Cirigliano Forni has arrived!!!!

Remember when you were a kid? lets say Christmas time remember how excited you were to see what Santa brought you!!!!!
Well its frickin Christmas time in Nor Cal and I just got my present.

The Cirigliano Forni is the best Italian Pizza oven you can bake in and it will be fired up soon in the new Seasons Pizzeria Sports Bar and Grill and I could not be more excited.

I Baked my first pizza in the Cirigliano Forni in June of 07 at the Citta Di Napoli original Margherita Pizza competition in Naples Italy, it
was a great time, I was part of the World Pizza Champions team that went to compete. When you are in a culinary competition in a different county it tends to rattle your cage a little to say the least, hoping you do it right, don't burn the pizza (even though the oven is 900 degrees) but all the jitters go away once you slide that pizza off the peel onto the deck, you immediately see the dough begin to rise! scramble for the small peel to turn the pizza before it's charcoal and watch it cook in a matter of 9o seconds, yes you heard me right, 90 seconds and you have pizza perfection!

Fast forward to November 2010 and I have my first Cirigliano Forni delivered to the new restaurant and yes I have already fired it and baked on it and of course the pizza was incredible, cant wait to get the place open and let everyone taste pure Italian perfection.

I want to thank the Marra Bros and Jeff Calwell of ERS Euro Restaurant Solutions for the great oven, they are true professionals and of course being raised in Italy they definitely know there business and have import only the best ovens and tools you can buy. Great products are only as good as the people that sell them and support them and I can tell you from knowing the Marra Bros and Jeff for the past four years that if you ever have any problems you can count on them to resolve them, Thanks guys, I appreciate your friendship, see you in Vegas! http://eurorestaurantsolutions.com/
Check out their site, tell them the World Pizza Champions sent you
Chef Glenn

Savory and Sweet, time to mix it up!

The Holidays bring out the best in all Chefs, we really get a chance to mix it up and have fun with our recipes and this one is no different.
Cream cheese spreads are fun to make and easy too. Toasted Bagels in the morning with with cranberry cream cheese, Apples and Cinnamon, crackers in the afternoon with Sundried Tomato Pesto Cheese, Roasted Garlic or my favorite Cilantro Serrano.
I will start with the Sundried Tomato Pesto.
Start by taking 4 cups of sun dried tomatoes and grinding them using your small grind die so that the tomatoes come out finely ground and mix easily infusing the Cream Cheese with flavor!






My Kitchen Aid Mixer with the grinder attachment is the perfect choice for this recipe, I like using the Christopher Ranch sun dried tomatoes they are a quality product and once you put them through the grinder your only a few steps away from a beautiful Pesto!














With your tomatoes ground you can now add the finishing ingredients, without cleaning the grinder I put in my whole peeled Garlic, again from Christopher Ranch, fresh clean and easy to use, about one cup Garlic and grind like you did the tomatoes, then add your fresh basil, about a cup of loose packed Basil and grind that right into the garlic bowl, I then take about a cup of tomatoes and send them through the grinder just to clean it out of all the great juices, now combine all and
now your ready to mix in your olive oil, and mix in about two cups of evoo into your mix, a pinch of sea Salt and Black Pepper and your done!

Now its time to mix it up! 8oz of cream cheese to 4tblsp of pesto, that's it just mix it up by hand or do larger batches with your Kitchen Aid, return your spread to the fridge and enjoy!

Remember that any left over Sun Dried Pesto can be stored in a mason jar, just cap it with olive oil and keep it out of the sunlight and it will last for future recipes

Cheers, Chef Glenn

Chicken Pot Pie, Comfort with flavor!

You have been eating them since you were a kid, and still you walk through Costco and there they are Marie Calenders Chicken Pot Pies! but there is nothing better than making them at home, fresh and they taste awesome.

I have broken down the recipe with pics and will walk you through it.

Pic 1: one quart of Chicken stock and 3 tblsp of butter, bring to a boil, 1/2 cup of flour and one cup cold water, mix together and add to boiling chicken stock, stirring until thick, reduce heat.



Pic 2: 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast, boil until cooked, then cube, two cups of chopped carrots, cooked until tender then drain, two cups corn and two cups peas, mix together











I use my baking ramekins for this recipe, so after my filling is done I line the ramekins with my pie crust, lightly press the dough into dish and leave about a 1/4 inch at the top so that you can pinch the top crust together after filling! Pie Crust
2cups all purpose flour,1 tsp salt, 2/3 cup chilled shortening, 2 tblsp chilled butter (combine the butter and shortening together) 4 tblsp water
blend 1/2 of the shortening mix into the flour with a fork or mixer on low speed, then add the water and mix by fork if you can, then add the rest of the shortening mix, a little more water if needed to bind the dough, chill for ten minutes then roll by hand until the dough sheet is about 1/8 inch thick, you can then cut the dough to a size that is easy to work with.

