Iron Chef a softy
By CATHY THOMAS
April 21, 2009 - 4:24PM
I've watched Michael Symon tackle unimaginable culinary challenges on Food Network's "Iron Chef" competitions, as well as episodes of "Dinner: Impossible." Pressure that would make others weak in the knees sends him into endearing, rapid-fire laughter.
It's an open-mouth roar, a series of about seven roof-of-the-mouth hoots. First loud and short, then slightly softer and spaced further apart.
Zov Karamardian showcased Symon's talents at a recent two-day charity fundraiser at Zov's Bistro in Tustin, Calif. Karamardian underwrote both the six-course dinner and a cooking class. All funds went to The James Beard Foundation to provide culinary scholarships.
Two of Symon's three restaurants are in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Before his arrival, I wanted to find out if his TV persona is the real deal. So I called Joe Crea, food editor at Cleveland's Plain Dealer newspaper.
"He's a mensch," Crea said, using the Yiddish expression for someone who makes others feel good.
"He laughs all the time, but he also has a serious, well-grounded personality. He has taken a lot of staples of the Great Lakes-Midwest diet and brought finesse to their preparation. Dishes like pierogi (Polish dumplings) can be stodgy-yet-satisfying but hardly sophisticated. He fills them with beef cheeks and turns them into a roll-your-eyes flavor combination."
Symon chose to demonstrate keftedes, a simple appetizer-style dish. These walnut-sized meatballs, a 50-50 combination of lamb and beef, are from a recipe passed down from his Greek grandmother to his mother. Before adding the fragrant spices (a mixture of coriander, cumin, cinnamon and nutmeg), he gently sweated finely chopped onion in hot oil.
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