THERE’S SOMETHING FISHY ABOUT CHEF MICHAEL DEGEORGIO

Executive Chef Michael DeGeorgio held a cooking class that focused on fish, The Feast of Seven Fishes, to be exact.  For those of you that are not familiar with the Italian celebration, it is a traditional meal served on Christmas Eve.   Whether you were looking to do your own holiday cooking or just needed some great tips for preparing fish, the sold out class offered both knowledge and the highest quality seafood. 

There might have been some couples that were not even interested in cooking on the holidays.  For a price of $125 per person (all inclusive) you were able to indulge in a relaxed dinner that included three appetizers, pasta dish, entrée, and 3 desserts, plus paired white and red wines and coffee along with the full recipes for everything but dessert.  Hey, it was at least three hours of demo and eating. 

Needless to say, Chef Michael did not work alone as Chef Luis Enriquez did his “sous chef-ing”.   

   

What did we have and what did I learn?  Let’s start with a Frutta De Mare (seafood salad) of poached lobster, shrimp, calamari (squid), pulpo (octopus), dry sea scallops and scungilli (conch).

First things first, prepare a poaching liquid consisting of water, pickling spice, white wine and lemon juice, onions, celery, parsley and carrots.  You can always freeze this in portions for future use as is or it can certainly make for a great poaching liquid with that added seafood flavoring. 

Chef Michael gave us lots of great tips.  For instance, the best shrimp to use would be a 26/30 white, peeled and deveined.  Fresh squid is much better to use.  You can clean it yourself or buy it already done for you.  I used to think that calamari was rubbery due to the amount of time cooked.  Wrong.  Fresh counts the most.  Dry scallops do not have added water and chemicals.  Hint, hint.  

Fritto Misto (mixed fish) consisted of lemon sole, calamari, shrimp, fresh asparagus, and zucchini.  This is of the fried ilk and should be chilled overnight (before frying) to allow the marinade to soak in.  Tip?  Soaking food in milk tenderizes it.  In fact, Michael prepares a turkey by marinating in milk and butter.   Another tip on this is to dust with Wondra Flour.  The fish, not the turkey. 

Baked Clams Oregenata were next.  Littleneck clams baked with bread crumbs and white wine, along with things like roasted shallots and garlic and a few cheeses (I’m not going to give away the secrets).  He suggested that you can either open the clams or have your fish monger do it for you.  

We’re up to the pasta dish.  Personally, I do not like “al dente”.   Chewing pasta is just not my thing and I’m not Italian, so I don’t care.  Linguini Con Granchi contained: blue crab and Alaskan King Crab in a light tomato sauce.   Use a can of imported San Marzano whole tomatoes.  You might be better off having the monger kill and clean the crabs so that they don’t bite your tongue or grubby little fingers.  Alaskan King Crabs are easiest to get the most of the meat without most of the fuss. 

The entrée, hand-carved whole roasted fish with fennel, endive, broccoli rabe and bread crumbs was served with truffle potato croquettes.   Michael’s staff had prepared two different fish in the kitchen; American snapper and halibut.  I tried the halibut and it was extremely tender, but “meaty”.  This was due to the added liquids such as white wine and chicken stock as well as some other tasty additions. Not to miss out on the preparation, Chef Michael showed us how to prepare it using a smaller snapper.    

Seconds of everything were offered.  However, I was getting quite full on the “firsts” and wanted to save a bit or room for desserts.  One was Panettone topped with vanilla gelato and raspberry sauce (seedless). Another was a warm apple cobbler.  Last (and not on the menu) was a fried ravioli.  Fried ravioli for dessert?  It depends on what’s inside.  This one oozed chocolate!!

Here are just some of the folks that attended.

Joining us were the Almonte family, owners of the new Keyfood Supermarket located at 163-20 Cross Bay Blvd. 

Russo’s recently put out their own brand of gourmet food now being sold at this location. All you have to do is heat it up…unless it’s something you would serve cold, such as a seafood salad.  Each day, the food is prepared at Russo’s on the Bay and brought over to Keyfood’s deli department.  Along with salads and main dish items, there is an area just across the deli called “Grab and Go”.  Here you can get two sauces, ala vodka and marinara as well as appetizer sizes of: Russo’s original meatballs (Michael’s recipe), Chicken Francese  meatballs, Asiago rice balls, Potato Croquettes, Stuffed mushrooms, and Mozzarella Carozza (kind of a fried mozz sandwich). 

