Job requirement: Food must taste great.

Posted by John Dickman, Food Service Manager

We put the word out that we needed more chefs to come to Google's Mountain View campus and cook lots of food, and lots of kinds of food, for thousands of daily meals. There's been no shortage of candidates. Hundreds of chefs from all over the world sent resumes, and we invited a number of them to come and audition for a discerning group of employee-tasters.

We thought you might enjoy a sampling of the incredible range of dishes that have impressed our hiring/tasting committee. Happy cooking!

Edamame Hummus
Shelled edamame (soy beans) can be found in all natural food stores, Asian grocery stores and the natural food sections of most supermarkets. Tahini is sesame paste and can be found in the same places. The crushed ice keeps the mixture cool while processing and allows less oil to be used.

2 cups frozen shelled edamame
1 pound (13 oz. can) chick peas, drained and rinsed
4 cloves peeled garlic
2 T. fresh, grated ginger root
1/2 c. sesame tahini
3 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. sesame oil
1/2 c. crushed ice
1 T. hot sauce
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt to taste

Boil or steam the edamame for 10 minutes until tender. Rinse under cold water and drain. Place in a food processor or blender. Add all the remaining ingredients and process until smooth, but still a little chunky. If you like a bit more texture in your hummus, reserve about 1/3 cup of the whole edamame and fold them in at the end.

Serve with flat breads, crudites or crackers. Serves 12-16 as an appetizer.

Read more about this chef's visit.
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Thai Red Curry Dragon Fly Noodles
1 T. toasted sesame oil
¼ c Andouille sausage, sliced
¼ c. 6-8 shrimp
1 T. red onion, diced
1 T. garlic, minced
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
1 T. red curry paste
1 T. shrimp paste
4 T. dry white wine
1 c. coconut milk
1 c. organic chicken stock
½ c. jumbo lump crabmeat
Pinch Cayenne pepper
¼ tsp Jalapeno pepper, minced
¼ c. baby corn
½ tsp. salt
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
¼ c. fresh cilantro, chopped
½ c. scallions, sliced
16 oz. Chinese egg noodles, cooked

Heat oil in a wok. Sauté andouille and shrimp for 2 minutes. Set aside. In separate pot, cook noodles, drain, and set aside.
Add red onion, garlic, ginger, red curry paste, shrimp paste and sauté in wok for 1-2 minutes. Deglaze with white wine. Add coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to a low boil, simmer for 5 minutes.
Add andouille, shrimp, crabmeat and all remaining ingredients. Simmer 2 minutes until heated through.
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Dungeness Crab Cakes w/ Black Pepper-Lemon Aioli

2 lbs. Fresh Dungeness crabmeat
½ red bell pepper, diced small
½ yellow bell pepper, diced small
2 celery stalks, diced small
6 eggs
1½-2½ c. bread crumbs
2 c. Panko bread crumbs
3 T. Italian parsley, chopped
1 lemon zest
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
2 c. all-purpose flour

Squeeze excess water from crab meat; set aside in a colander to drain.
Sauté red and yellow bell peppers. Sauté onion and celery separately from bell peppers; let cool.
Chop parsley and zest the lemon; set aside.
In a medium bowl mix crabmeat, all vegetables, one egg, regular bread crumbs, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste.
Form crab into 1 oz. balls. If the balls don't stay together, if add more bread crumbs.
Put 3 bowls in a row: one with whisked eggs, the second with flour, the third, with panko crumbs.
Put crabcake ball first in flour, then egg, and finally the panko crumbs and set each crabcake aside until all have been breaded. In canola oil heated to 375˚, deep fry crabcakes for 2-3 minutes.

Black Pepper-Lemon Aioli
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 lemon zest
2 lemons, juiced
3 c. canola oil
Kosher salt, black pepper to taste

Combine egg yolk, whole egg, lemon zest in a food processor and start machine.
Very slowly drizzle canola oil into food processor until egg becomes thick.
Stop processor and add lemon juice, salt and pepper; pulse until combined well.
Serve a dollop on crabcakes.