Most important lesson that I already knew..... Texture is everything when it comes to a meat substitute. I have read it a million times. Heard it from everyone and yet, I still failed.
I guess that the real lesson is..... that you can't cut corners with a meat sub. The pro chefs always say that technique is everything. When it comes to vegetarian foods, you need to do it right, or you get a giant pile of garbage.
Now for the details....
I started off my day with a tasty little breakfast bowl (at Matador) Potatoes, eggs, re-fried beans (yea, they are vegetarian), cheese, Pico de Gallo, a touch of ranch and some maple jalapeno hot sauce. Ain't nothing wrong with that little bad boy. Maybe it is a cheap shot to pimp our own stuff, but good is good. Besides, if you are reading this then you are already a Matador fan. ;)
Lunch was a burrito from Matador. Not much variety in my food today, but what are you gonna do? A guy has to work. Jalapeno Cheddar tortilla, Spanish rice, pinto beans, a few regular potatoes and some sweet potatoes, cheese, pico, corn salsa, heavy dose of the habanero hot and a touch of guacamole. I like to sneak one little pickled jalapeno slice in there for a little surprise. Just one. I stole that idea from a customer years ago and have been doing it since he opened my eyes to the zen like balance. Anyhow, back to the food.... This was the first thing I had since my quest started, when I didn't miss meat. Perhaps only because I didn't try to substitute the meat. I'm sure if it was full of pork it would have been even better, but I was perfectly happy with that meal.
Dinner was a different story. It was the site of my epic fail. I picked up a package of Italian Sausage Tofurky hot dogs. I should have fired up the grill and toasted the little guy. I could have even browned the little fellow in a pan on the stove top. Nope. I got lazy. I nuked it. Back to the lesson that I should have already known.... Texture. I don't think French's can make enough mustard to make that thing edible. I forced it down, but only because I know my Pa would be upset if I wasted food. When someone explains the qualities of a good hot dog the first thing they say is the snap when you take a bite. My dog was like a pile of rolled up oatmeal in a bun. Not only did I eat it all to make my old man happy, I ate it all so I would learn a lesson. Lesson learned.
Seriously, it would have taken me 3 minutes to grill that damn dog. Probably 4 minutes to give it some texture in a frying pan. I got lazy and I picked 45 seconds in the microwave. I paid dearly.
During lunch today I was chatting with one of our great customers. She told me that she loved the veggie skillet at Denny's. The first time she had it, it blew her mind. The veggies (and specifically the onions were caramelized to perfection) . When on a trip, she went to another Denny's to get the same great meal... but was sadly disappointed because it wasn't made with the same care. It was never the same meal when she tried it again. I'm not trying to bad mouth the fine folks over at Denny's, but it is just another example of how important it is to have good technique. You can't cut corners with vegetarian food. Not that you should cut corners with any food, but when you nuke a hot dog, you get a nuked hot dog. You get what you put into it. That is not only a good food lesson, but a good life lesson.
In real estate, the three most important rules are... Location, location, location.
In cooking, the three most important rules are.... Texture, texture, texture. That isn't just reserved for vegetarian cooking. Texture rules with everything. The mighty fish taco is nothing without cabbage. Bread and fry the fish and you have yourself a masterpiece of culinary art. Steak, pork chops, fried chicken.... nothing without some texture on the outside.
Catch you tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
