Chef Boyardee’s line of prepared pasta is not a standard to which most chefs aspire. That includes Christopher Thompson of Coda di Volpe, who was challenged by Kevin McCormick (Beacon Tavern) to create a dish with Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli in Tomato & Meat Sauce. “It’s kind of the antithesis of my philosophy on Italian cooking,” Thompson says. That philosophy includes “buying amazing ingredients and processing them as minimally as possible, leaving them true to their natural form,” he says. He doesn’t even have fond childhood memories of Beefaroni or any of the other Chef Boyardee products: “Fortunately, my parents never cooked this for us.”
Thompson says that he actually did get some authentic Chef Boyardee flavor and texture from the pizza: “I get a little sweetness in the sauce, a little bit of mushiness in the meatball because the overcooked pasta is an ingredient,” he says. “The soppressata and the truffle makes it a little more palatable. Just like mom never made.”
