Chef's Voice: Nabil Ayoub of Roasted Garlic Dining Room
as told to Lynn Behrendt
I am chef and co-owner of the Roasted Garlic, the restaurant housed in the 1841 federal colonial building known as the Red Hook Country Inn. My business and life partner Pat Holden and I bought the Inn in 2004 and love living in the Hudson Valley. Since I was born in Egypt, I've often been asked how I made my way to Red Hook. It's been a rather circuitous but wonderful journey that has enabled me to live and cook all over the world.
It started in 1968 when I took a vacation to Greece and decided I wanted to stay there for awhile. Since my degree in Egyptian history & geography education did not enable me to teach in Greece, I began my kitchen career. I ultimately received my culinary degree at The City & Guild of London Institute. Since that time, I have lived and cooked in France, London, Israel, Dublin and other places throughout the world; most recently, New Jersey, where I worked under rabbinical supervision! I've been head chef in several restaurants and have owned a few myself, including one in Dublin that still operates today. Everywhere I lived and worked, I learned something new about cuisine. In Greece and Jerusalem I learned how to manage spices; in France I studied sauces and soups; in England I learned to cook with little flour, cream and butter. In fact, to this day I use none of those ingredients in my sauces or soups, since I feel my dishes are much healthier and just as delicious without them.
Despite all of my travels and experiences, the earliest and perhaps deepest influence on my cooking was my grandmother, with whom I would spend summers in Alexandria, Egypt. I have vivid memories of her going out to her garden, grabbing a handful of vegetables, and through some combination of love and magic, coming up with the most amazingly delicious and aromatic dishes.
While I spend my time in the Roasted Garlic kitchen, my partner Pat is the innkeeper. When we bought the place in 2004, it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream of hers. We've done quite a bit of work on the historic building, including putting 260 pounds of concrete in the basement to create floors; we also repaved the driveway and landscaped all around the house. Pat has redecorated the dining room and guest rooms. It's a great place to stay, thanks to Pat's attention to detail. Each room has a private bath, several with a fireplace and a whirlpool tub, an HDTV and wireless internet. We have a covered outdoor hot tub and every morning I prepare a big country breakfast for our guests.
I doubt I'll ever retire, since I enjoy what I do so much. Occasionally I do get away for a break. I have four children and four grandchildren living in Dublin. I'll be visiting them soon to be there for the birth of my fifth grandchild.
Throughout my career I've been thrilled to be able to cook for some very well-known people such as Mohammed Ali, Sammy Davis Jr., Princess Margaret, Yul Brenner, Barry White, Ari Onassis and Jackie Kennedy. But to be honest, what I like most about being a chef is providing enjoyment to people. For example, recently a nine year old boy came in with his mother and happened to taste my signature Roasted Garlic soup. With the first spoonful, his face lit up and he said, "Wow! This really is garlicky!" and he proceeded to enjoy every last drop of soup in the bowl. To me, that's what it's all about.
The Roasted Garlic restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Thursday through Monday and offers a "Catsup to Caviar" brunch every Sunday morning 10am to 3:00pm. The menu includes babaghanouj, tabouleh, sautéed eggplant, fish & chips in ‘English newspaper'; Moroccan-style braised rack of lamb with fresh mango & jalapeno-mint glaze, NY strip au poivre, chicken pot pie, shrimp in white wine, and vegetarian moussaka. A full service bar and light menu in the Afterglow Taproom features an international wine list. Prices: Lunch $6 to $15, Dinner $15 to $24, children's menu (under 10), $5. Acoustic music every Friday night at 7:30pm; and a Thursday evening is "Ladies Night" with live piano music and drink specials; Sunday features jazz. Address: Red Hook Country Inn, 7460 South Broadway, in the middle of Red Hook. Phone: (845) 758-8445
Chef Nabil's FAMOUS Irish Bread Pudding
Dry Ingredients:
3 lbs of day-old remnants of muffins, rich breads, or danish
12 oz. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla bean
Liquid Ingredients:
10 whole eggs, beaten
1 pint whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half & half
4 oz Irish Whiskey
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F for 20 minutes.
2. Coat a 10"x10" oven pan with butter.
3. Mix together the bread and muffin remnants and place evenly in tray.
4. Make the custard mix by combining eggs, milk, cream, half & half , whiskey and vanilla beans.
5. Pour evenly over bread base and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
6. Remove from oven and let settle. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream. Serves 10.
