We all have our weaknesses

I have always been jealous of those women who can belt out a belch that makes you sit up straight. You know what I am talking about. This foul disgusting belch that comes from their toes, it seems. It vibrates off the small adjacent walls and there they are, just sitting there, looking as if they never burped, slowly placing their beer back on the table. I am jealous. I cannot whistle either. Do you think it's related? I do.

I know this is not the sort of talk to be had on a recipe page, but it must be discussed? I think so. There are things I think of that I am lacking. I cannot burp with any type of abandon. It's sad. I also cannot whistle. Don't mock me. I cannot. I have worked for hours. This is not rocket science. I have seen idiots whistle. Why!??!!! Why not me? My sister in law can put both her fingers in her mouth, not unlike a lumberjack, and whistle so loud, it causes people to wince. Why!?! Why can't I do that. Life is unfair.

I CAN follow a recipe. Most cannot, as I have discovered. Can you? I have given really smart people recipes and they call me and say, "There were so many apples left over after I filled the pie tin that I made muffins. Then my pie emerged from the oven flat. Really shallow. What did I do wrong?" I want to say, "Really?....REALLY? Come on...you cut into people's bodies to remove stuff and you cannot figure out that you needed all those apples?"

Okay people. Ask away.... I will be the fixer of recipes that do not work. Just email me. I can do it. info@capogirogelato.com.

xoxo

La Regina

http://youtu.be/hMBIFCRZ_iY

What to say, What to do....

I have been absent from this blog for a while. Yeah, yeah, you have heard my excuses. I have none, other than I work all the time making stuff for Capo. The other morning on the drive to school, my daughter was seething over...well, nevermind. We came to a stop and there was silence. The kind of pregnant pause which begs for a break. Enter two idiots in the back seat. I laughed so hard and my daughter actually cracked a smile. I promise to touch base more often. But for now....This is my life.

Start Thinking....

People get bored 'round these here parts during the winter. We have been tied inside and feel crazy. The weather breaks and we are itching for stuff to do. I was driving down Kelly Drive this morning and I believe that they are setting up for the Dad Vail Regatta. Have you been? I remember way way back in college. We would trek down to the art museum on one of the first warm weekends. We would sit for hours while baking in the sun on hard, cold ground. Smoke from neighboring barbecues would waft over carrying the sent of processed meat. We would watch the crew teams race, not knowing a bit of history. We would shuffle home at the event's close tired from squinting. I loved sinking into my soft couch while the sting of sunburn on my shoulders eased. Ahhhhh, spring in Philly.

The crowds will be crowding into my hood this weekend. People want out! They are also itching for new flavors. Something about warm weather causes people to think about gelato. Go figure. I was asked three times last week if I had any new flavors up my sleeve. Nope. Not really. I know, I know, I am boring. Honestly, nothing has grabbed me lately. What should I do? I felt a bit inadequate, so I went on the Google machine and googled "Best Flavor Ever". The usual suspects popped up. Then I saw it. "101 Frightening Ice Cream Flavors." I clicked. Some were quite revolting, but others interesting. How about some Oxtail Ice Cream? Maybe some Chicken or perhaps Charcoal. Vampire flavor (garlic)!!!Could be good for the digestion. I did see Tulip. I hope it does not taste like soap. Of course the majority of these flavors were from Japan; clam, squid ink, potato liquor (aka moonshine!), sweet potato.... You grow up with flavor profiles that shape who you are. It makes me curious.

Any ideas for new flavors? Any cravings?

Oh please Mr. Stewart, try our gelato....it has halvah in it

We spend entirely too much time procrastinating in the office. We watch a ton of videos and junk and laugh way way too much. Dan and I just watched Stephen Colbert talk about women's arm pits. Laughing loudly when we should be working. It this inappropriate? Maybe, but not really. Actually, laughing at inappropriate times is annoying and wrong when you are 14 and will not stop when your parents tell you it's enough. Know what I mean, homegirl? (Yes, I am talking to you Michaela) Okay, there are other times, but I needed that segway and wanted to take a poke.

We love us the ridiculous, the serious and every now and then (every day) we watch clips from the genius factory. The genius factory is a collection of Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert, John Oliver, Louis CK, and Ira Glass. We throw in Conan every now and then and there are always the pet videos. Since Chris has left we are thin on the cat videos. I miss Chris.

Anywho, we designed a flavor for Jon Stewart when Ben & Jerry's dissed him for Jimmy Fallon. We stepped up to the plate. We have delivered (Lorenzo visited his studio) the awesome flavors that we have created, if I do say so myself. The guys that took the pints laughed heartily. But alas, nothing.... No word.

If anyone out there knows how to get to the inner circle of Mr. Stewart, help us!! We made a Honey gelato (local honey from Gap, PA) filled with chunks of marble Halvah from Russ and Daughters in NYC and a Mascarpone with Heirloom Apple flavor too! He cannot resist!

Recipe for Disaster!

Being in the gelato business can be a bit stressful when the cold weather sets in. I find myself trying to distract myself with things that force you to stay inside. It is my version of yelling "LaLaLa!" with my fingers in my ears. I try to trick my sanity by having a reason to stay inside and ignore the icy temperatures. When the weather is breaking, I find that I am humming at a pretty high tone. I know that dogs in neighboring homes are rolling in agony with the frequency I am emitting. Like I have said in the past, y'all know I'm crazy.

