Wednesday, April 2, 2008

CIOPPINO GALORE


Yesterday was the Mid-Peninsula Young Life's first annual fund raising banquet.  140 of the bay area's finest came to support Young Life and enjoy a meal.  I was lucky enough to be hired to prepare the food for this banquet.  My staff and I prepared three courses for the event.  First course was a classic caesar salad with garlic grated croutons.  The main course and theme for the night was Cioppino.  The story goes that cioppino started when fishermen would come in from sea and "chip in" any surplus catch from their last trip.  The dish seems to have quite a history here in San Francisco and resonates with the locals. Our cioppino was chocked full of p.e.i. mussels, dungeness crab, and pacific pollock.  The key to my cioppino is starting with a foundation of roasted fennel with the caramelized onions.  The sweetness the vegetables bring to the dish works well to cut the acidity of the tomatoes and give the dish a richer feel.  Finally we ended the night with a tiramisu.  It was fabulous!  

The day before the event and the day of are
 the most demanding days for the catering staff (whereas the planning committee and director have to bust ass for a month or two).  I put in about twenty six and half hours in the two days, and my friend (and great chef) Luke put in just a few less than me.  We were also helped by two volunteers and my business partner/sister Jeannie.  The event went quite smoothly with an overall good response.  We definitely learned some things through the experience.  This was my first event with this quantity of people and food. But it was just as exciting as pitching my first game in little league.  I have all the pressure from all directions but when I finish the game, or knock out the dishes everything feels amazing.  Its an incredible experience to watch a group of people from 13 years old to 62 work together to make it happen.  The adrenaline of a night like this one is great.  There is no way I could have managed a 16 hour catering with out a good dose of adrenaline running through my body.  After about 10 hours you get the "runner's high" and it carries you until the end.  The key for me and Luke was to not stop moving.  As soon as we sat our butts on the comfy seats of my honda to leave an immense release of pressure and energy occurred.  We looked at each other and recognized a job well done.  

I came home to see a large portion of the Young Life committee at my house with friends discussing the evening.  For the inaugural banquet it was a success.  Congratulations Young Life and thanks!

I am still tired and wiped out from an amazing two days.  

Cioppino
Ingredients
1 Fennel bulb
1 Med. Onion (Yellow)
Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme
1/2 Tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 Lg. Can (usually 28 oz) Crushed tomatoes
2 C. red wine (cab or syrah)
8oz. Clam Juice
1/2 # Pollock or Cod
1/2 # Crab Meat
1 # Mussels

Procedure
1. Medium dice fennel and onions
2. Add olive oil to large pot and heat to medium
3. Add onions and fennel and slowly caramelize (for richer flavor)with thyme, red pepper, salt and pepper.
4. Add clam juice and wine and bring to a simmer - let simmer for 4-5 minutes to concentrate flavors
5. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer - simmer covered for 25 to 45 minutes (depending on how rich you want it).
6. Add pollock, crab, and mussels and simmer until cooked.

*Simmering the seafood takes longer to cook but really maintains a more tender finished product and helps you avoid overcooked mussels. 

Also consider finishing the dish with a drizzle of olive oil or a caramelized baby carrot. 

[The picture is Luke scrubbing one of the two huge pots after cioppino night]




2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who knew Ryan could cook! Haha just kidding. Now how about some beignets and coffee with chickory?
-Lagniappe

Jennifer said...

this is so awesome!

thanks for sharing, and yes, let's swap cities!!