Offal Good

SFMOMA 75 years of Inspiration

The idea of art being a form of inspiration, is so true. Looking at art evokes a response that can be emotional, inspirational of just sheer enjoyment.  When I was asked by the SFMOMA to be a part of the MUSE campaign I had no idea  that I would be paired with such an iconic artist such as Andy Warhol.  I am Honored and humbled at the same time, I can still remember the first time I saw his works in DC, on a date with my now wife at the National Art Gallery. He took what everyone looked at as status quo and changed it, such a thing as a simple soup can or a portrait changed the way I look at food today.  Thank you Mr Warhol for Inspiring me to never believe in status quo!!!

Chris Cosentino and Self-Portrait by Andy Warhol Chris Cosentino, chef Executive chef, Incanto; co-creator, Boccalone Salumeria Chris Cosentino’s passion for food took seed well before he ever donned chef’s whites. He took his first executive chef position in 2002 at Incanto in San Francisco. His innovative interpretations of rustic Italian fare promptly earned the restaurant its first three-star review from the San Francisco Chronicle. Since then, Cosentino has gained national acclaim as a leading proponent of offal cookery. His approach stems from a belief that no part of an animal slaughtered for food should go to waste. Cosentino is committed to sustainable principles and humanely raised meats and is an avid researcher of ancient cooking techniques and culinary lore. Cosentino is co-creator of Boccalone, an artisanal salumeria. His passion for offal has led him to work on the definitive cookbook on the subject, aimed at providing essential instruction on the preparation of offal for both professional and home cooks. Andy Warhol, Self-Portrait, 1967; Collection SFMOMA, gift of Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson; © 2010 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/ARS, New York

Incanto 2.0

It seems like just yesterday that I started here at Incanto, but 7 years later it’s time for some change. No, I am not leaving. Mark and I decided it was time to refresh the dining room. The goal with everything in life is to improve and that is what we are always striving to do here. We have added some beautiful images on the wall from Lisa Hamilton, a banquette along the Duncan street wall, replaced the carpet with a poured floor and added a large communal dinning table that seats 18.  That is just the beginning of the changes. The “Odds and Ends” board and my 10 point buck have also entered the fold. Here are a few images to give you a taste of Incanto 2.0. I look forward to seeing you here soon, I hope you like the redo as much as I do.

After the break there is a “Letter from Incanto” explaining a little bit more about the changes from my buisness partner Mark Pastore.

Continue reading Incanto 2.0…

Walrus TV part 4

As you all know i have a long standing relationship with upper playground, and this is the final segment of our cooking art collaboration videos. Its perfect timing for the release, with valentines day being this weekend. I had the opportunity to work with n8vandyke, a great bay area artist with an honest interest in food. Take a look at the video below it was fun as always these guys have passion for their art like chefs do for their food.

Do you have the guts to cook guts 2.0

I have decided to do something a little different for this year’s head to tail dinner, inspired by the constant requests for knowledge about how to cook offal. Now’s your chance to learn. I will be accepting 2 volunteers to help with the event this year. You get to come into my kitchen and help cook 2 nights of head to tail dinners. You will work your ass off, have some fun and learn a ton, but there are rules to this game. This offer is open to professional cooks only. You will be an unpaid volunteer. You must commit to working in my kitchen for 5 days, from Friday, March 19th through Wednesday the 24th except for Tuesday, which you’ll have off to recover. You must submit your resume and a short essay on why you should be one of the chosen ones. This is a busy time and I don’t have time to be baby sitting. The Head to Tail dinner is a multi-course menu with a shit load of detailed work..

Here is the pay out; you get both of my t-shirts to take home and you will be able to sit down and enjoy the head to tail menu in the dinning room on the last night.

Email your resume and brief essay to me at chris@offalgood.com by sunday February 28th. I will make a final decision and contact the 2 lucky winners on March 3rd to confim your participation. Ultimately, this is a fun opportunity to be a part of a great team for a week and learn how to cook some innards.

Holiday Cheer!!

Sorry for the lack of writing as of late I have been a bit busy with some great new things for the upcoming year. I swear they will be really cool.

