Why This Job Rocks, #30

Judges Table at Throwdown!

#30- Staff field trip to Throwdown! That's right, the Bobby Flay show rolled into town, and we were there to witness the epic battle of two bigger-than-life chefs: Bobby "I Heart Poblano Peppers" Flay versus Teddy "The Kid" Folkman in a Mussels and Fries Throwdown.

How did we know about this supposedly secret event, seeing as FN puts quite a bit of effort into inventing a plausible cover story for each Throwdown? Well, it might have been the fact that Teddy had to take a few "important calls from a major food television producer" during class. (Program Note: For any parents or students who might be reading this, this would be an exception to our still standing policy of no cell phones or other techno-gadgetry during class. Seriously.) The second tip-off was probably the "cover story" that Dr. Granville Moore's was going to be featured in a FN segment called "America Eats". As board member/volunteer Binni put it, "What?!? America Eats? America does not eat Moules and Frites." Moules and Frites, however, is Teddy's specialty, and having a "specialty dish" gave him added Throwdown potential.

At any rate, we ran into Teddy during the 3 day stint where FN producers were "getting footage" for their completely bogus cover show, and he invited us to lunch at the Argonaut, 11:15 the next day and warned us that we might be there until 2 or 3. A middle of the day field trip to support one of our favorite chefs, eat some mussels, AND maybe be on tv? What a dream Tuesday.

As soon as we got there the next day, there was clearly something afoot. We had to sign waivers before entering the Argonaut, which was lit up stadium-style and packed full of giddy spectators clutching complimentary beverages. There was only the vaguest notion of a time line, and, from the looks of it, the 5 or 6 FN camera folk seemed to be in no rush as they collected footage of Teddy talking about his ingredients, and setting up camp in front of a few single burners. Still no mention of Throwdown, and no sightings of either Bobby Flay or his entourage.

Meanwhile, the entire room buzzed with the energy of adults playing hooky from their day jobs to watch some play-ground style culinary stand off. You could practically hear the strains of "Anything you can do, I can do better" as the crowd (some more boisterous than others) got antsy. And then, just as the lights were getting a tad too hot, and air inside the packed bar went from stale to stuffy, the back door to the bar opened, the annoyed crowd glared in the direction of the cold draft of air, and in strolled Bobby Flay. Wearing a plum colored argyle sweater over a button down shirt of the same color, and looking pretty much like he does on TV.

And this, of course, is where things got started. Bobby got the same table and single burners that Teddy had, though his side was fancily furnished with Le Creuset and stainless steel utensils, and both chefs went to work. Teddy was doing mussels with bleu cheese, spinach, and bacon, and the regular herb-dusted frites with a roasted yellow tomato and truffle aioli. Bobby, by anyone's guess, was at work on some green looking broth for the mussels (poblanos or curry, perhaps?) and, you guessed it, a chipotle aioli dipping sauce for his fries. Unfortunately, we weren't able to witness the cooking of the fries, which took place in the back kitchen.

This is the point where any Throwdown party-goer has been urged by producers to repeat the standard, "I can't tell you who won until the episode airs in May or June." But as someone who tasted both Teddy's and Bobby's dishes, I will say that I did think there was a clear winner. And if you're still curious about the outcome, check out the blog by the one of the Throwdown judges on Amalah. DC Foodies, DCist, and EndlessSimmer also wrote up the event.


The following camera phone moments brought to you by Brainfood event photographer, Amy Brady.

Teddy's Mussels and Fries

Judges Table

Bobby Flay and co.

Step into Our Office, Part I

People pay how much money for mushrooms dug up by pigs?!?

Sometimes, there’s nothing quite as enjoyable as looking at the clock at 3:50 PM and wondering what we’ll be doing in class that day. These seldom, but coveted moments are generally courtesy of a guest chef or guest speaker who has volunteered to spice up our normal 4 to 6 spot with fresh perspective, useful chef tips, and an arsenal of cool gadgets and specialty ingredients. In addition to being a nice break from our usual curriculum, these guest classes are often the closest that we can get to a “field trip” during our after school program. I also suspect that by the time March rolls around, students are already chomping at the bit to show off their accumulated skills in front of a “real” representative of the food industry. Either way, our latest Brainfood guests have put a much needed spring in the step of our regular routine.

~Ice Cream Myth Busters and Pie in a Blender: Rebecca’s Class~

Who: Rebecca Scritchfield, dietician

Last Time at Brainfood: Summer 2007

Why she’s famous at Brainfood: Rebecca built a presentation on healthy eating around the MTV classic, “Pimp My Ride” and she also held 20

astonished high school students’ attention while explaining the chemical process behind creating trans-fats.

