well.

Thinking about this further, I wonder what else they do to our food.  I have looked into this recently.  I am no means an expert, but I do know what good food taste like.  I go to our local grocery store every day and buy “fresh” produce.  They have an amazing selection of the usual stuff, as well as all kinds of exotic things I never saw when I was a kid.  And they have it year round!  But is it healthy, and does it taste good?

Our country has perfected mass farming.  If you drive around places like southern California, you’ll see miles and miles of fields mass producing produce.  There are huge trucks and tractors adding just enough fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to give a bumper crop that looks pretty, stands up to disease, and will last for weeks as it finds its way to your table.  Somehow I think we are missing something.  Growing healthy fresh vegetables requires more than water, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.  There are all kinds of micro nutrients that are missing.  It’s just not the same as what I grew in our back yard garden.

Have you ever noticed that the Government will come out and say something like you need more beta carotene or omega 3 fatty acids or some other component or chemical in food to be really healthy.  Then, some health supplement company will come out with a jar of pills that will protect you from cancer, or improve your memory and make billions.  I have patients who come in with a list of 30 supplements that they take, who spend hundreds of dollars a month on these supplements, then croak from a heart attack.  It’s funny, but if they would eat a banana, it would be better for them and a hell of a lot cheaper.  Even vitamin C has become a victim.  I cannot think of one study that has shown that taking a chemical supplement has worked in our favor.  It doesn’t make sense, because we know you need vitamin C and all of the other stuff.  The problem is we can’t make or reproduce what nature has given us.  God put all of this stuff on Earth for a reason…  You need to eat fish, not a pill with omega 3 fatty acids.  You need to eat fruit, not vitamin C tablets.  It’s the micro nutrients or phyto-nutrients that we are missing, just like the mass produced produce we grow in this country.

But you never hear the government saying eat more apples or fish.  They say eat less saturated fats or hydrogenated fats.  Know why?  Why are we so focused on individual chemical substances in food as opposed to the whole thing.  It’s really a big government conspiracy.  Really, it is.  A long time ago scientist noticed that people that ate too much red meat seemed to have more health problems.  So a well intentioned politician from a state with a very large cattle industry came out and said Americans need to eat less beef.  Needless to say, he was voted out of office and his political career was all but over.  Politicians aren’t stupid, so they changed their tune to eat less saturated fat.  Pretty safe, but spineless.  And ever since we talk about chemical components of food rather than the whole thing, lest we offend someone.

With due respect to PITA, we need meat.  We need wholesome, fresh vegetables.  The good news is good food is finally back in fashion.  We are finally in an era when chocolate and wine are considered health foods.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

So what should you eat?  I have a couple of simple rules.  Start with the wine and chocolate.  Just additional proof that there is a God.  A glass or two of wine a day…doctors orders.  Beans- another great food, rich in protein and flavor.  I am not talking about canned green beans either.  Garbanzo beans and countless other varieties to enjoy and eat several times a week.  Olives and olive oil- a little every day.  In reality you can get by with two cooking oils, olive oil and canola oil.  Both are healthy and good for you.  Don’t forget fresh fruits and vegetables, eat lots of them.  These are most of the key ingredients in the Mediterranean diet by the way.  I am not saying anything new- it’s been around for thousands of years.

I am starting to buy more and more organic foods too.  It’s not that I am worried about what’s in the fertilizers that are used, but really what’s not in them.  We need those complex phyto-nutrients that I believe we are missing in the local grocery store.  Same with the massive chicken breast that are pumped full of steroids and antibiotics, just stay away.  I guess I’m a small breast guy after all.  Nuts, again another nature’s super food- a few servings a week.  And then there is meat and seafood.  It’s OK, in moderation, it’s not a problem.  Just make sure that you eat all of the other stuff.  I know the organic stuff is more expensive, but you really get what you pay for.

