top of page
Search

Week 3 Reflection

  • dcm0062
  • Sep 7, 2021
  • 7 min read

The Final Product


Overall Outcomes

Did the cooking technique work or not?

What Worked:

I found that cutting the vegetables julienne then dicing them was rather critical in the integrity of the dish. Having the same size pieces of vegetables was extremely important in creating a uniform and consistent minestrone soup. The coolest technique I used and one I've never utilized before was when making the tomato concassee. I have peeled tomatoes before but, dropping them in boil water for 10 seconds then immediately in ice cold water made that process infinitely easier. This was the technique I found to be most fascinating and useful to me during the cooking process. Another technique I believe strongly benefitted my dish was searing the vegetables first then putting in the broth and rest of the ingredients. This allowed for the vegetable to have a crisp outside rather than a soggy piece of vegetable.

What Didn't Work:

I believe the worst technique was putting the pasta into the soup before the beans and cabbage. Putting the pasta in before the beans and cabbage made the noodles become too mushy and soft. It would have worked out better if I would have put the pasta in after the beans and cabbage. So instead of having to wait for the beans and cabbage to get done while the pasta is being over cooked, I could cook the pasta until it is perfect. The other technique that I believe didn't make this dish better was keeping the noodle whole instead of breaking them in half. I think breaking the noodles in half would have produced a more consistent and uniform soup. What I mean by this is that in every bite of soup you take there will be pasta. In my soup, keeping the pieces whole allowed for pasta-less bites, but I believe breaking the pasta in half will create a ratio of pasta to soup that I will approve of.

The Dishes Characteristics.

Texture: My minestrone soup had a great texture. My soup had a very smooth and fluid texture. There was no gritting texture which I was very pleased with. But, even though my broth was smooth, my soup wasn't too thin, nor too thick. I believe it was right in the goldy-locks zone. Furthermore, the vegetables had a great texture due to searing them prior to adding in the vegetable stock. This gave the vegetables a crisp outside and a soft inside even after adding the stock. The cabbage added a great texture that was desperately needed. When eating every bite of the soup you are meet with a soft, delicate texture, until you bite into a piece of cabbage. The cabbage allows for a crunchy texture that adds something necessary and different to the soup. The only criticism I have towards any component of my soup would be the pasta. Since the recipe called to put the pasta in before the beans and cabbage, it got overcooked. Which gave the pasta a mushy and gumming texture that was undesired.

Taste: The taste of the union, hint of garlic, and tomato paste is what made the dish for me. The union added a sweet flavor to the soup which I believe contributed the most to the flavor. The garlic contributed that iconic garlic taste which I adore. The tomato paste was the foundation for the taste of the dish. It gave off that wonderful sweet and acidic tomato taste because I allowed it to cook on the surface of the pot.

Flavor: The flavor of the minestrone soup was wonderful. Every ingredient contributed in its own way to the unique flavor of minestrone soup. The sweet flavor given off by seared unions was a wonderful and ideal component to the flavor. This helped generate a flavor that wasn't too sweet but wasn't to basic as well. I believe the unions were a critical part of the flavor. The garlic helped the flavor by giving it a little garlic hit in every bite which complemented well with the sweetness of the union. The tomato paste gave the flavor and amazing bitter, sweet, and acidic taste you look for in this ingredient. The carrots, celery, zucchini, and tomato cancassee adding an earthy, reviving, and healthy punch. This punch of flavor made the soup feel very light but filling at the same time. We can't forget about the bouquet garni which discussing the flavor of the my dish. This ingredient added so much trace flavors that were crucial. These trace flavors could be tasted and helped conjoin the taste from the other ingredients. The basil, parsley, and peppercorns created an appetizing smell while cooking and eating the soup. But, that's not all it achieved.