With Thanksgiving coming up Chef Michael is doing the preparation of turkey packages that you can pre-order at Keyfood and get it delivered to your home.   As an idea, the cost of a $229 (plus tax) would feed 12-15 people.  718-835-4100. 

As for cooking classes, check Vetro’s website of www.vetronyc.com   for future classes and other tidbits of information. 

 

KEY FOOD TO FEATURE GOURMET FROM RUSSO'S AND VETRO

VETRO-SPECT OF A REGIONAL TASTING

With several regions in Italy, pasta, pizza and tomato sauce are more of a former American style of cuisine as I learned from savoring a tasting by Executive Chef Michael DeGeorgio, of Vetro Restaurant and Lounge in Howard Beach.  The menu explains the course, what area it relates to and why as well as my take on these items.

Cannellini and broccoli rabe puree and burrata, from the region of Puglia.  White beans, broccoli rabe, garlic and oil cooked into a rich puree with toasted bread and tomato salad. It is plated with Burrata mozzarella, as well as an apricot and pear salad.  “Puglia is noted for having the best olive oils, vegetables, beans and seafood.  A heavy soup was made in the home.  Burrata, was created in this area.”  This course is to be eaten with a combined taste of each to savor the creaminess of the burrata, bitter and salty broccoli rabe, and sweetness of the fruit. 

Ciuppin, from the region of Liguria. Halibut, shrimp, clams and calamari cooked with tomatoes, chili pepper, garlic, and olive oil on toasted bread.  “This is a more northern area with small but fruity olive crops.  Seafood comes from off of the Northern coast. Cioppino, as it is most known, was actually created here.” I consider this to be a “seafood stew” rather than a “seafood soup”.  This dish is served with a whole red chili pepper, which I quickly removed. 

Spaghetti Calabrese from the region of Calabria.  Spaghetti sautéed with roasted eggplant, artichokes, peppers, chili, sundried tomato, anchovies, garlic and oil.  “The area is known for seafood, and a variety of peppers that include the short red chili pepper, green finger bell pepper, and cabernet. Many vegetables are grown here. With a location near Sicily, spicy stews are prominent.” 

“I keep a huge pot of boiling water on the stove and scoop out a small potful for each pasta dish that I cook.  This way the cooking method begins with boiling water to which I add the portion of pasta.  I prepare the sauce beforehand using only fresh vegetables.  When the pasta is cooked to the customer’s order, al dente to just about fully soft, I place the sauce in a pan, add the pasta and sauté until the pasta is totally coated. Pasta should always be cooked this way rather than plating the sauce over the pasta”.  

I was invited into the kitchen to watch the master watch and explain the preparations, requesting to eliminate the chili pepper and garlic, opting for some shallots instead. 

 Sogliola di Sassari from the region of Sardegna. Pan roasted halibut with lemon, tarragon, olive oil and bread crumbs. “Tarragon is an herb that is much used in Sardinia, a small island, where seafood is also prominent.  They don’t actually have halibut, but a similar smaller fish.”  The dish is served with water cress, “netted” lemon half, and fresh tarragon.   It is a perfect way to make use of the tarragon.  

 

Lombata di Vitello from the region of Velle di Aosti.  Rib veal chop grilled and stuffed with lump crab meat and wild mushrooms.  Served with Fingerling potatoes and broccoli rabe.  “This is one of my signature dishes sometimes offered on the menu.  Velle di Aosti is known for having finer meats and wild mushrooms.” 

That's Chef Michael on the left and owner Frank Russo, Jr. on the right. 

 

These courses are not offered on Vetro’s menu. I did try one of Chef Michael’s signature dishes, Lobster Cappuccino made with Maine lobster, tomatoes, cognac and foamed milk that is served with a pastry stick. 

Vetro, owned by the Russo family, is located at 164-49 Cross Bay Blvd., a few blocks from their catering Russo’s on the Bay.  Expect high quality food and fine dining at Vetro.  www.vetronyc.com