Color of love

Angel Lang doesn’t consider herself a chef. Yes, she prepares food professionally—the past 4 1/2 years at Bacio Catering & Carry Out in Chico, after moving on from a caterer and co-op in Nevada City—and creates dishes in a specific way. She even holds the title, serving as Bacio’s interim head chef as Paige Nies takes time off for maternity leave. But, without formal culinary training and amid a collaborative atmosphere, Lang bristles at the designation.

“It’s a word people often overuse,” she said, seated at a picnic table behind the kitchen. “I love cooking and feel I’m pretty good at it. I would say I work with other chefs. But no one calls me ‘Chef Angel.’

“It’s less of a hierarchy, more of a family.”

Collectively, the Bacio chefs—er, family—put together a set of dishes for Valentine’s Day. They offer a special menu for couples who’d prefer fine-dining meals at home instead of a crowded restaurant. This year’s has three entrees: poultry, beef and vegetarian pasta.

Lang created the lead dish, which she refined with owner Amanda Leveroni, whom she calls “an idea factory.” New for 2019, it’s called Ruby Chicken. The name comes from cherries, imbued with port wine, that define the appearance and flavor.

“The idea was a way to incorporate romance, with the deep red color,” Lang explained. “The beautiful red sauce gives the plate a Valentine’s Day feel.”

That evening, saffron rice and vegetables—broccoli and carrots with crispy shallots—will accompany the grilled thighs. A palette of red, yellow, green and orange will lure the eye; savory flavors, drawing on the freshness of ingredients, will tempt the tongue.

In Lang’s estimation, this is the most romantic item from the Valentine’s Day menu.

“It’s so visual and colorful,” she said. And, culinarily speaking, “the cherry and port go well together.”

To prepare the dish, Bacio chefs will let the chicken set in a balsamic-citrus marinade, then grill the thighs over mesquite wood. The sauce will feature aged port, cherries and citrus. For sides dishes, they’ll cook basmati rice in a bouillon spiced with saffron and roast the vegetables with olive oil, garlic and chili flakes.

In the kitchen last Thursday afternoon (Jan. 31), Lang assembled an early version of Ruby Chicken, with mashed potatoes instead of rice and a medley of vegetables. The centerpiece, however, was fully finalized. The fillets emerged moist, cherries plump, sauce piquant—neither too sharp nor too delicate.

When creating dishes, Lang said, for her “it’s always flavor first: how to make the most wonderful, flavorful food I can.” She looks to what’s growing in gardens and available at farmers’ markets to capture freshness. “Nature is driving where I want food to go.”

She uses intuition in combining ingredients, she continued.

“I also rely on the experience of other chefs and chefs’ inspiration. The process of learning to be a really good cook is relying on the experience of really talented, good cooks as well.”