Five Things I Learned at Work this Week Vol. 8

Monday, June 16th: My chef taught me about the pork shoulder, specifically the coppa, which is a muscle in the shoulder region of the pig. We talked about it, then a few hours later he said, “Palmer, wanna come over here to see the coppa?” He was trimming the shoulder into pieces small enough to grind for sausage.

Tuesday, June 17th: The servers have the back of house's backs & vice versa. At 9:30—after we closed at 9—one of the servers came back and told me she was pushing the Tiramisu to her last table, as opposed to the Olive Oil Cake, just because she knows the Tiramisu plating is much simpler.

Wednesday, June 18th: Oso buco is a specific cut from the leg of an animal, typically veal, or another young animal. I got it my last night in Italy, and I knew it was good, but I didn’t quite know what makes a traditional oso buco. I honestly thought it referred to the cooking style, rather than the cut itself.

Thursday, June 19th: I learned how to make carbonara at home. First, mix pecorino, parmesan, and egg yolk in a bowl. Then, in a pan, render off guanciale with cracked black pepper for fragrance. Once that has a light sear, add the cooked pasta & a bit of pasta water to the pan and mix. Next, add a touch of pasta water to your cheese-yolk bowl to loosen the sauce up a bit. Lastly, add your pasta & guanciale to the bowl, et voila. Carbonara at home.

Friday, June 20th: Friday night taco trucks are the best thing that have happened to me since working in the service industry. I go to the same one every week, and I get a burrito every time. "You got chicken last week, you want the same or you wanna try carnitas today?" He's got my back.