But to keep you in the holiday spirit I have including a recipe I did for our holiday ham that was featured on SF Foodie.

Holiday Recipe Hookup: Chris Cosentino’s Red Bull and Rye Whiskey Glaze for Ham

Elise Bauer/Flickr

Chris Cosentino

Holiday time, and the party that seemed like such a good idea last month is now keeping you awake at 3 a.m., wondering what the hell you’re going to make without embarrassing yourself. Fear not. We’ve asked some of our favorite local chefs to hook you up with easy-to-fix dishes that’ll kill your potluck panic and let you focus on fun stuff. Like drinking.

What’s a meatatarian’s holiday buffet table without a glazed ham? Sad, that’s what. Only, instead of one of those flabby, saccharine, spiral-cut factory monsters, you can show off a real-live artisanal specimen ― like the Prosciutto Cotto (i.e., “cooked ham”) from chef Chris Cosentino’s Boccalone Salumeria in the Ferry Building. It’s brine-cured with sugar and spices. Likewise the Red Bull Simply Cola in Cosentino’s glaze is flavored with a mashup of spices, kola nut, and ― for those of you who love a party ― actual coca leaf. By the way, you can preorder a Prosciutto Cotto from Boccalone up until this Sunday, Dec. 20, for pickup Dec. 23 or 24. Call 433-6500.

Chris Cosentino’s Red Bull Cola and Old Potrero Rye-Glazed Ham
Makes 6-8 servings

2 whole cloves
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup Old Potrero rye whiskey
6 cups Red Bull Simply Cola
1 boneless cooked ham, approximately 3 ½ pounds ― preferably Prosciutto Cotto from Boccalone

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Make the glaze: Combine the cloves, brown sugar, whiskey, and four cups of cola in a medium saucepan. Heat over a low to medium flame, stirring, to reduce by three-quarters.

Place the ham in a large roasting pan and brush with the cola-whiskey glaze. Pour the remaining two cups of cola into the bottom of the roasting pan around the ham. Baste the meat with the cola and bake, basting every 15 minutes with pan juices, until it is warmed through, and a meat thermometer registers 165°F.

Remove from the oven and let rest at least five minutes before carving. To serve, slice the meat thinly across the grain and arrange on a platter.

Newport Life Magazine Cover Story Really?

When I graduated from high school in 1990, It was said by most that I would end up in prison. That was the fire I needed to drive the train. So what did I do I put my head down and read cookbooks, and worked, worked and did I say work, then read a little more. Giving up vacations, family funerals and celebrations to push myself to succeed. There was even a bet of $10 grand that I would fail and come crawling home to Newport by a relative. By the way you owe me Auntie Sandy! So when I got a call fromNewport Life Magazine to do an interview I thought it was ironic. To read the interview click on the link below.
Newport Life Magazine NLM_HOL09_Cosentino

COCO

COCO

When Phaidon called to let me know I was invited to be in this book I had no idea what it was about. Then, I recieved a nice letter explaining how the decisions were made to chose the chefs. It was chefs choosing chefs! Not just any chefs but the power houses of the industry internationally. I am honored and in awe to be in the company of such great chefs from around the world. To be chosen to be in this great book by my mentor and elder statesman of offal, Fergus Henderson, is a great honor. To see more about the book, I’ve included the press release below, as well there is a link to pre order the book on amazon.

COCO
10 World Leading Masters Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs

Ferran Adrià (Spain), Mario Batali (USA), Shannon Bennett (Australia),
Alain Ducasse (France), Ferguson Henderson (UK), Yoshihiro Murato (Japan),
Gordon Ramsay (UK), René Redzepi (Denmark), Alice Waters (USA), and Jacky Yu (Hong Kong)

A mobile ice cream van in London. A Michelin-starred gastropub in New York. The dining program at the American Academy of Rome. A restaurant in a small village in Bali. A café in Tapei. A sandwich shop in Portland, Oregon. A mecca for offal obsessives in San Francisco. What do all of these seemingly disparate places have in common? They are where you will find some of the best chefs of today toiling away, and they are all in COCO: 10 World Leading Masters Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs (Phaidon Press; November 15, 2009; $49.95 hardcover), an unprecedented look at culinary movers and shakers from all corners of the globe that follows in the footsteps of Phaidon’s internationally popular 10×10 series.