What’s cooking this time:

Rebecca’s class was packed full of facts on everything from how portion sizes have changed over time, to the caloric count on Cold Stone Creamery’s icy concoctions, to how to make healthful substitutions. One of these substitutions involved slimming down the normally fat-laden pie crust in a perennial autumn favorite: pumpkin pie. In Rebecca’s version, students zipped up all the lower-calorie ingredients for the pie (including Bisquick mix and Splenda) in a blender, and then poured the mixture into a pie pan. 20 minutes later, and a nicely spiced pumpkin pie with a wafer thin crust hit the table and was promptly inhaled.

~A Whole Grain Primer with Christina~

Brown Rice Pulao

Stoplight Salad

Who: Christina Giallourakis, holistic health counselor and founder of Inspire Nutrition

Last Time at Brainfood: Summer 2007

Why we love having her in class: She effortlessly made whole grains cool for our 2007 class of summer students. Having Brainfood participants argue about who gets to cook the red quinoa is sweet music to the ear. Or my ear, at least.

What’s cooking this time:

More whole grains! Whole grains being Christina’s specialty topic at Brainfood, she has all the right props. Among my favorites are a complete set of 16 whole grain samples housed in little glass vials, packaging from common whole grain products, and a very useful flametamer for achieving the perfect simmer on our boisterous gas stove.

In our ambitious class day, students put together a faux risotto dish, with quinoa standing in for the usual Arborio rice, a colorful “Stoplight Salad” with diced peppers quinoa, a brown rice pulao (think Indian spiced rice pilaf) and a lovely black rice dish redolent of lightly sweetened coconut milk. Christina also gave students pointers on how to navigate the confusing language of food advertising and identify foods that actually have all three parts of a grain--germ, bran, and endosperm—that make it “whole”, not “refined”.

~Moules, Moules, and Moules: a very Teddy Class

Who: Teddy Folkman, Executive Chef, Dr. Granville Moore’s

Last Time at Brainfood: Much too long ago!

Why he’s always welcome in our kitchen: Teddy is always going 100 mph in the kitchen-- just the right speed for engaging Brainfood students. From indulging requests to flambe food to regaling students with stories about life in the food industry, Teddy really gets Brainfood.

What’s cooking this time:

As we mentioned previously, Teddy is the self-proclaimed King of Moules, and after his class at Brainfood, we can vouch that he really does merit the title. He stopped by on a busy Thursday at Chinatown, toting a couple pounds of butter and a bag of rope-grown mussels straight from Prince Edward Island—that’s when we knew that we were in for a treat. Teddy expounded on the virtues of everything from fresh herbs to reading seafood tags, and then gathered students round for their close up with the mussels.

Here, a chef with a different demeanor might have launched into a culinary ode to the mussel, or begin with a quiet meditation on anatomy of a bivalve. Teddy, however, subscribes to a slightly different pedagogy—embracing the lovable weirdness of the foods we eat. He had students carefully sift through a five pound bag of mussels, discarding the ones with broken shells and pulling off any stringy mussel beards that students regarded with equal amounts of intrigue and suspicion. (“What kind of seafood needs a beard?!?!” – a fair question.)

And then finally, it was on to the grand finale, as mussels hit the pan with butter, fines herbes, kosher salt, and a twist of fresh black pepper. Teddy, noting the eager masses that were hovering around the stove, dispensed with the usual plating procedure and invited students to just dig in. It was then and there, elbow deep in mussels shells and fingers dripping with herbs and butter, that a new love for a strangely bearded, completely delicious, bivalve was born.

What can you make for $15???

Earlier this week Brainfood participants were issued a challenge.... Could they cook a dinner for a family of 4 for $15? Working in groups, participants had 90 minutes to brainstorm their meal (which had to include a protein, a grain, and a fruit/vegetable), go shopping at the "Brainfood Market", and prepare their meal using only the items that they purchased (along with some staples from the Brainfood pantry & fridge).

This was one of the first challenges this year where participants were given no specific recipe to follow. It was time to let their creativity shine and see what cooking skills they had learned/mastered. I have to say I was a very proud of the participants creativity, budgeting skills and time management. They did a great job and everything tasted delicious. We all left class with full bellies and I heard many students comment that this had been their favorite class of the year so far! Check out their menus below - they may be helpful the next time you head to the store and need to make a quick dinner on a small budget.

