CHEFGARY COOKING COMPETITIONS

I love to cook professionally and at home but I have experienced a new kind of cooking that is both challenging and rewarding. I have recently been cooking in live competitions which is a new experience for me. I love the aspect of creating a dish or menu based on very specific criteria and planning so that you can show off as much skill as possible within a given time limit. Producing a great looking dish with strict time limitations is a major factor, ensuring to show off artistic flair, creativity, taste and presentation.


Ascot Culinaire, Gold medal, Vegetarian Dish, Best live dish of the competition. October, 2010.
Wessex Culinaire, Gold medal winner. Vegan Main-Course, February 2011.
Vegetarian chef of the future 2011, Finalist, May 2011.
Sodexo Chef of the Year, 2012. Semi Finalist, November 2011.
Vegetarian chef of the future, 2012. Winner, May, 2012.
Movenpick Ice cream Gourmet dessert chef of the year,  Finalist, July 2012.

ASCOT SALON CULINAIRE Vegetarian Dish

The Ascot Culinaire was my first live cooking competition and I was proud to be awarded my first gold medal and also "Best live dish of the competition" I have since competed in two others, winning another gold medal at the Wessex Culinaire and was one of five finalists in the the Vegetarian chef of the future.

On October 20th, I entered myself into the Sodexo Salon Culinaire cooking competition, held annually at Ascot racecourse. There are many live cooking competitions there and I chose to compete in the Vegetarian health wise choice, focusing on using healthy, seasonal ingredients to create a well balanced dish. I have recently been making my own curry powders and garam masala at home so this inspired me in choosing my dish as well as carefully choosing ingredients that were based on seasonality and their health benefits.

The dish that I decided to do had to be prepared, cooked and served as two identical portions within half an hour. I was given two electrical hobs and turned up with my ingredients and my own equipment. There were six people in my group and we competed live amongst each other. After a very busy half hour I was very happy with my finished result, having less than a minute spare. The dishes were later judged, based on flavour, texture, presentation, skill level of work and technical difficulty of the dish and I was extremely proud to be given a gold award for my effort, being the highest praise I could receive. On top of this I was even more overwhelmed when my dish was voted the "best live cooking dish of the day"

I was very proud to represent Yateley Manor in a very prestige competition where there were some great Chef's competing.

Menu and recipes that I used.

Butternut squash and puy lentil curry with curly kale,
 served with freshly made garlic and coriander flat breads. 
 Spiced potato, celeriac and carrot rosti.
Minted yoghurt and a lemon and mustard seed pickle.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND PUY LENTIL CURRY

WITH CURLY KALE

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF LENTILS AND PULSES THAT ARE AVAILABLE. ALL ARE GREAT SOURCES OF PROTEIN, COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES, DIETARY FIBRE AND ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS. I HAVE USED GREEN LENTILS IN THIS RECIPE AS THEY CAN BE COOKED WITHIN THIRTY MINUTES AND HOLD THEIR TEXTURE WELL.

ALL SQUASHES ARE HIGH IN FIBRE, LOW IN FAT AND HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF VITAMINS AND NUTRIENTS. ALSO PACKED WITH CAROTENE (ANTIOXIDANTS)

KALES ARE RICH IN CALCIUM, VITAMINS A & C, HIGH IN FIBRE AND CONTAIN NATURAL NUTRIENTS ESSENTIAL TO GROWTH AND MAINTENANCE 

GINGER HELPS STIMULATE BLOOD FLOW

GARLIC IS GOOD FOR BLOOD CIRCULATION

TURMERIC IS A NATURAL ANTI INFLAMMATORY

CINNAMON CAN REDUCE BACTERIAL GROWTH

RED CHILLIES HELP PREVENT STOMACH ULCERS, REDUCE CHOLESTEROL, CLEAR CONGESTION AND BOOST IMMUNITY.

INGREDIENTS                   

200 GRAMS GREEN LENTILS

75ML LITRE WATER (FOR BOILING)

1 X DICED ONION

1 X GRATED CARROT 

1 X STICK CELERY

4 X GARLIC CLOVE

2 X INCH GRATED GINGER                              (ALL PUREED TOGETHER)

1 X BUTTERNUT SQUASH (DICED)

100 GRAM CURLY KALE (FINELY SHREDDED)

2 X TABLESPOON SRI LANKAN CURRY POWDER (SEE RECIPE BELOW)

1 X TSP CORIANDER AND CUMIN SEEDS

1 X SMALL BUNCH FRESH CORIANDER CHOPPED

1/2 X TSP CELTIC SEA SALT

200 ML NATURAL YOGURT.

1)     BOIL THE LENTILS WITH THE LID ON FOR 10 MINUTES.

2)     MEANWHILE, SWEAT THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH IN A SEPARATE PAN. ADD THE SEEDS AFTER A FEW MINUTES, ALONG WITH THE CURRY POWDER.

3)     PUREE THE ONION, GARLIC, GINGER, CARROT AND CELERY.

