Faces Mears Park

EASTER BRUNCH AT FACES!

admin — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:10:45 +0000

Thanksgiving at FACES

admin — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 19:41:41 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving! Rumor has it that it is the second busiest night for Firefighters; there are so many cooks in the kitchen! It is, however, a great time to be together; friends, family, neighbors and even strangers gather around great traditions to celebrate. While I love tradition, my creative juices are very active at Thanksgiving. I am known for adding a new twist here and there; even the slightest hint of a new spice can make a dish come alive in a new and exciting way! Don’t be afraid to make your own style of stuffing, be creative on the side dishes or try spicing up the cranberries for the occasion! The key is the old adage, “less is more”. Don’t try to change the whole dish, just flavor it differently with clove, nutmeg or a mixture of your own special or traditional spices.

Last year, at FACES, we had a guest who decided they just didn’t feel like cooking. A few weeks before Thanksgiving, they made a reservation and brought their family in, all 75 of them! It was so beautiful to watch this lovely family, many generations represented, gather around food and enjoy themselves. They even had leftovers! The choice is yours this Thanksgiving. We are open, feel free to make your reservations our website….www.facesmearspark.com. If you are having your family in or it is your turn to bring a side dish, try adding our 7 Vegetable Cous Cous to your tradition. This cous cous is a warm, filling dish filled with fragrant spices and comforting legumes! It is always a hit around here!

I am writing this in the final week of a very big election time which seems to be dividing the country, friends and family alike. I can’t help wondering if Thanksgiving is a strategically placed traditional holiday, carried on by our forefathers who, coming off a really tough political campaign, simply wanted to be with friends and family without any animosity…..That is what my hopes are for my Thanksgiving table. I know there will be open and honest debates, differing opinions and possibly heated discussions, but in the end, we will be surrounded by our loved ones and ultimately, that is what matters the most! I hope you find the same!

Thank you for all of the comments on the Pumpkin soup, it does make the colder weather more bearable… We have been alternating the Pumpkin and the Butternut squash soup in house and it is keeping us all content! Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the Cous Cous!

7 Vegetable Cous Cous

1/2 pound each of the following vegetables (peeled and cut 1/2 inch thick by 1 inch long.)……set aside

Red beets, squash, zucchini, parsnip, turnip, rutabaga, fennel

In a large pot heat 3 tbsp of olive oil,
Add 1/2 cup of red onions…
Caramelize then add 20 cups of veg stock (homemade or organic store bought)

add
1 tbsp turmeric…
1 tsp cayenne..
1 tbsp paprika….
1 cup of garbanzo beans…
bring to a boil

Add root vegetables lower heat and cover (cook until all dente; vegetable soft on the outside and lightly firm on the inside)

While vegetables and broth are simmering prepare your couscous:
Couscous preparation (this will take you a couple of times to get it right but it is fun getting there)
Boil 8 cups of water
Add 2 tbsp of kosher salt
2 tbsp of olive oil
Put water in big bowl (salad)
Add 4 cups of couscous mix well with a fork and cover with saran wrap for 15 minutes (all water will be absorbed)
Uncover add 1 tbsp of virgin olive oil and hand fluff until all grains are separated…

Serve in your preferred serving bowl serve desired amount of couscous and cover with vegetable broth

Moreland School

admin — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:34:51 +0000

Last month I had the pleasure of visiting one of my favorite schools, Moreland Magnet School. Aside from sharing my thoughts and recipes with both parents and students, I had a chance to also learn a lot more from them. I realized that the view that our kids have of us as parents is made out of 2 simple pictures as it relates to food; they either see us as a big Broccoli or as a big mound of chocolate. When they view us as that broccoli, we have somehow made all foods sound bland, no dressing and boring. Normally, the way we present that image is by labeling everything healthy and natural; good for you! The view of the big mound of chocolate is the stuff that we ask them not to fill up on before dinner. Their taste buds tell them that sugary, sweets taste good but we, as parents, label “Junk”. So when we allow them to eat that or we just give up and say go ahead, they see us as that mound of chocolate. When we require them to eat vegetables, they see us as a big, green broccoli.