Once you have lined the ramekins with your dough then you can fill them with the chicken mixture, I like to fill them to the top because as they bake the crust will lift a little and the bubbling mixture will expand and spill out a little giving the dish a nice presentation. After you fill the ramekins place the top crust on and cut the dough to fit leaving about 1/4 inch around the dish.
Pinch the bottom and top crust together (just like a pie, and you are ready to bake! Almost :)



Take a sharp pairing knife and score the crust so that it can expand, heat your oven to 450 and place your ramekins on the middle rack and bake for approximately 12 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake another 12 minutes until golden brown








And here it is! the best Chicken pot pie you have ever tasted!
The best part of this dish is it is all natural, no additives and you control the salt and seasoning that you put in it, so its good for everyone.
This recipe makes 4 dishes and my kids can only eat about half of one so it goes far and is really filling. It really makes a great rainy day dinner, and it only cost about 12 dollars.
It takes about 30 minutes to prep and 24 to cook.

Now remember that you can use a nice beef stew meat and make the same dish with beef broth, just add a medium sized diced onion to the broth and simmer both the beef, onion and a tblsp of minced garlic before thickening and adding veggies.

Either way it is a hearty complete dinner and your family will love it, let me know what you think and if you have any questions just ask and I am happy to answer them! Oh and don't forget to (friend) this blog I love to know who's reading.

Cheers
Chef Glenn

Falls gone in a flash--------now what?

The title says it all, Falls gone and its windy wet and cold in Northern California, and the perfect time to start cooking those comfort foods we all love!

I think I am going to write a series on some really great comfort food recipes, do you knwo how much meatloaf we sell at the restaurant? yes I said meatloaf its one of our top sellers and a great comfort food served with mashed pots gravy and fresh steamed veggies! toss in a warm crunchy dinner roll and you have happy customers.

So we will start tomorrow with a classic chicken pot pie, that's right a chicken pot pie! this is a great one dish meal that brings all the taste of home together. I make a flaky crust and bake it together with the chicken, sauce and veggies and top it with a flaky buttery crust, bake it at 450 until the crust is golden brown and you have a one dish meal that is simply delicious.

I will have recipes and pics tomorrow

Chef Glenn

Harvest Fair time again!

The Sonoma County Harvest Fair is here again! I love this time of year because it is the one time that all the best Chefs in the County come out to showcase their best recipes for the Professional Food Competition. The Fair is the official launch of the crush season in Sonoma County and the time that wine makers get judged on their new releases! so what better way to showcase great wine then with great food! and that is what its all about.

I compete every year, and in the past 7 years I have racked up over 60 Culinary awards and am grateful for everyone, this year is not different except for the fact that I entered two wood fired Pizza's and the wood fired oven I used was none other than THE BIG GREEN EGG compliments of Asiens Appliance in Santa Rosa Ca. (see past blogs on Bread and Pizza on the Egg) the Egg cooks the pizza in about 2.5 minutes at 650 degrees and since the heat radiates around the stone you can char the crust just like in a wood fired oven, the results are amazing and I will be posting a video next week on how to cook a perfect pizza on the Egg.

I won a Gold Medal in the Seafood Appetizer Category for my Dungeones Crab Wood Fired Pizza, this is one that I also won first place in North America at the Cittta Di Napoli cup in Naples Italy in 08, cooked on a wood fired Cirigliani Forni.

I also won a Gold Medal for my Sweet Italian Sausage pizza, I make my sausage and that definitely was a strong ingredient in the win as well. My house made Chicken Chipotle Sausage won Double Gold Medal in total I entered 6 items and won 1 Double Gold, 3 Gold and 2 Bronze.

More importantly than the medals is the Gala Awards Event, that is the night that all the winning Chefs and Winery's get to showcase the recipes for over 2000 people! it is amazing and very busy as we are preparing fresh samples for everyone to try of all entries, but in the end I get to see chef friends that I only see if I am eating at there restaurant or they at mine, and at the Harvest fair, we talk about business a little, the kids a little and the food ALOT.

Harvest time in the wine country, it is a great time of the year to visit and a great event to attend when you are here, I am including a few websites for you to take a look at, let them know that Chef Glenn sent you and make sure to stop by one of my restaurants when you are here and say hi, I would love to meet you!

Chef Glenn,

To see a Big Green Egg n person THEN BUY IT go to www.asiensapplience.com and tell Chris and Paul I said hi.

