European Vacation

To address the question posed in the comments of my previous post -- no, Cuisines of Europe and the Mediterranean is not one of my favorite classes. I've always felt that it would be, but it just hasn't worked out that way.

For starters, my group is so small (ten) that we only serve three or four entrees each day instead of the normal five. Two people are on each entree station, one person is sous chef, and one or two people are on what I guess would call the finger food station -- "mezze" for the Middle East, "tapas" for Spain, and pizza for Italy. So right off the bat, we're not getting to experience one or two preparations. This would be something like showing up at a restaurant you've really been wanting to try, only to have your server inform you that 40% of the menu isn't available. Now, don't get me wrong, we've put out good food every day of the block so far. Most days things are excellent, in fact. But I can't help but feel we're missing out on a good chunk of the learning experience. It doesn't help that we had an attendance problem the first week (not once did we have all ten students in class), so chef had to trim the menu back in places.

Here's a quick rundown of what we're covering. The first three days cover four areas you probably don't think of when you think of the Mediterranean: the Maghreb (northern Africa), the Arab Levant (Syria, Jordan, Jerusalem, Saudi Arabia, Iraq), Iran/Persia, and Turkey. I thought that was a bit weird myself, but hey, they do touch the Mediterrean (well, most of them do). After that, we had three days of Spain. I think Spain is going to be one of the next big things... tapas and "small plates" restaurants are popping up all over the place, and there's a generation of high-end Spanish chefs who are just getting noticed in the US. Friday, we finished three days of Italy. Monday we start three days of France, and the last two days of the block cover central and northern Europe.

Here's what we've done so far. There's an asterisk by dishes I was involved in. If it seems like I haven't done much in places (like Spain) it's because I've also been sous chef and on tapas as well.

Middle East
*Marinated, Grilled Swordfish Skewers
*Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Couscous
( I know there was a third dish here, but it escapes me at the moment and I can't find my schedule)

Spain
*Grilled Lamb Chops with Chorizo, Potatoes, and Watercress Salad
Braised Oxtail, Chickpeas with Morcilla (blood sausage)
Serrano-wrapped Trout with Artichokes, Fava Beans, Arugula, and Sherry Vinegar Sauce
Fabada (white bean, chorizo, and morcilla stew)

Italy
Ricotta and Spinach Tortelli (kind of like ravioli), in Sage Brown Butter with Walnuts
Capellini with Mussels and Shrimp
*Gnocchi with Duck Ragu
*Risotto with Sausage and Mushrooms

The best thing, by far, I've been involved in was the Gnocchi with Duck Ragu. This was already one of my favorite dishes on campus, so I was really excited when the schedule came out and I saw I'd be on that station for two days. It's nothing fancy in terms of cooking techniques, but man, is it good. Light, melt-in-your-mouth potato gnocchi with shredded duck meat (from duck legs which have braised for hours and are falling-apart tender), plus a sauce made by reducing the braising liquid with veal stock and then finishing with a chunk of butter. Yum.