Aspen – Now that Aspenites have digested the high-end vittles offered by the bacchanalian Food & Wine Classic in June, some are settling down to its antithesis, the second annual Healthy Gourmet Fest, presented by the Aspen Center for Integral Health on Thursday and Friday.
The weekend event, designed to showcase fab food that is good for you, features Mark Reinfeld of Blossoming Lotus in Kauai, Hawaii; Tanya Petrovna of Native Foods, with four California locations; Michael LeClerc of 350 Main in Park City, Utah; and Flynt Payne of Esperanza Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Jon Pell of Boulder’s Sunflower restaurant, who opened his first Sunflower in the neighboring community of El Jebel, says the idea of a healthy-food event appeals to him.
“Of course the chefs at Food and Wine are skilled and talented, but this event honors chefs who work with food that looks and tastes excellent, but is also healthy on individual and environmental level,” says Pell, one of this year’s “America’s Top Healthy Gourmet Chefs.”
The honorees were chosen by a board that included John Mariani, restaurant critic for Esquire magazine; Jennifer English, creator of Food & Wine Radio Network, based in Tuscon; and Carolyn O’Neil, former food and nutrition anchor for CNN and author of “The Dish: On Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!”
The Healthy Gourmet Fest begins Thursday with a choice of cooking classes taught by chefs who will prepare three-course lunches in the kitchens of private homes. An afternoon organic wine tasting at The Little Nell will follow from 4 to 5 p.m. led by winemaker John Williams, owner of Napa Valley’s Frog’s Leap winery.
The event ends Friday evening, with dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Club. Author and food writer Mollie Katzen, who created the Moosewood Cookbook series and was named by Health Magazine as one of the five “Women Who Changed the Way We Eat,” will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The organization’s Citizen Award will go to Boulder-based Wild Oats Markets Inc. for its educational initiatives for children, including co-sponsoring a program with the National Gardening Association of America designed to bring organic gardens to low-income schools in major metropolitan areas.
For more information, contact the center at 970-920-2957, or visit acih.org.
Chilled Cherry-Plum Soup
Brace yourself for a stunningly colorful soup. You can make this up to a day in advance. The seasonings intensify the longer it sits. Frozen cherries work well here. The bonus is that they come already pitted. Defrost them first, and use about 3 cups. Adapted from “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest,” by Mollie Katzen, makes 5-6 servings.
Ingredients
Optional garnishes:
Directions
Pit and coarsely chop plums. Place them in a medium-sized saucepan with cherries, salt, and orange juice. Heat to boiling, then turn the heat down to very low. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes.
Add ginger and mustard. Cover and simmer 15 minutes longer.
Remove from heat; stir in honey and orange zest. Let cool to room temperature, then puree in a blender or food processor. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid, cover and chill until very cold.
Whisk in the buttermilk or yogurt just before serving. Top each bowlful with a swirl of extra buttermilk, a scattering of fresh mint leaves and thin slices of kiwi fruit.
Sugar Snap Peas with a Single Herb
Sugar snaps . those chubby, edible-podded peas . are good raw or lightly cooked. This is a great choice for cooks who hate to chop. Just snip the chosen herb with scissors. Choose only the freshest, tightest sugar snaps, so they can cook very quickly and still be crisp, yet sublimely tender. Dried herbs will work in this recipe if you can’t get fresh ones. Adapted from “Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Heaven,” makes 4-6 servings.
Ingredients
Directions
Remove the tops from the peas, and pull off the strings.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add peas, keeping heat fairly high. Cook quickly for about 1 minute. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and the herb of your choice. Cook for about 1 minute longer.
Transfer to a bowl and eat as soon as possible, while they are still bright green, puffy and hot.
Indian Summer Casserole
This is a wonderful, light entrée for a warm, lazy evening. Serve it with some hot, buttered tortillas. This recipe is named in honor of that time of year when corn, peppers and fresh basil are peaking, and late crops of tomatoes are barely ripe. If you can’t get green tomatoes, use the firmest and least ripe ones you can find. Adapted from “Still Life With Menu,” by Mollie Katzen, makes 4-5 servings.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter or oil an 8-inch square baking pan or its equivalent.
Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, salt, cumin and oregano, and sauté quickly over medium-high heat. After about 8 minutes, when bell peppers are tender, remove from heat.
Add green onions, basil, parsley, black pepper, cayenne, olives, chiles, and cheese, and stir until cheese melts. Spread this mixture into the prepared baking pan.
Beat eggs together with buttermilk or yogurt. Gently pour custard over the vegetables. Sprinkle the top with paprika.
Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
