Meatless Monday Caprese Quinoa Bake with Basil and Balsamic Reduction

 Welcome to another meatless Monday recipe.  I must admit I have not made this one yet.  But, I like the flavors involved and I hope to make it soon. 

This recipe and the photo came from the following website:

http://www.domesticate-me.com/caprese-quinoa-bake/

One of my students posted the link on facebook.  I hope you enjoy.

Caprese Quinoa Bake with Basil and Balsamic

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups petite Roma or cherry tomatoes, halved (I used a blend of red and yellow tomatoes, but all red is fine.)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 2 small shallots, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup packed basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces fresh part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1 cup of grated cheese)
• 8 ounces fresh part-skim mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/4–inch rounds
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small pot, bring the quinoa and 1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons water to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes until all of the water has been absorbed. Let the quinoa rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, place the halved tomatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes until they’re tender and the skins have started to burst.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. When hot, add the minced shallots and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the shallots have become translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
5. In a large bowl combine the quinoa, roasted tomatoes, cooked shallots and garlic, and basil. Stir in the grated mozzarella and season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
6. Transfer the quinoa mixture to a large skillet and smooth the top. (Yes, you can use a round, square or rectangular baking dish if that’s what you have. Duh.)
7. Starting in the center, overlap slices of tomatoes and mozzarella in a small circle. Make a second circle of overlapping tomatoes and mozzarella, covering the surface of the quinoa. (If you’re using a square or rectangular dish, just make two lines of overlapping tomatoes and mozzarella and call it a day.)
8. Cover the skillet loosely with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned.
9. While your quinoa bake is in the oven, place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 3-5 minutes until the vinegar becomes syrupy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
10. Sprinkle your quinoa bake with freshly sliced basil and drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Serve immediately.

Until next time.

Bon Appetit Y'all

Chef Leslie Bartosh

Ratatouille with Eggs

I was too late for meatless Monday with this recipe but just in time for Tuesday night!  I am a fan of cooking eggs in well seasoned soups and stews.  And I must admit I had been craving this combination for a couple of weeks.  When I ran across a recipe for ratatouille last week I knew it was time. 

I used the recipe for Alice Water's Ratatouille as the base for this dish.  When the Ratatouille was done I used a spoon to create four "wells" in it.  Into each "well" went a raw egg that was then seasoned with salt and coarse black pepper.  I put the pan into the oven and let the eggs cook until I liked their doneness.  Voila:  dinner.  It went pretty well with slices of slightly toasted crusty bread.  I hope you will try it and let me know what you think.

The following photo is the dish still in pan.  At the end is a photo of the dish plated.  This would be wonderful done in individual casserole dishes.

Here is the recipe for Alice Water’s Ratatouille

Serves 6 to 8

• 1 medium or 2 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more to taste
• 2 medium onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 bunch of basil, tied in a bouquet with kitchen twine + 6 basil leaves, chopped
• pinch of dried chile flakes
• 2 sweet peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 medium summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 ripe medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• Salt to taste

1. Toss the eggplant cubes with a teaspoon or so of salt. Set the cubes in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Pat the eggplant dry, add to the pan, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden. Add a bit more oil if the eggplant absorbs all the oil and sticks to the bottom of the pan. Remove the eggplant when done and set aside.
3. In the same pot, pour in 2 more tablespoons olive oil. Add onions and cook for about 7 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, basil bouquet, dried chile flakes, and a bit more salt.
4. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir in peppers. Cook for a few more minutes, then stir in summer squash. Cook for a few more minutes, then stir in tomatoes.
5. Cook for 10 minutes longer, then stir in eggplant and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, until all the vegetables are soft. Remove the bouquet of basil, pressing on it to extract all its flavors, and adjust the seasoning with salt.
6. Stir in the chopped basil leaves and more extra virgin olive oil, to taste. Serve warm or cold.

My changes to the recipe:
I seasoned lightly with salt and pepper with each addition of vegetable and the tomato.
I omitted the extra olive oil.
And of course, I cooked the eggs in it at the end.
(While I cooked my eggs in the oven you could also just cover the pan and let the eggs steam on stove top over low to medium heat.)
 The following photo is the finished dish.