The 100 chefs, creating the most innovative cuisine, include talent from Singapore to Spain and Australia to Athens, Georgia. Whether experimenting with new techniques and adventurous combinations or sticking to simple, delicious traditional dishes made with fresh, locally-sourced produce, these culinary artists have taken their craft to such impressive heights that they have captured the attention of these 10 top master chefs. With its vast and varied selection of recipes, COCO is an unrivaled snapshot of what is happening in current gastronomy.

Arranged alphabetically, COCO presents each chef over a gorgeous, full-color, four-page spread. Beginning with an inspiring and insightful essay from the chef curator explaining their pick, the chapter includes a brief bio, sample menu, and images of the restaurant, the kitchen, the chef at work and dishes, as well as accompanying recipes. While the selected chefs hail from different parts of the world and cook very different styles of cuisine in very different types of restaurants, they take their ingredients and methods equally seriously, perfecting their work. They have been selected not only for their food, but for their cooking philosophy and also the way they run their kitchens and how their restaurants have contributed to the culinary world-at-large. As Mario Batali writes in his essay on Hugh Acheson, “Making great food is only the half of it. Real energy and true talent come through when food is thoughtful.”

Part cookbook, part international restaurant guide and part who’s who in the international food scene, COCO showcases recipes that are completely doable like David Chang’s (Momofuku, New York City) Mackerel with Kimchi Puree, Oyster and Radish, Allison Vines-Rushing’s (MiLa, New Orleans) Sweet Potato Pappardelle with Roasted Shitake Mushrooms and Shaved Sheep Cheese, and Russell Moore’s (Camino, Oakland, CA) Lamb Leg a la Ficelle with Braised and Grilled Ribs, Merguez Sausage, and Fresh Shell Beans and the purely aspirational like Mads Refslund’s (MR, Copenhagen) Burning Fields: Aroma and Textures of Burning Fields, Glynn Purnell’s (Purnell’s, Birmingham) Duck Rolled in Licorice Charcoal, Japanese Black Rice, Tamarind, Licorice Puree, Salsify, and Green Beans, and José Avillez’s (Tavares Rico, Lisbon) Roasted Pigeon, A “Ferrero Rocher” of Truffle and Foie Gras, Sautéed Chard, and a Cinnamon-Flavor Sauce. The culinary icons also each share one of their definitive recipes such as Alice Waters’ Chicories Salad with Brandade Toast, Fergus Henderson’s Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad and Mario Batali’s Two-Minute Calamari, Sicilian Lifeguard Style.

And of course, a culinary book this visionary in scope wouldn’t be complete without a restaurant guide so that readers may travel the world to experience the gastronomic artistry for themselves.

TITLE:  COCO: 10 World Leading Masters Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs
PUBLISHER:  Phaidon
PUB DATE:  November 15, 2009
PAGES:  440

2009 Mens Health Best foods for Men

Essential Cooking Equipment

Brittany Risher; Chris Cosentino photo by Lisa Hamilton

Use this list to stock your kitchen, and you’ll have all the tools you need to prepare an impressive meal

Sure, Iron Chef’s Kitchen Stadium is stocked with every pan, knife, and other food gadget ever made. But chances are you’ll never attempt a cookdown with Mario Batali. What you need are the essentials. To help ensure that you have the things you truly need, we talked to Chris Cosentino, chef partner at Incanto in San Francisco and partner and owner of Boccalone (boccalone.com), an artisan salumi business.

The first step, he says, is to determine what your cooking goal is. “”There are so many pieces of equipment,” Cosentino says, “but you don’t need to worry about them all. If you know what you want to do, you can set up your kitchen accordingly.”

Here are the things he recommends the average at-home chef should have on hand to make anything from a fast bite after work to an impressive dinner date.

1. A Cutting Board
“Having a proper wooden cutting is where everything is going to start from,” says Cosentino, who likes Boos cutting boards (johnboos.com). Go with wooden—although plastic is non-porous, you’re likely to put deeper knife marks into it, making it hard to clean and disinfect. And bacteria thrive in those scars.

