Peasant Food is Soul Food

Okay, first the serious stuff … many people claim that local food is "elitist," some of the world's great cuisines - Chinese, Italian, country French, Indian - come from people who had the least to work with - peasants. However, few of us are farmers so unlike peasants our livelihood is not directly focused on feeding ourselves. Still, the point is this, the food we consider sometimes to be beneath us, “food for the poor”, is best because it focuses on food sourced at the source ... if that makes sense! And, more often than could be explained in a blog, it is soul food! Many, and I mean MANY famous and not so famous chefs are leaving their Michelin 3 Star restaurants to open small, cozy little places where jackets are frowned on but the food is elevated peasant food!

The “local” angle is explained like this … peasants are small-scale farmers, ranchers, herders, hunters or fishermen and this means that they are close to their food source - they are “Localvores” by necessity. By US standards, peasants appear to be poor and many of us feel sorry for the "meager" lives peasants lead. In fact, peasant culture is rich in traditions passed down through the generations along with recipes for dishes like Cassoulet and Osso Bucco. These classic recipes are typical of peasant cuisine with often translates into hearty one-dish meals that combine "lesser" cuts of meat cooked in a savory broth with seasonal vegetables and some form of bread. Think Beef Bourguignon and a French baguette; Ribolita, which is a Tuscan bread soup, or Huevos Rancheros and you are thinking peasant food. How about Coq Au Vin … stewed Chicken with Wine and always served with bread! This is peasant food at its best and if you are lucky enough to know someone who really knows how to prepare this dish you are money! Each of these dishes reflects a side of our culture that is pure, rooted in common things. And, the genuine connection between peasant food and soul food becomes obvious! In words you can simply say … it is any food that makes your heart warm!

Now, the fun stuff and more to the “ranting” point! You can go out to fine dining establishments all over the world. Pay a small fortune and have a nice meal. But isn’t it kinda stuffy? The freaking opposite of quant? You go in, order something off the menu and get a child’s portion that costs $40 and usually is out of season! What the hell is up with that? One thing is certain about peasant food and soul food ... it is always SEASONAL and usually made from what is available. And all the while you are enjoying Beef stew or Shrimp and Grits you are full of love for life … filled with the laughter that surrounds this kind of dining experience. No tie’s or jackets required … not waiters telling you what wine to drink with that fish! And the best part is … it really is more enjoyable (spoken aloud with a higher pitch voice). Two of the best restaurants in Paris right now are serving casual “peasant food” with an upscale twist. And the price asked reflects this … $20 for that same piece of fish, ½ the price of the Coq au Vin at the POSH beat you down the road to the bank high-end establishment. Do you know what being over charged really means? Being cheated out of a moment in life! It isn’t the money, well sometimes it is, but it is the simple fact that you know, deep down in your heart that you could have had just as good a meal, paid less and not felt like you would be scolded for dropping your knife on the floor! Come-on ya’ll, as we say in the South, get off your stupid think you are better arse and get back to just cooking! I don’t care if you have Michelin 3 stars … I wanna know if you can cook something simple and beautiful, using what you bought at the market today!!!

I believe that soul food and peasant food are intertwined in a relationship of love … they both nurture us with aromas that makes us want family nearer, friends abound and love one’s within hugging and kissing distance! If you don’t know what I mean then you are missing out …

Creating A Great Menu

Creating A Great Menu

It’s a pet-peeve of mine, restaurants and chefs that don’t change their menus but once a year, or longer.  I believe in changing with the seasons.  And, I get bored. Thus, I end up changing my menus roughly every 3 months.  So what’s in season, what farmers are growing and what our fishermen are catching is where I begin. But sometimes it’s is the craziest, wildest idea that through practice comes out to be a wonderful dish that we can recreate nightly.

It sounds easy but it is much harder than you think! Think about it this way; only so many things can be sautéed or flashed on the stove top, only so many proteins can be grilled and only so many can be fried. Not everything can come from one section otherwise … the kitchen slows to a crawl and everyone’s in ‘Barney’! Kitchen reference to when things go horribly wrong.

Each new dish must be inventive, interesting and showcase local fair with balance. This is the key; each dish must have a single pronounced flavor forward with subtle flavors underneath but they must be in harmony to work perfectly on the taster’s palate.  I look for dishes that also a textural component and a balance of acid and sweet. So each dish must have these in common before the recipe is perfect. Usually, we try a recipe, make changes, re-try them again 50 times before it makes it to a menu.

So how do you do this? Here is an example of how a simple idea turned itself into a menu item back in January.  I start with one thing, and then write down everything I like with that one thing. Scallops i.e.. Thoughts drive towards butter, potatoes, and bacon. Stop. Okay, butter and potatoes, mashed potatoes but something more eclectic than a puddle on the plate. Yes, a potato croquette, but with Chive and made with semolina flour. Check!  Now bacon, maybe a source of texture on our dish and an underlying flavor…. Yes, crunchy bacon with each Scallop gives us texture and a bacon vinaigrette for a small salad will give the dish acidity and balance. What about something to balance that acidity? A Fruit? Yes, Peaches pair well with shellfish, hmmm, what a about a spiced jelly? It’s a southern thing but would work perfectly with this dish. That’s it. So I ended up with seared Diver Scallops balanced on creamy Potato Croquettes; top scallops with spicy Peach Jelly and crumbled Bacon. Serve a petit salad tossed in Bacon Vinaigrette. Each of the individual parts of this dish is a recipe on its own … each has to perfected and written into recipe form.

This is one dish, a small plate but a great dish to add to our starters menu. I offer four starters so the others cannot come from the sautéed station. They could be a grilled local sausage with crispy fried onion and a gastrique of mustard and Albarino wine.  I think you get the idea and a small peek into the workings of a professional kitchen. So when I change my menu for the seasons or because I am bored cooking something understand that it comes with great effort and pains!