Creativity of cooks praised by judges, first challenges close calls
What would you make for dinner if your refrigerator contained little more than cheddar, pita bread, ground turkey and spinach? Contestants in our Cook of the Week Challenge were given those items to work with and delivered anything but ho-hum dishes.
Today, you'll see the recipes by cooks in Challenge 3, Mike Baron of South Elgin and Susie Mingee of Port Barrington, whose ingredients were English Hollow Cheddar from Green County, Wis., pitas from Grecian Delights and ground turkey and spinach.
And Challenge 4 cooks Theresa Wemlinger of Prospect Heights and Chelsea LaValle of Deer Park share what they created using garlic-infused coconut oil from NOW Foods, avocado courtesy of the Westin Chicago Northwest Hotel in Itasca, turkey breast and red cabbage.
In the second week of this Sweet 16-style cooking competition you can decide for yourself about the newest entries while reviewing the dishes cooks in Challenges 1 and 2 presented last week. Read what the judges had to say about those cooks' efforts below.
In Challenge 1, Joan Hamer of Glen Ellyn narrowly edged out James Litza of Wood Dale. Both created praiseworthy dishes with lavender, pork chops, peaches and farro.
In Challenge 2, Marie Bass' Mediterranean Chicken with Squash Fritters scored with judges over Jill Robertson's Greek Style Lemon Chicken and Spaghetti Squash Summer Greek Salad.
Both Hamer and Bass will advance to Round 2. While the judges have weighed in here, you can see which cook rates with readers in our Fan Favorites survey.
A panel of judges grades each recipe based on creativity, perceived taste and appearance and use of the star ingredients. The final four cooks will meet in person for a live cook off Nov. 2 at the Westin.
Lavender Marinated Pork Chops, Peach Chutney, Cinnamon Farro Pudding with Drunken Golden Raisins and Elote con Queso y Farro — James Litza
Penny Kazmier: Peach chutney alongside pork chops sounds like a good pairing, although I wish the chutney had been allowed to cook until thickened instead of adding cornstarch. The part of this meal I want to try the most is the Elote con Queso y Farro (roasted sweet corn with cheese and farro). It sounds tasty and along with the pudding, is a creative way to use farro.
Maggie Ziph: I applaud the use of fresh herbs and vegetables to bring color and life to the plate. These offerings are bold and enticing in terms of taste, mouth feel, and appearance. I would have loved to see more congruity. Fewer distinct elements can really allow the mystery ingredients to come into focus. Overall, this is a very appealing meal, and shows a great deal of verve and passion.
Rich Kator: Nice idea to use the lavender in a marinade. The soy sauce gives the sauce a nice color. Although this is a great tasting recipe, I am concerned the garlic overpowers the lavender, which should be the featured ingredient in this dish.
Grilled Pork Chops with Grilled Peach Salsa & Farro Salad — Joan Hamer
PK: Brining the pork chops is a great idea for a moist finished product and the grilled peach salsa is a nice complement, but I find myself wanting to add some grilled jalapeño or pepper of some sort so the mixture has a little kick. The farro salad sounds delicious, especially with the addition of the goat cheese.
MZ: This is an excellently thought-out meal. I love the use of the grill for both the pork chop and the salsa. This has the dual effects of streamlining preparation and harmonizing flavors. This dish could use ingredients more tailored to complement the mystery ingredients, particularly the lavender. It does come together very nicely and demonstrates a strong skill set and keen culinary sense.
RK: Interesting take on pork chops to put the lavender in a fruit salsa. The lavender combined with fresh fruit is a good combination. Very colorful dish makes for a great presentation.
Spaghetti Squash Summer Greek Salad/Greek Style Lemon Chicken — Jill Robertson
Michael Pennisi: The Mediterranean spice palette is a fitting although somewhat predictable approach to these ingredients. I appreciate the directions to drain the squash to avoid a watery salad but the green and red onions used together seems a little strange to me. I love the idea of the grilled lemon garnish but I think the cook missed an opportunity to use more wine and some fresh thyme to make a pan sauce.
Kimberley Stakal: The squash dish was a fresh approach to Greek salad — vibrant and colorful! The chicken entree was slightly too 'every day.' The addition of fresh herbs would have livened the dish up, and I would have liked to see a pan sauce made in the end. The directions became confusing at times because they were redundant to the ingredients list that already laid out how to prepare the ingredients.
Rachael Kunst-Curotto: While the use of the mystery ingredients is not the most original, replacing the lettuce in the salad with the spaghetti squash is creative. I'm not sure if the Greek Chicken recipe is for the salad or an additional recipe, but I would omit cooking the dredged chicken in wine to prevent the chicken from getting gummy. Maybe marinate with it, instead.
Mediterranean Chicken with Squash Fritters — Marie Bass
MP: Using feta in a marinade is different but seems wasteful and will burn if you don't wipe it off the chicken. The cooking directions for the chicken were well written. The topping is a great touch. I'm intrigued by the creativity of the squash fritters and they could be a big hit or a miss. The cook makes an effort to remove liquid from the squash, which demonstrates great understanding and technique.
KS: Very inventive use for the squash! The cooking process is slightly complex, but the directions are well written, concise, and easy to follow. When plated together, the parts of this recipe contain an array of shapes, textures, and color, and overall a great zesty Mediterranean flavor. There's a thoughtful mix of a savory, crispy fritter base, tangy chicken entree, and refreshing vegetable topping.
RKC: Great use of the mystery ingredients. The squash fritters are unique and the recipe is well written and easy to follow. The sweetness of the squash will pair nicely with the briny flavors from the marinated chicken and seems to present well with the topping. This is a great combination of textures, and can be a great summer into fall dish.
• Daily Herald Correspondent Mary J. Insprucker contributed to this report.