Garlic bruschetta with fava bean puree and asparagus-feta salsa verde
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 bunch medium-large asparagus ( 8 stalks)
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, large crumbles
- 1 tablespoon Italian flat-leaf parsley, minced
- 1 tablespoon tarragon, minced
- 1 tablespoon chives minced
- 1 tablespoon mint, minced
- 1 clove garlic, micoplaned
- 1 tablespoon minced anchovies
- 2 tablespoons minced capers
- ¼ cup Nicoise olives, quartered
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Dash of Tabasco
- Fill a medium saucepan with water, add a tablespoon of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Fill a bowl with ice water. While the water is heating, snap off the ends of the asparagus.
- When the water reaches a boil, add the asparagus to the pot. Cook until the spears are slightly tender and bright green, about 4 to 6 minutes. (If you have a little thinner, tender asparagus, cook for just 1 to 2 minutes.) Please don't overcook. Use tongs to transfer the asparagus to the bowl of ice cold water. As soon as they're cool, remove the asparagus from the water, place on a plate and pat asparagus dry.
- Slice the stalks on the bias into pieces about 1/2-inch long. In a medium-sized bowl, gently toss the asparagus, feta, parsley, tarragon, mint, chives, garlic, anchovies, capers, Nicoise olives, vinegar, Tabasco, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ryan Scott zeroed in on his desire to be a chef at the early age of nine when the "toys" at the top of his Christmas list included kitchen utensils, a wok and food dehydrator. Growing up in Modesto, California, he developed a passion for the culinary arts and, at the same time, shaped his well-honed competitive side as a star player on the Los Banos High School varsity basketball team. Seeking to be the best at any early age, he entered the prestigious California Culinary Academy (CCA) in San Francisco in 1999.
Ryan's professional career began with a one-year internship at the acclaimed Bistro Roxy in Reno, Nevada. In 2001 the enchantment of Hawaii and its array of opportunity compelled him to move out of the landlocked Central Valley to the island of Maui, where he dove head-first into Polynesian cuisine and took full advantage of his surroundings, eventually working with two of Hawaii's finest chefs, Peter Merriman at Merriman's Bamboo Bistro and a brief and formative stage with Alan Wong.
Ryan's next ambition was to learn from the legendary Gary Danko, owner and executive chef of the celebrated Restaurant Gary Danko in San Francisco. To achieve his goal, Ryan continued his education with the CCA and ended up as an intern in Chef Danko's kitchen in 2002. Soon after achieving his accreditations and continuing as a part-time instructor at CCA, Ryan realized his dream and worked as a line cook at Gary Danko for three years. This formative experience gave him the often sought-after Five-Star culinary protocols and fueled his creative spirit, bestowing him with structure and culinary spontaneity.
Ryan's next move was back to the Central Valley in California, close to his heart and childhood home. He accepted a position in Fresno as Consulting Chef for David Milutonvich, owner of the Manhattan Restaurant, during its reopening in 2005. Eventually the siren song of New York's culinary scene and his goal to work with the country's best chefs were too compelling to ignore, and Ryan moved to Manhattan itself. There he embarked on an ambitious and very successful adventure that took him up and down the East Coast and across the country on Greyhound buses, hitchhiking and staying with friends while staging in the country's best restaurants with their acclaimed chefs. In New York he served for several months under the mentorship of Daniel Boulud, the award-winning chef, author and restaurateur; in Chicago he worked in the kitchen with Charlie Trotter at Trotter's, as well as Tru, Blackbird and Avec; at Jasper White's Lobster Shack, Radius, and Cleo in Boston; at Primo with Melissa Kelly in Rockland, Maine; with Chef Bob Kinkead at Kinkead's in Washington, D.C; with Suzanne Goin at Luques and A.O.C in Los Angeles; and at the restaurant Alex with chef Alessandro Stratta at the Wynn Las Vegas. This whirlwind escapade covered thirty-three restaurants on the East Coast and mid-America, cementing Ryan's talents, skills and vision as a chef, and honing his flare for refined Mediterranean cuisine.
In late 2005 Ryan moved back to San Francisco to become the Chef and Manager of Myth Café, which was instantly deemed a "hot" dining spot by the surrounding neighborhood's media, advertising, and marketing elite. The Café was recognized as the city's number one dining destination by San Francisco magazine (2006). In spring 2008 Ryan competed as one of 16 chefs on Bravo's top reality show, Top Chef: Chicago. Last year, Ryan also spent time as the executive chef at Mission Beach Café in San Francisco. Ryan continues to develop restaurant concepts, his consulting business, Ryan Scott 2GO, and works extensively with community organizations such as Meals On Wheels of San Francisco, Inc., the American Heart Association, and the Guardsman Association.
Website: http://www.ryanscott2go.com
