By John Selick IV
My chef career started in the dining room as a waiter for some of the fancier restaurants in Cleveland. I wore a tuxedo and pushed a guéridon around the room, preparing classic tableside dishes like Steak Diane, Banana Fosters and Caesar Salad for Two.
The Caesar Salad was my favorite, making an emulsified garlic-and-anchovy-flavored dressing in a wooden bowl and then tossing it with crisp romaine lettuce in front of delighted guests. Twenty years later, the Caesar Salad is still very much a part of today’s restaurant menus but with a twist: it’s now made with kale.
Like Lettuce, Only Scratchier
Kale is a hot ingredient that the Generation Z and Millennial crowd loves. Dietitians have been telling us for years to eat more dark leafy greens, and kale answers that call.
It seems like kale is a new ingredient but it’s always been around; it’s a cousin of broccoli. Baby kale is a great addition to salads, while larger kale comes in different varieties like Curly, Red Russian and Lacinato. All are delicious when cooked with some olive oil and garlic.
You’re probably familiar with the often-misused flowering kale; its purple and white leaves are always used as decoration for buffets, which is unfortunate because it’s delicious when braised with onions, butter and some vegetable broth.
One of the more interesting ways I like to use kale is fermenting the stalks and serving them on a vegetable platter. I like this preparation because it utilizes a part that would normally be thrown away, and fermenting is really on-trend right now because of its health benefits. Fermented foods are rich in probiotics that can aid in digestive health. It’s an old-school method that was developed for food preservation because there wasn’t any refrigeration.
The “rebirth” of fermented foods has a huge following with the Millennial generation. There is even a fermented drink called kombucha. It’s a fermented tea that comes in a variety of flavors that has a tart and slightly acidic taste. I find kombucha to be very refreshing and personally recommend the ones with ginger.
If you find kombucha to be an acquired taste, there’s a huge selection of sparkling waters that’s taking over the grocery store shelves. It is a great alternative to Coke or Pepsi, which was a staple in my family when I was growing up.
My generation is dealing with increased obesity and diabetes, thanks to much of the food and drink of our childhoods. Flavored sparkling water can provide the mouthfeel and satisfaction of soft drinks, but are sugar-free and zero calories. A cold sparkling water with a squeeze of lime and a splash of cranberry juice is the perfect summertime drink.
It seems food has changed a lot this past decade, and for the better. A younger generation of chefs is trying to bring more flavor from ingredients by roasting them instead of boiling them.
Roasting vegetables helps retain nutrients that would leach out into the water, and it’s been the single greatest thing to happen to brussels sprouts. I hated brussels sprouts as a kid and so did everyone I know. Try tossing them in olive oil, sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper and roast them in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes to make brussels sprouts that everyone will love.
John Selick IV is the senior culinary manager at Sodexo Healthcare Services for University Hospitals in Cleveland.
