Summer Soup: Chilled Carrot Harissa Soup with Sweet Goat Cheese, Radish, Pursalene, Black Truffle, Beet Puree.

Summer Soup

On a hot summer day, there is nothing better than a cold soup that's actually delicious. We made this soup at work the other day, and it was great, so I took a cup home and put my own spin on it. My favorite part of this dish is the textures that exist in each component. Pursalene is a delicious leaf green, but is actually considered a weed. It is great to use in soups, salads, or to add color or texture to any dish really. Here, the Pursalene gives a nice fresh crunch when bitten into. (above, Pursalene)

Here is my plating of the dish:

The Goat Cheese I used here is something we use at work, called Moroccan Goat Cheese.
It is so good, that when making it, I think I taste it at least 5 times for "quality control"...

Moroccan Goat Cheese, Ana Sortun Recipe

1/2 Onion- Small dice
3 Oz lemon juice
1 Cup Cilantro leaves- Chiffonade
8 Oz Goat Cheese X2
1/4 Cup E.V.O.O
3/4 Cup Golden Raisin
1/4 C Slivered Almonds (Optionally toasted @325 for 3-5 mins, or until golden)

Dice the onion, and then let it cure in the lemon juice and 1tea Salt for about 10-15 minutes, this will lessen the sharp flavor of raw onion, but still have the nice crunch. Then, mix in the olive oil and goat cheese and incorporate. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and enjoy!
There are many applications for this cheese. I have made it into a ravioli filling, I have eaten it in salads, and even breaded it and deep fried it for a goat cheese fritter of sorts.

Black Truffle: go buy some NOW. Whether it be truffle salt, oil, or the real thing. But I LOVE truffles, so try doing something with them, it works well in pastas, risottos, and as a garnish for a wide variety of things.

Burrata with Italian Speck and Peach Goat Cheese

Burrata is a favorite cheese of mine. It is a fresh cheese, made from mozzarella and cream (so whole milk and cream together). The outside of the cheese has the texture of fresh mozzarella, but the inside is smooth and creamy. Buratta means buttered in Italian, and when you eat the cheese, you know exactly why.
Tonight I made a Burrata dish using Italian Speck (Smoked Prosciutto), Cherry Tomatoes, Peach Goat Cheese, Whole Grain Mustard, Pickles, E.V.O.O., Baby Basil, Truffle Pecorino, and Balsalmic Vinegar.

Method: I started by covering the bottom of my dish with Oil, and placing the Burrata in it. Then I salted and peppered the cheese. Next I squeezed my sauces onto the plate in a circular motion. Next, I placed the Crostini, Mustard, Tomatoes, and Basil on the cheese, and finished with the Spek on the large rim of the bowl. Right before serving, place drops of the Balsalmic into the oil, and it will separate, as shown in the photo. Garnish with Pickle and Chive. Voila! 

There are a few essential culinary tools that allowed me to plate this dish as pictured above. First, invest in a ring mold (a circular mold that helps shape ingredients on a plate), here it helped push the Burrata into a perfect circle shape.

A squeeze bottle (Think of the container of ketchup at a clam shack on the Cape, except cleaner...), This tool will help you be clean and deliberate with your sauces when plating. You can make nice long streaks, as pictured here, and also make Balsalmic Vinegar dots in the Olive Oil. Squeeze bottles can also be used as salad dressing containers, syrup containers, or as a juice dispenser.

The Speck Ham is an essential item in this dish. A good cured meat pairs exceptionally with this cheese.

Peach Goat Cheese:

8oz Goat Cheese

2 peaches

2T Butter

Cut the peaches into 8ths, and sautee slowly in the butter for about 10-15 minutes. Puree peaches in a blender. Add goat cheese to the puree and pulse until homogenized. Let cool in the fridge for 1 hour, or until set. Serve with crackers or raw vegetables.

Steak Tartare, summer style

Allston, Gourmet.

