DEMARTINO'S MENTOR PROFILE
Hi, I'm demartino.
I'm a mentor in Misc. One Dish, North American, Dough/Crust
I'm from Boston, MA
View my Profile | View my Recipes
My Misc. One Dish Corner
Why I want to be mentor in this category:
Because stews and chilis are excellent meals that anyone can make, regardless of skill level.
What inspires me in this category:
Stews and chili are culinary magic - you can take several ingredients, often the less-desirable ones, add a little heat, a little liquid, a lot of time, and you get a brand new product that is more than the sum of its parts - tasty, savory, fulfilling.
Experience:
Chilis, stews, fricasees... One pot meals that cook low and slow are a staple in my home.
Biggest Lesson Learned:
Prep everything ahead of time; since stews often have lengthy ingredient lists, I find it best to make sure I have all the ingredients ready to go before I even turn the stove on.
My Tips:
- For more even low-heat cooking, use your oven set to a low temperature instead of the stovetop once it's time to simmer.
My North American Corner
Why I want to be mentor in this category:
I want people to know that there is more to regional North American cuisine than "Deep South" or "Tex-Mex." New England cuisine it a conglomeration of more than 400 years of immigrants and natives blending cultures. Influences from Portugal, Brazil, Greece, Italy make use of the regional abundance (and lack thereof) of fish, seafood, legumes, maple syrup, and the those ingredients traditionally traded in the Northeast, such as molasses. A little ingenuity and a desire to stretch food to feed the maximum amount of people have created dozens of new dishes.
What inspires me in this category:
Despite its rustic, hearty appearance, New England cuisine is quite cosmopolitan, in that it doesn't exclude the influence of immigrants that came to the region. Rather, it embraces those influences, carving out niches for them, without losing its core concept of frugality and ingenuity. Certain dishes you won't find on menus even fifty miles outside of New England, yet there is something basic about the cuisine that most everyone can relate to. Whether or not you actually hail from New England, its cuisine can make you feel like you're home.
Experience:
New England cuisine, specifically. Growing up in Massachusetts gave me twenty years to study the traditional dishes of this region. It's so much more than just clam chowder, people.
Biggest Lesson Learned:
With a few exceptions, it's simple, hearty food, born of Yankee ingenuity and frugality. Like any good cuisine, use what's available. And like any region where food was once scarce, you'll use a lot of preservation techniques, and use ingredients that have been preserved in a variety of ways.
Education, Awards, Pro Experience:
Twenty years growing up in New England, ten years away from it - you try to find a decent cannoli or clambake in Los Angeles. If you want something decent, you have to make it yourself.
My Tips:
- When in doubt, add bacon.
- This is one cuisine where looks aren't that important. Stop worrying about how it looks, and focus on how it tastes.
My Dough/Crust Corner