GRADUATION Raise your hand if you spent a good portion of your college years eating ramen and pizza for dinner. Don’t be shy, it’s a proud rite of passage. As graduation season is in full bloom I started thinking of all the foods and dishes I loved as a student and what it meant for me. Like most city kids, I actually lived corner at home with my parents through the first few years of college. Being a “dorm kid” didn’t appeal to me a whole lot, I waited to live independently when I could pay for my own place. Although I missed out on dorm life, I still found myself grabbing sparse meals as a young student chef's on the go. However, one of the great benefits of living with my folks was access to a fully-stocked kitchen, so on those rare nights or weekends when I had a break from classes I would cook up homemade meals and indulge. Comfort food is what the brain needs in those tumultuous student years. We all know nothing is as comforting, at any age, as a home-cooked meal, especially one shared with family at a homecoming or graduation table. One of the dishes with oil and balsamic. Leftovers: This dish cooks like a casserole so you can save the leftovers and reheat them later with extra sauce, or in a rustic pasta stew. that stands out for me from those years is a stuffed pasta I used to make with my family. It’s a cross between a casserole, and sausage and peppers – the Baked Veal Rigatoni. We used to make our own fresh sausage and roasted our own peppers for the sauce. The sauce, the cheese and the sausage combined to produce the perfect “umami effect.” I’ll talk about umami in the next article, but basically it’s a word that describes that ideal combination of flavors which make you feel happy and at peace. The feeling lingers as your brain and stomach experience the joy of perfectly matched nutrients. You don’t have to go the lengths of making your own sausage or roasting fresh peppers. A perfectly good version can be produced using high-quality ingredients from your grocery store and butcher. Try this recipe the next time you gather with the family, or come have the dish at Bear and I’ll give you some personal tips on preparing it. It’s a fun recipe to share and one you will cherish throughout the seasons. Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky Executive Chef and Owner of Bear Restaurant 12-14 31st Avenue, LIC www.bearnyc.com www.ChefNatasha.com BAKED VEAL RIGATONI Ingredients: 1/2 lb. ground pork 1/2 lb. ground veal 1/2 lb. ground chicken thighs 1 cup breadcrumbs 1 cup ground Parmigiano cheese 1 small onion - grated 3 cloves fresh garlic, grated 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 1 whole egg, beaten 1 box extra-large rigatoni 12-oz. chicken stock 24-oz. jar roasted sweet peppers in oil 12 oz. crushed tomatoes 1/2 cup heavy cream Baby arugula Olive oil or Sunflower Oil Balsamic vinegar Directions: • Pre-heat oven to 375F. • Blanch rigatoni in salted water until tender. Drain and let cool. • In a bowl, mix pork, veal, chicken, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese, 1 egg, grated onion and garlic, caraway seeds, some of the parsley (reserve the rest of the herbs for plating), salt and pepper. • Stuff the mixture into the rigatoni shells. • Place shells into a baking dish tightly, so each piece is snuggled in with the next. • In a blender, mix sweet peppers in oil, crushed tomatoes, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside. • Pour hot chicken stock over the rigatoni half way up so the tops are not covered. Sprinkle some Parmigiano cheese on top. Pour the pepper mix over the stuffed rigatoni just to cover. If you have pepper mix leftover safe it for a sauce or soup. • Bake for about 30 minutes or until the sausage is cooked and there is a baked crust on top of the sauce. • To serve, top with extra cheese, parsley, arugula dressed CHEF NATASHA POGREBINSKY
LIC052014
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