Meet Chef Shaun O’Neale

Look at his Instagram feed and you will see him in Dubai, Honolulu, and Los Angeles, among other destinations. There he is—posing in photos with everyone from Daniel Boulud, Gordon Ramsey, and Wolfgang Puck—to a dramatic Star Wars Stormtrooper. Big, excited grin in every photo.

Chef Shaun O'Neale

Since his MasterChef Season 7 win on FOX, Chef and cookbook author Shaun O’Neale has been traveling and performing at some of the most recognizable culinary events all over the world. But coming soon—Catersource Conference & Tradeshow 2020 in Las Vegas, which also happens to be his hometown.

In his session on the Culinary Experience stage, Infused Cooking with Shaun O’Neale, he will walk attendees through the basics of THC and CBD infused cooking, with an eye toward the importance of dosing and formatting a menu. Recipes of the pasta items he will be demonstrating, and a non-infused pasta tasting are also included in this Tuesday late morning session.

"My infused cooking demo will give attendees a good base of information about how to infuse fats, the importanve of dosing, how to plan courses, and touch on the political climate of infused cooking," said O'Neale.

"I'll also show how easy it is to convert a recipe like my Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Risotto, for example, inrto a delicious infused dish."

Later, join him on the Culinary Main Stage on the tradeshow floor when he puts his retired DJ skills to exceptional use as emcee of the annual Diced competition (Wednesday a.m. beginning at 10:15), a high energy event, with winning chef team taking a significant cash prize!

With a scheduled booksigning of My Modern American Kitchen Table, his successful cookbook, on the docket as well, you'll have a terrific opportunity to meet Chef Shaun and learn from his experiences. "I couldn't be more excited to be at catersource 2020!" he enthused.

Want a preview of his aesthetic? Chef sent this beautiful oxtail tortellini recipe to get you started right in the new year.

OXTAIL TORTELLINI

Yield: about 60 tortellini

Braised Oxtail

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds oxtails (can substitute beef shanks)
Salt & pepper to taste
Aleppo pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
1 yellow onion, rough chop
1 carrot, rough chop
1 stalk celery, rough chop
1 cup red wine
2 cups beef stock
1 sprig rosemary
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves

To make the braised oxtails: In a Dutch oven over high heat add the oil until smoking. Season the oxtails with the salt, pepper, Aleppo, garlic and onion powder. Add the oxtail and sear on all sides. Remove the oxtails to a plate and add the vegetables to the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring often, until they start to become tender. Add the red wine and reduce by half, add the beef stock, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Season with only pepper. Bring to a simmer and return the oxtails to the Dutch oven. Braise in a 300 degree oven until the oxtails are falling off the bone, about 3 hours. Once cooked, remove the oxtails and set aside to make the filling. Strain the cooking liquid and let cool completely so the fat settles on the top (preferably overnight in the fridge).

Oxtail Filling

Ingredients

Braised oxtails (meat removed from the bone)
1/2 cup mascarpone (may need more depending on the quantity of the meat)
1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely minced
2 T lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste
1 pound fresh pasta dough

To make the filling: Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and season well with salt and pepper. Process to a fairly smooth paste and taste, adding salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to a piping bag and place in the fridge until ready to fill the pasta.

To fill the pasta, roll out sheets until you can see through them. Using a small ring mold, cut out circles and discard the remaining dough. Fill the circles and form into a tortellini shape. Place on a sheet pan dusted with semolina and also dust the tortellini with semolina. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Beef Jus

Ingredients

Strained cooking liquid (chilled and fat removed) from the braised oxtail
2 large egg whites
3 T carrot, finely minced
3 T celery, finely minced
3 T onion, finely minced
Salt to taste

To make the beef jus: Remove the fat from the stock and place the jellied stock in a pot over medium low heat. In a small bowl add the egg whites and the minced vegetables. Once the stock is luke warm, add the egg mixture and whisk. Turn the heat to medium and let the stock simmer undisturbed. A raft will form on the surface of the stock .Continue to cook until the egg raft begins to look cloudy. Gently strain the clarified stock through a sieve lined with cheese cloth. Return the stock to a clean pot and season with salt as needed.

Fennel Cream

Ingredients

1 head fennel, roughly chopped (fronds reserved for garnish)
1 C milk
1 C heavy cream
Salt & white pepper to taste

To make the fennel cream: Add the fennel, milk, and cream to a stock pot and cook over medium heat until the fennel is tender. Strain the mixture reserving the liquid and add the fennel to a high-powered blender; add just enough liquid to help the blender purée the fennel. Add more liquid as needed. Season with salt and transfer to a squeeze bottle. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Seared Shimeji Mushrooms

Ingredients

2 T olive oil
1 package shimeji mushrooms (trimmed)
Salt & pepper to taste
2 T sherry vinegar
1 T Italian parsley, finely minced 

To make the shimeji mushrooms: Heat a skillet over high heat. Add the oil and let heat, add the mushrooms and sear for about 2 minutes or until some of the mushrooms are golden brown and cooked through but not soft. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and add the parsley toss to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnishes

Fresh sweet peas
Fennel fronds
12-month aged goat cheese