So long to the month of May. Hello, summer, with long days of beaming sun, outdoor grilling and our somewhat morbid fascination with heat indices. Welcome to dips in the pool, yardwork and trying to finally eat a little healthier. To help out with that, farmers’ markets in Columbus, Starkville and West Point are now all open for the season, filled more each week with fresh produce direct from growers. So when Chef Michael Campbell was asked to put on a cooking demonstration during the grand opening of the West Point Farmers’ Market last Thursday, he focused on a couple of dishes he could source, in large part, right on site.
Campbell, director of food and nutrition services at North Mississippi Medical Center-West Point, has been employed by Morrison’s Healthcare, which provides the hospital food service, since June 2013. The Houston, Texas, native was previously chef for Turtle Point Yacht and Country Club in Killen, Alabama, and executive chef for Signature Healthcare of Memphis. He has also served as executive chef for Rosewood Estates in Tyler, Texas, and The Sanford Inn and Spa in Arlington, Texas, and as sous chef for Gold Strike Casino and Resort.
For his first of three scheduled summer demonstrations at the market, Campbell chose to make a kale salad with red cabbage, broccoli, cranberries, sunflower seeds and blueberry vinaigrette. He also prepared gnocchi, with tomato sauce, fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese. (Gnocchi are soft dumplings typically made with potato and are prepared in a similar fashion to pasta.)
“I wanted to feature the freshest vegetables and fruit from the market, so a salad seemed natural,” said the chef, when asked about his choices. “The gnocchi dish was inspired by rustic Italian food where only the freshest produce will suffice.”
Even though still a bit early in the growing season, Campbell was able to purchase the kale, baby tomatoes, squash, green onions, baby yellow onions, pepper, red cabbage and blueberries on site. As market-goers watched, the practiced chef chopped, diced, sauteed and simmered.
“For the kale salad, a sweet blueberry vinaigrette pairs perfectly with the slight bitterness of the kale and crunch of the red cabbage,” he said. Toasty sunflower seeds add extra nutrition without using meat.
With the gnocchi, Campbell had boiled the skins off the tomatoes after skinning and coring them.
“I sauteed the baby carrots, bell peppers and garlic before adding them back in with the salt to allow them to break completely down,” he remarked. The sauce is finished with capers, chicken broth and fresh oregano and parsley before adding the gnocchi and allowed to finish. “It makes for a light, nutritious and delicious meal using locally grown ingredients.”
Lisa Klutts, executive director of the West Point-Clay County Growth Alliance, recruited Campbell for the demos. She praised his creativity with local ingredients and said presentations by great cooks like Campbell open up new possibilities for home cooks.
“There are always a lot of fruits and vegetables at the markets — and more coming into season with every passing week,” Klutts remarked. Shoppers occasionally say they don’t know what to do with them, other than cook them up the same old way they always have. “Sometimes we don’t think about how we can make combinations we never thought of before in a salad or pasta,” said Klutts.
Guest demonstrations at Golden Triangle farmers’ markets benefit everyone, she added. “They’re volunteering their time to come, outside of their regular jobs, to show how to use foods in ways we may not ordinarily think of.”
Summer, with its cookouts, road trips and reunions, can play havoc with goals to eat lighter. Campbell’s first advice is, “Cook more at home! Avoid fast food at all costs.” Have fun learning to cook new and healthy things, he adds. Include the children and teach them wellness at a young age. “Cooking is so much fun, and nothing brings people and families together more than eating and cooking together.”
Editor’s note: Campbell will present more demos at the West Point Farmers’ Market July 29 and July 27 (open 4-6 p.m., Mossy Oak Pavilion). Follow Facebook pages for events at the Hitching Lot Farmers’ Market, Columbus (Mondays 4-6 p.m.; Thursdays and Saturdays 7-10 a.m.), and Starkville Community Market (Tuesdays 4-6 p.m, Saturdays 7:30-10:30 a.m.).
KALE SALAD
2 cups fresh kale, chopped
1 cup fresh red cabbage, julienne sliced
8 ounces fresh broccoli, sliced thin
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, roasted, unsalted
10 ounces blueberry vinaigrette dressing
(Source: Michael Campbell, West Point)
GNOCCHI
1/3 cup fresh yellow onions, chopped
2-3/8 teaspoons fresh garlic cloves, minced
1-5/8 tablespoons canola olive oil, 90/10 blend
1/3 cup fresh green bell peppers, sliced
1/3 cup fresh red bell peppers, sliced
1-5/8 tablespoons capers, strained
1/3 teaspoon oregano, chopped
1/3 teaspoon parsley, chopped
2 cups tomatoes, skinned, cored, chopped
1 pound gnocchi, boiled, strained (follow package directions)
1-5/8 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 quart chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
(Source: Michael Campbell, West Point)
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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