Jeff’s Neapolitan Blog.

Neapolitan Blog?...What the heck is that? It’s my creative 3 flavours in one message. Just like your favorite brand of Neapolitan Ice Cream, 3 completely different flavours in one…or in this case, 3 food related topics….
Sorry for the food analogy…it’s the chef in me…..anyway:

Flavour 1:
Company growth…soooooo scaaaaaarrrryyyyyy! Not so much how it happens, but why would I want it to happen? Is it greed? If you knew me…you would know that is not the right answer. I’m a simple guy who would be more than happy with watching my kids grow while I keep things moving at the business with the occasional time to go fishing and playing 18 holes of golf. When approached about franchising, I can’t deny it wasn’t part of the original vision or dream…however I never really thought it would ever come true. Selling multiple units in an X-amount period of time sets me back…not because I’m in uncharted waters, but because I’m concerned Just Jeff’s wouldn’t be the same from one place to the next. Holy standardization!...recipes, procedures, manuals and most importantly…the right person to see it through….manuals and procedures, no matter how detailed, they are only as good as the paper you print them on! Ensuring product consistency, standards and procedures…. You have no idea how much I appreciate franchise chains now!
So why grow? It’s the entrepreneur in me I guess, perhaps I’m getting a little bored with day-to-day operations. Let’s face it I’ve been cooking for 20 plus years, if given the chance we would all like to expand a little in our profession, like watching your family mature and grow. So stand by, I’ll keep you posted on any new growth.

Flavour 2:
Here are some of my tricks and tips with recipes.
Always remember when following a recipe…it’s a guideline not a bible! (unless you’re baking!)… if you do not like rosemary don’t put it in…or substitute it with what you like…perhaps thyme or sage. Write down your changes so you can remember what the heck you did….there is nothing worse then making the perfect dish and not being able to reproduce it. This is how chef’s stay up with the times…they see an idea or recipe in a book or magazine….they test it as printed…then they add their own personal touches and voila… they just made it their own…but if they didn’t document it…they could never reproduce it!

Cooking for guests?
When thinking about the entire meal and or side dishes to go with the main protein you plan to serve, I always think of colour. Imagine the following menu:
Pan-seared chicken marsala, roasted baby potatoes and fire grilled corn…..sounds pretty good eh….but now think of the colour in that dish. You have brown chicken, with darker brown gravy served with brown potatoes and yellow corn with brown grill marks….not overly appealing to the eye (tasty I’m sure). Now take that same chicken marsala and serve it with smashed Yukon gold potatoes infused with corn and garnished with grilled asparagus and red bell peppers….I’m sure you get my point now.

Cooking on occasion or for an occasion can be fun… make the best of it… cooking because you have to every day or for large groups is long hard work, and that is why I’m here.

Flavour 3:
Take this recipe as an example….make it once as printed, then give it you’re your personal evaluation…now add or delete things to make it your own with your own eyes (and tongue)…
Tender (fall-off-the-bone-ribs)
2-5 lbs of any rib you like….baby back, side ribs, button ribs, short ribs, beef ribs…who cares…..you pick.
Favourite BBQ Sauce….2 cups….any sauce you like…add a lot or a little.
Seasoning Salt
Water

The real secret isn’t the sauce…that is argumentative… it’s how you cook them…it’s all in the BRAISING….don’t boil them (unless you like to leave all the meat flavour in the water that you dump down the drain)…don’t marinate for days (waste of time with very little effect). Just peel the skin off the back side then season both sides (probably a little heavier seasoning then you think might be enough). Place seasoned ribs on a tray (fanned out evenly) and ½ cup water then cover with parchment paper then foil. Make sure the foil covering is tight, this will minimize the amount of steam lost during the braising process.
Place the pan into a pre-heated 375 degree oven and bake for 1.5 hours. Now remove from the oven and pull back a corner of the foil to allow the steam to escape (be careful the steam comes out fast and is very hot). Let rest for 15 minutes.
The above steps can be done the day before serving.
Now you are ready to eat, sauce up the cold ribs then warm them on the BBQ (low-medium low heat)….remember the ribs are fully cooked, they just need to be warmed and perhaps a little charring. 10-15 minutes tops depending on the size of the ribs you cooked… enjoy tender fall-off-the-bone ribs.

Talk to you soon,