As a young CIA student, my day one job was to prepare rice pilaf in Skills One with Chef Aldo Bagna... I've always been 'math challenged' & totally messed up the ratio-my pilaf was a disaster. Fortunately I'm an overachiever & had volunteered to prepare lentils, I brought my delicious lentils up for a final grade of A & ditched the pilaf. I've been a pilaf fan ever since.
Rice cooking
I learned to prepare rice from Puerto Rican chef Alfredo Ayala at a CIA Worlds of Flavor conference. He discarded all of my carefully prepared mise en place-poured a bag of rice on the counter and showed me how to pick out the bad grains... he told me he had eaten this rice dish every day of his life (about 65 years or so at that time); showed me to lightly toast whole cloves of garlic, toast the rice and prepare a delicious pilaf with water!
Cilantro Rice
Prep Time: 2o min
Cooking Time: 18 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients
2 oz. Olive oil
3 ea Garlic, whole cloves (peeled)
1 Cup. Long grain Rice
t.t. Kosher Salt & Crushed Black pepper
1 3/4 Cups Water, hot
4 Tbsp Herbs, freshly chopped (cilantro)
How to Prepare Rice
Step 1
Heat olive oil in a sauce pot, when hot add the garlic and lightly cook until golden brown... add the rice and toast it (parch it) to gelatinize the starches and add a little flavor. This will take about 4 minutes, season with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Add the hot water, stirring with a wooden spoon to mix with the rice. Bring the water to a simmer & cover-simmer slowly on top of the stove or place into a preheated oven at 350 F.
Cook until tender, about 18 minutes.
Step 3
Fluff the cooked rice with a fork and fold in the cilantro.
Season to taste.
I recently volunteered to prepare vegetable paella for a church Bible group potluck. I was very excited to develop a delicious, new paella recipe and spent time preparing fresh vegetable stock with flavors of the Mediterranean. I always prepare vegetable and fish stocks fresh, as I intend to use them. I’m not a fan of bases or frozen stocks but I sometimes add a small amount of quality base to my stocks. A vegetable stock with mirepoix, cabbage, mushrooms makes sense in certain applications, for certain recipes—but why would we use a mushroom or cabbage-forward stock in a paella? It doesn’t make culinary sense. Paella is a Mediterranean dish originating in the Valencia region of Spain as a humble meal cooked on an open fire. I’ve enjoyed wonderful paella meals in Valencia prepared with water-not stock, prepared with rabbit, snails and local beans. While traveling through Spain this spring I researched and sampled many styles of paella… no mushrooms, no carrots, no celery and no cabbage.
I still remember cooking breakfast burritos with my son Daniel, for volunteer workers at church events—simple, hearty, and made to fuel a long day of service. The workers were always so appreciative. Years later, I served a crowd favorite, nicknamed “The Bacon-ator,” a breakfast superstar inspired by the over-the-top spirit of fast-food indulgence. We had a popular food booth at the local country fair, where we cooked hundreds of breakfast burritos each day-stuffed with Mexican cheeses, extra bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, and fresh salsa—nothing pre-made, nothing rushed. Every burrito was warm, fresh, and full of flavor. When food is made with love, even the most straightforward breakfast is memorable.
Chefs often share a bond that transcends politics, religion, and borders. While working in Saudi Arabia with a diverse group of chefs, I experienced this firsthand on my final day. To mark the occasion, they prepared special dishes representing their home countries—a generous feast rooted in tradition and pride. At the center of the table was a beautiful tray of stuffed peppers, zucchini, cabbages, squash, and other vegetables, each prepared with care and respect. As we shared the meal, the chefs beamed with pride, and the room filled with a sense of genuine camaraderie. It was a powerful reminder that food remains one of the most universal languages we have.
I remember a chef teaching me to carefully slice the center seeds from a zucchini and then prepare beautiful dices for a ratatouilli. The seeds and center area get soft and mushy before the outer 'meaty' section of the squash cooks.
Lobster macaroni and cheese is my all time favorite version of Mac and Cheese... I make it by preparing a classic lobster sauce, (flambé and all) and blending it with Béchamel sauce, macaroni and sweet, tender chunks of freshly poached lobster. Macaroni and cheese with pancetta
Culinary Basics: The Art of preparing Stocks
Paella is a Mediterranean dish originating in the Valencia region of Spain. It is a humble meal, originally cooked on an open fire. I’ve enjoyed many wonderful paella meals in Spain. In Valencia I had a local paella with rabbit, snails and local beans. Short-grained rice is always used to prepare Paella, there are several great Spanish varieties like Bomba and Calasparra , prized for absorbing the delicious, flavorful stock and flavors of the ingredients without getting mushy. This is important for creating the dish's signature, crusty bottom layer called the socarrat. Paella is all about the rice!
I still remember cooking breakfast burritos with my son Daniel, for volunteer workers at church events—simple, hearty, and made to fuel a long day of service. The workers were always so appreciative. Years later, I served a crowd favorite, nicknamed “The Bacon-ator,” a breakfast superstar inspired by the over-the-top spirit of fast-food indulgence. We had a popular food booth at the local country fair, where we cooked hundreds of breakfast burritos each day-stuffed with Mexican cheeses, extra bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, and fresh salsa—nothing pre-made, nothing rushed. Every burrito was warm, fresh, and full of flavor. When food is made with love, even the most straightforward breakfast is memorable.
Beef Wellington is a restaurant classic! Chefs prepare whole tenderloins, wrapped in pastry as well as individually portioned Wellingtons. Culinary historians widely agree that Beef Wellington evolved from French preparations such as filet de bœuf en croûte, which paired beef tenderloin with mushrooms and pastry—techniques well established in French haute cuisine.
Oranges are fantastic in Baking & Pastry. I developed a delicious dessert for the CMC exam (Healthy Cooking) challenge featuring Orange Creamsicle Sorbet with Roasted, Candied Pineapple and Fruit Strudel... with plenty of guidance from the amazing CIA Pastry Instructors! Types of Oranges: There are several distinct varieties of oranges, each with unique characteristics and flavors. The most common type is the Navel orange , recognized for its seedless, sweet flesh and thick, easy-to-peel skin. Valencia oranges are another popular variety, primarily known for their juiciness and are often used for making orange juice. Other notable types include Blood oranges , which have a deep red interior and a distinct berry-like flavor, and Cara Cara oranges , characterized by their pinkish-red flesh and sweet taste. Additionally, Seville oranges , known for their bitterness, are mainly used in making marmalade and flavoring liqueurs.