Tuesday was my all day cheffing job. I tried calling go daddy.com before I left, but the gentleman I needed to talk to did not get in until 10am. Guess that will wait until Wednesday!
I set out for Whole Foods to shop, then headed over to my client's house. It is getting easier to do prep and pack up the car, although there sure is a lot of stuff to pack up! Things like olive oil, vinegar, spices, etc are all things you buy as the "cost of running a business" so all need to packed up for every job. I bought a shopping cart (the old fashioned kind you see little old ladies in Europe dragging/pushing around. Hopefully that will save me a few trips back and forth!
I made the giaudedda first because it was the most time consuming. That is an Italian dish with artichokes, fava beans and potatoes. The potatoes get boil whole, then peeled and sliced into rounds after they cool. The fava beans grow in pods, so those must first be "shucked", then the beans blanched so you can peel off the outer shell portion that is inedible. Then the beans are ready to do what you want with them. The artichokes are also a lot of work. They start to discolor soon after they are cut if they are raw. So you have to trim the artichokes, then cut them in half and dig out the choke. The artichokes then get cut into about one inch wedges. Then they get soaked in lemon or vinegar water to keep them from discoloring. I don't think I took off enough of the outer leaves because there were still some tough leaves in the finished dish. Lots of prep! You then take pancetta that has been cubed and fey it in a big pan. To that you add sliced onions and sauté until soft and starting to turn a golden color. Then add the cut artichokes, cover the skillet and cook for at least 15-20 minutes to soften them. After that you add the sliced potatoes and fava beans and keep sautéing. Tasty, but am lot of work! Next came the Spring Salmon with Pasta Primavera. Easy enough, nice sauce (can't go wrong with a little cream!). Then the Chicken Marsala and Black &White Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Aioli, which is a mayonnaise flavored with garlic and Wasabi paste. I made the Aioli from scratch and listened to Chef Pete instead of Chef Dale. There was a small debate about whether you should make Aioli with raw garlic (Chef Pete) or roasted garlic (Chef Dale). I ended up using Chef Pete's approach. It certainly makes for a stronger tasting Aioli! I had made the Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake Monday, so I made it home about 4:30-5:00pm.
Jordan and I had the Chicken Marsala for dinner, served over pasta. Then pie for dessert. Would you believe I mixed up the fillign for the Strawberry-Rhubarb pie and forgot to add in sugar?! What a dope! So I lifted the lid and added the chicken after the fact, lol. Not very chef-like!
Wednesday morning it was hard to get up! Just tired I guess. I answered emails in the morning then dealt with Tomas at go daddy.com and I think, hat my webpage fixed. I had to go through hundreds of images to figure out which ones to use. But I did find some that will work. Hopefully my website (www.April poker night.com) will be finished soon. It took most of the day, however.
I am helping Jordan coordinate a workshop he wants to do in September. I am helping coordinate menus, etc. So tomorrow we are going up to the Cal-Neva to check out their facilities. We will also look at a restaurant called "The Soule Domain" as a possible dinner place. At least the weather has finally turned nice!
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