Equally important is what you shouldn’t eat.  Stay away from processed food.   If you stay on the outside perimeter of your grocery store you will stay out of trouble.  Think about it, that’s where the produce, fish and meats, dairy and other fresh foods are located.  Watch CNN lately? Now the government is out for salt.  Salt taste good and improves the flavor of a lot of food.  It’s been used for millions of years and man can’t live without.  The problem is in our mass produced society, huge amounts of salt are added to processed food.  Just stay away from it.  Use low salt (sodium) products and add salt to taste.  And don’t waste your money on sea salt.  It’s no healthier for you than plain old salt, despite what the Campbell’s Soup guy says.  Salt is salt with one exception- the colored sea salts.  They are very expensive and contain sediments from the region they were recovered.  That sediment gives an added flavor and provides the color.  But the salt part is still just salt, good old sodium chloride.  I like kosher salt- same stuff with bigger crystals, so it’s crunchy and the flavor burst in your mouth.  But it is just salt.

So, visit your local farmers market, try to buy fresh produce, organic when you can.  Grab a glass of wine and cook dinner.  Cook good food, add a pinch of salt and enjoy life.  One final thought.  The French are famous for their cooking and foods.  It’s rich, delicious and filled with all kinds of “unhealthy” things like cream, butter, eggs and salt.  The French also smoke like fiends- yet we Americans have a much higher death rate from cardiovascular diseases.  I am not condoning smoking, but I am condoning eating well, enjoying life, drinking wine, avoiding processed and fast food and living a long healthy life.

DISCLAIMER:  I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to PITA, the mega farms and farmers, fertilizer makers and sellers, the fast food industry, the nutritional  supplement and vitamin makers and sellers, spineless politicians, Campbell’s Soup and the big guy banging on pans,  and anyone else I may of offended on the way.  If you are one of the groups endorsed by this posting, we are looking for sponsors, free food or anything else we can get, call me!  Tin Chef Chuck

Tin Chef Chuck’s Homemade Pasta…

// July 29th, 2010 // No Comments » // Recipes

Tin Chef Chuck

Ingredients

  • 1 pound semolina or all-purpose flour (about 4 cups)
  • 4 whole eggs, plus 1 yolk
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Put the flour on a clean dry cutting board. It should look like a small mountain.  Now, flatten it out to a height of 2 inches or so.  Now create a hole or well in the center.  Make sure it is wide enough to accept all of the eggs, bigger is better!   Crack all of the eggs and the yolk into the hole and add the olive oil, salt and water.  If this is your first time, you can break the eggs into a bowl and beat the wet ingredients first, then pour it into the well.

Use a fork to beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water and salt. Begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture.  Take your time and try not to break the “flour bowl”.  If this happens, no biggie, just use a dough knife to push it back into the flour.  Once you get it to the point that the eggs will not run all over the place, wet your hands and start to mix it by hand on the board.  Once it is well mixed, you can start to knead it.  You can use a mixer and dough hook to do all of this, but personally, I prefer to do by hand.

A small flour well with eggs

Now this has been the part that has been a learning curve for me.  Some common mistakes is to either not knead the dough enough or to have too wet or too dry of a mixture.  It should be smooth and supple. Kneading the dough creates the important gluten structure that holds the pasta together.  If it’s too flaky, add a little water, and if too sticky, add a little flour.  Use a small amount at a time.  I have used one of those automatic mixing pasta machines in the past, and the dough needed to be on the dry side.  This will not work for an old fashion crank machine or one that you attach to your mixer.

Using the heels of your palms, roll the dough to create a smooth, supple dough. When done the dough should look smooth and feel almost velvety. Plan on working the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, but it may take longer, especially if this is your first time.

When the pasta has been kneaded to the perfect consistency, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least 1 hour. If you are making the dough ahead of time, place in the frig, otherwise just let it rest at room temperature.

Tips for using a pasta machine

After the dough has rested, you need to decide what to do with it.  You can role it by hand and cut it into what ever size you desire.  I suggest using a dough knife and cutting the ball of dough into quarters first.  If you’re working with only a portion of the dough at a time, keep the remainder wrapped in plastic to prevent it from drying out.

Kitchen Aid Pasta Attachment- works great!!

If you use a pasta machine, then I sprinkle the cutting board with a little flour.  I also sprinkle flour into the machine and onto my hands.  Use the machine for the final kneading. Set the pasta machine to it’s widest setting (usually 1).  Turn it on low speed or start cranking and feed the dough into the rollers.  When it comes out, fold into thirds, and roll again. Continue this process until the dough is shiny and elastic.

Now, keep repeating the process, each time moving the rollers a setting closer.  Keep doing this until you reach your desired thickness.  If you are making ravioli, you should try to go to a setting of at least 6, although it’s personnel preference here.

