The Classic Italian Dish Rock Harper Feels Chefs Have Disrespected
Respected chef Rock Harper is perhaps best known for proving his mettle on the competitive reality show "Hell's Kitchen." According to Las Vegas Weekly, being a part of the TV show basically transformed his life and opened many doors for him as a chef. After winning that competition, Harper started working at Gordon Ramsay's Italian restaurant, Terra Verde, where he was the head chef. Harper was super grateful for the opportunities that he was offered. He said, "I wouldn't change it for anything, I'll tell you that. My life is better now than it was."
Rest assured, the chef knows a thing or two about different dishes in general and Italian food in particular. And he isn't afraid to speak up when required. He recently revealed his thoughts on Twitter about an Italian dish that he thinks is not given much respect in the kitchen. According to Harper, this Italian appetizer needs more authenticity.
Bruschetta needs more love
Harper reckons that bruschetta simply doesn't get the love and attention that it deserves from professional chefs. He wrote on Twitter, "...chefs have b******ized and disrespected TF out of bruschetta over the past 25 years." Harper may have a point here. According to Daniel Gritzer, writing at Serious Eats, the dish is often misunderstood. For example, in its most basic form, a bruschetta is essentially toasted bread that's "brushed with olive oil and rubbed with garlic," says Gritzer.
The toppings can be versatile and don't necessarily need to include tomatoes. And if you do feel like adding fresh tomatoes to your dish, you should ensure that they're truly fresh and high-quality. (Or use canned tomatoes in a pinch.) Per The Spruce Eats, all that's needed to make excellent bruschetta is bread, olive oil, garlic, sliced tomatoes, basil, and salt. The post adds that you'll get excellent results with Italian bread and "high quality, fruity olive oil."
For perspective, this isn't the first time that Rock Harper has expressed a strong opinion on food. He was in the news recently for disagreeing with chef Tom Colicchio on Twitter. The hot topic? Fried chicken. It turns out that Harper doesn't like adding things like sugar and cinnamon to fried chicken breading.