Also, wood won’t dull your knives as quickly, and it draws bacteria below the surface—and therefore away from your food. In fact, a study by researchers at the University of California-Davis Food Safety Laboratory found that used, scarred wooden cutting boards had almost the same amount of bacteria on their surfaces as new wooden ones.

2. Knives
All you need are four: chef’s knife, paring knife, boning knife, and fillet knife. The paring knife is for smaller, precise work such as peeling, trimming, coring an apple, and sectioning an orange. The chef’s knife is your Jack-of-all-trades. Use it to chop, mince, and slice vegetables, fruit, herbs, and meat. The boning and fillet knives are self-explanatory.

Cosentino likes Japanese knives because they hold an edge better, he says. When you’re shopping, be sure to pick up the knife and hold it as you’d use it. “When you hold it, is it like an extension of your hand, or is it like having your shoe on the wrong foot?” Cosentino says. “You should like the way the handle feels and the weight of the knife.” If it feels right in your hands, it’s a good choice.

3. A Slow Cooker
“You want a cast-iron, enameled pot—what I call a braiser—to slow-cook items in,” says Cosentino, who has used his Calphalon slow cooker to do everything from make tomato sauce and jam to braise meat and cook a whole chicken. It’s extremely versatile (use it on the stovetop or in the oven) and easy to use: Just prep the ingredients the night before, put them into the pot before you leave for work in the morning, and when you come home, you have dinner. And, since the pot is heavy-bottomed, the heat is dispersed evenly, so you have less chance of burning your food.

4. Pans and Pots
Keep things simple (and your cabinet uncluttered): again, four is the magic number. Start with a saucepot to cook soup in and a larger pot to cook pasta in. Then look for 8-inch and 10-inch sauté pans made out of a non-reactive material, such as cast iron or stainless steel. “Aluminum can react with acidity and change the flavor of foods like tomatoes and asparagus,” Cosentino says. He uses Calphalon in the restaurant kitchen and also recommends Demeyere cookware.

But you don’t necessarily need to buy your pans and pots individually—a set may be the best option. “If you want the basics to make beautiful meals, buy a set, and, boom, you have all the pans in the world you need,” Cosentino says. “As long as have a stove and electric or gas, you’re set.” They’re also cheaper and you’re more likely to find sales on sets than on separate items.

5. A Pepper Mill
If you want your food to taste good, this overlooked item can make a big difference in flavor. Cosentino says to think about it this way: If you buy preground pepper at the store, who knows how long it’s been sitting there? And how long was it sitting prior arriving at your supermarket? He recommends grinding peppercorns with a Peugeot mill.

6. The Basics
Don’t overlook the obvious things such as a whisk, mixing bowl, spatula (Cosentino likes fish spatulas, which are good for both delicate and heavier foods), and the one thing no man can do without: a grill.

7. The Extras
Pass on the onion goggles, but if you have a few extra bucks, there are two nonessentials Cosentino thinks are worth it: a pizza stone and a Benriner mandolin (benriner.com).

- Buy a stone, and all you need to do is hit the grocery store for prepared dough and the toppings of your choice, and you’re ready to make a pie that tastes better—and has less grease and fewer calories—than delivery. “A pizza stone helps keep the oven temperature constant,” Cosentino says, and that results in a perfect crust.

- Use the mandolin for an easy way to julienne vegetables or cut them into matchsticks. You can quickly slice tons of vegetables and fruit with it, so you don’t need a knife, and they’ll all be uniform size, which can turn an ordinary salad into an impressive-looking course when you invite your girlfriend over for dinner.

Nduja the spicy spreadable meat treat

To some the idea of a spreadable salumi is a bit out there, to me it’s perfectly rich, spicy, porky goodness. Nduja is  a classical salumi from Calabria that has spread its way into my heart and others around the country. The most commonly asked question is what do I do with it? There are so many uses; pizza, crostini, bruschetta.  So, here are a few recipes to keep everyone busy for a while, one is from me and the other from the great pastry chef and italophile Gina Depalma.

Continue reading Nduja the spicy spreadable meat treat…