No formal kitchen training? No problem

Zach Lewis bought a book about sushi and taught himself how to make it. When he was confident of his skills, he gave a demonstration and served the dish to his classmates.

He was 12.

At 19, he moved to Missoula, Mont. The day he rolled into town, he stopped at a little bakery to get a bite to eat and ended up working there for 2½ years.

He began as a barista and front-counter boy but was soon promoted to bread maker and baker – alas, not without a bump or two. He ruined 3,000 pounds of dough one day by using sugar instead of salt. The mixture went into the trash, but by the end of the eight-hour workday, it had bloomed into an alien life form.

He never made that mistake again and gained 15 pounds learning how to live on bread and the many things he could make with it – stuffing, panzanella, crostini, french toast, panini, gazpacho.

At 26, he is a seasoned old soul in the kitchen.

“It just comes naturally. I like to eat, so I learned how to cook,” Lewis says.

His father and grandmother were French cooks, and he picked up lots of useful information watching them.

Last year, Lewis, now a Virginia Beach resident, was asked to plan, cook and serve a six-course meal for 12 for a wine enthusiast’s holiday dinner party. It was a big success.

Lewis has no formal training. He is a managing partner in a local pawn shop and often gets home late. Yet he and girlfriend Rachael Chazanow still cook dinner four to five nights a week. They shop for the best ingredients they can afford: sea salt from France, hunks of real Parmesan, good olive oil, fresh seafood and meats, fresh local produce.

Lewis believes in seasonal, regional eating.

“When I was in Montana, I ate burgers and steaks. … In Virginia I eat seafood and whatever vegetables are in season.”

Beth Jaffe nominated her son for Everyday Chef because she knows firsthand Lewis’ mad skills in the kitchen. She requests his Surry Sausage and Golden Delicious Apple Stuffing every Thanksgiving and his cheese, nut and fruit platters for entertaining guests.

“My husband, Nathan, used to think I was a fabulous cook until Zach moved in and cooked for us for a while,” she said. “After enjoying his osso buco one night, Nathan looks at me and says, ‘I love you honey, but you’re fired!’ ”

RECIPES

Blueberry-Glazed Seared Duck Breast with Duck Fat Vinaigrette

Serves 4

4 tablespoons blueberry jam
1 oz. Grand Marnier or cognac
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ cup champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
6 cups baby arugula and frisee
1 head fennel, sliced thin
1 cup sliced tangerines or clementines, peeled and segmented
2 boneless duck breasts, skin-on
Salt and pepper
½ cup chopped shallots

Preheat oven broiler to high.

Combine blueberry jam and Grand Marnier and set aside.

Whisk the mustard into the vinegar and set aside.

Toss the greens, fennel and clementine together and place in a large bowl.

Rinse duck breasts and pat dry. Score skin in a crosshatch pattern on 1/2-inch intervals. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Place duck in a large skillet, skin side down. Cook on medium-high until the skin becomes golden brown and crispy, and the fat begins to render into the pan. Flip and cook for two more minutes.

Remove the duck from the pan, and place on a covered backing pan, skin side up. Coat the skin with a bit of the blueberry jam. Broil for 2 minutes, until the jam begins to caramelize on the duck skin. Remove from oven and cover with foil.

Add chopped shallots to duck fat and sauté until translucent. Remove from heat. Add vinegar and mustard mixture to the pan, and stir briskly with a whisk. Add a touch of salt and pepper, and pour dressing over the greens, tossing them to coat.

Slice duck breast at a 45-degree angle. Plate the greens, and then top with the sliced duck.

The duck should be served at 130 degrees, medium-rare.

Butternut Squash, Bacon
and Sage Ravioli

2 large butternut squashes, halved lengthwise, seeded
Vegetable oil
4 slices bacon (applewood or cherrywood smoked)
12 fresh sage leaves
½ cup chopped shallots
¾ cup grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese
1 egg
3-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste
4 sheets fresh pasta dough or wonton wrappers

Coat squash flesh side up with a bit of vegetable oil and salt and pepper. Roast flesh side down at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until fork-tender.

While squash is roasting, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set on paper towel to drain. Leave the bacon fat in the pan. Add sage leaves to bacon fat, fry for 1 to 2 minutes until crisp, but not burned. Remove sage leaves from pan. Add chopped shallots and fry until they begin to turn translucent. Remove from heat. Mince the bacon and the sage leaves.

When squash is done, let cool and scoop into large mixing bowl. Mash until smooth. Add Parmiggiano, shallots, sage leaves, bacon, egg, heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle surface with flour and roll out pasta dough into 10-by-6-inch rectangles. Add one tablespoon of filling every two inches, leaving at least an inch from each outside border. Brush edges and area between each tablespoon of filling with egg wash. Cover this sheet of dough with an additional sheet.

If you do not have access to fresh pasta, use wonton wrappers. Buy the thickest brand available.

Using a fluted pastry wheel, cut the dough into 2-by-2-inch squares. The pastry wheel will crimp and seal the edges.

Boil ravioli for 5 to 6 minutes or until they rise to the surface. Avoid letting the water boil rapidly while they are cooking. Transfer to plates with a slotted spoon and top with extra-virgin olive oil or Chardonnay cream sauce.

Chardonnay Cream Sauce

1/2 cup good Chardonnay
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Add Chardonnay to pan, boil and reduce by at least 50 percent, so the alcohol cooks off. Lower heat.

Add 3/4 cup whipping cream. Bring up to a light boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until cream begins to thicken. You can also add a few tablespoons of the pasta water to thicken.

Season lightly with salt and pepper. Serve.

Sweet Potato Pie

1 pound sweet potatoes
Vegetable oil
1 9-inch pie dough
2 eggs
1½ cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt

Coat sweet potatoes with vegetable oil and bake at 450 degrees until soft. Remove skins and place in large mixing bowl. Let cool.

Place pie dough in pan, and prebake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Combine eggs, heavy cream, butter, brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Add to sweet potatoes and puree.

Pour filling in pie dough. Brush the crust with egg wash. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, and then 350 for 30 to 40 minutes or until set. The pie is finished when you can insert a toothpick and it comes out dry.

Judy Cowling, jcowling3@cox.net