Pastor first bakes the bread then breaks bread with congregation
At a recent dinner event at the Calvary Christian Center in Lake Villa, the attendees dined on homemade spinach fettuccine and Alfredo sauce topped with prosciutto and sweet peas. Freshly made French bread accompanied the meal.
The chef? Calvary's pastor, Bob Eby.
Bob has enjoyed cooking since he learned how to cook over a campfire as a teenager in northern Indiana.
“We used to make pot roast in a Dutch oven, pineapple upside-down cake and even pizza,” he said.
With his wife at a new job and working toward her master's degree Bob has had to step into the kitchen more often these days to feed the family, which includes three kids.
“In the past my wife did 90 percent of the cooking and I just grilled and did weekend breakfasts,” Bob said.
“One of my passions is that I always want to make everything totally from scratch. It isn't a health food thing, or an organic thing, it's just that I love the process of creating something from fresh ingredients,” Bob said. “Fresh is better.”
Bob is a disciple of Alton Brown and his “Good Eats” show on the Food Network.
“I like the way he explains the science behind cooking. I'm really interested in that,” Bob said.
He uses a bread machine to make his favorite French bread, and if fact, the family hasn't bought bread at a store since he got it. He also has a cinnamon raisin bread recipe that he likes to make and bring to the church on Sunday mornings.
“Kitchen tools make cooking so easy,” Bob said, explaining that he frequently relies on an electric pasta machine, ice cream machine and stand mixer, the last one a long-wished-for birthday present.
“After I got (the mixer) I went into a baking fit and probably gained 20 pounds,” he laughed.
Bob is looking forward to spring because he's missed being able to grill.
“I use a charcoal Weber grill; grilling is something I really do love. I like to try indirect or, slow-cooking methods and I experiment with different cuts of meat.”
The next challenge?
“We're hoping to plant an herb garden this summer. We've always wanted to, but like everyone, we just get so busy.”
Luckily for us he wasn't too busy to share a few recipes today.