Until next time:
Bon Appetit Y'all
Chef Leslie Bartosh

Basic Food Preparation and Pureed Soups

At Alvin Community College our culinary arts program is segmented into 8 separate lab classes.  One of those classes is basic food preparation.  It occurs at the beginning of the lab class sequence.  Much as you would expect from a class titled basic food preparation we do some very basic things in this class.  Last night, we made puree soups.  This gave us the chance to break out some appliances we had not used since last year.

 In the picture above from left to right: Rebecca and Morgan are test driving our immersion blender.
Below is a picture of Rhonda driving our Vitamix blender.  Thank you Vitamix and Waring for your support.  Hiding behind Rhonda is Amber and Shelby is visible in the background to the right.

The students produced split pea soup, cream of carrot and black bean soup.  It was a job well done by all.  Thanks.

Until next time:
Bon Appetit Y'all
Chef Leslie Bartosh

Ice Carving At Alvin College Culinary Arts

Every spring, as the school year is coming to an end, at Alvin College, our culinary arts program does ice carving as a part of our garde manger class.  The students are divided into groups and each group carves an angel fish.  Last may, a video was made of the evenings class.  The video is too large to post here.  But, you can follow this link to watch the video on the ACC culinary arts web page:  Alvin Culinary Arts Ice Carving.  
I hope you enjoy the video.

Until next time:
Bon Appetit Y'all

Chef Leslie Bartosh
Alvin College Culinary Arts

Bean Sprouts

The Culinary Arts program at Alvin Community College often needs bean sprouts for some classes in International Cuisine.  If you have tried to find bean sprouts in grocery stores, recently, you know this can be a futile exercise.  Most stores do not carry them anymore due to food borne illness outbreaks associated with sprouts.
There are canned bean sprouts available, shudder, but their texture and flavor is not correct.  So, when we need sprouts, we wind up sprouting our own.  We can control the growing conditions giving us the ability to limit the chances of bacterial growth.
A local grocery store carried organic mung beans.  A half cup of raw mung beans generates a gallon of sprouts.
The following pictures are from a recent batch of sprouts.

Day one:  Raw Mung beans.  At this stage the beans are washed, drained and then covered with cold water.  They are left to soak overnight.

After soaking overnight, the beans are drained, rinsed and drained again.  At this stage you can see the beans are starting to lose their outer cover as they start spouting.  From this time the beans/sprouts
are rinsed and drained twice a day.

This is day three of the process.  You can easily see the sprouting process occurring.

Day four the process is further along.

Day five the sprouts are developing nicely.

Day six they are ready for use.

Ahh, a nice bowl of Pho.

I hope you enjoyed this journey in the life of a sprout.  The end results were quite tasty!

Until next time:
Bon Appetit Ya'll
Chef Leslie Bartosh

Awards Day

This year the Alvin Community College Culinary Arts program was fortunate to be able to award three different scholarships.  The scholarships were presented at our annual awards day, held on April 28.
The scholarship funds were generated by activities in events sponsored by culinary/wine organizations in our area.  Each of the organizations is noted in the scholarships name.
The awards are noted below each photograph.

 Meagan Marchant (center) was the recipient of the Chaine des Rotisseurs culinary arts scholarship.  She is pictured with Chef Mary Bass (instructor) and Chef Leslie Bartosh (program chair).

Ben Talley (center) was the recipient of the Haak Vineyards culinary arts scholarship.  He is pictured with Cecilia Gabba, General manager of Haak Vineyards and Leslie Bartosh, (program chair).

Also receiving a scholarship was Rebecca Brohawn.  She received the Professionals in Culinary Arts scholarship.  Unfortunately, she had to leave before her picture could be taken.

We are excited for our students and for the opportunity to recognize them.

Until next time:
Bon Appetit Ya'll
Chef Leslie Bartosh

Ice Carving

At Alvin Community College our culinary program does hands on ice carving as a part of our garde manger class. In most cases, our students have never seen ice carved or carved ice themselves.  This year, our class did an exceptional job of carving.  I am glad to be able to share these photos with you.

Each group receives a half block of ice and carves the same item.  The idea is for everyone to have the level of difficulty in their carving.

Due to the nature of ice carving, this is the one exception we have to our mandatory uniform policy.
I hope you enjoy the pictures of the groups and their finished sculptures.

