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Guest Chef - Carmine's
DINING & ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE - JAN 2007
Guest Chef - Carmine's
Eleftherios Natas at Carmine's
Every night, Eleftherios ?Terry? Natas and his cohort of chefs at Carmine?s whip up an American-Italian wedding feast.
That, anyway, is the festive ambience that executive chef Natas, 29, wants to create at this newest big-name restaurant to locate in the Marina Village at Atlantis.
?The idea is to put big platters of good food in the middle of the table and let people just dig in,? says Natas. The portions at Carmine?s are huge, enough for four to six people.
?There?s always a lot of laughter. People are sharing dishes from table to table,? comments Natas.
Carmine?s has two restaurants in the Big Apple: the original on Broadway on the Upper West Side and the second on 44th Street. In 2005, Carmine?s opened its first restaurant outside New York, at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City.
?But this is the prettiest one of the lot,? says Natas, who has worked them all. The ballroom-sized restaurant features high ceilings, mirrors, oversized chandeliers, a long bar with red leather-cushioned stools, attractive stonework and walls full of black and white photos and paintings of celebrities. It?s a bit of Italy, a bit of old New York and a lot of fun.
Starting early
Like most top chefs, Natas got started in the food game at a tender age, but not at home. His father is a mechanic and his mother a seamstress, both natives of northern Greece.
At 12, Natas was already helping out in restaurants owned by aunts and uncles in Atlantic City, his hometown. ?I started out washing dishes, cleaning up. I learned to cook on the line,? he says with a note of pride.
Today, Natas still likes to take a turn on the long, stainless steel line at Carmine?s, ?just to keep my hand in.?
By age 18, Natas was working in the Tropicana, having already decided that cooking was going to be his career, not just a job. ?I was there for many years, worked hard, studied, and I was promoted several times? sous chef? restaurant chef.?
At that point, Natas decided to open his own restaurant with a family friend. While that was an interesting experience, he moved on after a year and went back to cooking for another large restaurant, Harrah?s in Atlantic City.
While there he was scouted by Carmine?s, which is always on the lookout for new talent. Natas spent five months working every station, then moved up to chef and chef de cuisine.
One of the secrets to Carmine?s success, says Natas, is that the owners are ?very particular about the way the food goes out... we cook everything from scratch... all the sauces, and we make 40 or 50 gallons of marinara every day. Everything is prepared exactly as it is in New York and the portions are carefully measured out with special ladles.?
The recipes have been perfected over many years. Natas knows instantly if there is enough cream in the penne alla vodka or a touch too much anchovy in the Caesar salad.
Here are some recipes that have helped make Carmine?s such a success.
Stuffed artichoke
(serves four or more)
Artichoke: Cut stem of two large artichokes to bottom row of leaves; trim each leaf and clean centre with running water. Soak in lemon and water.
Stuffing:
1?2 loaf sliced white bread
Pinch dry oregano
1 oz fresh basil, chopped
1 oz fresh parsley, chopped
1 small onion, diced
Grated pecorino Romano cheese
Salt & pepper
Grind together and stuff each individual leaf.
Place a sliced lemon to base of artichoke.
Tie lemon and artichoke together with butcher twine and truss up the stuffed artichoke in criss-cross fashion.
Boil in chicken stock and chopped garlic for approximately half an hour. (Pull off a leaf; if it comes off easily it?s ready.)
Remove twine. Top with more stuffing and bake until golden brown.
Penne alla vodka
(serves four)
1 onion, sliced
16 oz tomato, diced
8 oz whole peeled tomato
9 oz garlic, sliced
6 oz heavy cream
12 oz olive oil
Basil
Parsley
Salt & pepper
1 oz vodka
2 oz pecorino Romano cheese, grated
12 oz penne pasta (dry)
Pasta:
Add kosher salt to water and bring to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 7 minutes.
A good way to check pasta is to break a piece. The centre should be a little whiter than the rest of the pasta. Drain and place on a platter.
Sauce: (previously prepared)
Sauté sliced onion with 6 oz garlic in 8 oz olive oil.
Once onions are translucent add diced tomato and whole peeled tomato.
Cook for half an hour.
Add basil, parsley, salt and pepper; remove and cool.
In a sauté pan add 4 oz olive oil, 3 oz sliced garlic, basil and parsley.
Once garlic is golden brown add 1 oz vodka (remove from flame, as vodka is extremely flammable).
Add red sauce and heavy cream and reduce for approximately 5 minutes.
Once sauce is reduced, add fresh grated pecorino Romano cheese, basil and parsley.
Add salt and pepper to taste (note that pecorino Romano cheese may be salty). The colour of the sauce should be pinkish orange.
Toss with penne pasta, top with pecorino Romano and serve.
Tiramisu
(serves four or more)
10 whole eggs
111?2 oz sugar
Vanilla extract
31?2 cups Marsala wine
4 oz flour
12 oz mascarpone cheese
1 cup coffee liqueur
3 oz dark chocolate
2 cups cold coffee
Ladyfingers:
Mix 6 eggs, 4 oz sugar and a drop of vanilla extract in mixer on high speed until all ingredients are incorporated.
Add 4 oz all-purpose flour to mixture at slow speed.
Coat a 9 x 16-inch pan with butter, line with baking paper and pour batter on evenly.
Preheat oven to 350?F. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Once cool, cut ladyfingers into 4-inch squares (or squares to fit the size of bowl you are using).
Zabagilione:
Hand whisk 4 eggs, 2 oz sugar, and 3 cups Marsala wine in mixing bowl. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water, stir and allow to thicken.
Tiramisu cream:
4 cups heavy cream
12 oz mascarpone cheese
5 oz sugar
Drop vanilla extract
1?2 cup Marsala wine
Mix on medium speed for 6-8 minutes and increase to high speed for 1-2 minutes to finish.
Mixture should have the texture of whipped cream. Add zabaglione to tiramisu cream and mix by hand.
PREPARATION:
Dip ladyfingers in 2 cups cold coffee and 1 cup coffee liqueur. Squeeze excess liquid with hands.
Lay one layer of ladyfingers on bottom of serving bowl. Spread a layer of tiramisu cream and top it with 1 oz shaved dark chocolate.
Add another layer of ladyfingers. Top with tiramisu cream and spread smooth. Cover the top with 2 oz shaved dark chocolate and serve.
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