PAGE 40
July, 2017
1ST Responder Newspaper - NE
MASSACHUSETTS
FORK & HOSE CO. a Food Blog by A.J. Fusco
PETER LOBO
Car Engulfed in Flames After Waltham Crash Waltham, MA - A two-car accident on Weston Street in Waltham on June 7th sent Engine-9, Rescue-1, Ladder-2 and Medic-2 to the scene. When firefighters arrived, one car was fully involved. There were no injuries reported.
JOHN SJOSTEDT
MVA with Rollover in Plymouth Injures Two Plymouth, MA - Firefighters responded to the area of 468 Rocky Hill Rd. on May 15th for a report of an MVA with rollover. First arriving companies found a vehicle off the road on its side. Two patients had already self-extricated and were transported by ground to BI Plymouth with minor injuries.
The fire scene and professional kitchen are not all that different. The moment I stepped into a professional kitchen, I could see the similarities. It was hot, noisy and had an air of controlled chaos, something I think all firefighters can relate to. Heck, the word “Chef” literally translates to “Chief”! One of the first things we learn in culinary school is the traditional kitchen “brigade” system, which was developed by Chef Auguste Escoffier. It's modeled after the military system of hierarchy, with a strict chain of command. On top of that, each cook has a job and purpose.
This system is very similar to the fire department chain of command. The purpose of both systems is to ensure a smooth fire ground operation/restaurant service so that any and all objectives are completed in an efficient and effective manner. Another similarity between the restaurant kitchen and fire scene is the importance of being prepared. Pre-planning, equipment checks and making sure that tools are ready at any given time are vital to successful fire ground operations. In the kitchen, there is a term for this: “mise en place,” pronounced “mi za plas,” which translates in French to “everything in it’s place”. It means having not only the proper ingredients ready, but your tools, recipes and anything else you may need for your tasks at hand; and just how your fire ground operations can result in disaster, the same can happen in the kitchen if you don’t have your “mise en place”. So now that you have your tools,
equipment, ingredients and rigs all set to go, you're ready for the 2ndalarm job in the middle of the night, or that last minute “push” at the end of dinner service; and when this happens, things will undoubtedly be a little more hectic than normal. It's during these times when staying cool, calm and collective are more important than ever. It's also during these times when multi-tasking will inevitably be necessary. You may need to search off the hand-line you just stretched because you are short-staffed and don’t have a designated “truck company” coming in behind you, or you may need to chop some more herbs for the next order because your buddy on the line didn’t prep enough, all while you're busy frying up the next order of potatoes. But at the end of shift, teamwork will get you and your team through it. That is the underlying key to it all, teamwork.
“Chicken Quinoa Bake with Roasted Garlic Gravy” Ingredients: 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (sub chicken thighs for more flavor) 2 carrots, peeled and rough chopped 1 onion, peeled and rough chopped 1 small package mushrooms, rough chopped 1 head of garlic 1 bunch broccoli rabe 1/2 c hot cherry peppers (sub sweet if needed), chopped 10 oz. quinoa 2 - 32. oz low sodium chicken stock 2 balls of fresh mozzarella fresh basil olive oil salt 1 tbs. flour 1 tbs. butter
Procedure: - Preheat oven to 350* - Cut just the top off the head of garlic, place on tinfoil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Make a pouch with the foil and bake in the oven for 45-60 min. Remove and set aside. - While garlic is roasting, put chicken stock in a small pot, bring to a boil and add the chicken. Bring the stock up till barely simmering. Poach until internal temp on chicken is 160*, about 10-15 min. Remove, set aside and let cool. Reserve the stock. - While the chicken is poaching, sauté the onion and carrots with olive and salt in a large cast iron or oven-safe pan. When the onion is translucent, add the mushrooms and sauté over medium-high heat. When all the moisture has evaporated, taste and season the
mixture as needed. Remove from the heat and set aside. - While the onions/carrots are working, bring water to
zarella in freezer for a little will make slicing easier). Place the whole pan in the oven and bake until cheese
boil in a large pot and add the broccoli rabe. Cook for 3-5 minutes until just tender, remove and place in an ice bath. When cool, put in a towel and squeeze out all the water. This will help remove some bitterness. Chop the broccoli rabe and add to the onion and carrots. - Add the amount of stock needed for the quinoa to a large saucepan and cook the quinoa according to the package. Once cooked, add it to the onion/carrot/broccoli rabe mixture along with the chopped cherry peppers. - When the chicken is cool, shred it and add to the vegetable - quinoa mixture. Top the mixture with sliced fresh mozzarella (placing moz-
is melted and browned. You can also use the broiler to brown the cheese. - While the dish is baking, in a small pan make a roux by melting 1 tbs. butter and adding 1 tbs. flour. Stir for a few seconds to cook, be careful not to burn. Add about 1 cup of reserved chicken stock, stir and bring to a boil. Lower to simmer. Squeeze out cooled roasted garlic and using flat part of your knife, make a paste. Add the roasted garlic paste to the gravy and turn off heat when the desired consistency is achieved. - Remove the quinoa bake from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with some fresh basil and roasted garlic gravy.