The Urban Chef | Random reflections from an urban chef
- Dev Team
- 30 Mar 2015
Late Night Dining
As someone who works in the hospitality industry, I often find myself forgetting to eat between the hours of 5 PM and 11 PM (Some other chefs stretch their fast out even longer.) Ironically, when those of us in the business finally have time to eat, the last thing we want is the often-free-to-us food that we’ve been preparing all night. So, we finish our shift and realize that we are absolutely starving — and instant gratification is needed. I was talking recently to a well-known Hamilton chef who admitted to visiting Wendy’s five nights in a row. He was embarrassed, but I totally understood…because Hamilton has a dearth of great late-night dining options.
Yes, I realize Wimpy’s Diner is open 24 hours, but their food can be sketchy at best and suspiciously predigested-tasted at worst. Montfort does a decent job of offering real food late at night (depending on location) and The Ship has a very strong kitchen serving good food well after a lot of people have gone to bed. I don’t think I’m alone in suggesting that Hamilton’s hipster crowd and restaurant workers would love to see some more high-quality kitchens staying open late to feed the hungry masses. Is it wrong for me to mention Black Sheep Snack Bar?
Quick Salt Curing
The next time you buy a piece of meat with skin on it, do me a favour: let it cure in salt and some other stuff the day before you roast it. Any skin-on cut of pork is ideal for this treatment, but the same idea applies to chicken, duck and lamb. The idea behind this approach is to get nice, crispy skin and full-flavoured meat. I know, I know, you’ve been told by some friend never to put salt on meat until you’re just about to cook it. Lies, I tell you. Lies.
Go buy yourself a good-looking pork shoulder from Jepson’s Fresh Meats in the Farmer’s Market. When you get home, hunt around your kitchen for any spices and herbs you fancy and mix them with a generous amount of salt. Throw in some minced garlic and onion too, if you’re in the mood. Make a few artful incisions into the skin of the roast, rub the seasoning mix all over the pork and throw it in a pan and into the fridge over night. Don’t cover it. The next day, it should have ‘sweated’ some. That’s good; that shoulder is working hard to make your mouth happy. Rinse off the cure and pat the meat dry. Depending on the size of the roast, cook at 325 F for about 1.5 hours. Then give it a nice baste in its own salty, fatty juices and crank up the heat to 450 F for another 15-20 minutes. Only share the skin with people who make society better.
Authentic Ethnic
Stop it. We’ve grown up and we want the real thing. Please stop putting sugary, shockingly red sauce on chunks of greasy batter. Make food aggressive. Has anyone ever, EVER been shocked by how hot something listed as ‘spicy’ is? Please, call it spicy, own it, and let me deal with the crazy endorphin rush. Thank you Panaderya Bakeshop for sour spicy pig’s ears. Thank you Harvest Moon for using gailan (Chinese broccoli) instead of something that doesn’t even exist in China. And does any restaurant in Hamilton even make their own pasta daily? C’mon, guys.
The So-Simple-Even-You- Can-Make-It Winning Dish
1. Buy lamb shanks, canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, rosemary.
2. Throw some amount of each ingredient in a large casserole or roasting pan — it’s tough to screw this part up. If you like garlic, add a half a head. If you opened a large can of tomatoes, use it all. If it was a small can, then that was the correct amount.
3. Don’t like onions? (a) You’re a child, and, (b) don’t add them. Please use fresh rosemary. Nobody likes chewing on dry, crappy pine needles.
4. Add a little pinch of sugar, and season with salt and pepper.
5. Cover the pan with lid/foil. Cook in a 350 F oven for about 1 hour, 45 minutes until tender. Remove cover and crank oven up to 450 F. Cook for another 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.
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