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Oven-baked Marinated Beets and Labneh Cheese with Almonds

by on May 23, 2022 in Chef of the Month, chef simona lauren, Recipes

Bringing the mystery to our kitchens and tables, Chef Simona introduces her Marinated Beets recipe. Carefully delivered along Labneh cheese and almonds after going through an oven-baked process. We invite you to dive in and experience the new flavors this plate can bring to your future meals! Below is a detailed list of ingredients for both the main dish and marinade. Follow this recipe and you can too accomplish this culinary work of art!

Ingredients

  • 3 medium beets
  • 1 jar of labneh cheese (this can be replaced by goat cheese)
  • Rice paper (most commonly used to make Spring Rolls)
  • 2 cups of oil
  • 50 grams of almonds
  • 100 grams of arugula salad
  • 100 grams of frozen green peas
  • A handful of fresh mint leaves
  • 1 a.s. soda
  • A pinch of salt

For the marinade

  • 100 ml. of Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 200 grams of sugar
  • 300 ml. of water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 corns of allspice

Production Process

  1. Place the unpeeled beets on a baking sheet and bake at 180C for about 40 minutes until slightly soft.
  2. Heat the oil, preheat the fire, and place it on the rice paper.
  3. Everything will happen very quickly, so be sure to have a paper towel, where you will place the baked rice paper. As soon as they puff, pull them out immediately.
  4. Boil a cup of water, add baking soda, boil the peas for 2 minutes, simmer and place them in ice-cold water. Drain them.
  5. In a blender, add your handful of mint, salt, and blanched peas. Add 3 tablespoons of water and grind everything to a smooth mass. If you want the mass to be a beautiful green, make sure the blender doesn’t heat up.
  6. Prepare a pot and add all the ingredients for the marinade, bring to a boil.
  7. Get the cleaned beets and cut into slices with the thinnest number of “mandolins”. Add the still warm marinade and keep them in there for at least a few hours.
  8. Take some of those beets, drop them in the blender and make a puree out of it for beautiful plating and textures.

After a few hours, you can start plating the dish.

Connect with our May 2022 Chef of the Month
Instagram: @chefsimonalauren
Website: www.chefsimonalauren.com
Facebook: Simona Lauren

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Asian-marinated Squid by Chef Simona

by on May 6, 2022 in Chef of the Month, chef simona lauren, Recipes

Dive in with us into Chef Simona Lauren’s Asian marinated squid with squid ink spaghetti and sriracha mayonnaise. This innovative recipe allows 4 servings and can be described as a fresh and exclusive twist on a plate where squid is the main character.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium-sized cooled octopus
  • 3 tablespoons of squid ink
  • 150g. of spaghetti pasta (I use homemade, but you can do without them)
  • 4 slices of garlic
  • 80 grams of Ponzu sauce
  • 2 teaspoons of Sriracha sauce (it can replace Chili sauce)
  • 100 grams mayonnaise
  • 2 lemons

Production process

Before making squid, be sure to boil it in boiling water and peel off the skin. Scalded octopuses do not harden during baking and do not become rubbery. Be sure not to skip this step.

Squid Marinade

  1. Stir in the ponzu sauce, grate the lemon zest, finely chop the garlic, add the 1st-century sriracha and leave to marinate until the pasta is ready. Salt is not needed, because the ponzu sauce is already quite salty.
  2. Boil water. Add salt and a pinch of oil. Cook the pasta for 7-8 minutes or until they are almost cooked, but still a little green inside (al dente).
  3. Put the pasta in a preheated pan with the remaining finely chopped garlic. Add the water in which you boil the pasta and 3 tablespoons of edible squid ink. Sautee for a few more minutes until the pasta is soft and black.
  4. Mix the mayonnaise with the remaining sriracha sauce.
  5. In a heated skillet, fry the squid over high heat until cooked through.

Connect with our May 2022 Chef of the Month
Instagram: @chefsimonalauren
Website: www.chefsimonalauren.com
Facebook: Simona Lauren

Shop Chef Coats

Meet Chef Simona Lauren, our May 2022 Chef of the Month

by in Chef of the Month, chef simona lauren, Interview with a Chef

Women Chef Coat
Chef Simona wears our Modern Fit with Piping Women’s 1-Pocket Long Sleeve and Fabric Covered Buttons Chef Coat for maximum comfort and style.

As we walk ourselves into warmer weather, it is with a lot of excitement that we introduce or May 2022 Chef of The Month, Chef Simona Lauren. Her presence in the kitchen and our tables can easily be described as a ray of sunshine. While obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Lithuania in Economy Sciences, her true love for food was always going along with her. Her set of skills which features fine dining cuisine, wine, and food pairing, kitchen design, menu development, budgeting, and other hospitality standards has been highly influenced by her  Austrian, German, Italian, French, Scandinavian chefs training. Over the years she has had the opportunity to help open nine different restaurants  in Lithuania, Norway and the United States, including one of her own.

Providing her clients with a delicious and nutritious meal that meets each of their requirements is a priority for her. Chef Simona Lauren has been certified as a Nutrition Coach at the National Academy of Sports Medicine in the United States.

Join us in getting to know more intimately this incredibly versatile Chef by reading her interview below:

1. Where were you born? 

Lithuania

2. Where do you work and where are you based? 

Phoenix, Arizona. Private Chef Simona Lauren.

3. What is your favorite kitchen tool in creating your masterpieces/dishes?

My Kitchen Aid appliances and my Santoku knife.

4. What is your sharpest sense out of all the 5 senses?

I would say all of them. My most preferred ones are taste and vision.

5. What advice would you offer to aspiring chefs?

Never give up, follow your dreams and do what is right. Never forget to treat everyone around as you would like to be treated.

6. What is one culinary tip every chef should know and perfect?

An organized and clean space will help to make your work not only easier but also greater. The way you and your workspace look will affect your dish too.

7. What does good food mean to you?

Memories. A great dish should bring you memories and become a topic of conversation.

8. What features are important to you when selecting your chef outfit? 

Comfort.

9. Favorite ingredient to work with? 

Chocolate and fish.

10. Favorite City to dine out in? 

London.

11. Best Dish you have ever made? 

There’s a lot of them so it’s really hard to say, but from the dessert side, I would say the Chocolate Morel Truffle Sphere in Bavarian Mousse cloud.

12. What do you like to eat most often on your days off? 

Good homemade mama’s food. Lithuanian Stuffed Cabbage is my favorite, or Asian Ramen Soup.

13. Person you would most like to cook for? 

My grandfather.

14. What are some of the difficulties you’d say that chefs most often encounter?

A bad and disrespectful restaurant environment, where long hours of dedication can literally kill you.

15. What made you decide to become a chef?
My grandmother when I was 4 years old. We were making ravioli. I told her I wanted to have my own restaurant.

Connect with our May 2022 Chef of the Month
Instagram: @chefsimonalauren
Website: www.chefsimonalauren.com
Facebook: Simona Lauren

Shop Chef Coats


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