Be aware that the dough can be several feet long and a helper can make things a lot easier.  I have used a lot of recipes and tried this many times before it worked well, so don’t feel bad if it doesn’t work perfect the first time.  However, if you follow the recipe and advice, you should be pretty close.  If your pasta dough tears, develops holes or comes out messy, the consistency wasn’t right.  Another hint, if you are using the pasta attachment for a Kitchen Aid® mixer, make sure that it is fully seated.  There is a small notch in the mixer and a small table sticking out of the pasta attachment.  If it is not pushed in far enough, the whole attachment will start to spin and roll up all of your pasta!  Maybe I should of read the instructions….yeah right.  Fortunately, we weren’t filming for a video!

Once you get this down and are comfortable- the whole process takes less than half an hour (not including the rest time).  In a pinch, you can skip letting the dough rest, but it may just be a little more difficult to get it perfect.  Just don’t skimp on the kneading!

Fresh pasta cooks quickly, small angel hair  can take less than a minute, while ravioli might take up to five minutes, or until the filling is heated through.  It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days, or frozen for up to a month, but  it is raw dough, so any moisture can easily damage it. Freeze it carefully, but why wait,  just eat it all now!

Enjoy!

Tin Chef Chuck

A Little More About Our Story

// May 17th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Blog

OK, now for a little background. Toledo Tin Chef’s has evolved from several ideas and interest that the three of us share. My name is Chuck Gbur, I am an interventional cardiologist from Toledo, Ohio. Josh Wagy was my neighbor a few years back. Steve Hockenberger’s wife Lydia was a pharmaceutical rep who called on my wife and I (My wife, Carolyn, is a cardiologist too). Lydia and Carolyn became friends, and it turned out they lived just down the street from Josh and I, eventually Steve and I became friends as well. As it turned out, all three of us enjoyed cooking. Josh’s girlfriend is Emily. Her parents own Caper’s and she runs the show there. More about Caper’s later. One summer night we decided to grill out as a group and voila, the next thing you know I am typing this blog. Of course, something good always happens when you mix 1 part charcoal, a splash of charcoal lighting fluid, 1 part meat and 2-3 parts beer.

I recently have gotten into the weird science stuff… Now I am no Ferran Adria, but I am finally putting all of those years of chemistry class to use. By the way, if you are interested in trying this stuff, the best reference by far is “Texture“. It is a free recipe collection and can be found by click on the link above. It is really pretty cool and there seems to be no limit on what you can do. It does take a little practice though, I have some really good looking caviar that didn’t taste so well, and some globs of goo that tasted wonderful, but was too ugly to take a picture of.   By the way, Josh and I both are also into photography.  Josh also does the majority of graphic design stuff. He is definitely much better at food presentation and all that artsy stuff.

This weekend I made it downtown to The Farmer’s Market. If you haven’t been there, you really need to go. I spoke with Mike Billau from Billau Farms in Ottawa Lake. Mike and his son Shawn are 4th and 5th generation farmers. There family has been selling locally grown produce for 5 generations.

Toledo's Farmers' Market

The market is just getting ramped up for the season, but it really is worth visiting. We will be holding a cooking demonstration sometime later this summer, so look out for us.

We did get together to cook this weekend.

Deconstructed blueberry vodka martini

I am showing my deconstructed martini, but I have a lot more that I will post later. I also plan to publish a review of a few cookbooks that I recently finished reading and I feel are well worth reading. Of course, the free one (Texture) listed above is a great reference source, so make sure you download the file. The molecular stuff is a lot harder than it looks, so don’t get discouraged. I made several batches of vodka flubber way before I came up with anything that was worth a picture. Of course, not wanting to waste good vodka, I ate my mistakes, so that may explain why it took so long to come close to an acceptable result.

Anyway, much more to come, so please pop in often. Make sure you twit us on tweeter or tweet us on twitter, what ever. I still need to tell you how I came up with Toledo Tin Chef’s and what we are trying to do. To be honest, I am not sure any of us know where this is going to take us. For now, we are just 3 regular guys who cook, like to take pictures, and know enough about computers to get this thing up and running. Anyway, more pictures and recipes to come, but for now I need to get back to my day job… CJG