4)     ADD THIS TO THE PAN WITH THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH.

5)     ADD THE LENTILS TO THE SQUASH.

6)     SIMMER FOR ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES, ENSURING THE LENTILS ARE SOFT TO BITE. ADD MORE WATER IF NECESSARY WHILE COOKING, JUST ENOUGH TO STOP THE CURRY FROM DRYING OUT.

7)     ADD THE CURLY KALE

8)     ADD THE YOGURT.

9)     ADD THE FRESH CORIANDER AND SERVE.

10)   ADD SALT IF NEEDED.

SRI LANKAN CURRY POWDER                         

8 X TABLESPOON CORIANDER SEEDS                 4 X  TABLESPOON CUMIN SEEDS

4 X TABLESPOON FENNEL SEED                          4 X STICK CINNAMON                    

1 X TABLESPOON BLACK PEPPERCORNS          4 X TABLESPOON MUSTARD SEEDS  

1 X TABLESPOON FENUGREEK SEEDS               2 X DRIED WHOLE CHILLIES

1 X TSP CARDAMON SEEDS                                 1 X TSP CLOVES  

1 X TSP TURMERIC                                                1 TSP UNCOOKED RICE

TOAST THE RICE UNTIL IT STARTS TO BROWN. ADD THE OTHER SPICES TOGETHER, TOASTING FOR A FURTHER FEW MINUTES, AVOIDING OVER COOKING. BLEND TO A FINE POWDER

WHOLEMEAL FLAT BREAD

WITH GARLIC AND CORIANDER

WHOLEMEAL FLOUR USES THE OUTER LAYER OF THE WHEAT GRAIN WHICH CONTAINS NATURAL VITAMINS AND MINERALS AND IS A BETTER SOURCE OF FIBRE THAN PLAIN FLOUR

INGREDIENTS                                                                     

400 GRAM WHOLEMEAL FLOUR

200 GRAM PLAIN FLOUR

1 TSP CUMIN SEED

1 TSP CORIANDER SEED

2 TSP BLACK SESAME SEED

1 CLOVE GARLIC

½ INCH FRESH GRATED GINGER

1 TABLESPOON FRESH CORIANDER

1 TSP YOGURT

WATER TO BIND

LITTLE CANOLA OIL

METHOD

1)   MIX ALL DRY INGREDIENTS TOGETHER AND THEN ADD YOGURT AND ENOUGH WATER TO FORM A DOUGH

2)   KNEAD FOR 1 TO 2 MINUTES, UNTIL DOUGH IS SMOOTH AND ELASTIC.   FORM INTO 8 BALLS

3)     ALLOW TO REST FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES

4)     POUR LITTLE OIL ONTO EACH BALL TO MAKE ROLLING EASIER

5)     ROLL OUT EACH BALL AS THIN AS POSSIBLE

6)    PLACE BREAD INTO A HOT DRY PAN AND COOK FOR 1 MINUTE ON EACH SIDE, UNTIL BROWNED

SPICY FRITTER WITH CARROT, ONION,

CELERIAC AND POTATO

INGREDIENTS

1 X LARGE POTATO GRATED

½ X ONION SLICED

½ X LARGE CARROT GRATED

¼ X CELERIAC GRATED

1 X INCH FRESH GRATED GINGER

1 X CLOVE GARLIC CRUSHED

1 X RED CHILI FINELY DICED

1 X TSP GARAM MASALA

½ X TSP TURMERIC

CANOLA OIL FOR FRYING

1)     RINSE POTATO, CARROT AND CELERIAC UNDER RUNNING WATER TO REMOVE STARCH

2)     DRY IN A TOWEL TO ENSURE COMPLETELY DRY

3)     MIX ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER AND DIVIDE INTO EIGHT EQUAL AMOUNTS

4)     FRY ON EACH SIDE FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES,

5)     AVOID TURNING TOO EARLY AS THEY WILL NEED TO CRISPEN UP FIRST.

MINTED YOGURT DIP

400GRM NATURAL PRO BIOTIC YOGURT

BUNCH FRESH MINT

TABLESPOON BROWN SUGAR

½ GREEN CHILI

MIX TOGETHER AND SERVE

I CREATED THIS DISH BY SELECTING A RANGE OF SEASONAL BRITISH VEGETABLES AND CELEBRATED THEM BY USING VARIOUS COOKING TECHNIQUES TO SHOW VERSATILITY AND DIFFERENCE IN TEXTURES. I USED SPICES TO ADD FLAVOUR AND UTILISE THE NATURAL HEALTH BENEFITS FROM THE ASIAN FOOD CULTURE THAT HAS LONG BEEN A PART OF MODERN BRITISH COOKING. I PRESENTED THE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER IN A MODERN STYLE TO CREATE A WELL BALANCED AND HEALTHY MEAL. I USED ONLY A LITTLE CELTIC SEA SALT IN MY RECIPE’S AS THIS HAS A LOWER SODIUM CONTENT AND IS PROVEN HEALTHIER FOR OUR DIET.

ChefGary