Hey, Firehouse Chefs community! Check out Eddie and the gang as the Firehouse Chefs Food Truck gets local TV coverage – in this instance, where they rolled up to serve The Los Angeles County Fire Museum.
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There is another reason I cook fairly large quantities of food that may not be so obvious. We need leftovers! There are many times that we’ll go to a job fighting fire at some ungodly hour during the night and, when we get back to the barn at two, three, or four in the morning, we find ourselves pretty hungry. If you are the first engine and truck companies in to a working structure fire, it means you will be the last ones to leave. Your hose is layed and your rig is the closest so most of the equipment used to fight the fire is from your rig. Once the fire is out, there is still an operational part of the job called “overhaul,” the systematic search for hidden fires or for fire extension. By the time the job is done and you finally leave the fire scene, several hours have gone by. There is nothing worse than getting back from a fire and finding the beanery fridge empty! So my goal is to make enough dinner to basically last all shift long! If you find yourself not needing the quantity of food I have in my recipes, simply cut the quantities in half. You will find you still have enough for 4-5 firefighter appetites or even 5-6 non-firefighter appetites – plus leftovers! Here is a tasty pasta dish that is easy to reheat in the microwave for leftovers. Enjoy! Suey’s Standpipe Sausage Pasta Resources: Tactics: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente (about 8 minutes). Strain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped guanciale and cook until lightly browned. Add the sausage and cook through. Throw in the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent. Combine the grape tomatoes, baby spinach and fresh basil with the meat, and cook until the spinach is wilted. In a separate saucepan, heat the chicken broth over medium-high heat. Just as it begins to come to a mild boil, add the mascarpone cheese and the red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to low and whisk until the cheese is creamy. Remove from heat and add the red wine. Pour the contents of the sauce pan in with the meat and vegetables in the skillet. Place the pasta in a large bowl and pour the skillet contents over the pasta. Toss the pasta and sprinkle with some of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Reserve the rest to serve on the side. Makes 8 servings. **Note: The term “Beanery” is still alive and well in the Seattle Fire Department and is still the name we apply to the kitchen today. Because of low wages early in SFD’s history, the firefighters could often only afford to buy beans for their meals. Beans were cheap and provided a high source of protein. The procedure was to soak the beans overnight and simmer them all day long in the kitchen…thus the term “Beanery.” Hey, Firehouse Chefs community – check out our menus so that you can know just what we’ve got cooking! (Click on each to view separately as a downloadable pdf.)
One of the traditions here in the SFD that many of my civilian friends find hard to understand revolves around birthdays and other significant milestones in a firefighter’s life. When your birthday comes around, you are the one expected to provide the dessert to celebrate the occasion. When I told my wife of 25 years this, she found it hard to understand. “They should be buying you dessert!” she said. But that is just not how it is done in the firehouse. The same goes for milestones within the department, like when you reach five years, ten years, fifteen years, etc. Some guys just do the minimum and go buy a couple of tubs of ice cream and frozen pies. But that is often seen as a cop out since not much effort is really given to the gesture. One gets much more respect if you take a bit of time and effort into preparing a nice dessert. So, I’m not going to leave you hanging. Here is a dessert that is something you won’t find in the local grocery store but will impress your crew at home or at work. Enjoy! Suey’s Caliente Fried Bananas Resources: Tactics: Fry the chopped bacon in a skillet over medium high heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towel and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet put it back on the heat. Now sauté the peppers in the skillet for about 3 to 5 minutes to infuse the bacon grease with the hotness of the peppers. Then, using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the peppers. Add the brandy to the skillet to deglaze it. Be careful not to have the heat too high or you could have a nice flame roll up from the skillet. Add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the bananas and cook until they are browned on both sides. Carefully remove them from the skillet and set them aside with the bacon strips. Reduce the heat to low and slowly add the cream, using a whisk to stir constantly. Now add the rest of the ingredients and reduce liquid by ⅓ or until thick, stirring the whole time. Place two fried banana slices into a bowl and cover with some of the cream sauce. Drizzle with some chocolate syrup (optional) and top with some fried chopped bacon. Makes 8 servings. **Note: The term “Beanery” is still alive and well in the Seattle Fire Department and is still the name we apply to the kitchen today. Because of low wages early in SFD’s history, the firefighters could often only afford to buy beans for their meals. Beans were cheap and provided a high source of protein. The procedure was to soak the beans overnight and simmer them all day long in the kitchen…thus the term “Beanery.”
