Volume 35, No.15
November 25 2014
Bringing Life to the Basics
BY: Katie Fenton, BPS Culinary
Beginning in Fundies, we are taught the basics. We memorize ratios, and we write the recipes down on index cards to fit in the front pockets of our chef coats. But once we’re out of here, those ratios and recipes will mean nothing if we don’t add a piece of us into it, that little spin that turns something “by the book” into a whole new dish. It adds our vision and our passion into the final product, and whoever’s eating it will surely appreciate it. Bryan Voltaggio (‘99), owner of Volt, Range and Family Meal-Aggio laid this out for us on the table during his demo at the CIA after the Fall Career Fair on November 4th. I walked into the Eco Lab to find the demonstration kitchen rockin’ with momentum: Bryan, his assistant Graeme Ritchie (’05), and a large amount of culinary students in their whites were mise en placing at doubletime. One of the greatest things I appreciated before the demo even started was how Chef Voltaggio was so on top of the organization, making sure everything was done to the T. As the start of the demonstration approached, Chef Voltaggio said, “Let’s tighten it up a bit.” Like I said, he was on top of it. In front of us were two and a half pitchers filled with a purple substance. It wasn’t until later that I figured out what it was. There was a platter of small-diced white mirepoix, and various cups of other ingredients. Standing in front of us with his gray apron and his confident, yet humorous personality, Chef Voltaggio explained the value of taking a recipe of simplicity and transforming it into this thoughtfully complex piece of art. To prove his point, he prepared one of the most classic Italian recipes: Cavatelli Bolognese.
Squid ink Cavatelli Bolognese with pepperoni and calamari. Photos by Katie Fenton
“Meet Our Staff ”
Chef Bryan Voltaggio (‘99) preps for a demo November 4th in EcoLab Theater. What set his recipe apart from others was that he ground up pepperoni and calamari into the sauce. The pepperoni was not only ground up, but also browned before the calamari and the rest of the ingredients were added. Adding pepperoni to a Bolognese brings this vibrant punch to the sauce, and browning it gives that extra bit of caramelized flavor from the good ol’ Maillard reaction. Chef Voltaggio stressed the importance of adding that extra step to set your creations apart from others. As the smell of browning pepperoni filled the air, I was reminded of how much greater pepperoni tastes after it is crisped on top of a pizza versus just being tossed into something. Sometimes spending a bit more time on a dish with a few ingredients can be more beneficial in the end. The ground calamari was then added and ceased up, maintaining its integrity through the heat. Ground mirepoix, pepper paste, a sachet, and fennel frond tops were also added. A splash of Chianti was used to deglaze the pan, the tomato was added, and the sauce was seasoned. As it cooked, the room began to smell of warmth and a traditional Italian Sunday supper around the table. Chef Voltaggio then added a twist on the homemade cavatelli recipe: squid ink cavatelli. With a large amount of pasta dough being made, the KitchenAid wasn’t able to handle it. He transferred his pasta to the wooden board beside him and rolled it by hand. He said, “This is how my grandmother would have done it anyway, this will make her more proud.” As the audience laughed, in a way, I ap-
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preciated him rolling it by hand. It showed the audience how sometimes when improvising, pulling from your prior knowledge and experiences could be the best tool to use. The cavatelli was cooked in salted water, and then tossed in a sauté pan with some of the finished sauce, grated cheese, butter, and olive oil was added for sheen. A bit of pasta water was also added. Chef Voltaggio explained that it would provide mouth-feel and thickness to the sauce. Once the dish was completed, an assembly line formed in about one second, as the assistant chefs garnished the tasting portions, pushing out one for each member of the audience. The dish completely warmed me up on a cool fall evening. The cavatelli was beautifully airy, the sauce had a subtle essence of the sea from the calamari, the pepperoni added this bold punch of flavor, and the chili paste ended each bite with a touch of finesse on my palate. Just when you thought the demonstration couldn’t get better, Chef went on to make us fluffy mini cheesecakes with just a hint of citrus. Sprinkled on top was a graham cracker crust crumble, accompanied with liquid nitrogen ice cream resembling Dippin Dots and a Concord grape sauce (the purple sauce I saw earlier) made from locally grown Concord grapes. Chef instilled in us the concept that with sound communication and production in both the savory and sweet departments of a kitchen, a guest’s dining experience can be that much closer to seamless. If there was something that was left in the air at the end of Chef Voltaggio’s presentation, aside from the incredible smells, it was the inspiration to not miss a step, no matter what it is, and to use the basics we grasp here at CIA to excel beyond the school, and to let that passion steep into each of our careers.
Mini cheesecake with citrus, ice cream, and concord grape sauce.
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“Share Our Strength” “The Egg is on its Way!”
“Sports”
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“Graduation”