When Boston-based chef Joe Gatto sets out to make a meal, he makes everything from scratch. For instance, if he needs salt for that meal, he heads to the ocean for some seawater. If the meal calls for cheese, he finds a cow and he milks it. And if that meal involves the best bacon you’ve ever had, well the pigs better run and hide. Joe Gatto makes everything from scratch, and he’s out to show you that you can too with his brand new cookbook Seriously from Scratch: How to Cook the Most Delicious Food Ever by Cooking Every Component Yourself. It sounds hard, but Joe makes it very, very easy.
Henry Santoro: Joe, good morning! How are you?
Joe Gatto: Henry, thank you for having me and thank you for that awesome opening. I feel like a rockstar, now.
Henry Santoro: Well you are a rockstar! I love watching you cook. Tell us about the satisfaction you get by making something from scratch and give us an example.
Joe Gatto: Well, a great example for me is tamales because tamales are a little difficult but when you do go from scratch and you get that field dent corn, put it through nixtamalization, you’re grinding your own masa, you’re making the lard, you’re roasting the pork off and then you have to steam them… But when you taste it. And you’re transported to Mexico and you feel like you’re in some grandmother’s kitchen and you’ve, like, escaped reality because it tastes so different and so good, you really do taste the difference. And it’s not, “Oh, that just tastes better.” It gives you memories. It reminds you of times in the kitchen with your mom.
Henry Santoro: Your book, Seriously from Scratch is organized into seven chapters. Each of those chapters walks us through each and every element of the dish involved. For instance, if it’s a burger, we’re going to make the bun, we’re going to make the relish, we’re going to make the ketchup, and, of course, we’re going to make the ground beef as well. That has to increase your awareness and your appreciation a.) from where food comes from and b.) how rewarding it is to know that you’ve made it all yourself.
Joe Gatto: When it tastes better, I dunno, it is rewarding and the way we laid the book out, we kind of laid it backwards. One of the titles I had originally was How to Make a Reuben in 30 Days because you start thirty days beforehand, starting to ferment the sauerkraut. So I built everything backwards, but I also think that gives someone the opportunity of. “Look, I can’t do everything from scratch Joe. I don’t have that kind of time. I don’t want to commit that much.” Okay! Just make the buns this time. Next time, grind your own meat. Next time, just make the pickles. Do one piece. I guarantee once you do that one piece and it tastes that good, you’re gonna wanna try another one.
Henry Santoro: What are your cooking classes like?
Joe Gatto: My cooking classes are fun. They’re involved, they’re a little different, and they’re from scratch. One of the big things for me as an instructor when I teach from Boston Public Market to Duck Soup in Sudbury, I want people to learn… I really want to teach them how to cook, not follow a recipe. I want to release them from the recipe, so they can really use their artistics to create. And that’s what I think is where you start getting something you really love in the kitchen. So they’re fun! Little intense, but a little crazy, too.
Henry Santoro: So how can people find you and where can they get the book?
Joe Gatto: You can get the book Seriously From Scratch on Amazon or at barnesandnobel.com. We do have a new website that’s coming up this week and it’s www.fromscratchtheshow.com.
Henry Santoro: Joe Gatto, thank you so much. Always a pleasure to see you. The book is called Seriously From Scratch: How To Make the Most Delicious Food Ever by Making Every Single Component Your single Component Yourself.
To listen to the entire interview with Chef Joe Gatto, author of "Seriously From Scratch," and WGBH's Henry Santoro click on the audio file above.