Welcome the new Firehouse Chefs Food TruckLive in the Southern California area and interested in enjoying Firehouse Chefs spices & cooking – in person?
Fire Captain & Chef Eddie Sell has taken these exciting changes and created Firehouse Fusion Food, imparting these flavors into delicious gourmet street food that is hitting Southern California streets in March of 2012! The FHC Food Truck will offer a variety of signature sandwiches, crisp & tasty salads, comfort finger foods & a Firehouse Chefs Special that will be inspired from our FHC Team. Additionally, if you enjoy the spices that Eddie & his team of Firehouse Chefs use in their delicious cooking, you can buy them – either right then & there from the truck, or later from the Firehouse Chefs Spice Store! For detailed spices info, please visit the Firehouse Chefs Spice Store. Interested in keeping up with the Firehouse Chefs Food Truck news? For all food truck inquiries, please contact us at info@firehousechefs.com.
But life in the big city often doesn’t allow for much shut eye. It is fairly common for the bell to hit for an alarm several times during the night. And, even on the rare occasion that we have a “no hitter,” one doesn’t really get to sleep very soundly. The thought of sleeping through an alarm prevents me from sleeping very deeply. Back in the ol’ days, old-time drivers would not wait for you to get on the rig. If you weren’t down the fire pole and on the rig in under a minute after the bell hit, they would take off and leave without you. Then when they’d get back, the Lieutenant on that rig would write you up on charges and your next paycheck would get docked. Those days are gone. Nowadays we won’t leave the station until everyone is on the rig. I’ve only had a couple of times in my career when I’ve had to run back upstairs and get someone out of bed for an alarm. One’s pay is not docked anymore, but the grief we give that member oversleeping through that alarm is punishment enough! Here is a recipe worth waking up for. We love our salmon here in Seattle, and I’m sure that you’ll love this breakfast dish if you’re not afraid of fish! Suey’s Seattle Strata with Citrus Hollandaise Sauce Resources:
Tactics: For the Strata: For the Citrus Hollandaise Sauce: Remove the strata from oven, sprinkle with scallions and serve with citrus hollandaise sauce over the top of each serving. Makes 8-10 servings. *Note: There is a difference between hot and cold smoked salmon. Cold-smoked salmon is thin, translucent, kind of looks like sushi, and often comes pre-sliced. This is the stuff you’d find in “Lox and Bagels.” Hot-smoked salmon is thick, opaque and has the skin attached. It is cooked completely and works best for this recipe. **Note: The term “Beanery” is still alive and well in the Seattle Fire Department and is still the name we apply to the kitchen today. Because of low wages early in SFD’s history, the firefighters could often only afford to buy beans for their meals. Beans were cheap and provided a high source of protein. The procedure was to soak the beans overnight and simmer them all day long in the kitchen…thus the term “Beanery.”
Initially, Michael exclusively offered his chocolates to catering clients. However, they were so beloved that he was compelled to provide them for retail sale. His clients weren’t the only ones lauding their value – he won gold, silver, and bronze awards in 2011. All of the chocolates he makes are done so by hand, which require exacting temperatures and environments to do them justice. This, really, is why Michael is reaching out: currently the facilities that he’s using are not ideal for the specific requirements that high-quality chocolates demand, and he is aiming to raise capital to open & equip his own chocolate factory and retail space. Enter KickStarter, a group-funding premise that compiles investors’ funds to get entrepreneurial ventures up & running. Anyone investing $25 or more will receive hand-written notes from Michael, and everyone investing $50 or more will be rewarded with his delightful chocolates. Who doesn’t love beautifully crafted French chocolates? We know that we do! As a matter of fact, we will be partnering with Michael in offering his chocolates in tandem with Firehouse Chefs food – pastries, to be exact: Michael will be supplying chocolate fire helmets, Maltese crosses & other such delectables to top cakes and other pastry items. Stay tuned!
