Didja miss us?!

Open Stove, COOK’s recurring culinary battle, took a brief break in frigid February, but it was back and stranger than ever in the month of March. The 11th installment of the series brought in two new game victims competitors ready to take on absolutely anything: Carmen Cappello (left), COOK vet and sous chef/charcuterie expert aboard The Moshulu; and Jamie Wolf, who kills it in the kitchen of the nearby Alma de Cuba. Would Cappello capitalize on his familiarity with the battlefield and come out with his glove raised? Or would Wolf continue in the tradition of first-ever female victor Hilary Hamilton and earn the W? Read on to find out!

As far as the rules of OSXI, same as it ever was: Each chef is required to cook four courses, fully pre-preparing only an amuse bouche and a dessert. For app and entree, the COOK staff throws ’em crazy secret ingredients and other momentum-halting roadblocks to see how they react and/or crack. The winner = decided by the crowd’s popular vote. It was smooth sailing at first, with Jamie’s sous chef Kate (above) and Carmen’s right-hand man Danny maxin’ and relaxin’ almost as much as the guests, which popped the tops off brown-paper-bagged “Mystery Beers” inspired by frequent COOK hangout Tangiers. Cheers!

For the amuse: Jamie tapped into her ceviche skillz from Alma (plus a previous stint at Chifa) with a Peruvian citrus-marinated scallop ceviche flavored with pomegranate, celeriac and toasted hazelnut (above). Cappello, ever the crowd-pleaser, had the wherewithal to ply the voters with booze as a first course: his spin on a michelada, tomato juice and Negra Modelo hooked up with raw Pacific Northwest oysters and pickled cukes and chilies he made himself.

It was soon came time for the unveiling of the first secret ingredient: starfruit! In addition to looking like it was a totally sweet toss toy manufactured by Nerf, this Southeast Asian fruit is known for its super-juicy texture and crisp, pear-ish texture. How would Cappello and Wolf work it to their advantage? (Also, check out the thematic woven basket in which the starfruit were unveiled! Team COOK always nails the details.)

We quickly learned that, by pure happenstance, both chefs had packed octopus for their appetizer. What are the octo-odds? While Cappello’s stewed in lemony, herby broth (top), Wolf’s suckas got sliced into coins by Kate for course number two…

…an escabeche-style octo/scallop combo for Cappello, hooked up with guacamole, watercress and starfruit (top); and a poached octopus with apple cider vinegar-pickled starfruit for Jamie, main elements informed by Brussels sprout leaves and a dusting of sugarcane ash (bottom). Pretty impressive on the fly, guys.

As soon as everyone finished up their app plates, we were made privy to the theme ingredient for the entree course — Bacos. Friggin’ BACOS! These Betty Crocker-created wonders of American culinaire, a sneeze-guarded salad bar staple, pack plenty of smoky flavor, but they’re actually 100% vegan product — yes, the bacon bits your weird aunt carries around in her purse actually contain no pork at all! (They’re kosher, too — l’chaim.) Cappello and Wolf scrambled to work these meatless wonder bits into their mains, all while juggling additional secret ingredients (Spam!) they’d snagged out of the bonus-points box introduced to them at the outset of the battle. (Each pink tally you see on the chalkboard up top represents a bonus ingredient, and a bonus point, for each chef.) Of course, this is Open Stove, so yet another culinary curveball was nigh…

…Cappello and Wolf were told that they were not allowed to physically cook their main course, leaving all the actual chopping, slicing, stirring, searing and basting solely to their sous chefs, Danny and Kate. They were, however, permitted to taste and lend moral support. Man, the Open Stove powers that be are sick puppies, no?

And here’s what Danny and Kate managed to crank out for the crowds by themselves. While Cappello’s side crusted yellowfin tuna in Bacos, searing them into the fish in a buttered hot pan, Kate built a quicker-than-quick Bacos-laden fideua, a hearty noodle dish prepared in a similar style to paella. In the end…

…Cappello put out their fish with a whiskey/coffee sauce, Spam/sea urchin/’shroom hash (so good) and Brussels sprouts, while Wolf topped her flavorful noodly base with head-on prawns seared a la plancha. Both chefs made tremendously quick, delicious work of the many challenges placed in front of them, and both made it look way too easy.

After scraping their dessert plates clean — Cappello’s pannacotta, with blood orange sorbet and macerated berries; then Wolf’s olive oil honey/orange cake with champagne pearls — it came time for the toughest part of every cookoff: the voting. Once the scores were tallied and double- and triple-checked, Wolf came out as the winner of Open Stove XI, making it two victories in a row for the ladies. Who will be throwing down in the Open Stove Arena for Open Stove XII? Keep an eye on the soon-to-launch April schedule for the answer to that burning, hunger-inducing question.

All Photos: Drew Lazor

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