Incorporate fresh food into any diet
Chef Michael McGreal stuck a black plastic spoon into the pot of asparagus risotto cooking on a portable burner to see whether it needed more salt.
"Mmmm," he said, tasting the concoction of arborio rice, butter, cream and a bright green puree of blanched asparagus that he whipped up in front of a crowd of about 70 onlookers. "That's good."
McGreal, culinary arts/hospitality chairman at Joliet (Ill.) Junior College, and his wife, Brigitta, were showing how to cook with fresh produce. Their demo Saturday at the Crowne Plaza hotel was part of the first "Buy Local, Eat Healthy" seminar sponsored by the Illinois Vegetable Growers Association, Illinois State Horticulture Society, Illinois Herb Association, Illinois Department of Agriculture and University of Illinois Extension.
"We grew up eating Mom's cooking or Grandma's for Sunday dinner. It had nutrients in it. How many families today have a pot of homemade soup? Her students rarely have," said McGreal, 43, nodding toward his wife, also a chef and culinary arts chairman at Bolingbrook (Ill.) High School.
To encourage home cooking and family mealtime, the couple prepared dishes on stage while giving tips on incorporating fresh food into any diet.
Step 1: Buy foods in season.
"Things are meant to be used at the right time," McGreal said. "When you buy hard pears at the store, let them ripen on the counter."
To learn the seasons of Illinois crops, talk with farmers at farmers markets and roadside stands or go online to Web sites such as www.agr.state.il.us/markets/WhatsInSeason.pdf and www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/fresh.
"Buy at the peak of freshness. If you don't use it then, you can freeze it or process it yourself instead of having some processor doing it for you," he added.
Brigitta McGreal noted that buying in season is cheaper, too.
"When squash is on sale in the winter, I get it for 49 cents a pound. But don't let it rot. Eat it or process it."
Step 2: Prepare vegetables in advance so they are ready to use.
On weekends when they aren't so busy, the McGreals process fresh vegetables for their freezer. For example, they will wash and cut a bag of carrots into sticks, blanch them in hot water for a few minutes, shock them in ice water (which sets the color and stops the cooking) and then place the carrots into small plastic bags for the freezer. (They suck air out of the bags with a FoodSaver vacuum, but air can be pressed out by hand instead.)
"Just give them a quick saute when you need them," said McGreal.
Similarly, squash can be peeled, chunked, roasted for 45 minutes and then frozen in bags.
"Cooking squash is the hardest part and that's out of the way," he said.
If you have a lot of backyard peppers at the end of the season, he suggests charring them before freezing. Cook a pepper under a broiler or on a grill until it's black. Toss it into a sealed plastic bag for a few minutes until the steam lifts the skin, then wash the skin off under the water faucet.
"It's easy to do and the flavor is amazing," he said. "We puree them for red pepper sauce over grilled chicken, or put them in fajitas."
Step 3: Cook produce properly.
"The reason people don't like certain foods is either that they've never tried it, or it hasn't been prepared right," said McGreal. Try new cooking methods, he suggested. Don't like brussels sprouts? Peel off the leaves, and saute them for a few minutes. The leaves have a much lighter flavor than the whole round vegetable.
Other advice:
- Thicken soups and stews with pureed vegetables instead of flour.
- Don't buy bouillon cubes for flavoring. Buy base (a jarred product near bouillon cubes in the supermarket). It has better flavor and is less salty, but make sure the first ingredient is not salt.
- Stock the pantry. The McGreals buy Whole Grain 5 Blend, a rice medley from www.indianharvest.com. They cook it up and add vegetables or fruits and nuts for a quick dinner.
- Throw veggies on the grill year-round. Drizzle with olive oil and dust with salt and pepper.
The McGreals said it's never too soon to interest children in fresh foods.
"Have vegetables available at a young age," said Brigitta. "When they're 16 or 17, it's hard to get them interested."
Michael, who has worked as a guest chef on a cruise ship, suggests serving fruits and vegetables to children by putting small portions in Dixie cups.
"They'll feel like they're getting a sample from Sam's Club."
Recipes are from "Culinary Arts Principles and Applications" by Michael McGreal (American Technical Publishers, 2007).
Anjou Pears in Clover Honey and Pine Nut Caramel
3 ripe Anjou pears (other varieties can be substituted)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons clover honey
1 tablespoon red wine (optional)
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese (shaved parmesan, Pecorino Romano or even sweet mascarpone work wonderfully as a substitution to blue cheese)
Prepare pears by cutting in half lengthwise and scooping out core with a spoon or small ice cream scoop. Add butter to sauté pan over medium/low heat and add pear halves, cut side down. Cook slightly until butter begins to slightly turn brown at the edges of the pan.
Add honey and pine nuts and swirl pan to incorporate. Cook until honey and butter turn a rich caramel color and then add red wine. Note: If wine is not used, add either a small amount of fruit juice or water in this step to slow the caramel sauce from burning.
Flip pears over briefly to coat back side as well and then return to original side down over low heat until tender.
Remove pears from pan, top with small amount of cheese and caramel sauce and serve warm.
Serves 6.
Asparagus Risotto
6 spears asparagus
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
½ small onion, minced
½ cup arborio rice
2 tablespoons white wine
1 ½ cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Bend and snap off woody base of asparagus and discard. Cut asparagus into 1-inch long sections and blanch in salted water until bright green in color. Remove and shock in ice water to stop cooking process, drain and reserve until needed.
In medium saucepan over medium heat, add butter, garlic and onions and sweat until tender. Add rice and stir to coat all grains with butter. Add wine, cook and stir until all wine has been absorbed. Begin adding warm stock one ladle at a time while continuously stirring until all but ¼ cup remains.
Place asparagus in blender with remaining ¼ cup stock; puree.
Add cheese and cream to risotto and stir to incorporate. Add asparagus puree, stir to incorporate, adjust seasonings as needed and serve.
Serves 6.
Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque
1 butternut squash
2 ounces onion, sliced or diced
2 ounces butter
8 ounces chicken broth
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ginger
2 ounces cream
2 ounces brown sugar (if squash doesn't taste very sweet on its own)
Cut butternut squash in half. Clean seeds out from the insides and place squash face down on a greased sheet pan. Roast at 350 for 45 minutes. Cut flesh into chunks.
Sweat onions and butter over medium heat until onions become wilted. Add chicken broth. Add roasted butternut squash to broth along with cinnamon, salt, pepper, cardamom and ginger.
In batches, puree until smooth in a blender. Whisk in cream and brown sugar. Taste and season as needed.
Serves 6.
Kathryn Rem can be reached at 217-788-1520.