I’ve had colleagues of mine tell me stories of trying to fight fire in -30°F weather in Alaska. As soon as the water stops flowing it freezes. They have a large flatbed truck come out after the fire so they can load the hose up onto it. The water has frozen the hose into long logs! While we don’t have to deal with temperatures quite as bad as that here in Seattle, we do often get a couple of weeks of snow each year. We rarely get more than a foot or so, but we have hills. Even though I chain up all the tires on my ladder truck, the laws of physics are unforgiving when you are trying to negotiate a 26 ton truck down a road that is covered with a few inches of snow on top of a couple of inches of ice.
Here is a great meal for one of those cold winter evenings. Served with some crusty bread you just can’t go wrong. Enjoy! Suey’s Traditional Hungarian Chicken Soup (Tyúkhúsleves) Resources: Tactics: Meanwhile, wash and peel the carrots, parsnips, celery root, and kohlrabi. Peel the garlic; leave whole and skewer onto a toothpick. Remove the brown outer peel of the onion. After the half hour, place the vegetables into the pot with the chicken. Adjust the flavor with more salt if necessary. Cover and simmer the soup for half an hour. Remove from heat for several minutes to let the soup settle. Using a ladle, pass the soup through a fine strainer into a large serving tureen. Remove the chicken meat from the bones and discard the skin and carcass. Place the meat into the tureen. Julienne the cooked carrots and parsnips and also add to the tureen. Discard the celery root, kohlrabi, garlic, and onion. Boil the noodles in salted water until al dente, then strain. Place a serving of noodles into each bowl. Ladle soup broth onto the noodles in each bowl along with some chicken and some vegetables. **When I had this soup at my Aunt’s house in the village of Csolnok, Hungary, the whole chicken was used. The tureen included the chicken gizzard, liver, and heart along with the feet and head! Mind you, this guy was running around the yard earlier that morning! My aunt proceeded to dish out the feet into my bowl as they are considered a delicacy. When she tried to give me the chicken head I politely passed. I did try the feet and they were surprisingly very tasty. *Note: The term “Beanery” is still alive and well in the Seattle Fire Department and is still the name we apply to the kitchen today. Because of low wages early in SFD’s history, the firefighters could often only afford to buy beans for their meals. Beans were cheap and provided a high source of protein. The procedure was to soak the beans overnight and simmer them all day long in the kitchen…thus the term “Beanery.” “VALENTINES DAY GIFT SPECIAL!! http://mdpchocolates.com |
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If you have been following my blog at all and have used my recipes, you probably have noticed that the quantities of food that I prepare for 8 to 10 people are large. There are a couple of reasons for this. One obvious reason is that the seven guys I work with on my shift are big boys and we work hard. It takes a decent quantity of good healthy food to keep our bodies fueled. Whether we are out inspecting buildings or hydrants, or running around on EMS calls, or, most obviously, fighting a fire, we need lots of energy to get the job done. Even when we have some free time, you’ll find firefighters working out and doing our best to keep fit for the job.
You’ve heard that firefighters are good cooks, but have you also heard that today’s fire service is rich with cultural diversity which has introduced a whole new world of taste into the firehouse kitchens of America?
Hey Firehouse Chefs community! Our very own Chef Michael Poole has shown himself to not only be successful as a firefighter and firehouse chef…his other love, chocolate, inspired his chocolatiering venture 
My station is located on top of Queen Anne Hill in downtown Seattle and we are surrounded by steep hills. Many of them are closed to all traffic during such conditions. So we have snow routes and we operate under the realization that it is just going to take us longer to arrive than normal. The point is to actually arrive! I cannot describe the feeling I get when I’m going about 5 miles an hour down a gradual hill on our snow route, lights flashing and siren blaring. Then, for a split second I feel the wheels slip and then grab again underneath me….major pucker factor! Regardless of the conditions where you live, your fire department is doing their best to get there safely and get the job done!