I happen to think that we can change that image to a very appetizing, chocolate covered broccoli and that’s exactly what our topic was on that beautiful late September day in the Moreland Gym. I said that Chocolate is good. The parents flinched a little. I said that Broccoli tastes better. The kids mouths dropped to the floor (I think I even heard a groan). Then I said…..”Let me explain”…first and foremost it is about balance. Nothing is ever bad unless it is highly processed, full of chemicals, additives and then overly used and abused. Therefore, a bit of chocolate here and there, is not bad in and of itself and some studies note health benefits of chocolate in moderation! But Broccoli, cooked the right way, dressed the right way and presented the right way can be even more delectable than chocolate, fulfill an even bigger craving and certainly has better, proven health benefits! At Moreland, I discussed with parents how to easily create meals that aren’t time consuming, that were healthy and that kids liked! It is possible to accomplish all three! We talked about getting the kids involved in meal making decisions as well as participating in the actual preparation of the meal. It is widely proven that kids will be more apt to eat or try foods they have grown and prepared themselves. Games as simple as naming each day after a meal like, ‘Meatball Monday, Taco Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday’, can be helpful in creating pleasant meal times in any home.

In that gym, we served up a great dish of Chicken Garlic Rigatoni, talked about food and family and how “good for you”, “healthy”, “natural, and organic”, doesn’t mean it has to taste bad!

Fall is here!

admin — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:18:03 +0000

Fall is here and I couldn’t be more elated! As a chef, it is my favorite time of year. The varieties of seasonal foods available, the savory flavors as well as all of the colors make this a very exciting time of year for a chef! I have heard many people say that they crave “comfort food” around this time of year. When I ask them to define that, I usually hear descriptions of heavy, starchy foods; lots of potatoes, creamy sauces and meats. I get that…even though I am not a native Minnesotan; I understand that those foods have the connotation of warming the body and making one feel full. As the weather turns, your body does have different cravings and it is something that I believe you must listen to before anything else.
Just as the trees have seasons so do our cravings and it is extremely important to follow mothers natures course as it leads to a healthier you and a sustainable earth.
Just be wary, because cravings can be disguising themselves! Now is the time to investigate what you consider to be your comfort foods and figure out how they can be light yet filling, savory and not filled with starch. It isn’t as hard as you might think. Consider that bold flavors can be even more warming than a potato filled with butter. A savory root vegetable cous cous can heat up your engine for an entire day! Do a little research and see what can be harvested in the fall… not hard to find the gourds; pumpkin, squash, zucchini…. So many filling veggies! There is so much to pick from and with a pinch of this and a dash of that… you might be able to create your very own comfort food recipe. Below I’ve given you one of the most popular recipes in the restaurant. It just happens to be on our new menu as well. Look for lots of recipes in the upcoming blogs. I’m planning on sharing a weekly blog that will include answers to some of your questions, response to feedback and RECIPES from our fall menu. Please feel free to send an email or comment on my blog, I look forward to hearing from you!

Pumpkin soup recipe

You can use fresh or Organic canned pumpkin…..the preparation is almost the same .

1 large fresh (preferably organic)pumpkin (4 to 5 lbs) cut in half, remove seeds and peel skin, rinse and cut into one inch cubes.
Add 1 gallon of vegetable stock and Bring to a boil (I like to make my own stock with leek, fennel and carrots but a lot of organic varieties of vegetables are available….try to stay true to the organic stock as all other are full of preservatives)
Add the pumpkin, 2 sticks of cinnamon, 1 tsp of clove (whole) and simmer for 1 hr.
Sift soup through a sifter into a pot but not too fine .
Bring the sifted soup to slow boil and add ½ cup of honey, 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 cups of skim milk…simmer for 45 minutes…taste and add salt and pepper as necessary…
VOILA……very nutritious and mostly delicious
**Can substitute pumpkin for sweet potato as well!***

All the best! David

David Fhima presents Perfect Risotto for Cambria Style

admin — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 01:37:19 +0000

If you’ve ever enjoyed one of Chef David Fhima’s dishes, you know that his passion for food shows. Get an inside look of David preparing one of his favorite things to cook; Risotto. It doesn’t have to be complicated! He walks through the recipe step by step showing tricks and techniques to make Perfect Risotto, every time. With this, you’ll have the base of many other risotto dishes; seafood, chicken, mushroom and more.