At-Home Chef
Patio-Perfect Simplicity
By Eric Pacella |
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Photo by Chris Casella 
Photo by Chris Casella Summer is finally in full swing, and what better way to spend an evening than to throw a few shrimp on the barbie, pop a nice bottle of rose, and enjoy a refreshing, relaxing dinner on the patio? (614) paired up with Head Chef Alex Rodriguez of Powell's Luce Enoteca this month to bring you this easy, but delicious meal. Peruvian Purple potatoes and white asparagus may sound exotic, but we found them in the Kroger produce department - in fact, all of these ingredients are available at your local grocery store. Preparing them correctly is just as easy. The true highlight of the dish is the bold, full-bodied Romesco sauce: try to resist the urge to drink it straight from the bowl.
Grilled Shrimp Skewers over Chevre-Purple Mashed Potatoes with White Asparagus and Romesco Sauce
Grilled Shrimp Skewers
6 gulf shrimp
6 skewers
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
Soak wood skewers in water for 5 minutes. Place 3 shrimp on each skewer. Brush shrimp with olive oil and lightly dust with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 - 3 minutes on each side.
Chevre-Purple Mashed Potatoes
2 medium-sized Peruvian Purple Potatoes
1 tablespoon Chevre goat cheese
3 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
Pinch of salt and pepper
Boil potatoes with skins on until soft. Strain and place potatoes in mixing bowl. Add cheese, chicken stock, butter, salt and pepper. Mash.
White Asparagus
4 spears White Asparagus
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
Add asparagus to boiling water. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Strain. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss.
Romesco Sauce
1/2 roasted red pepper
1 tablespoon blanched almonds
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 slice white bread, crust removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of minced garlic or 1/2 clove fresh garlic
Pinch of sweet smoked paprika
Place roasted red pepper, almonds, red wine vinegar, garlic, paprika and bread into blender. Begin to blend and slowly add extra virgin olive oil.
Meet the Chef
Alex Rodriguez moved from his home in Puerto Rico to New York City when he was 20 years old, with an eye to exploring the various cuisines and restaurants the Big Apple had to offer. He said that he made it his goal to work in as many ethnic restaurants as possible, in order to experience the various techniques and ingredients of cultures from across the world.
"I had a really solid background on Caribbean cooking. All the fruit and seafood and Caribbean spices, the Creole spices ... but New York opened my mind to all different cuisines, so it was really nice, because now I have knowledge in all different kinds of cooking," he explained, his voice richly accented. "I said, let me do this Italian restaurant for two years, or this Mediterranean restaurant for a year - Indian, French, I work all those restaurants."
Luce featured a predominantly Italian menu when Rodriguez and his wife Kelly took it over two years ago. Now, in addition to ramping up the wine selection to nearly 300 different bottles, Rodriguez has allowed Mediterranean dishes such as cous cous to inform the menu as well. He said Columbus is an exciting town with respects to the culinary arts, and that he has seen it grow significantly in the five years he has lived here.
"I see the Midwest like an open market," he said. "I think it's come really far ahead of some other places, for sure."
- David S. Lewis
Originally Published: July 1, 2010