-Amy

(Note: My camera seems to be feeling the florescent movement of the early 90s this week, so I apologize if some of the images look a little pink!)

Check out the budget friendly meals designed and prepared by Brainfood students!

Menu A

• Sautéed chicken with peppers and onion
• Brown rice
• Fruit salad

Menu B

• Goat cheese, pecans, olives, and Boston lettuce salad
• Sautéed herbed chicken
• Mashed potatoes
• Cranberry oatmeal cookies

Menu C

• Macaroni & Cheese
• Quinoa toast with green beans and tomato

Menu D

• Whole wheat spaghetti with homemade Pomodoro sauce and rosemary chicken
• Strawberry and walnut yogurt

Menu E

• Seared Tilapia
• Broccoli with Cheese
• Beaked Potato with cheese
• Black bean & cheese dip with toasted bread

Menu F

• Rigatoni with Broccoli Béchamel sauce
• Herbed Chicken Breasts.
• Pineapple Strawberry Salad

Menu G

• Brown Rice with chicken and a spicy tomato sauce

Menu H

• Mini-burgers
• Penne Pasta with a Spinach Tomato Sauce

Menu I

• Pan-fried Chicken
• Curried Potatoes
• Broccoli with Cheddar
• Whole Wheat Garlic Bread

What's Been Cooking?

I can’t believe it’s already March! 2008 has been flying by and let’s just say that we’ve been very busy here at Brainfood. We’ve been mixing, dicing, roasting, baking, sautéing, searing – you name it, we’ve probably done it!

To keep you up to date, I wanted to give you a short summary of all the scrumptious dishes we’ve been cooking up in our Brainfood kitchens. We decided to keep the holiday sugar high going for just one more week as our first Brainfood class of 2008 was all about candy! We then decided it was back to business… Next on the calendar were whole grains. Quinoa was by far the fan favorite but I think the jury is still out regarding the Barley cookies. Next up was our Fresh Pasta Day where we made fresh raviolis as well as spaghetti, fettuccini, and a pomodoro sauce – yummy!

THEN came the day Brainfood participants were looking forward to for weeks, if not months – we were finally cooking meats! Convinced that we must have a vegetarian agenda (which we do not!) they’ve been asking and asking when the day would come when they would get the opportunity to cook meat. After a quick chat about how to avoid cross contamination we jumped right in – chicken then beef! We made healthier alternatives to some family favorites and learned that you don’t have to fry chicken for it to taste good! As we headed into February we tried some new seafood dishes and then spent a class making cheese.

See I was right, it was a busy 2 months?!? Now that you’ve read about it, take a few minutes to check out the delicious dishes for yourself. Enjoy!

Amy

Peanut Brittle

Mr. Brady's Fudge (Thanks Dad for sharing your secret recipe!)

Loillipops

Chocolate Dipped Barley Cookies

Brown Sugar Wheat Scones

Sage & Honey Skillet Cornbread

Pulao with Brown Rice

Spotlight Salad with Bulgur

Whole Wheat Crepes with Dutch Apple Filling

Cornmeal Crepes with Cream Cheese & Blueberries

Fresh Pasta Day!Spinach & Cheese Raviolis

Fake Fried Chicken, Oven Baked Chicken, & Slimmed Down Macaroni & Cheese
Beef Pot Pie
Jamaican Beef Patties
Beef Empanadas
Baked Hot Wings & Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan Cheese
Roasted Chicken
Rock Fish
Spaetlze
Seared Catfish with Black Bean Mango Salsa
Seared Tilapia with Red Pepper Coulis
Seared Salmon with Herbed Bechemel
Linzer Tarts
Meringue Kisses
"Brainfood-made" Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta Torte with Spinach & Feta
Ricotta & Jam-filled French Toast

Welcome, Julia!

Jamaican Beef Patties

While there are great perks that go along working in a very small non-profit (increased independence, room to be creative, and a daily sense of accomplishment are at the top of our list), it's always a challenge to avoid becoming too insular of a program. That's why we're always ecstatic about having new faces in the office, hearing fresh feedback about program, and finding ways for more Brainfood supporters to get involved. In turn, the many people who have been involved with Brainfood over the years have also left their marks on the program, along with a rich and endearing assortment of parting gifts. Among the things we have been lucky enough to inherit: our Kudos and Strikes System, a recipe for homemade seitan, a fool-proof method of cutting pineapple, and the best lemon bars we've ever tasted.

So it is with great excitement that we welcome Julia Lovett to Brainfood, as our intrepid spring intern. Julia is a freshman at Georgetown University and she loves tom ka gai. Read on for her thoughts on her very first Brainfood class...

