The Next Food Network Star Jeffrey Saad’s life has changed dramatically since his appearance.
The runner up on the most-watched season 5 is now spokesman for America’s egg farmers at the incredible edible egg. He’s doing cooking demos at Disneyland’s 2010 food and wine festival and was just MC for the Charleston Wind and Food Festival. He also blogs about recipes, family life, eggs, cooking techniques and spices. In addition, “I have been doing non-stop video work for Kraft and I’m working on opening my next restaurant in San Francisco,” Jeffery said. A graduate of California Culinary Academy he has 25 years of experience as a food consultant, receipe developer, restaurateur and chef. Married with 2 children he owns a real estate brokerage firm.
Jeffrey Saad
“Since the day the show finished airing I have been non-stop ‘all things food!’” The benefits for Jeffrey have been endless and his only obstacle is, “not having enough hours in the day to inspire as many people as I would like to inspire,” he shared.
The busy celebrity believes anyone thinking about participating in a reality show should do what they love and treat it like a business. “I have secured the best managers and agent. It is important to put yourself out there and work hard. You have a lot to prove when you just come off of a show,” he stressed.
Being on the show was a challenge for Jeffrey. “The emotions ARE real. Our show was completely un-scripted, the real deal! It was the hardest thing I have ever done. You have to “be yourself” while being away from everyone and everything you know. You have to perform on the spot with no notice, no recipes, no reference materials and in very little time.”
The inspiration for his food for the show, his blog, events and cooking in general comes from the ingredients themselves. “The locavore, farm to table trend is going to continue. My philosophy is ‘cook locally, eat globally.’ People still want to taste the world. It will be about using local product to cook from all over the world via the use of spices.”
The inspiration for his open face lasagna is smoked paprika which he considers the best of barbecue and chili and heat. The open face technique simplifies making lasagna but keeps all the rich flavors.
Jeffrey’s favorite junk foods are Doritos and M&Ms. When he has time for Food TV he enjoys Jamie Oliver, Alton Brown and Iron Chef.
Smoked Paprika Open Face Lasagna
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces chorizo sausages
1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 each onion, chopped
1/2 each carrot, shredded
1/2 each celery,chopped
1 cup red wine
1 can Italian tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 ounce heavy cream
1/2 cup panko
1 cup Manchego cheese, grated
1 cup flat parsley, chopped
8 each pre-cooked lasagna sheets
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
In a wide pot over med-high heat add the oil.
Once hot add the chorizo and ground beef. Using a spatula break up the meat as small as you can as it browns. Once it starts to brown add the veggies and garlic. Saute until meat/veggie mixture is dark brown and well roasted.
The whole time you want to be scraping the bottom of the pan to pull up the yummy bits and incorporate them into the sauce.
Add the red wine. Simmer for one minute until the wine is reduced by half.
Add tomatoes, smoked paprika, panko, heavy cream, and salt. Cover, turn to very low and cook for 15 minutes.
Boil the lasagna sheets in salted water per the package instructions. Strain and set aside. If they are going to sit longer than five minutes toss them in a touch of olive oil so they don’t stick together.
On four plates distribute equally the following: lay one sheet of pasta on each plate. Spoon the meat mixture over the pasta sheet and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle on parsley and Manchego. Lay another sheet on top.
Sprinkle more parsley and Manchego on top. Dust with more smoked paprika.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve.
Recipe Notes
This captures all the richness and texture of a lasagna but in a fraction of the time. This is classic cooking without borders. The lasagna we all love but totally transformed with the flavors of Spain via chorizo, Mancego, parsley and most importantly the warm, piercing flavor of smoked paprika.
Keys to this dish:
Brown the meat/veggie mixture really well. That is where so much of the deep, rich meat flavor comes from.
The panko bread crumbs suck up all the moisture and hold onto it giving the meat sauce a rich, moist, almost silky texture.
The smoked paprika vs regular paprika is what makes this dish really stand out.
Serves: 4. Preparation Time is 30 minutes. Inactive Preparation Time is 00 minutes. Cooking Time is 30 minutes.
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