We just completed our to-go menu at Lincoln Land Community College’s Bistro Verde. Thank you to all who joined us! It was a great class. I am fortunate to have wonderful students who do a great job. Now we are on to the next menu! We have two weeks to complete finals, prep and test our menu and have students test their unique three-course menus.

We also have the Take and Create meal, which is a great fundraiser for the LLCC Foundation. It features a five-course menu for two with paired beverages prepared by students. Everything is carefully packaged with instructions for completing the meal at home at your own pace, creating a delightful gourmet dinner with minimal effort. The pickup date is Oct. 30. If you are interested in supporting this event, go to llccfoundation.org to purchase your gourmet meal.

Starting with appetizers, our first offering is black bean sliders served with whipped feta, red pepper cream and crispy shallots. There are several cooking methods involved and a bit of a trick to the black bean burgers to get the texture and shape just right. We have crunchy shrimp baja tostadas — crisp tortillas topped with red cabbage, radish, baja sauce, crunchy shrimp, cotija cheese and cilantro with lime. We are also making braised veal stuffed into saffron rice balls, served with a parmesan cream and herb oil. Our final appetizer consists of spiced chicken skewers with tomato and cucumber relish and served with mint and yogurt chutney and olive paste.

The first soup is a beef vegetable soup topped with sourdough and melted cheese, similar to a French onion soup. We are also making creamy carrot soup with lentils and a spiced crumble topping. The salad on this menu is a version of the chopped Italian salad, except that we are serving the salad on a thinly-pounded-out crispy chicken cutlet.

Our regional smashburgers are always on the menu. They include the Oklahoma with caramelized onion; the Flapper with so many layers of melty cheese; the Carolina with chili and creamy coleslaw; the Santa Fe with hatch green chilis, Swiss and American cheese; and finally, the Luther Burger from Georgia, featuring glazed donuts griddled with pepperjack cheese, strawberry mayonnaise, bacon, lettuce and tomato. We also offer a horseshoe version of each of these burgers. The grilled cheese has an Italian theme with herb roasted vegetables, pesto and creamy Port Salut cheese on sourdough. Instead of a cod sandwich, we are making crisp cod tacos with traditional toppings and bread-and-butter-pickled serrano chilis.

Our pasta this time is sweet potato gnocchi in bacon and herb butter sauce with crab, shrimp and crawfish. We are doing a playful version of a German dish called sauerbraten. The entrée features a grilled filet mignon topped with a rich red wine sauce that includes raisins and gingersnap cookies that give it a lightly sweet and bright complexity. It will be served with braised red cabbage and warm German potato salad. The final dish comes from China and later became one of Taiwan’s most popular dishes — Three Cup Chicken. The important flavors in the sauce are wine, soy sauce and sesame oil. The dish will be served with aromatic rice and garlic green beans.

As I mentioned earlier, the students will be preparing a three-course menu consisting of an appetizer, entrée and dessert. The students will take turns weekly presenting their menus. Our restaurant desserts class will also be offering plated desserts to enjoy with your lunch, including a cookies-and-cream cake with a raspberry mousse, fruity crème brûlée with a cereal treat, s’mores ice cream dessert and an apple pie affogato.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing our learning experience! Bistro Verde will be open for dine-in service on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Oct. 28-Dec. 3 (closed Nov. 10 and the week of Thanksgiving).

Black Bean Burger

Ingredients:

• 1 portabella mushroom
• 1 ounce balsamic vinaigrette
• 1 poblano pepper
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 30 ounces of canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 of a chili in adobo (just one chili; don’t use too much)
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Marinade mushroom in balsamic vinaigrette for 30 minutes.
2. Grill mushroom.
3. Broil poblano pepper until very dark. Place it in a container, and cover for 15 minutes.
4. Rub dark outer part of pepper off, and discard. Remove seeds and stem from pepper, and discard.
5. Sauté onion just until tender and translucent.
6. Add garlic to cooked onion, and cook for 45 seconds.
7. Place all of the ingredients into a food processor, and pulse to a course ground texture. Do not over process into a paste.
8. Shape into appropriate size. A scoop or round cutter can be helpful with size and shape.
9. Chill completely.
10. Sauté, grill or bake just until golden brown and the inside is hot. Do not overcook too much as it will make it dry.
11. Place on a brioche or burger bun with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!