Chef Kevin Naderi Headshot (portrait)Chef Kevin Naderi was born and raised in Houston, Texas and is the owner of Roost, an intimate 50-seat restaurant in one of the most popular neighbourhoods in the US: Montrose. In this episode of Chefs Coast to Coast, Kevin shares his roundabout journey to becoming a Chef / DJ and the story behind the opening of his farm-to-table fine dining with a casual feel restaurant.

If you can’t make it down to Houston to try his food out first hand, try out a recipe of his in your own kitchen. Don’t forget to let us know how it goes! Reply to this post with your results.

Ricotta Gnudi with blistered tomato, chard and basil cream

Gnudi

  • 1 pound fresh ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus additional for coating
  • 1/3 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 1 oz) plus additional for serving
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • large pinch of ground white pepper
  • pinch of nutmeg

Beat egg, 1/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, salt, nutmeg, and white pepper together in a large bowl until blended. Mix in ricotta. Sprinkle 3/4 cup flour over and stir gently to blend. Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.
 Line rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place some flour in a bowl. For each gnudi, gently roll 1 heaping teaspoon of dough into ball. Add to flour; toss to coat lightly, shaping into small balls. Place on baking sheet. Cook gnudi in large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, about 6 minutes. They will float when done. Drain well.

Blistered tomato, chard and basil cream

  • 6 heirloom cherry tomatoes
  • 3 stalks of chard with leaves torn and stalks chopped small
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup basil pesto
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • pinch salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a hot skillet and add the gnudi and tomatoes. Allow the tomatoes to blister and pop while also turning the gnudi to get even color. Add the chard, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the pesto, stir well, serve.

Connect with Chef Kevin Naderi and Roost on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Chefs Coast to Coast. 

Bonus: Want to read the blog post I wrote after my very first visit to Roost in 2012? Here you go–just don’t judge me on my food photography. 😉 

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