Unknown Chef Vinny's Weblog

unknownchefvinny — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:20:59 +0000

Apple IPad 2 video shot and edited with new and great Ipad 2. One of the technical problems was mounting the Ipad 2 on a tripod. We solved this problem by building a makeshift frame that we attached to a tripod. I will try to post some pictures of the project later. Pizza for lunch!

Getting one of Apple’s first Ipad 2’s wasn’t easy. The line was out the mall entrance. When I arrived at the Galleria Mall in Roseville, California, I almost turned back. I am so happy I waited on line for three hours to get an Ipad 2.

Little did I know that waiting on line would turn into a very pleasurable experience. It was a big party! Everyone around me was so excited about the new Ipad 2 that it created an atmosphere of enthusiasm. There were five of us who got to know each other fairly well during those three hours.

The final moments were getting near and the line started to move. I was actually starting to enter the Galleria mall doors. Was this really going to be worth the wait, I thought to myself, as I sipped my Earl Grey tea. Free tea or coffee was given to anyone compliments of Apple.

The moment finally arrived. I had in my hands on an Apple Ipad 2. It was strange to think that this very small device was packed full of computing power. My plan was to use it the following day to shoot a pizza making video with its new HD quality camera.

The script for the video was written weeks ago and all the props were ready to go. When I got home late that evening, I read through the user manuals and downloaded the Apple imovie app so I could edit the video also on the Ipad 2.

This was quite a challenge for me, since I had no experience with an Ipad until I bought my first one.

My cameraman John arrived early Saturday morning and we discussed all of the technical challenges that we faced to produce a fairly professional video. The first challenge was how to stabilize the Ipad 2. In order to put it on a tripod we built a cardboard frame with foam core,tape and cardboard. After many hours of seat of your pants engineering it was finally complete. Many hours had passed and we hadn’t even started the shoot.

The second challenge was audio. Good quality audio is one of the more important aspects of film making and I didn’t think the microphone on the Ipad 2 was up to the job. I had a fairly decent wireless microphone that couldn’t be used because of no microphone jack on the Ipad 2. We then decided to use the wireless microphone hooked up to a good quality digital recorder and I would sync the sound in the editing process.

It seemed like a very big challenge for me to sync the sound to the video since I had never done this before. My deadline for completion of the entire project was only 2 days. Lucky for me the microphone on the Ipad 2 produced very decent sound and I didn’t have to sync the video and sound.

It was 3 pm and the day was almost over and we hadn’t even started shooting any video yet. We finally set up our lights and tested our audio and video. The production began.

It was 7 pm before we finished shooting the last scene and I had finished making my last pizza. We were all starving by this time and gobbled up most of the two pizza’s before calling it a night.

The next day I was up at 3 am again to learn how to use the Imovie app to edit the movie we shot the day before. It was about 3 pm before I finished the editing and had something fairly decent. The project was complete and my plan was to put the short movie on “How To Make Pizza” on my website on Monday morning.
When Monday rolled around I faced my biggest challenge. The video did not want to upload to Youtube and would freeze up during the upload process from the Ipad 2. I had kept everything within the parameters required by Youtube, but it still would not work. After spending half the day on the telephone with Apple tech support, I finally realized that this was not an Apple problem but was a Youtube problem. I googled the problem I was having and discovered that I was not the only one who had this kind of problem.

My solution to this was to upload the video to Vimeo and embed the code from there to my website. I’m glad the project is over but my sleeping schedule is truly out of sync. I’m still getting up at 3 am.

Pizza Making Video Shot With The Apple Ipad 2

unknownchefvinny — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:19:20 +0000

This was quite a challenge for me, since I had no experience with an Ipad until I bought my first one.

It was 3 pm and the day was almost over and we hadn’t even started shooting any video yet. We finally set up our lights and tested our audio and video. The production began.

It was 7 pm before we finished shooting the last scene and I had finished making my last pizza. We were all starving by this time and gobbled up most of the two pizza’s before calling it a night.

To see the finished movie go to: http://www.perfecthomemadepizza.com/pages/recipe_resource.html

Grilled Eggplant & Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich with Roasted Garlic

unknownchefvinny — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:17:45 +0000

Here is a great recipe for a gourmet sandwich. Of course, you must like eggplant. I’ve been eating this unusual vegetable since I was a kid. Eggplant parmasian was one of my family’s favorite meals.

