Aidan Brooks: Trainee Chef: Birthday Pressies

Thursday, 13 December 2007

Birthday Pressies

In the rush to tell you about my lunch at Alkimia, I forgot to mention a couple of other birthday presents.

Everything a spicy soup lover could possibly want

My dad dates from an age when a trip to Spain was a geographical expedition on which you ventured armed with a phrase book, a wallet full of pesetas and several cans of baked beans. So despite the presence of all the food markets, specialist stores and supermarkets a chap could possibly need (and the cash machines to go with them) - he brought me the kitchen survival pack for the spicy soup lover. Regular readers may be familiar with this particular set of ingredients.

Anthony Bourdain's tales of life as a trainee chef

Mum bought me a gift that was equally appreciated and rather less demanding on the Ryanair luggage weight allowance. I've been reading about these chef's memoirs for ages now on so many of my favourite food blogs. This omnibus sat on my shelf for two weeks before I finally had the time and inclination to pick it up and give it a go. And the verdict? I'm 139 pages in and well and truly hooked. The works are pieces of pure genius and just as addictive as Anthony's personality. Reading each new chapter is like opening a goldmine of familiarity - there's just so much to relate to his experiences as as a fellow chef. From his intricate descriptions of the personality traits of his colleagues (I'll guarantee you know someone just like each person he talks about), to his time with the living legend known as "Bigfoot", you just can't help but feel like you're right there with him in every hilarious aspect.

4 comments:

Chennette said...: ooh, we just ordered this and I am looking forward to reading it, in that mythical period called free time, when my eyes are open!

Lifespan of a Chennette; 12/13/2007 07:14:00 pm
Sarah-82 said...: I read Kitchen Confidential in about 2 days I loved it so much- I am on the second one now!!; 12/14/2007 12:56:00 pm
Paulina said...: I read both of them and I really enjoyed them. I laughed a lot while reading second one - Cook's Tour. In fact the first chapter "Here Food Comes From" describes a pig slaughter here in Portugal. It was a good way to start...; 12/14/2007 10:28:00 pm
William said...: I have not read Bourdain's new book yet but did read Bill Buford's "HEAT", about his experience as apprentice to Mario Batali, with details on every burn, scar and personality disorder the kitchen faced daily. I bet you would also love that one. Since when do you have time to read?; 12/16/2007 03:57:00 pm

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Welcome

I'm Aidan "Trig" Brooks, a 22-yr-old from Hackney in London's East End. I left Westminster Kingsway College with a Professional Chef Diploma in summer

2007 and moved to Spain, where I trained in Barcelona at Carles Abellan's Comerç 24 (which won its first Michelin star) and Martín Beresategui's Lasarte (which won its second Michelin star) and was chef de partie and later Pastry Chef to Paco Morales at the amazing hotel restaurant Ferrero in the Valèncian mountains. This Spring I returned to London as part of the team of celebrated Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes, opening East End restaurant Viajante. I'm still working with food, but taking a break from fine dining. Passionately pursuing my life-long ambition to become a top-class chef and, one day, a world-famous restaurateur.

Independence and code of ethics

What's in season in the UK?

Here is this week's UK seasonal food item, courtesy of eat the seasons. This week's seasonal food item is monkfish. This resident of the deep is often described as the ugliest fish in the oceans, though from looking at the beautiful picture below it's hard to see why. Actually, monkfish isn't a fish, but a generic name given to fish from several different genus. The most common is the anglerfish, but the generic term can also refer to angel sharks and sea monks. Whichever variety we are talking about, they should be considered a special treat as all are listed as being unsustainably fished at present. Monkfish has a firm but succulent texture and a slightly sweet flavour and is often compared with seafoods such as lobster and scallops, with which it pairs well to make some luxurious dishes. Monkfish has long featured in Iberian regional dishes, but was almost unknown in the UK until recent years. It now appears on many restaurant menus and is highly sought after by fishing vessels in the waters around SW. England, W. Ireland and W. Scotland. Monkfish is low in calories and a good source of protein. It contains useful amounts of vitamin B3 (aids proper functioning of the metabolic system), potassium (controls the balance of fluids) and selenium (an antioxidant that also helps the immune system). The flesh is sufficiently strong to stand its own against otherwise dominant flavours such as the chorizo, saffron and pimentón typically used with it in Spanish dishes.