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Author :chef ssentongo Geoffrey

1 : Slow-cooker Sausage Lasagna

Prep :40 min. Cook :3-1/2 hour + standing. Make = 8 servings

On especially cold winter days, families loves this dish with mild Italian sausage. I agree about the cold days, but I prefer a spicy sausage, which gives it a bit of kick.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 pound minced meat

* 1 pound mild Italian sausage

* 3 garlic cloves, minced

* 1 ltr tomato sauce

* 1 kg diced tomatoes in sauce

* 1/2 cup water

* 1 tsp dried basil

* 1 tsp dried oregano

* 1 carton (15 ounces) is a recotta cheese

* 2 eggs, beaten

* 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

* 9 uncooked lasagna sheets

* 4 cups shredded mozzarella

DIRECTIONS

~ line sides of an ovel 6-qt, slow cooker with heavy-duty foil; cot foil with cooking spray. In sauce-pan, cook beef, sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until meat is cooked, breaking up beef and sausage into crumbles; stir in tomato sauce and tomatoes, water and herbs, heat through.

~ in a small bowl, mix recotta cheese, eggs and parmesan cheese. Spread 1-1/2 cups meat sauce onto bottom of prepared slow cooker. Layer with 3 lasagna sheets, 3/4 cup recotta mixture, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 2 cups meat sauce. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

~ Cook, covered, on low 1-1/2 hour or until lasagna sheets are tender. Open and bake for 3 minutes or until cheese are browned. Remove from oven and let it stand for 15 minutes and serve.

2 : SLOW-COOKER BAKED ZITI

Prep : 10 min. Cook : 1 hour. Makes 6 servings

I don’t know any family that doesn’t have same crazy, hectic week nights. This slow-cooker baked ziti recipe are delicious, and easy fix.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 pkt (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

* 1 egg, beaten

* 1 tsp dried basil

* 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

* 500g cooked tomato sauce

* 1 pkt 500g uncooked ziti ( or cooking it first for quick cooking)

* 1/4 cup water

* 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

* 1/4 cup minced fresh basil

* Grated parmesan cheese, optional

DIRECTIONS

~ In a small bowl, stir together ricotta, egg, basil and if desired, red pepper flakes; set aside. Pour pasta sauce into a 5-qt, slow cooker. Evenly top sauce with pasta, pour water over the top. Drop heaping tablespoons of ricotta cheese mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with mozzarella.

~ Cover, cook on high until heated through and pasta is tender 1-11/2 hours or until its cooked. Open and bake for 2-3 minutes. Remove and top with parmesan cheese, fresh basil; then serve immediately.

3 : EASY MINESTRONE SOUP

This minestrone soup recipe is special to me because it’s one of the few dinners our entire restaurant dinners loves. And I feel good about serving it.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 carrots, diced

* 2 celery ribs, chopped

* 1 medium onion, diced

* 2 tbsp olive oil

* 1 tbsp butter

* 2 cups water or broth

* 3 chopped tomatoes

* 1 can kidney beans, drained

* 1 can chickpeas, drained

* 1 cup shredded cabbage (optional) or mushrooms

* 1 cup elbow macaroni

* 5 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

* 1/2 tsp pepper

* 1 tbsp dried basil

DIRECTIONS

~ In a large saucepan, saute the carrots, celery and onions in oil and butter until tender.

~ stir in tomatoes then pour in water or broth, add beans, chickpeas, cabbage, basil, pepper and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add macaroni, cook uncovered, 8-10 minutes or until macaroni and vegetables are tender.

~ Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with cheese.

Can you freeze minestrone?

Before adding cheese, freeze cooled soup in freezer container.

Please, try this recipes and give me your thoughts by commenting and don’t forget to follow for more recipes like this every week.

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7 FRENCH COOKING TECHNIQUES CHEFS NEED TO KNOW

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Author :chef ssentongo Geoffrey

Blog : French cooking Techniques chefs Need to Know..

Culinary arts has strong roots in French cuisine.

Inspired by our namesake, Auguste Escoffier. Our cooking have a versatile foundation in French cooking that can be applied to advanced techniques from a variety of cultures!

Here are some of the most useful French cooking techniques for an aspiring chef to hone.

1 – The Foundational Mirepoix

In French cuisine, it’s the miropoix, a finely diced blend of two parts onion, one part celery, and one part carrots, lightly cooked in butter or olive oil. To make perfect miropoix, you must cook your veggies slowly in order to release the flavors without browning or caramelizing them.

2 – The perfect Roux

As a starting point for many of Mother sauces the roux is an indispensable French cooking techniques. A perfect roux helps to thicken a liquid, stock, or sauces.

The ingredients for a roux couldn’t be simpler, made from equal parts Flour and fat—often butter. The trick is in the heat, the movement, and the timing.

A roux should be cooked over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it’s just the right color.

*From the right : blonde roux, brown roux, and dark roux*

The only difference between a blonde roux, and a brown roux and dark roux is in the timing.

3 – The Five Mother Sauces

The Five “Mother sauces ” in French cuisine form the basis of dozens of additional sources.

The four original mother sauces were Bechamel, Veloute, Espanole, and Tomate. These were selected by legendary French chef Marie-Antoine Careme, the man who developed the concept of Haute cuisine. Later, Hollandaise was added to the lineup by Auguste Escoffier himself. When you knows how to make these, a whole world of sauces opens up! These sauces and the secondary sauces can be found on Pastas, proteins, vegetables, and much more.