Here is my recipe:

1 large eggplant

1 large red pepper

1 red onion sliced

1 whole bulb of garlic

Olive oil

Mayonnaise

Balsamic Vinegar

1 tablespoon of butter

Fresh Italian bread or sour dough rolls

Slice your eggplant and red onion in about ¼ inch pieces and place it a bowl and marinate with balsamic vinegar. Let it marinate for about ½ hour or longer, while you are getting all the other parts of your sandwich ready.

First, slice off the top of your bulb of garlic and put it in a roasting pan. Then cut your red pepper in half and lay open side down in your pan. Pour some olive oil over the garlic top and the pepper. Broil until the red peppers becomes a little black and charred, this doesn’t take long, so watch closely. Take the peppers out and lower the heat to about 350 degrees and leave the garlic in the oven until it becomes soft. This usually takes a little longer in the oven.

When you’re done broiling the garlic and red pepper use the same pan and broil the eggplant and sliced onions. Watch carefully and don’t let it get too charred. Let the bulb of garlic cool before you take each clove in your fingers and squeeze until the clove pops out, and then mash them in a small bowl. You’re almost finished!

Slice your sandwich rolls and spread both sides with butter. Broil your rolls until they start to become toasted. Then take the smashed garlic and spread over both sides of the rolls. Add a little mayo and your eggplant, roasted pepper and onion and you now have a gourmet sandwich you can brag about.

Portabella Mushroom Ravioli with a creamy basil garlic sauce

unknownchefvinny — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:08:21 +0000

Here is a recipe I came up with a few nights ago. It’s a real easy way to make ravioli using Won Ton Wrappers! Try it and let me know what you think?

If you have ever made homemade ravioli, you know it’s quite a chore! First you must make the dough and then roll it paper thin. This is not easy if you don’t have a pasta maker. Even with a pasta maker it can be very messy and time consuming. Since, I love great ravioli and find it difficult to find quality ravioli in any west coast supermarket, I decided to make my own from scratch.

Don’t worry, I’ll show you a fast way of making your pasta dough. Go out to your local grocery store and buy some Won Ton Wrappers! They work great!

I have tried many different ways of making these delicious morsels of stuffed pasta squares. You can get real creative in choosing your fillings for your ravioli. I’ve tried pumpkin and various combination’s of meats and cheeses, but my most recent creation is my favorite. Here is my recipe for “Portabella Mushroom Ravioli with a Creamy Basil Garlic Sauce.

Ingredients:

1 package of Chinese won ton wrappers

32 oz or Ricotta cheese

1-2 tablespoons black pepper

¼ cup of chopped parsley

¼ cup of mixed Parmesan and Romano cheese

¼ cup of mozzarella cheese

2 large portabella mushrooms

¼ cup of sherry wine

2 cloves of fresh garlic minced

1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil

1 egg

First slice your mushrooms and sauté in the butter and olive oil. Turn up the heat a little and add the sherry until it evaporates. Place all the mushrooms in a food processor.

Put all the other ingredients, accept the won ton wrappers, into a food processor and pulse until chopped and blended. Your won ton wrappers should be at room temperature before you start.

When you’re ready, take two won ton wrappers and wet the ends with water. Put a spoon full of the mixture in the center. Place the second wrapper on top and press close with your fingers. Use a fork or a pie crust edge roller to seal the edges.

Boil the ravioli for 5 minutes or until the ravioli all float to the top. Top with your sauce

Creamy Garlic Basil Sauce

1-2 large cooked (boiled) peeled potatoes

1 -2 cups of milk or half and half

3-4 cloves of garlic chopped

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of butter

Black pepper to taste

Grated nutmeg to taste

A hand-full of some chopped parsley

½ cup of grated Romano (Asiago, Parmesan) cheese

1-2 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil

Combine ½ the milk and the two potatoes in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more milk if you need it. Saute the garlic in the olive oil and butter. Add all the other ingredients accept the Romano Cheese and stir until the sauce thickens. About 10 minutes. Add more milk if your sauce evaporates too fast. Add all the cheese right before you serve and stir into the hot creamy mixture

I hope you love it!