Hello! My name is Nicco Muratore, and I am an aspiring chef in Boston, MA. I am currently working on a Masters Degree in Gastronomy at Boston University, and working as a cook at Sofra Bakery and Cafe and Oleana Restaurant in Cambridge. I grew up in Jamaica Plain, a section of the city of Boston. I loved to cook from a young age, and when I was 16 years old, I got my first cooking job. I walked into Fenway Park's annual job fair looking to become a vendor (you know, those guys that yell "PEANUTS HEAAAAAAH"). So after the preliminary interview, they sent me to table 5 for my secondary interview, with a specific department. I must have been in the right place at the right time, but there happened to be nobody sitting at table 5 when I reached the front of the line. So there I was, probably looking like an idiot, when the guys at table 2 asked me who I was waiting for. They quickly told me I wanted to talk to them instead, so I went and sat down at table 2. Sitting in front of me was Steve "Nookie" Postal, the Executive Chef of the high-end restaurants in Fenway Park, and Pat Ford, his Executive Sous-Chef. They took my resume, looked over it, and almost immediately asked me if I wanted a job in a kitchen. I thought they were joking. I had no culinary experience, and the only thing they knew about me was that I "liked to cook". Two weeks later, I got a call from Pat telling me to come to Orientation the next week. 3 years later and I was deep into the life of a cook. I loved it from day one, and knew it was my passion in life. I decided to change what I was studying at Boston University, and pursue a Masters in Gastronomy through the School of Hospitality Administration and the Metropolitan College. I love everything about food, eating, and restaurants. Hope you enjoy my posts! All of these dishes are crafted in my shitty college apartment in Allston, MA. Stop by.

-Nicco Muratore

Steak Tartare, Summer Edition.

The other day I had an extreme craving for some steak tartare, after reading Barbara Lynch's cookbook entitled "Stir". When eating raw beef, it is essential for you to know where your meat is coming from. I went to a Whole Foods Market, who sells only organic, grassfed proteins. Not only is it better for you and the environment, it tastes a hell of a lot better than the shitty grocery store stuff.
So, I got myself one piece of Tenderloin (a.k.a Filet Mingnon- the center cut of the tenderloin), yes it is expensive (at $29.99/lb) but it is a pleasure to eat raw, as it doesn't have an extremely beefy taste and it is very tender and easy to chew. I did a spin on the traditional Steak Tartare preparation, using in-season ingredients for a fresh summer taste.
What I used: Sweet 100 Tomatoes, Local Sweet Corn, Seranno Chile, Chive, Garlic Conserva, Pecorino Cheese, Black Truffle, and Blackberry Skordalia.

Garlic Conserva:

One of the essential ingredients that brings a sharp, yet sweet taste is the Garlic Conserva. 

Garlic Conserva is something I learned from my boss at Sofra Bakery, Chef Geoff Lukas.

1/2 Cup E.V.O.O. (more if necessary)

3C Garlic Cloves

1/3 Cup White Verjus

1/4C Whole Grain Mustard

Salt

To Make the Conserva: In a medium saucepan, combine E.V.O.O. and Garlic. Slowly cook until the garlic starts to soften. When the garlic begins to fall apart, add 1-2 tea salt, and the White Verjus (or White Wine and 2T sugar). Once the Verjus has almost evaporated completely, add the Whole Grain Mustard. Let ingredients cook together for another minute, and then remove from heat. 

This spread has many applications, from acting as a garlic substitute when sauteeing to being used as a salad dressing. It can kept in the fridge for up to a month, or longer if preserved in jars.

The Mystery Pink Sauce: Blackberry Skordalia

The word Skordalia is Greek, and means making a sauce by combining crushed garlic with a bulky base (Nuts, Potatoes, Stale Bread), and then adding an additional flavoring if desired.

The Skordalia base I made here was Almond based: 

2 Cups Blanched Almonds

1/2 C Garlic

1/3 C Lemon Juice

1 C Warm water

1/2 T Salt

In a Vita-Mix Blender (Or other powerful kitchen blender) blend the garlic, lemon juice, and salt, to cure the garlic and take away the sharp raw flavor. Then add the almonds water and blend until a thick white base has been created. It should be the consistency of a thick paste, and not completely smooth.

Once you have your base made, you can add a wide variety of things to it: I have done Parsnip Skordalia, Squash Skordalia, Sweet Potato Skordalia, ect...) To make this pink Skordalia, I roasted a carton of blackberries for 5 minutes at 375F. Puree them in the blender and add to 1C Skordalia base. You can adjust the strength of the sauce by adding more or less base.

To see more of my food, please check out my instagram @Niccomuratore 

Happy to answer any questions!