Immediately after check in, bodies flew from pantry to prep table. Beef day had begun! Within moments tired faces ignited with enthusiasm as they poured, mixed, chopped, stirred, simmered, scalded, blanched, and boiled all the requisite ingredients for three delicious dishes!

With an involved menu full of things I had never made – Jamaican Beef Patties, Beef Empanadas, and Beef Pot Pies – I was slightly intimidated, but our seasoned chefs progressed with ease.

I chose to work with the empanada group, who I thank for showing me the ropes as I learned to navigate the Brainfood kitchen. After mixing the dough and setting it to chill, the group began working on the filling. We had our first setback once we reached the stovetop. After following the recipe to a T, the initial taste tests left our chefs with spice burned tongues. Too much dried chili pepper! The girls were not willing to settle for a ruined dish, so they creatively added more sweet raisins to the mixture to counter some of the spice.

After hurdling over one obstacle, we soon encountered another trying to stuff the filling in the dough. One chef fought to keep the crumbling dough together as she rolled it into circles. With time fleeting, the team cooperated nicely and formed a well-oiled assembly line: one rolled the dough, one painted on the egg wash, one spooned in the filling, and one packaged up the empanadas nicely crimping the edges. Without such great teamwork, we never would have gotten the empanadas in the oven with enough time to bake.

In addition to working closely with my group, I also enjoyed watching the other two teams prepare their dishes. The students all came up with such creative solutions to difficulties they encountered – whether devising vegetarian alternatives for our non-meat eating friends or making a stew instead of the originally planned pot pie, they exhibited great leadership and ingenuity.

After two hours of build up, we were all excited to dive into our dishes! Everything was scrumptious, although my favorite was the Jamaican Beef Patty! Even though I have the recipe I’ll be reluctant to try to recreate it without some Brainfood sous-chefs by my side.

Thanks Brainfood for a great first day; I arrived home with high spirits and a full tummy!

- Julia

Brainfood Holiday Photos

*Disclaimer: the following post includes photographs that may be offensive to readers who have an aversion to insane amounts of candy. Neon royal icing, sugar cookies, and an in-your-face gingerbread structure are included in this post. Brainfood staff does not endorse the habitual consumption of absurd quantities of sugar; in 2008 we will resume our regular programming with a 2 week introduction to Whole Grains. So please, don't judge.

Prepping sweet potato biscuits in the Chinatown Kitchen

Crudites and Hummus

Sugar Cookies

300 + channels, plus great reception

Perfect weekend getaway, ski pass included

Mod, innovative, with floor to ceiling windows

Youth hostel?

Brainfood Holiday Party

The house that Brainfood built

Some days it's the basics of vegan baking, some days are for learning knife skills, and just once each year, before winter break each year, it's all about the Gingerbread. That's right, the annual Holiday Party.

As per tradition, in the week leading up to the party, Brainfood students prepped a few of their favorite appetizers, Sweet Potato Biscuits with Maple Butter, Salsa, Pita Chips, Crudites, and Hummus for friends and family to enjoy. They also put together an excellent sugar cookie dough that we used for our decorated holiday cookies. While each class individually prepped the foods for our holiday fete, the party was the first time that all 5 Brainfood classes would be gathered (in force) at the same event. If you're mentally tallying Brainfood classes and coming up 1 short: we added a !NEW! Fridays at Brainfood class just this fall to accommodate more students.

With students calling the shots on party foods, Amy and I took on the challenge of building the Mother Ship of all gingerbread houses for students to decorate and donate to N St. Village as a holiday showpiece. I had the brilliant idea of making it "really really big". Amy had the brilliant idea of making the gingerbread from scratch. And clearly brilliant plus brilliant equals... an unprecedented late night in the Chinatown kitchen, sketching templates for house walls out of parchment paper, rolling out massive amounts of dough, cutting out the house "pieces" with pizza cutters, and marveling at our relative naivete regarding gingerbread mega-projects.

The somewhat stressful lead up to the Holiday Party, however, was soon forgotten on the day of the event. Students and families sipped hot chocolate and munched on pillowy sweet potato biscuits. Budding architects meticulously arranged Necco wafer shingles on adorable A-Frame graham cracker houses. Plain sugar cookies got decked out in sassy shades of hot pink and neon yellow. Teddy Grahams frolicked in green shredded coconut grass, and one industrious sibling of a Brainfood student even constructed a reindeer pen for the front yard of the Mega House. In short, it was full day of the joyful chaos that makes Brainfood unique.

- Carina