Chef's Kitchen

Each month, a guest chef gives us a tip that elevates their cooking or simplifies things in the kitchen; something a home cook might not know. They also provide a recipe that uses the tip, so you can practice at home. Our guest chef this month is Chef/Owner Matt McGowan of Dovetail Joint in Richland, Washington. He and wife Maren source quality local products to use in both craft cocktails and menu items. Their dishes seem simple, yet each bite is full of flavor. Dovetail Joint is located in the Uptown Shopping Center, one of Tri-Cities' oldest outdoor malls.

Chef Matt grew up working on his grandparents' farms in Iowa, and cooked while going to college. He attended culinary school in Sacramento, California, in the early '90s. He and Maren met working at the same restaurant, then decided to move to Goldendale, Washington, where Matt worked at the Lyle Hotel in Lyle. They eventually opened their own restaurant, the Glass Onion, later starting up a food cart in Richland in 2016. Moving to Richland, they ran the Glass Onion and the food cart for a year. They sold the restaurant in 2017 and the food cart later, then opened Dovetail Joint in 2019.

Making the best fresh basil pesto, by Chef/Owner Matt McGowan

Tip #1: Blanch and ice the basil leaves.

Pesto is one of the most versatile sauces and can enhance almost any dish. Unfortunately, the shelf life is poor, so any sauce not used at the time of making is often very quickly unappetizing. This tip will extend the shelf life of your pesto considerably, so you can enjoy it with many dishes. When you make your pesto, be sure to first blanch the basil leaves in boiling water and then shock them in ice water. While there is a slight loss in the flavor, the bright color is set and the economy of being able to use the sauce over a few days is attractive. Restauranteurs appreciate being able to extend the life of this versatile sauce to ensure quality for their guests and savings in their bottom line.

Tip #2: Use a scale.

This recipe is all in gram weight, except for the teaspoon and tablespoon. Every household has them, and they are sometimes too small to accurately weigh without a quality small scale. Imperial measurements are awkward at best and not able to be easily scaled up or down to appropriately size a recipe. Additionally, the use of a scale ensures accuracy and consistency in your prepared recipes.

A second benefit is a considerable reduction in dirty cookware as you can weigh one ingredient, then tare the scale to zero and weigh the next. I can't over emphasize how this changes the workflow in a pro kitchen when implemented, and home kitchens are no different. The cost of a gram scale that weighs up to 8000 grams at 1 gram resolution is about $25. (MyWeigh on Amazon).

Pesto

Summer ratatouille with fresh basil pesto

Makes approximately 2 cups

Ingredients

• 50 grams basil leaves
• 18 grams garlic cloves
• 50 grams roasted pepitas, walnuts, or pine nuts
• 45 grams grated Parmesan
• 1 tsp sugar
• 15 turns of black pepper mill
• 1 TBS H2O
• 100 grams extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and ready a mesh strainer and small bowl of ice water.

2. Cook basil for 20 seconds and strain. Place cooked basil in ice water to shock.

3. Place everything except olive oil in food processor and mix to smooth texture.

4. Drizzle in olive oil and enjoy. The shelf life should be at least 7 days.

Dovetail Joint Food and Drink
1368 Jadwin Ave
Richland, WA 99354

509-578-1919

dovetailjointrestaurant.com

December 2020