To buy tickets and get info on the Harvest Fair go to www.harvestfair.org its a great event in the Sonoma County Wine Country

Lake Shore Lodge, Bucks Lake California

Since I was about a year old I have been going to Bucks Lake, in Plumas County. My dad took us kids up there a couple times a year and then retired up in Meadow Valley about 25 yrs ago.

Fishing, skiing, swimming and just having fun in the high sierras was a great way to spend summer days, Bucks Lake Lodge would be hopping every Friday and Saturday nights with bands and the kids running around while the parents tossed back a couple of drinks and told fishing stories.

Ken and Dixie owned and operated Bucks Lake Lodge and it was the place to be! with their daughters Debbie and Kim they built a tradition that will never be matched. Well time goes by and everything changes, Ken and Dixie sold the lodge, Debbie runs Haskins Resort which is right down the road and Kim married Dewitt and had two great kids and they own the Bucks Lake Marina. Two years ago this month we lost pop, he passed surrounded by loved ones in the cabin he loved so dearly.

I am going up to pops house in a couple of weeks with some friends to go fishing, we will cook great food, sit around the fire and no doubt go up to Lakeshore Lodge and toss back some beers with Dewitt, Kim and the locals.

Bucks Lake Lodge was sold a couple of years ago, it was never the same after Ken and Dixie left, it burned down last winter, business was slow, hard to figure out how it caught fire but----ya know we all have our theories! Dewitt and Kim bought the Lakeshore Lodge and really fixed it up nice, the pics are from the bar and deck just awesome huh! They serve a nice simple menu and added Pizza to the mix. I am not going to review the food, its not bad, nothing to write home about and that is not a bad thing either, but I am sure it will get better with time, my point is this, no matter how much things change they stay the same, my kids will grow up enjoying papa skis house, Dewitt and Kim are carrying on a family tradition started decades ago and making it their own and that is special for many reasons, and the memories that have been forged for over 40 plus years will continue, and that is really the best part of this story.

What ever place you call special, whatever the peoples names are that live their and make sure it is the same year after year, take a minute to tell them- tell them how much it means to you and your family because these are the things that you will look back on and reminisce about, tell story's the good ones and bad, sharing the laughs and tears about, so thanks Dewitt and Kim it means a lot to me, and I know pops is watching, smiling and probably complaining a little too!

See you soon,
Chef Glenn

Go to http://www.buckslakeshoreresort.com/ and when you are there sitting on the deck or in the bar, enjoying a meal with your friends, raise your glass and make toast to "ski " because he is still there, no doubt smiling, no doubt at all!

This ones for Nate!

And really for all our kids, grand kids, nieces and nephews. And its a tough one for me to write, as my boys are out in back swimming in the pool on a sunny Friday afternoon, and the girls are chilling on the couch typing away on facebook , they look over at me as I am writing and ask "hey dad why the tears?"

My kids are my life, I never even thought I would have kids when I was younger, then bam! there are four! and I am the luckiest guy in the world. But along with all that joy is a little what if--way back in some primal part of my mind that screams PROTECT THEM, when they go to school, or back to their moms house for her week, its just there, that what if?---------

Robbie and Cindy Bloom are my oldest brothers best friends, they all grew up together in Novato, and have stayed close as we have all grown "wiser" or older :), and just a few short years ago they lost their son Nate to Melanoma Cancer, an unfathomable thought came true for them. Nate died on July 4th 2008 of skin cancer, he was one of 8ooo people that lost there fight that year to a disease that is for the most part totally preventable.

Nate was full of life, much like my kids and yours! grabbing a hold and hanging on tight he lived his life with passion for the things he loved! Guiness Beer, the drink of Irish Gods!, Libby his beautiful girlfriend and of course his family and friends, and when he passed he left a void in the lives of all those who loved him!

So here is what I am going to do! for Nate! for the second year in a row there will be a golf tournament in memory of Nate Bloom, this tourney will raise money for the Melonoma Research Foundation and those funds will be donated in Nate's name to help find a cure for this terrible disease. And this is where I need your help and if you are thinking "what can I do" then I will tell you! first make sure you are a part of the fight against Melanoma, PUT SUN SCREEN ON! any time you are going out, there is no excuse not too, its in your moisturizing lotion, your make up and your lip balm! then make sure your kids are covered too this will reduce their chances of contracting Melanoma in the future.

This is not just another golf tournament, there will be great friends old and new, food drink and laughter, a perfect day of golf, and a wealth of information that will help us all understand how easy it is to protect our loved ones from Melanoma, and most important we can show Robbie Cindy, Libby and the entire family how much we love and support them in always keeping Nate's spirit alive, because after all he is one of our kids too--right.

Join us in a day of great gold and fun, sign up to play at www.noshenanigans.org
To make a donation to the Melanoma Research Foundation go to www.melanoma.org

Take care of our kids, and thanks for reading

Chef Glenn