Today in the Kitchen

Ah, today almost 4 hour I am peeling and cleaning 6 crates of artichoke it's easy anyway but boring when your doing it for almost 4 hour, I want to make it fast but you know I tried different way but still.

Non capisco but we take only the heart of artichoke which is very small. if you can see the picture,We use this artichoke for side dish.

Career in the Kitchen

Fast food chain, Bakery, Restaurant, Culinary school and even in our home are the place where we learn things about cooking baking etc. and this is also a good start if you want to pursue a career in culinary. According to my chef there is a big money in the kitchen. you just need to established your name and be a sous chef at least for you to earn a really huge amount of money. Promotion in the kitchen is really fast just be hardworking which is easy to noticed specially if your chef is focusing on dedicated people. Anyway most of the chef gives promotion to those dedicated to be chef. A lot of people spending a lot of money going to university to study and learn culinary. Wherein some people like me is really lucky to work in a hotel, culinary industry even without proper training in culinary. for the moment I am earning as an ordinary but then once I got the position I want maybe Ill be one of the richest guy in my place... he he lol.
There are so many positions in the kitchen, some started as a dishwasher and become a chef, some started as commis etc.
These are the basic position in the kitchen.

Commis- Usually these chefs are working as an assistant of the chef, they do the peeling, cutting etc.
Demi chef de partie - these usually do the plating's, etc
Chef de partie - is usually act as the supervisor he do the platings , etc.
Sous Chef - he act as the manager in the kitchen he do plan the menu etc.
Executive chef - Head of all the chef in one company like for example in one hotel with different restaurant.
Executive pastry chef - he plan all the pastry things and bakery things.

There are so many position in busy kitchen like legumier,saucier,cook,jr sous chef etc. usually one big and busy kitchen one chef each section. One position who the the cutting only, one who do the plating's only. etc etc.

But in a not so busy restaurant even a legumier or a commis can do the plating's as long as the chefs trust you. anyways the chef give the standard so its easy to follow.

Mixed Green Leaves Salad

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Mixed green salad is one of the most popular salad in most restaurant today. This is the top picked specially for the vegetarians.
Mixed green salad is good in any kinds of dressings. it could be lemon dressing, balsamic dressing, vinegar or even a simple olive oil it will make the green salad really dilicious.

Selecting the good leaves is one of my duties everyday, its really a boring job. I need to check each leaf and clean of course to make sure we are serving the best salad, otherwise you will get bamboo from your chef or much worst complain from the guest.

Green Leaves Salad:

Spinach - Tender and sweet and are delicious raw or cooked
Red Chard - Ideal for brightening up salads, red chard has a distinct flavour and, when young, can be treated like spinach and eaten raw or cooked.
Rocket - Also known as arugula, ruccola and roquette, this thin spiky leaf has a strong peppery flavour and has long had a role in Italian cookery.
Watercress - Has a distinctive ‘raw’ flavour, both peppery and slightly pungent.
Tatsoi - Lustrous dark green leaves have a delicate mustard flavour with a crunchy but succulent and juicy stalk.
Oak leaf - This leaf is the softest of baby leaves and, as a result, is smooth and mild in flavour and texture.
Frisee endive - This is a spiky firm textured leaf, which is mildly bitter with a slight grainy texture. Also known as curly endive, frisee is a form of chicory
Lamb's lettuce - Slightly nutty flavour,mild sweet-ish taste provides a good balance for slightly more bitter leaves and goes well with a mustard dressing.

Mixed green salad are usually topped with egg, cherry tomato, goat or blue chess, chicken beef and prawns.

Shawarma

Shawarma is a middle eastern food, sandwich like wrap of chicken beef or a mixture of halal meat that is grilled in a special shawarma machine or griller. This sandwich is popular all over the world. Here in Dubai you will see it along the streets cafe and restaurants and in the hotels.
It cost from 1 aed from street cafeteria and around 75 aed in Armani Hotel and burj al Arab Hotels.

This is usually marinated with yougurt and some spices to get the maximum taste. sided with arabic picles, garlic mayo or tahina sauce and frenchfries

You can do it at home the easy way. you do not need the shawarma grilling machine. most hotel do it this way.

sample recipe
1. marinated the chicken with plain yogurt,salt pepper, coriander powder any spices put some herbs if you want. at least 1 hour of marinating to taste.
2. Cooked it in a pan add some seasoning to satisfy your taste.
3. prepare tortilla wraper and put some slice tomato, onion and slice gerkins and the cooked shawarma and wrap it in your desired size.
4. Its ready to eat
5.But if you have panini machine it will be good coz you can make the shawarma roll really crispy and good tasting.

Enjoy your Shawarma.

How to make Lemon dressing. (vinaigrette)

Lemon dressing is a very popular dressing of mix green leaves,or leafy salad. All the hotels and restaurant are serving salad with this dressing.
There are different ways but I am going to teach you what I've learned from my chef.
We need the following:
1/2 cup Lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup corn oil
1 tbsp honey or sugar syrup.
salt
pepper

1.In a blender put the lemon juice, mustard, sugar syrup or honey and blend it.
2.While blending add the olive oil and corn oil little by little or slowlyb slowly or gradually.(lol..how come i do not know the correct grammar)
3.Add salt and peper or more lemon etc depending on your taste.

Through times you will learn different techniques on making lemon dressing. why it separates from oil and how not to separate. the thickness of the dressing, the taste of course.

Some chef they add some grilled shallots, lemon zest, thyme etc.
And these is the job of the chefs. To get the maximum taste of their salad.

What is Legumier?

It was started on December 19 2008 to be exact when i first saw the word " legumier". I do not have any idea what a legumier is. My mind is keep on asking what is this and from which language is this. This happened when I get the job offer letter from one company in Dubai. So i checked on the internet and found nothing on the first time, it was in a internet cafe so i have a limited time to find this word. I did'nt found it. I ask the people, my friends if they know what does legumer mean. and they do not know also. Because what remember is I applied for a job as a kitchen steward, and this word is far from the word legumier. For the second time I checked I got a clue that its someone who is working in a kitchen, the definition is not english and i'm not sure if its french. but then i know some french, spanish and italian word so i get the idea. A legumier is like a commis, like a kitchen assistant. someone who do the chopping peeling, cutting etc etc. Some says its a vegetable cook.

My life in the kitchen started in this position...LEGUMIER. I like it when someone is asking me what is your job? I am a legumier... they are surprise and have a follow up question.. what is that? ..Then i explain, I am proud of this position. This might be the lowest in the kitchen hierarchy but what is important is I learn so many things in this small beginning.