Appearance:

ree

ree


ree

Recipe Cost

This dish is a very affordable and practical meal if you are eating on a budget. The recipe I have contain enough food for four people. The running cost of this meal is $18.54 which is $4.64 per portion. As well, as it being very cheap, it is a very nutritious, healthy, and delicious dish.

My Personal Evaluation

Why did certain techniques work or not work?

Medium dicing the vegetables for this recipe become very beneficial for the overall success. Medium dicing the vegetables is extremely effective when all cut into equal pieces. The equal pieces will result in uniform cooking of each pieces. This cutting method works great for soups and stews which is why it worked great for this recipe.

ree

Utilizing the julienne method of cutting prior to medium dicing the vegetables was extremely important in obtaining uniform pieces. This allowed me to lay the pieces flat and aligned on a cutting board.

When putting the tomato paste in the pot after searing the vegetables. I cleared out a spot in the pot so that the tomato paste could rest directly on the pot surface. This allowed for the flavors in the tomato paste to be extracted more throughly. As well, it gave the color of my soup a darker and richer color.


Similar to the tomato paste I found it very beneficial to allow the unions to brown on the surface of the pan by themselves. By doing this I obtained the sweet taste that a union holds. This sweet flavor was a very prominent component when eating my soup

Both the errors in my dishes technique came with the pasta. The first flaw was keeping the noodles whole instead of breaking them in half. I wish I had so that the noodle to soup ratio would have been more congruent. The second flaw in my pasta was that I over cooked it due to the recipe telling me to cook the pasta in the soup for ten minutes. This made the noodles soggy and mushy which is not a desired trait. Every type noodle takes different amounts of time when cooking. So, in the future I will research how to cook the pasta I'm using so that I can obtain the best product.

Improving my Outcomes

I believe that my two biggest flaws in my dish was the pasta and presentation. My pasta suffered severely because it was overcooked. If I cook this recipe again and will put the pasta in last so that I can cook it to perfection. Secondly, I would create a better presentation when my dish is complete. I just through mine in a bowl and called it a day. Next time I will create a much prettier presentation so that its more appealing to the eye.

Conclusion

Learning Objectives Achieved

I feel that I had the most success in the proper ways to cut up the vegetables. Prior to this lab I had good knife skills but, I would chop things up into random pieces. I had no clue why different cuts were important for different dishes. As well how to even cut ingredients into the desired cuts. But now, I have a clear understanding of how to make cuts and when to apply them to a recipe.


ree
ree









Another learning objective that I feel benefitted me the most is the principles of making a stock. Before the lab I had no idea how to make a stock. I had the basic knowledge of throwing stuff in a pot with water but that was it. Now I understand how to make a stock and what characteristics differentiate a great, good, and bad stock.

Applying Techniques to other Recipes

The two things I will be able to apply from this lab to other recipes is cutting methods and stocks. As I state previously my knowledge on cutting methods was nothing. But, now since I have an understanding of the different methods, I can apply them to every dish I make from here on out. This is something I will use the rest of my life since I cook a lot for myself and others. Secondly, the ability to create my own stock will benefit my future dishes exponentially. I will no longer have to buy a pre-paid stock and I will be able to produce a better stock. This will enhance my dishes quality and taste.

How I can Improve

I can improve more on my vegetables cuts and creating a stock. Even though I feel very comfortable doing both these things, there is always room for improvement. I can still become more efficient and precise when making variations of cuts. As of now, I am no where near being an expert in this field so until then I can expand. I have yet to make a stock all by myself from scratch so improvement there is necessary. I understand the concepts and steps that go towards making a stock but, I will continue to enhance my stocks with practice. As most things, trial and error is critical when learning something new. I know in the future I will mess up a stock but, by doing so I will learn from it and then next time it will be better.



Citations

Parisi, C. (2020, August 05). Kitchen tip: How to pan sear and saute. Retrieved from https://www.heinens.com/recipes/kitchen-tip-how-to-pan-sear-saute/











 
 
 

Recent Posts

See All

Comments

bottom of page