Smoked Bacon and Leek Orzotto

Probably the part of my job that I enjoy the most (when I'm in the kitchen that is) is putting together the staff meals, weather it be breakfast lunch or dinner. Because this process essentially involves using up whatever leftover ingredients or "out of date" (only out of date for our customers, but still perfectly edible for staff) components of our Mise en Place,* this is my opportunity to try out all sorts of flavor combinations, cooking methods, and non-traditional ingredients. Unfortunately of course everything I do come up with is not always well-received, despite my best efforts to cater to the specific tastes of the staff, but I guess this is what is meant by "learning from one's mistakes."
Visiting my parents in Vermont, which is what I am doing at the present time and have been doing since before the holidays, is also another great opportunity for me to experiment in the kitchen; especially because what my mom has in stock in her refrigerator is usually quite different in type and quantity than what we work with at the Thatched Cottage. Even better, my parents, and sister and friends on some occasions, tend to be far less picky than the 6 or 7 staff for whom I might have to cook.
Anyways, on Christmas day, also my mom's birthday, I told the family in advance that I would prepare the evening dinner as part of my birthday gift. So although I had a good month to come up with a menu that I was hoping would cater to my mom's favorite flavors; I, being the world's worst decision maker, inevitably changed my mind every two seconds up until the day of, at which point all stores were closed and I had to make due with whatever was in the house. Well I suppose that's not entirely true because I did manage to order a side of salmon and some mussels, thinking that I couldn't go too wrong with those ingredients; but the rest was completely at the mercy of our refrigerator, pantry, and hopefully my own creativity. It was at about 3 or 4 in the afternoon that I began rummaging through the cupboards and came across the selection of pastas and rices that my mom seems to be collecting by the masses. Because I had given Clotilde Dusoulier's book Edible Adventures in Paris to my mom for her birthday, I began thinking about her index of recipes that I have essentially memorized from her Chocolate and Zucchini website, and recalled the Cacao and Zucchini Absorption Pasta she created and that I had been wanting to try out since I discovered it. Knowing well that my parents definitely did not stock cacao nibs, nor did we have any zucchinis lying around, I set about digging through the refrigerator for replacements, and eventually came out with some smoked bacon and a leek. As for pasta, I knew exactly what I wanted to use because we had orzo, which looks essentially exactly like rice, and so I figured it would be quite appropriate for the Madame Dusoulier's absorption method because it is so similar to cooking risotto.
I began my process by dicing the smoked bacon and leek, and sauteing the two in a little olive oil and then adding the orzo pasta to the pan to coat it in the remaining oil and allow it to start cooking. Then I added a little wine and began to add my prepared vegetable stock a little at a time, stirring after each addition. I continued adding stock in this manner once the previous amount of stock had been absorbed by the pasta, but stopped just as soon as the pasta was cooked to the point of being slightly al dente, or had just a little bite to it. Finally I added just a little bit of grated Parmesan to give the dish a little bit of added creaminess. This final step however, can easily be forgotten for those of you who are lactose intolerant because, as the pasta cooks, it releases a good amount of starch (normally lost when boiling it), which will lend a natural creaminess to the dish.
So, I'm sorry for that long and perhaps drawn out post, but here is the recipe, and let me just finish by saying that cooking for family and friends/staff is the most rewarding and pleasing activity I can think of. It is especially gratifying when the food is well-received as it happened to be on this special occasion!

*A term we use, probably like many other kitchens, to refer to the food we have prepared in advance to make service go quicker and smoother. The preparation can be as easy as par-boiling vegetables or potatoes as time-consuming as rolling out fresh pasta by hand; or as involved as filleting, deboning, and skinning one, two, or three whole salmons.

Smoked Bacon and Leek Orzotto
Enough for 6 people as a side dish or 3-4 as a main course

4 oz (115 g) smoked bacon, diced (I used a domestic variety, but of course a good Italian Pancetta would be ideal)
1 leek, diced (white and green parts)
2 tbsp olive oil
10.5 oz (300 g) Orzo pasta (or other short pasta)
1/4 c. (50 ml) white wine
Up to 5 c. (1 l) hot vegetable stock or chicken stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Heat the olive oil in good-sized pasta pot over medium-high heat. Add the smoked bacon first to allow it to brown slightly, and then follow with the leek. Cook the two until the bacon begins to crisp and the leek turns soft. Add the pasta all at once and stir to coat with the oil. Allow the pasta to cook slightly in the oil then add the white wine once it starts to release a bit of starch. Cook off the wine completely (let all the liquid evaporate or absorb into the pasta), and then start adding your stock. The first time you can add enough stock to cover the pasta completely, and let it all absorb while you stir continuously, so as not to let the pasta stick to the bottom of the pot. Continue adding stock probably 1/2 c. (100 ml) at a time, each time letting it absorb into the pasta, until the pasta is cooked to your desired texture. At this point add any seasoning you want, and finish with the Parmesan if you're using it. Bon Appetit!

The Beginning Carte

I thought I'd start my first blog with a big thank you to all other food bloggers already in existence. It's rather mind-boggling to me how much information is available on the Internet and that it can come from anyone who feels like sharing his/her own insights with the world, essentially, or at least the part of the world that is interested in whatever the subject matter happens to be.
I myself have been avidly devoted for the past year and a half of my life to my newish profession as a cook/chef (I'll probably get into my definitions of cooks vs. chefs in a later blog). I've always had a passion for the culinary arts, mostly on the baking and pastry side, and when my former job working as a business management consultant was not as satisfying as I would have hoped, I took a big leap of faith that working with food was where I wanted to go next. It was then that with that decision made I applied for a job as a kitchen assistant at the Thatched Cottage Hotel and Restaurant in Brockenhurst, England, and within the next month was on my way.
Prior to hatching this notion that I had what it took to become a chef, I had spent several summers and school vacations during my high school and college years working in kitchens close to where I grew up in Norwich, Vermont because it was an enjoyable way for me to pass the time make my spending money. However I never really pursued training in the field because I sort of had it ingrained in my head that a college degree was the best way to secure a future for myself.
Anyways, I am now still working at the Thatched Cottage, but have changed positions frequently, moving from kitchen assistant, to garde manger, to pastry, to running the main course line, and to even working in the front of the house, which is where I have been most recently. Incidentally I have retained my title as "Sous Chef" throughout most of these transitions; and while I have doubts about my own qualifications as a true chef, I do possess one quality that I think is absolutely essential for any aspiring chef: the passion and appreciation for all food and the sharing of it with all people. Thus, I again thank all food bloggers for their efforts in this pursuit, and will try in my future posts to share what I know and am constantly learning in the domain of food and gastronomy.