Mario is my culinary icon and is one of the reasons that I started in the restaurant business in the first place. I would watch in awe as Molto Mario aired daily on the Food Network. In fact, I can still hear the opening theme music in my head! His food had this elegant simplicity about it that intrigued me to my core. Not only was he a treasure trove of culinary knowledge but he also knew much about Italian culture. Something that you could never learn in a textbook. I won't bore you with the details of his past which is easily accessible by doing even the most modest Google search on his life, but he was actually in Italy, working and training, which is pretty much the culinary Mecca for all chefs. It is, like for most chefs, a dream to be able to travel and train there. I, on the other hand, had only a local rag tag culinary school to rely on for my training
So why Babbo and why Mario Batali? Well let's first start with a little background information on myself. My name is Alan Hogan. I live in the great city of Holyoke, Massachusetts where I am employed as a sous chef. Growing up in Connecticut where I've graduated from culinary school, my culinary kitchen adventures has led me to working in some of the top kitchens in the area, including Mohegan Sun, as well as a host of others. My experience includes everything from Italian to steakhouse to even Asian fusion. And yet, I still feel incomplete. I feel like I'm missing part of the equation. Is there something better? Is there a better approach?
In culinary school you learn the five mother sauces and how to make gelatinous stocks, and then how to reduce those gelatinous stocks, thickening with roux to make the sauce for the top end cut of fillet mignon, but Mario's way was drastically different. As anyone who has flipped through the cookbook can see, there are no fillet mignon's and there are no butter poached lobsters, nor will one see demi-glacé. This rather shocked me when I first received my copy of this cookbook nearly 10 years ago. Where was the Chicken Parmesan? I asked. The spaghetti and meatballs? Where was the classic French approach to doing things?
I was introduced to a whole new paradigm. One that would eventually change my approach in the kitchen and the way that I do things. It has led me to question everything that I have been taught, which is after all a good thing. We as cooks and chefs need to continually ask ourselves, why. Why is something the way it is and why do we do what we do?
So it is with much gusto that I declare my proposal to push myself to work through this entire cookbook. I am going to tackle everything that Mario Batali has to throw at me. I am going to learn to do things the Babbo way. Mario's way.
Some recipes will be easy (bruschetta, cookies, the vinaigrettes), and some will not be so easy (tripe, testa,), but I am going to test my skills in every way possible and cook every single thing in this cookbook.
I know what you are thinking. 'So a Chef is going to use a cookbook, big deal.' But bear in mind that this will be no simple task. There are many concepts and ideas in this book that are not taught in culinary schools. For example, I have never worked with lambs tongue, tripe, nor have I ever attempted to take a pig head and turn it into Salumi. But hey, if it's in there I'm going to do it.
So before we get started, let's start with a little disclaimer. I am in no way associated with Mario Batali, Babbo, or anyone in his organization. I am doing this merely for the opportunity to test my skills and to learn something new, as I share my experiences with the public. I am not doing this with the hopes to get a reservation at his restaurant, although that would be pretty freakin' cool! I am not doing this for any sort of fame or recognition. And I will not be revealing any kind of copyrighted material such as recipes. If you would like a recipe you will have to buy the book just like everyone else.
I will post as often as I can until I have reached the pinnacle of cooking every single recipe in this book. I will also include plenty of pictures of me in the process, along with any tips and tricks I picked up along the way to make cooking thru this book a little easier. I welcome all of your comments and emails, and I promise I will do my best to answer all of them as quickly as I can.
So with that let's begin...
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