I’m Back….

unknownchefvinny — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:26:21 +0000

Wow, I sure need to discipline myself to keep up with my blog. It has been several months since I have written in my blog. My weight loss program was a success! I have taken off 25 pounds and have brought my cholesterol down to acceptable ranges. However, my next challenge is to keep the weight off! After watching Rush Limbaugh and Oprah gain all their weight back, I know it won’t be easy.

One thing I know for sure. I can’t give up cooking or eating the foods that I love. My plan is a simple one. I step up my exercise program on the days that I make pizza or pasta. I burn off 500 calories on those days and have an extra piece of pizza. So far it is working!

Winter Soups – The Best Clam Chowder!

unknownchefvinny — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:25:50 +0000

It’s getting a bit chilly out and that’s when I start making lots of soups. One of my favorites is Clam Chowder. Many of my recipes have a story behind them. Here is my Clam Chowder story:

The best clam chowder I ever tasted was at a small restaurant in Sacramento. It was so tasty, I asked the chef for the recipe. Of course, he didn’t give it to me, but I was determined to make this mouth watering chowder. Could I create this wonderful recipe by taste, “I asked myself?”

The first few attempts to make this recipe were mediocre at best. There was one ingredient that provided a wonderful flavor to this seafood chowder that I wasn’t familiar with. After purchasing every herb and spice that I did not have, I discovered the secret herb.

The aromatic herb was called Tarragon. Its aroma is similar to anise. The French use this flavorsome herb as one of the main ingredients for their famous Béarnaise sauce. Once I added this herb to my clam chowder, I had recreated the best clam chowder that I ever had.

Here’s the recipe:

First you make a fish stock. I usually buy a whole fish, any kind will do, and after cleaning and filleting it, I throw it in a pot of boiling water. Add carrots, thyme, celery salt and pepper and prepare a day or two before you need it. I won’t be given you many exact measurements, because your challenge is to figure out how much of each ingredient to use in your own great clam chowder.

Ingredients:

Half and Half

Chicken Stock

2 tablespoons flour to make rue

Butter

Sherry
Tarragon

Thyme

Salt and pepper

Carrots chopped small

Celery chopped small

Onions chopped small

1-2 Cans Clams and juice

Red Potatoes

First, peel and quarter several potatoes and boil in fish stock until stock is reduced and potatoes are done. Take potatoes out of stock and put in blender. Add some fish stock to the blender and blend until smooth. Put aside until rue is complete.

Make the rue:

Sauté your onions in butter and add carrots and celery, then add clams and sauté. Add 2 table of flour and stir to start making a rue. Add sherry and stir.

Add your clam juice, half and half and some chicken stock. Also, add some tarragon to taste. Your chowder will start to thicken. Add your blended potatoes and simmer until done. Be sure to add enough salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy your creation!

Weight Loss Weirdness

unknownchefvinny — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:05:17 +0000

Recently, I found out that I had high Cholesterol, not a surprise since, I come from the gene pool of good old Italian folks, all with high cholesterol. I thought this might be a problem for a guy that loves to cook pizza and Italian food. So, I set out to lose some weight. It was much easier than I expected. I took off 15 pounds by keeping my calories under 1200 per day and exercising daily, and it only took 6 weeks!

I thought I was doing good, I only had about 10-15 more pounds to lose before I reached my weight loss goal. Then my weight loss stalled. I wasn’t losing anymore weight. My weight has stayed the same for weeks! What was I doing wrong? When I found out that I wasn’t eating enough food, I was shocked.

Here is what I discovered. My normal calorie range is between 1500-1850 and because I was eating less than 1200 calories per day my body thought I was starving. My body began protecting me by conserving my calories in my fat! (Thanks, but no thanks) Is that weird ? I never thought that I would have to eat more to lose weight, but that’s exactly what I have to do. I guess I will have an extra slice of pizza or maybe two.

It took me a long time to find a good web site to help me track my calories and help me with my weight loss goals. This is a free site and is a wonderful source for all kinds of information. I highly recommend it to anyong trying to eat healthy and lose weight. It’s called Sparkpeople.

