Bravo Broccoli!

Broccoli works well in pasta and on salads, but what about pizza? Not only does it add taste, but it also boosts the nutritional value of pizza. To use, blanche broccoli in boiling water for four to five minutes, then submerge it in cold water to protect the color. You’re going to want to chop it evenly to spread it over the pizza. Remember that the crown has the most flavor and easiest texture for consumption. Try creating a vegetable “Primavera” pizza with loads of veggies for a healthy alternative.

Keep it Contained

Prep tables are the backbone of your restaurant. It’s here that you house all of the readied ingredients needed to make your restaurant run smoothly. Take a good look at how the compartments latch. Pay attention to the mechanisms used for closure. Magnetic closures tend to break less than those with latches, but they can sometimes pop up accidentially. Train your staff to ensure they’re closing compartments tightly when using the prep table to keep ingredients from drying out. Finally, be sure to keep the gaskets clean. When they become brittle, it’s time for replacement.

Taste versus Texture

We all know that nuts, pine nuts in particular, are the quintessential ingredient in a homemade pesto sauce, but did you know that it doesn’t have to be that way? The key is to maintain a pesto’s integrity by creating that smooth tasting, gritty textured sauce that coats pasta like a warm hug. To create a variation of traditional pesto, try replacing pines nuts with walnuts. You can also leave a recipe’s cheese coarsely ground to enhance the texture. Finally, don’t overlook the power of veggies. Finely diced carrots, zucchini and celery add a unique fl avor to pesto. Bon appetit!

Short Staffed

Let’s pretend you’ve had a couple of servers call –– or text –– that they won’t be coming in for today’s lunch rush. Although you’re going to be short-staffed, there’s no reason why your manager can’t step in and cover a table or two. If managers are going to oversee a staff, they need to be able to smoothly step into place when there’s a gap. Cross-training is great, but your managers shouldn’t be above pitching in when needed.