The Five Mother sauces

° Bechamel : A roux of flour and butter with milk

° Hollandaise : Made from clarified butter, warm egg yolks, and an acid like vinegar or white wine

° Veloute : A white stock (chicken, or vegetables) flavored with mirepoix and thickened with a trademark blonde roux

° Espanole : A brown stock flavored with mirepoix and thickened with a roux

° Tomate : Made from rendered pork, a romantic veggies, tomatoes, stock, and ham bone for flavor

4 – Delicate French Cuts

In French cooking, you should have a specialty knife skills that can help you to make short work of their herbs and veggies. These techniques help cooks to reduce irregular foods into uniform shapes for even cooking.

To julienne, for example, is to cut vegetables into small, uniform Matchsticks. These cook quickly and evenly and are perfect for a light Sautee.

The Batonnet is similar in shape to julienne, but it’s a bit shorter and thicker.

A Brunoise is a fine dice, often used in sauces as their small size releases flavor quickly. A small dice is a slightly larger cube than a Brunoise.

The Chiffonade is a method of cutting herbs and leafy vegetables into fine stripes.

The differences between these various cuts can be subtle, but they’re important distinctions in French cuisine!

From left to right : **Brunoise, julienne, small Batonnet**

5 – Flavorful Deglacer

Much of French cooking comes down to simplicity. Rather than adding additional ingredients or seasonings for extra flavor.

One way to do that is with the method of deglacer, or deglazing. To deglaze is to release the browned juices and fats from the bottom of your pan by adding a bit of stock, water, or wine and heating to a low simmer.

Deglazing pulls the concentrated flavors and fats from the pan which can then be re-use for a delicious pan sauce or Demi-Glace to pour over the protein that you’ve just cooked!

6 – Cooking “En Papillote”

A great deal of modern cooking terminology is in French, which can make simple concepts sound complicated. But it simply means cook “in paper”. It’s ideal for tender proteins like fish, chicken and veggies and a romantics atop your protein to impart their flavors to the finished dish. For example..

7 – The Bouquet Garni

In some French recipes, herbs impart a bit of their flavor to a stew, sauce, or stock… but they’re not meant to be eaten.

So How can you remove individual ingredients from the greater whole?

The answer is the bouquet garni, a common method of adding a ” garnish bouquet” to a dish thet let’s you take it out after cooking.

This is a perfect way to get peppercorn flavor in your dish without biting into one!

*A bundle of loose herbs in cheesecloth.*

French Cuisine Has Spread Worldwide

Why focus on the techniques you find in French cooking?

Is Hospitality management a Good Career Choice for You?

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FOODPRENEURS

March 16, 2023March 16, 2023Leave a comment

Author : chef ssentongo Geoffrey

WHY FAST CASUAL AND FAST FOOD RESTAURANT AREN’T THE SAME?

It’s important to understand the dynamics of the both fast food and fast casual restaurants, whether you’re considering opening a franchise, starting your food business from scratch, or simply trying to decide what kind of restaurant to eat at while on the go.

Fast food and Fast casual restaurants may appear to be the same, but there are some significant differences.

Fast food is fast because it cooks quickly, is easy to order, and requires little to no preparation time. Additionally, it frequently costs less than fast-casual eateries.

On the other hand, Fast-casual eateries provide a more upscale experience, which may include better service, a nicer setting, more expensive meal prices, and a wide selection of their menus.

What Are Fast Casual Restaurants?

Fast casual dining features a more welcoming sit-down atmosphere and frequently allows you to create your meal. The ingredients on the menu are higher quality than those used in most fast-food restaurants. Additionally, the constant need for innovation and menu customization is one of the main factors fueling the fast-casual restaurant industry’s expansion.

What Ate Fast Food Restaurants?

A fast-food restaurant also referred to as a quick service restaurant ( QSR) in the industry, is a specific kind of restaurant that offers fast food fare and little in the way of table service.

Fast food restaurants typically have a small menu, cook their food in bulk in advance and keep it hot, finish and keep it hot, though seating may be available. In addition, they frequently operate a franchise or a restaurant chain that sells food with pre-pared or standardized ingredients.

Difference Between Fast Casual And Fast Food

Customers frequently struggle to tell fast casual from fast food. After all, both varieties of restaurants put a premium on providing quick service at reasonable costs.

To help solve that doubt, here are the major differences between a fast-casual and a fast-food establishment :

Service Style

Generally, Fast-casual and fast-food restaurants have menu boards at counters where customers place their orders. However, at some fast-casual eateries, the customer waits for their food at the counter while a server brings it to the table.

Several fast-food establishments also add a drive-thruoption to the their self-service menus, enabling customers to place their orders and get their food without getting out of their cars. Not all fast-casual restaurants provide this choice of though some do.

Therefore, Fast-casual is a good choice for those who want a better experience than they would get at a fast-food restaurant but don’t have time for a fine dining experience.

Interior Design

Even though it appears simplistic, a fast food restaurants design takes a lot of consideration. The idea is to create a surface that is as appealing as possible while incorporating a few physical components that are also intended to keep dines interested and increase their appetite. Because of this, the seating arrangement, whether in booths or restaurant chairs, is intended to be interactive and private.

On the other hand, fast casual restaurants are emphasizing their interiors more to impress customers who are ready to pay more for high-quality food and effective wait service. Modernism, comfort, and quantity have become defining characteristics of interior design and material selection for fast-casual restaurants nationwide.

Pricing and Food Quality

Regarding price and the caliber of the food served, Fast-casual and fast-food restaurants frequently have healthy menu options and frequently served freshly prepared food made to order. Although the food quality is more on par with what you might find at a sit-down restaurant, the service is still geared toward people constantly on the go. Fast casual restaurants also excel at providing customization options, which leads to higher food costs and therefore, higher menu prices than fast food restaurants.

CONCLUSION

Compared to a standard fast- casual restaurant brand, there are many more fast-food locations in your area. Regardless of your business model, payment processing is critical in all established business.

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