Pizza Dough Using Your Bread Machine

unknownchefvinny — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:51:15 +0000

If you love making pizza like I do, you’ll love your Bread Machine. This little invention not only makes great bread quickly, but you can make enough pizza dough in 1 hour to feed a football team. Here is how I do it.

The full dough cycle is too long and not necessary. When making pizza dough you want your dough to rise slowly. This develops very tasty pizza crust with lots of character. I put my Bread Machine on its dough setting and add all my ingredients.

Here is my pizza dough recipe:

3 cups of flour
1 tbl salt
1 tsp yeast
1 1/12 cups of warm water
2 tbl of olive oil

Try my Bruschetta Recipe:

3 cups of flour
1 tbl salt
1 tsp. of dried minced garlic
1 tbl of dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp yeast
1 1/12 cups of warm water
2 tbl of olive oil

After 10 or 15 minutes you should see a bouncing ball of dough in your Bread Machine. If it is too gooey add more flour. Then take the dough ball out of your bread maker and place it in an oiled sprayed freezer bag. Place it in the refrigerator until your ready to make pizza. Check it after a few hours. If it rises too much punch it down.

When you refrigerate your dough it slows down the yeast production and gives you a nice slow rise. When you’re ready to make pizza, (2-4 days) take your dough out and let it rise again at room temperature. This will make a pizza crust that everyone will love.

For more recipes and pizza making techniques check out my website at: perfecthomemadepizza.com

Bought another great cookbook!

unknownchefvinny — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:31:48 +0000

I can’t wait to try some of the exciting recipes in Bobby Flay’s cookbook. Flay’s book “Bold American Cooking”, was his first cookbook and the recipes in it make my mouth water. His style of cooking, Spicy South Western, with a splash of his own style and techniques is exactly how I love to cook. Pinapple Tomatillo salsa, corn relish,chipotle sauce,,,,,,,,,,hmmm can’t wait to try some. Bobby Flay is one of the chefs on the Food Network Channel and you can find him competing on the Iron chef program.

Have you ever made a Mexican Pizza?

unknownchefvinny — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:09:03 +0000

Mexican pizza is one of my families favorite pizzas. It’s simple to make and if you have a taste for spicy flavors with a little heat, this pizza is for you.

My kids have loved Mexican food since the day they were born! I guess I shouldn’t have filled those empty baby jars with refried beans. Just kidding… In our house there is always leftover salsa or hot sauce around. Since I’m the main cook, I’m always searching for new recipes to make. One day, I came across some left over salsa in the refrigerator, but I was in the mood for pizza. Walaa…the birth of my Mexican Pizza.

My Mexican salsa is easy to make and very tasty. The recipe was shared with me from an inmate in prison. No, I wasn’t in prison, but I was the Correctional Officer in charge of watching the Hispanic prisoners cooking in the kitchen. This guy whipped together a batch of salsa for his amigos that the Chefs on the Food Network channel would be proud of.

Here is the salsa recipe with a touch of fresh ingredients and a little of my own touch:

Mexican Pizza Sauce:

1 can of stewed tomatoes

1 small can of tomato sauce (8 oz)

1 small jalapeño pepper

2-3 cloves of fresh garlic finely chopped

¼ cup of fresh chopped cilantro

¼ small onion chopped

¼ tsp oregano

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp Chile powder

Use a small blender or food processor and process the jalapeno, garlic, onion, just until nicely chopped. Add all the other ingredients and give a few quick bursts of chopping. Refrigerate until you are ready to make the pizza

For The Pizza:

Fresh pizza dough enough for 1-2 pizzas

16 oz of whole milk mozzarella or your favorite cheese

Grated Romano and Asiago cheese as much as you like

1-2 links of spicy chorizo (Mexican pork sausage)

Cooking:

Preheat your oven to its highest temperature. For a home oven that is usually 550 degrees

Remove the casing from the sausage and sauté until cooked. Grate all of the mozzarella. Spread a little olive oil on your pizza pan and then spread out your pizza dough on it.

Spread your salsa over your pizza. Sprinkle with a little oregano, and then grate a little of the Asiago and Roman cheese on it. Spread all of your mozzarella cheese on your pizza and then sprinkle all of your chorizo on top.

Cook for 15-20 minutes and enjoy!