Cook of the Week: Teen takes healthy approach to dinnertime
Alexia Ballasch knows she is creative and perhaps brave enough to whip up a meal for her family, including her 2-year old twin sisters as well as her 4-year-old sister.
She took a year to perfect a meatball recipe that she felt was not only good enough to serve her family but to bring before a panel of judges at the 2014 Illinois State Fair.
And, Alexia has wowed judges in other venues, winning second and first places for her culinary creations.
And, by the way, this Island Lake cook is only 15 years old.
Her interest in cooking began several years ago when she offered to help mom, Angel, after her siblings were born. Alexia, who is home-schooled, said she enjoys seeing how her work can please someone else.
“I really like the outcome, having something that you make be valued,” she said. “I really like helping out people and making people happy.”
Her parents, Angel and Richard, made sure that she understood food safety and have been there to monitor when she wanted to use appliances. But her parents also have given her freedom to be creative.
“I am really comfortable in the kitchen and know where everything is,” she said. “It's a tension release, I'd say, for me. You can clear your mind and say, ‘OK now I can tackle those other issues.'”
Alexia said her mom instilled early the importance of eating healthy and she continues to pursue that path. She relies on natural, organic products and her menus often are heavy on fruits and vegetables, whole grains with little red meat. When sweetening a dish, she turns to natural sweeteners such as molasses, agave or honey.
“To cook any other way would be foreign.”
Alexia has dived deeper into her hobby through her involvement in a suburban 4-H Club, the Cloverbuds. The club has helped enhance her understanding of the science behind cooking and given her a chance to showcase her abilities at competitions.
After spending more than a year to perfect a meatball recipe, Alexia entered the dish in a 4-H food and nutrition challenge. After cooking carrots, celery, onions and garlic, Alexia pureed the vegetables and added them to ground turkey. She presented her meatballs at the 2014 Illinois State Fair in Springfield and earned a superior 4-H exhibitor award ribbon.
“The judge said it's incredible that you used turkey meat because it's hard to get flavorful. Turkey meat can be dry and bland, so I tried to enhance the flavors,” she said.
For a recent competition hosted by another 4-H club, Alexia made fettuccine noodles from scratch and combined them with Alfredo sauce and grilled chicken.
“It was quite simple once I figured it out,” she said about making the noodles. “Even the judge at the competition said I have to see how you're going to do this as I've never seen it made without a pasta machine. It was easier not having to lift a big pasta machine because you had to bring all your equipment. It was nice because all I had to bring was my ingredients, a rolling pin and a knife.”
After tying for second place last year with her spinach and cheese quiche, Alexia tied again this year, for first place.
“I was very excited about it,” she said. “This year, I had a goal to win first place.”
There are many ideas as to what may be next for the teen. She thinks one day about working at a restaurant or perhaps offer healthier cuisine on a food truck. She may even host a cooking show.
In the immediate future, Alexia said, plans to tackle something in the kitchen she has not done yet. While she has made cookies and breads, she has not made more complex desserts.
“I'm thinking we will be eating a few more cheesecakes,” she said.
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