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The Eiger Section
The adventures of a young chef in Switzerland starring Clint Eastwood as me……Part One.
Franco the Italian…
It’s 1986 and my interest in cooking has started to flourish, I know that eventually I want to work abroad and am fascinated by the big chef names of the hotel world. Back then it was the chefs of the grand hotels that were the celebrities, more so than the michelin starred restaurant chefs. Anton Mossimann from the Dorchester was the main man and the fact that he had worked in Switzerland, Tokyo and England made him all the more interesting to me.
I managed to secure a work placement in Switzerland each summer for two consecutive years. I loved it there, the scenery was breathtaking, the people were very friendly and the way of life really appealed to me. I worked in a restaurant owned by a German chef who cooked very well, albeit in the style of Keith Floyd with a beer or wine to hand every lunch and dinner. The menu comprised mostly of local and regional specialities and in between working there I would help his friend and fellow chef, a big Italian called Franco.
Franco spoke very little English but was incredibly funny and was a joy to work for. I helped him to build rabbit hutches behind his restaurant which he filled full of choice bunnys destined for his large stock pots. He once took me to see a rabbit breeder in a neighbouring village, we borrowed chef’s mini bus and found a cassette tape of Hawian music which he played all the way there, swerving all over the autobahn as he demonstrated Hawian dance moves to me. The woman who owned the rabbits was the most stony faced misery I have ever met and I shall never forget the look on her face as we stood and watched whilst two rabbits went ten to the dozen in front of us. Franco was particularly impressed with the performance of his rabbit and told the woman it was a chip off the old block! she looked disgusted and I almost passed out laughing.
Franco had a young apprentice called Hannah (or something) a pretty young swiss girl who I took a teenage shine to. She would blush every time I saw her and Franco would rub it in at every opportunity. On my last night he set a table up in the kitchen with a candle and a rose in the middle, turned all of the lights off and made us both sit there and eat schnitzel. I’ve never been so embarrased and it didn’t help that he stood leant against the sink, arms folded humming Italian love songs.
Franco, like my chef Herr Schneider aka Karl Heinz, aka Charlie was a remarkable cook, he was a natural cook, organised, never flustered and always in control. When you ate in his restaurant you were coming to his house for a social evening and that is how he cooked and everyone knew it. He had a huge prescence and was widely respected.
Looking back I was very fortunate to work for three chefs (Franco, Charlie and Chef Barker) who all had an ability to make cooking look very easy at times when it was extremely hard. From an early age I began to understand the art of instinctive cooking which I suppose is the reason why I never enjoyed catering college.
Miles,
Lovely story. Again, we can go back to one of your earlier posts on how important people are who manage to influence our lives/careers. Very interesting also looking back in your case and seeing former chefs now with your more experienced professional eye with each having left their mark in some individual way.
By the way, was your restaurant in Switzerland a heavy user of Swiss Cheese?
November 8, 2007 @ 2:28 pm
Elsie,
They all played a key role in my development and I now can understand the b*********s and the reasons behind them. Can’t remember much about the cheese though!
Miles
November 8, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
Miles,
Your trips down memory lane are proving more entertaining than the novel I’m currently reading! Aren’t people interesting though … today I wandered into a tile shop, an hour later I had heard the life story of its young owner, fast cars, women and business with the odd tile thrown in for good measure!
Back to food …. tonight I cooked crispy fried beef with vegetables and rice. Delicious, mainly due to the lager batter I used and the quality of the meat. If anyone’s interested I will run through the ingredients and method.
Cid
November 8, 2007 @ 6:43 pm
Cid,
Yes pleeeaaase.
I love it, from tiles to beef & lager
November 8, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
Elsie,
Just for you, here we go….
For the crispy fried beef:
A large heavy based saucepan two thirds full of oil, I used sunflower.
Fillet or rump/sirloin beef sliced into 5mm thick strips, fat and sinew removed
4oz plain flour approx
flat teaspoon baking powder (or you could just use sr flour)
pinch salt and pepper
lager, enough to make a thick batter so add a little at a time, drink the rest!
You don’t need a fancy fat fryer but a long handled metal slotted spoon is a good idea. Mix batter ingredients, heat oil until a drop of batter bubbles quickly up to the surface. Stir the strips of meat (could use chicken or pork) which should be trimmed so no gristly sinew remains, into the batter. Carefully drop each strip into the hot oil (mind fingers) and cook until golden and crisp … should take only a matter of minutes if mine were anything to go by. Spoon the strips out onto a plate with kitchen paper to drain excess oil. At the same time you can be cooking some basmati rice which usually takes between 10 and 15 mins only, don’t over cook. In a frying pan add a tablespoon oil to stir fry a selection of your favorite oriental veg, like beansprouts, baby corn, sliced mushroom etc., with a little garlic and ginger and some finely chopped spring onions. Tonight all three of these dishes cooked at the same time …. how I wish I could always say that! Serve with chilli/Japanese soya/satay dipping sauces and perfectly cooked rice. Remember a little meat goes a long way in a dish like this and don’t overcrowd the oil pan, rather do the meat in batches if you are cooking for a lot of people. Afterwards perhaps some jasmine tea. Enjoy!
Cid
November 8, 2007 @ 9:10 pm
Cid,
Oh my goodness., I am overwhelmed!
Thank you so much for taking the trouble and writing all this down. I am printing it off as I write and will try and do it justice.
Miles, I rather fancy that Cid could be a good help in your kitchen.
November 8, 2007 @ 9:50 pm
Elsie,
The only help I could be to Miles kitchen would be to keep a safe distance
I always need a troop of cleaners after a cooking session but my enthusiasm continues. Trouble is Elsie, my other current obsessions are roofing, paving stones and bathroom fittings, into which I throw myself with equal gusto!
Cid
November 8, 2007 @ 10:27 pm
Cid,
Well done, sounds wonderful! Wouldn’t mind a plate of that with a lager to wash it down!
Do you flavour your basmati? If I am serving a strong curry I keep it plain otherwise I like to add a couple of lime leaves, a couple of cloves and cadamom pods. When it’s 3/4 cooked I take it off the heat, cover it and leave it to steam and carry on cooking. It absorbs all of the water and the seasonings with it.
Thanks Cid, really good comment.
Miles
November 8, 2007 @ 10:32 pm
Miles,
I usually don’t flavour the basmati but next time I’m going to try your method, it might help those of us who have a habit of over cooking. Over the years I’ve been fussy about what brand of rice to buy… I like the smell and taste of basmati and some I’ve had have been bland to say the least.
Cid
November 9, 2007 @ 8:07 am
Cid,
Have you tried Thai Jasmine rice, that is particularly good. It would go well with your tea of choice!
Miles
November 9, 2007 @ 8:16 am
Miles,
I’ve always been disappointed with Thai jasmine rice…. could be me of course. It isn’t the texture, just lack of flavour. I shall investigate further and try again, perhaps I’m missing something good!
Cid
November 9, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Cid,
Lime leaves and a bashed up lemongrass stick for flavour-works a treat!
Miles
November 9, 2007 @ 4:09 pm
Hi Miles,
A Great read ….. I wonder how many Rabbits there are now ?.
“Art of Instinctive Cooking”,
Nice line - at the end of the day if the ability is there it will find a way.
November 9, 2007 @ 4:49 pm
SC
I would think he must be nearly retired now but I reckon he must have got through a fair old few!
As for ability finding its way you are quite right, it usually comes out in the end-that’s what I keep telling myself about my lot!
Thanks for the comment
Miles
November 9, 2007 @ 9:50 pm