Week 2: Salad Fingers
Gordon Ramsay Presents: Kitchen Nightmares
Me again. Class 2 was a big one because we suited up for the first time.
We watched Chef Jill prepare three salads and then we made one of them (we don’t get to choose), but we got to eat them all. I went back for seconds, thirds, and fourths to the point where my teeny-tiny paper plate was translucent.
This week’s dishes:
Tomatillo and Tomato Salad with Seared Chicken Breast
This was fantastic. 10/10, no notes. In addition to the aforementioned ingredients, it had lime, and charred corn. Fun fact, you can char corn yourself by laying a cob on a gas stovetop or BBQ.
We learned how to properly sear a chicken breast in a stainless steel pan without it getting stuck or drying out… Thought it was helpful so I will share: let the pan and oil get hot, place the chicken in gently (dropping it away from you), let it cook for a few minutes and it will un-stick when it’s ready to flip. Brown the other side (internal temp 120F, then stick it in the oven (350F for 10-15min) until internal temp reaches 160, remove and set aside to rest, temperature will rise to 165. I have yet to try this but Chef’s chicken was juicy so take my word for it.
Unfortunately we didn’t get to make this salad in class, but as a lover of all things sour, I’m determined to make this salad at home, probably in the summertime.
Cucumber and Onion Salad
Basic. Tasty, but pretty onion-forward as the name may suggest. 6/10
Julienne Lentil Salad
This is the dish we made. We learned different knife cuts by watching Chef, but the one we were focusing on for this week was Julienne as the recipe name may suggest. Lots of chopping involved here, I learned after cleaning my dishes that I lost part of my fingernail (hopefully didn’t end up in my salad).
Some interesting notes from class:
For this recipe we were cutting off the “ugly parts” or parts that make veggies hard to work with (top and bottom of peppers, the gooey/wet parts of tomatoes) to make for a prettier salad
Who’s cutting onions? Me. Cut it in half (cutting through the root) and peel. Lay it flat and make vertical cuts into the onion towards the root in the size of onion you’ll want, then cut in the opposite direction to make your slices and dices. Cool stuff!
The exhaust fans are always on in the kitchen. After washing my vegetables, I got so cold that my fingers went white. Note to self: wear an extra layer #RaynaudsAwarenessMonth
To be honest, this dish was a little smelly–probably because we mixed onions, tuna, and apple cider vinegar–but it was nice to have some personal space on the subway ride home. 7.5/10
Next class: soup day
Audience Q&A
Since this is a departure from my usual content, I’m curious what you think so far (TL:DR does this make sense?) and what kind of content you want from my cooking adventures… Pro tips? Detailed recipes? The usual bits and bobs? I feel it would be unethical to share George Brown’s recipes in their entirety, but if you’re curious (or you have feedback on my blogging), leave a comment or shoot me an email and we can discuss.
With Gratitude,
Chef Shav
Ur so funny ommmgg