Hell's Boudoir, aka The F(idelity) Word

According to the UK's Daily Mail, despite GORDON RAMSAY'S insistence he's happy with his wife and family, the "Kitchen Nightmares" and "Hell's Kitchen" star has been catering an affair with a "professional" mistress. Ramsay refused to comment on the story, which alleges that the relationship began in 2001. The Mail also claims Ramsay and the woman, SARAH SYMONDS (pictured right, displaying her spice rack), used legal sex drugs in their trysts.

P.S. Had brunch at Ramsay's MAZE Restaurant in The London, midtown NYC, last fall...food was bland-de-blah, service was biblical Babel revisited...a hive of disconnected waitpeople, bussers and crumbers, each speaking in their native tongue (every language but inglés).
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Savour Fare

OK, she's not a famous TV chef yet, but I ran into Naked Theatre alum and old chum STACEY FERENCE at a mutual friend's 40th birthday party last Saturday. She runs the show over at the METRO GRILLE & BAR in Shelton, CT, plus she has her own catering business, Anglically-entitled "Savour." Get those Hanukkah/Xmas/Kwanzaa orders in pronto! 203-906-7144.
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I CALLED IT!

I TOLJA Top Cheftestant LAUREN would get ejected faster than Eve from the garden (she had trouble with apples too). Too bad the Rainbow Team's wattage was diminished by cutie-pie PATRICK'S exit. I'm liking JAMIE; her restaurant in San Francisco, Absinthe, is a must-stop.
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Cooks can be deceiving...

This week...TOP CHEF SEASON 5 NEW YORK! Premieres Wednesday, November 12, 10/9c, only on Bravo...watch what happens!

My pick right off the bat is FABIO...30, native of Florence, owner and executive chef of Café Firenze Italian Restaurant & Martini Bar in Ventura County, CA. Personal cook to WILLIAM SHATNER...how can he lose? Looking into my crystal matzo ball, I predict LAUREN will get the ax first, and STEFAN will win the "I'm not yer bitch, Bitch!" crybaby award. So glad TOMMY C's back at the judges' table, but uppity anorexic PADMA? EAT something, grlll...

Bravo's recipe du jour:

Pumpkin Soup
Prep Time: one hour
Serves: 4

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 brown onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g butternut pumpkin, peeled and diced
4 cups/1 liter chicken stock

Directions:
1. Heat oil in saucepan, add onion and garlic and sauté 5 minutes.
2. Add pumpkin and toss to coat with the onion mixture. Add the stock and bring mixture to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on, until the pumpkin is cooked.
4. Allow mixture to cool and transfer in batches to blender jug.
5. Select the 5/puree speed, blend until smooth.
6. Return pureed soup to saucepan to heat through, adjust seasoning before serving.
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DiSpirito Santo

Only in New York. I moved to 22nd Street in the summer of 2002. Being a reality show freak, how excited was I to find out that The Restaurant was being filmed weekly just a few blocks away! Chef, author and Star-Dancer Rocco DiSpirito opened Rocco's 22nd Street in the summer of 2003 while cameras for NBC's The Restaurant watched and took notes. Later that summer, more than nine million viewers a week tuned in to see the ups and downs of DiSpirito's family-inspired eatery. The second series aired in the spring of 2004. My neighbor Lori and I of course HAD to try Mama DiSpirito's meatballs (recipe below, courtesy of RoccoDiSpirito.com), and actually saw her at Rocco's whenever we'd visit.

Rocco DiSpirito was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens. His culinary experience began at age eleven in his mother Nicolin's kitchen. By the age of 16, DiSpirito entered the Culinary Institute of America. He graduated in 1986 and studied abroad at Jardin de Cygne in France with Dominique Cecillon and Gray Kunz. In 1990, DiSpirito earned a B.S. in Business from Boston University.

He worked at Adrienne in New York and as Chef de Partie at Aujourd'hui in Boston. DiSpirito then joined Lespinasse at St. Regis' opening team. In 1997, DiSpirito opened Union Pacific in New York City's Gramercy Park as Chef and Owner. In 1999, DiSpirito was named Food & Wine's Best New Chef, and in 2000, Gourmet magazine called him "America's Most Exciting Young Chef."

DiSpirito is the author of Flavor (Hyperion, October 2003), a unique cook book that breaks down his concept of building dishes on the four basic flavors, making his unique approach to food accessible to the home cook. DiSpirito's fifth book, Rocco Gets Real, was just released. And A&E's new show of the same name is looking for people in the New York City area who need help with an important upcoming event-related meal. If you are planning to propose, cooking for a soldier's homecoming, hosting a special birthday, anniversary, reunion, or other important event, send an email to CookWithRocco@gmail.com. Include your name, age, phone number, a recent photo, and the reason you need Rocco's help. Interested applicants may also call the casting hotline at 818-752-5559.

Mama's Meat Balls

1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground veal
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
3-6 cups Mama's Marinara, or your favorite marinara
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic and parsley in a blender of food processor and puree.

2. In a large bowl, combine the pureed stock mix, meat, bread crumbs, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, red pepper flakes, parsley and salt. Combine with both hands until mixture is uniform. Do not over mix.

3. Put a little olive oil on your hands and form mixture into balls a little larger than golf balls. They should be about 1 cup each, though if you prefer bigger or smaller, it will only affect the browning time.

4. Pour about 1/2-inch of extra virgin olive oil into a straight-sided, 10-inch-wide sauté pan and heat over medium-high flame. Add the meatballs to the pan (working in batches if necessary) and brown meatballs, turning once. This will take about 10-15 minutes.

5. While the meatballs are browning, heat the marinara sauce in a stockpot over medium heat. Lift the meatballs out of the sauté pan with a slotted spoon and put them in the marinara sauce. Stir gently. Simmer for one hour.

6. Serve with a little extra Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled on top. Serve alone or over spaghetti (in which case, you will need 6 cups of marinara).

Yield: Serves 4 as antipasto or over spaghetti
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