I want to thank everyone who came to join us at Lincoln Land Community College’s Bistro Verde earlier this semester as the last class prepared the to-go menu of casual, comfort foods. Our students had a great time and got a lot of good experience preparing food for you. The next class and menu will start on March 26. We will be open Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., until April 24. We will be back to a little more refined dishes that are plated for dining in, and reservations are always a great idea. Email BistroVerde@llcc.edu to make a reservation.

We have four appetizers available. We will start with a savory cannoli that is filled with artichokes, spinach and red peppers, and that has a lemon and garlic sauce. This is a fun twist on artichoke dip using a cannoli shell as the vehicle. We will also have Oysters Rockefeller, or at least a fun version of it. The dish will be creamed spinach topped with fried oysters, bacon jam and crispy noodles. Filipino food has been quite popular the last little while, so we are doing chicken skewers in this style with a tomato and onion slaw served with crispy garlic fried rice balls. The last offering will be honey walnut shrimp served with broccoli tempura.

We have two soups on the menu. A classic creamy chestnut soup topped with roasted squash, crème fraîche and chives. It is one of my favorites and a little less common these days. For an international dish, we are offering Peruvian shrimp chowder that uses aji Amarillo chilis as a highlighted ingredient most students are new to. A Midwest favorite, seven-layer salad, will be our salad offering. Though we are going to offer it in a modern presentation while maintaining traditional flavors.

Of course, we always have the American regional smashburgers that change every week. The last week is always the Luther burger, which uses Krispy Kreme donuts, pepper jack cheese and strawberry mayo. It is always our bestseller. All of the smashburgers can be turned into horseshoes if you prefer. The grilled cheese will have fried zucchini, pepper jack, mozzarella cheese and a little Cajun aioli. I just love Thai curries, so we are going to make a crispy cod sandwich tossed in red curry sauce and then topped with a green papaya salad. Though you can always enjoy a crispy cod sandwich without the curry sauce and salad, if you prefer. Either way, it will be delicious.

Finally for the entrees, we are making mozzarella stuffed potato gnocchi, tossed with shrimp, crab, crawfish, pearl onions and carrots with bacon and Old Bay butter sauce. I am looking forward to showing the students how to make gnocchi stuffed with mozzarella. A classic grilled petite filet will be served with béarnaise sauce accompanied by glazed carrots and roasted baby potatoes. Chicken saltimbocca, which translates to “chicken that leaps into the mouth,” is our last entrée. It is a chicken breast with prosciutto, sage and a white wine sauce served with cauliflower gratin and puffed fried potatoes, called potato dauphine.

Our students will work in teams to prepare an additional three-course set menu each week. This gives them a fun opportunity to be creative and playful with food. You can see these dishes on the LLCC Culinary Facebook page each week they are offered. They are still creating the menus as we transition from one class to the next.

In addition, our restaurant desserts class will be making plated desserts for us, and they are amazing! We hope to see all of you as much as possible.

Chestnut soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 cup chestnut, canned or fresh
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 tablespoon marsala wine, or substitute white wine
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Nutmeg, just a tiny amount
• 1 whole clove
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1/4 cup roasted squash, small dice
• Crème fraîche as needed, substitute sour cream if necessary
• Chives, sliced thin, just enough for garnish

Directions

1. Place the onion and butter in a pan, and cook until tender but no color.
2. Add chestnuts, stock, cream, wine, nutmeg, clove, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a simmer, and cook until chestnuts are tender, adjusting salt and pepper as it cooks.
3. Puree soup in a blender until smooth. Correct seasoning if necessary.
4. Pour into bowls, and top with squash, crème fraîche and chives. Enjoy!

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.