On using scraps.....

     As a chef one of the things that I have always taken great pride in is using up leftover scraps whenever possible. I take it on almost like a challenge; seeing things go to waste is one of my pet peeves. I feel that almost anything, with a little imagination and creativity can be turned into something desirable and profitable. Here is an example of a special I made using braised meat scraps. It was a pasta dish that consisted of leftover braised short ribs and orechiette pasta. The sauce is a little pomodoro cooked down with some roasted garlic, basil, short rib, and pickling liquid from some pepperoncinis. I mounted the dish with butter, locatelli pecorino, and tossed in some brussels sprout leaves and pepper flakes right before finishing. I sold the dish at $24 dollars and it had a food cost of 5% making it almost all profit. I sold about 15 specials making $360 and it only cost me $18 to make. Here are some pictures of the special....