Plan Your Weekend: Fiesta de Flores y Comida
Posted in Exhibitions, The Edible Garden on September 24 2010, by Plant Talk
Chef Stephanie Inspired by Childhood Influences and Using Herbs
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Chef Stephanie is executive chef at Don Coqui. She will present a cooking demonstration at The Edible Garden Conservatory Kitchen on Saturday, September 25, at 1p.m. as part of Fiesta de Flores y Comida. |
Having grown up on a farm in Indiana, the process of growing my own produce is basically genetically linked. I come from a long line of “farm women”: My mother, Linda, and both my grandmothers worked the farm and prepared fabulous meals from its bounty to nourish our family. Nothing makes me happier than going to the garden, plucking from the vine or stalk what’s at its peak, and cooking it up simply to create a gourmet meal.
I started gathering from the garden at an early age. When I was five years old, I would get up early to cook breakfast for my parents, first gathering produce to incorporate into my scrambles. My mother and father would awaken to breakfast in bed—and a HUGE mess from my “creations” waiting for them in the kitchen. Not much has changed except now I have a staff to help with cleaning.
Now as a chef living just outside New York City, the land, space, and time isn’t available for me to grow my own crops. Local farmers markets have replaced the need to grow crops for the freshest of ingredients. It’s refreshing to know where the food on your plate comes from, too. Farmers markets are the best! I am a big advocate in supporting local farms. I always try to create from the best the season has to offer.
My focus as a chef and an educator in Don Coqui’s teaching kitchens is almost exclusively in understanding food and how to prepare it, from beginning to end. Some of the simplest processes, for instance, how to properly cut an onion, mesmerize my students at every demo.
I also have experienced the creativity and passion of kids in the kitchen during our kids’ boot camps and classes. If a child gets to cook it, they’ll eat it. Just imagine a seven-year-old requesting to cook and eat broccoli rabe with shaved garlic, instead of pizza or chicken fingers. Well it happens! When children and even adults learn where their food is coming from and get their hands dirty, the sky is the limit with what they will try.
I am super inspired and proud to be included in this year’s Edible Garden event. We chose to focus on one of the easiest items to grow—herbs. Even if you don’t have a plot of land, it takes just a sunny kitchen windowsill to grow an abundance of fresh herbs. Cooking with fresh herbs is a necessity for all chefs. I believe if home cooks experiment with herbs, they will find them to be an essential as well.
The recipe below is packed full of fresh herb flavors and, of course, garlic. Who would cook without garlic? NOT ME! We hope you enjoy our recipe and make a real effort to embrace our local farmers and all the great summer produce that this huge land provides for us.
Happy cooking!
Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad
Ingredients
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups corn kernels (about 5 ears of corn)
as needed, salt and pepper
pinch cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups seeded tomatoes, chopped
1 red onion, minced
2 red peppers, roasted and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish
¼ cup culantro leaves, minced
¼ cup flat leaf parsley, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
2 tablespoons roasted garlic, minced
4 cups black beans cooked, see below (or you can substitute canned black beans)
Instructions
Brush corn ears with vegetable oil and season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and cumin. Grill corn over a medium-high grill (or roast in a 450-degree oven) until some kernels blister and become golden brown and the corn is tender. Set aside and let cool.
Cut corn kernels from cob and combine with tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro, cilantro, parsley lime juice, chipotles, and garlic. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Black beans
2 cups dried black beans
½ celery stalk
½ carrot
a few sprigs fresh thyme
a few sprigs fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
½ onion
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Tie the celery, carrot, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf into a bundle using cotton butcher’s twine. Place the beans, bundle, and onion into a pot. Add just enough water to barely cover the beans. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and cook for 1 to 2 hours, until beans are barely tender.
After 30 minutes, add the salt to the beans. Occasionally check on the beans and add water to cover the beans, if needed. When beans are just barely tender, drain them and remove the carrot bundle.