So it is raining on Sunday, John's car was totaled while being parked across the street (teenager smashed into it) and the kids are stir crazy. What to do.... My mind is saying, it is supposed to be spring, you should be training for the Broad Street Run, why are your kids playing soccer in the room upstairs and not outside?!?!? See? Ca-razy. So I do what any crazy person does-I make ricotta and mozzarella cheese and try to perfect my bolognese sauce.

The ricotta cheese was pretty easy. I heated up the milk to 200 degrees, let it cool down to 90 degrees, added rennet and I let it sit. After some time the milk began to coagulate and I had ricotta.

On to my Bolognese. John's birthday was in September. He is hard to buy gifts for. Right now, if I were Oprah, I would buy him a car. I am not, sadly. Anywho, it was his birthday and I could not decide what to buy him. He is always yapping about making his own sausage. So...I bought him a meat grinder. It is awesome! I love it. We do not eat a lot of meat (about once a week), but the difference purchasing your own meat and grinding it makes is astounding. My meatballs are spectacularly soft and resilient. I love grinding meat. Sounds so dirty, but I do.

So, go out and get yerself some high quality meat. There is nothing wrong with eating meat, there is just something really wrong with our meat industry. These are some great options in Philly. If you have the luxury of going to Reading Terminal Market, check out the meat producers. Some are your run of the mill standard butcher, others have locally, humanly, all natural meat. My personal favorite is the Fair Food Stand. They have exceptional products and the people behind this organization are not only smart, good business people, but I really really like them. They do not sell food with judgment. They love to educate and want to help, not preach. Tell them what you are looking for and they will help. If they do not have the product you are looking for, they know where to get it. They continually assist me in finding farmers and connect me to like minded peeps in my field. Trust. If you do not have this luxury, and it is a luxury, Whole Foods carries local beef and pork. Before grinding, it is best to get your meat really really cold. 10 to 15 minutes in the freezer is good. For bolognese, I like 2 pounds of chuck and 1 pound of boneless pork shoulder. Cut into 1 inch cubes. See above?

I like to grind the meat with the medium plate twice. Yup twice. Twice through really minces up the meat and fat with out making mush. Hate mush.

Cut up in small dice:

1 large onion

4 ribs of celery

4 carrots

Saute all above in some olive oil. When it is soft and your onion is transparent, add ground beef, hefty pinch of salt and pepper and a good grinding of nutmeg.

Stir, stir, stir.....

When the meat has lost it's pink color, add

1 cup of whole milk.

Let milk bubble away until gone, baby gone. You will know.

Add

1 cup of nice white wine

Let bubble away.

Add Two Cans of high quality canned tomatoes. I love Francesca San Marzano. Crush them before you add.

Stir, stir, stir.

Let cook at a slow simmer all the day long. The fat will start to rise to the top of the sauce. Skim that disgusting fat off! Make sure you have a delicious hunk of bread around to dip into your sauce all day long. It needs testing. If your sauce seems too thick, add a bit of water. Make adjustments for salt. Test alot. Make sure you have a nice big loaf of ciabatta. Trust.

Serve with some big pasta, pecorino romano cheese, dabs of fresh ricotta and a colossal salad.

Disaster outside? Make bolognese. And yes, I know, the grinder was for John. I cannot just let it sit there, lonely next to my kitchen aid. It was begging to be used. John is happy.

Philly Magazine and CapoGranola

So, yeah.... I am incredibly awkward. I hate having my picture taken. Possibly because I am vain and I will constantly stare at my pictures focusing on the dozens of my imperfections. Do you? I cannot seem to help it. I prefer to look at my pictures and just smile and mentally bring myself to the moment the shutter snapped, me behind it. I love looking at my kids and their smiles and my husband and his exaggerated expressions and even all those pictures of food. But me? No thanks. If I am featured, I cannot help, but stare at the crooked tooth. Yuck.

When Philadelphia Magazine called and asked me to be a part of February's "The Celebrity Chef Diet" I agreed. I love Philly Mag. They asked for a pic and I sent them my headshot. I heard back. "Steph, we love your picture, but we are going to do something different. Can you make it in for a pic?" Run a marathon, sure, take my picture? Gulp.....So there I was, standing on a big white platform in my running gear trying to look "normal". The poor editor and photographer tried to get me to look more natural, not to smile so hard, to be 'lighter'. It was close to impossible. All the other chefs were watching and my inner dork was screaming. The photographer tried to ease my unease and sent compliments over. Thanks, man, but I cannot relax. "Why?" he asked. "Because I just feel awkward and uncomfortable. Like I am about to fart really loud." Everyone laughed and funny enough, my bottom lip stopped shaking and he was able to take the pic. So embarrassing. I am such a geek.

That said, our amazing CapoGranola was featured in the article. We have received a ton of requests for the recipe. Here it is. I eat it almost every morning.

CapoGranola

makes 6 servings

6 cups rolled oats (not the quick cook kind)

2 1/4 cups pepitas

2 1/4 cups sliced almonds

2 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut flakes

pinch salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup honey

1 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350, and place a rack in center of oven. Combine oats, pepitas, almonds, coconut and salt in a large bowl and mix.

2. Melt butter and honey together in a small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until combined and bubbling slightly.

3. Pour butter mixture over oat mixture. Toss with a spatula until dry ingredients are evenly coated.

4. Pour mixture in an even layer onto a sheet pan lined with a Slipat.

5. Bake 10 minutes, the rotate pan and stir granola to ensure even cooking. Bake another 10 minutes until granola is a dark golden brown and crispy. Remove from heat and cool completely.

6. Transfer cooled granola to an airtight container. Break into pieces, add dried cranberries and mix will.

Keeps for weeks in an airtight container.

If this is too much, we sell it at Capo. I love granola.