 

Left to right:  Zach, Meagan, Ben, Briana

Left to right:  Karen, Sokphak, Kaitlyn, Mireya

Left to right:  Rebecca, Randi, Jordan, Matt

If you see these young chefs, be sure to tell them about seeing the carving.  It will mean a great deal.


Until next time.
Bon Appetit Ya"ll

Chef Leslie Bartosh

Garde Manger Class

One of the current classes is Garde Manger.  As a part of the class they make the seven families of Hors d oeuvres.  Here is one from last nights class.

Herbed pâté brise base, garlic herb butter smear, corn and red onion hash, candied bacon shard. By @xzacktprihoda.

Until next time:

Con Appetit Ya'll, 
Chef Leslie Bartosh

Silent Auction Scholarship Fund Raiser

On Saturday, March 15, 2014, a silent auction was held in conjunction with a food truck festival at Haak Vineyards in Santa Fe, Texas.   The silent auction benefited the Alvin Community College Culinary Arts Scholarship fund.  The fund raiser was the second held this year at Haak Vineyards. 
As often happens this time of year the weather was less than cooperative.  None the less, the event and silent auction were a huge success.
The picture below shows students from four different classes who came out to show their support for the event.  Also pictured is chef Mary Bass who organized the event.

Left to right:
Tyler Henderson (2013), Matt Huerta (2014), Curtis Smith (2013), Alicia Prejean (2012), Zach Prihoda (2014), Briana Arehart (2014), Chef Mary Bass, Ben Talley (2014), Meagan Marchant (2014), and Marilyn Ramirez (2011). 

Guys, thanks for your support on a rainy day!

Until next time,
Bon Appetit Ya'll
Chef Leslie Bartosh

51st Annual Chefs Ball

Last weekend was privileged to attend the 51st Annual Chefs Ball, of the American Culinary Federation Texas Chefs Association Houston Chapter.  The event was held at the River Oaks Country Club.  It was simply outstanding.  My photos do not do the food justice.

Le Menu

Salad

Entree

 Dessert

 Chefs, thank you for out standing meal.

chef Leslie Bartosh

Alvin Community College Culinary Arts International Cuisine.

Over the next few weeks I will post some pictures of work by our students along with the recipe for the dish. In our classes Culinary Arts Classes at Alvin Community College we typically have the appropriate desserts and breads for the countries we "visit". So, to start things off, here is a photo of a dessert from our class on Scandinavian cuisine, Mazarintarta.  Mireya did an outstanding job.  The recipe follows.

Mazarintårta (Sweden)

Swedish Almond Raspberry Torte

Yield 12 – 16 servings; 1 9 inch fluted tart or 9 inch spring form pan

5 ¼ oz flour, all purpose, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

2 ¾ oz sugar

4 oz butter, unsalted cold

1 each egg

2 oz butter, unsalted

5 ½ oz sugar

3 ½ oz almonds, blanched, ground

½ tsp vanilla

2 each egg

7 ½ oz raspberry preserves

4 oz powdered sugar, sifted

½ oz lemon juice fresh

1 tsp water

For the dough:

Sift together: flour, sugar and baking powder.

Place in bowl of food processor and pulse to mix.

Cut butter into 10 pieces.  Place on top of dry ingredients in processor bowl.

Pulse to cut in the butter until the size of peas.

Add egg and process until dough comes together.

Remove from processor and knead to form ball.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate.

For the filling:

Cream butter and sugar using paddle attachment of mixer.  Beat until fluffy.

Add almonds and vanilla.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

To assemble:

Roll chilled dough between sheets of parchment to make 10 inch circle.

Invert into pan.  Press evenly into bottom and 1 inch up sides.  Make sure all holes are covered.

Spread ½ raspberry preserves over bottom. 

Top with filling.

Bake in preheated 350° oven for 40 minutes or until torte tests done.

Cool ten minutes, remove sides of pan and cool completely.

For topping:

Mix powdered sugar with lemon juice.  Add water a few drops at a time until spreading consistency.

Let topping rest 5 – 10 minutes.

Spread remaining raspberry preserves over cooled torte.  Drizzle topping over torte.

I hope you enjoy.

Bon Appetit Ya'll
Chef Leslie Bartosh