Jul 07
How do I come up with the recipes that we serve at Carino's? Well, first of all, I get my ideas and inspirations from lots of different places. Most of my ideas come from my culinary visits to Italy and parts of the United States, where I find great food and try to 'Carinofy' it. This is the term I use to make a recipe fit the value, price point, and style of food that our guests at Carino's tend to like the most. A great example of this is our Shredded Beef Papparedelle, which is currently on our menu. This classic Tuscan dish is traditionally made in Italy with roasted boar. I am not so sure if that would work with us so I 'Carinofy' it by using hand-shredded pot roast to broaden the appeal, while still using the pappardelle pasta and bolognese sauce that makes the dish a classic. I closely study food trends to see what would be most appealing to our guests. In these trying economic times, I also try to utilize ingredients that we can get at a good value so that we can pass that value on to our guests.
Another way I come up with new menu items is by focusing on one ingredient and brainstorming all the different ways I can serve it. This summer, I developed a smoked chicken ravioli that is to die for. It is a great blend of a traditional Italian ravioli with a unique, flavorful smoked and pulled chicken filling. I then worked on serving the ravioli in numerous sauces and presentations. What we ended up with was two versions. The first version is the San Marzano Chicken Ravioli, focusing on the flavorful San Marzano tomato sauce to compliment the smoked chicken. The second version is the Smoked Chicken and Jalapeno Cream Ravioli, which has some kick with its roasted peppers and onions in a jalapeno cream sauce. One great smoked chicken ravioli, two completely different and flavorful ways to serve it. We are running these new dishes all summer long and they have been a huge success - please come in and give them a try, I'd love to know what you think!
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