Spring is here, and I am looking forward to warmer weather. This also means it is time for the spring menu for Lincoln Land Community College’s Bistro Verde restaurant. We just finished the to-go menu, which gave the students a chance to prepare quick, fast-casual food. Thank you to all who visited us for lunch to give the students an opportunity to practice their craft. The new menu will be plated, with more complex preparation techniques and timings, especially with courses available. Students will pair up to create three-course menus each week, while still focusing on a faster lunch pace for those on their lunch hour. 

The first appetizer is a mushroom tart. It will have a flaky butter crust, caramelized mushrooms, a Parmesan mousse, a chive custard sauce and a bit of a crumble topping — lots of fun cooking methods and inspired by Maldaner’s morel pie. I enjoy offering versions of dumplings, and to follow a recent food trend, we are going to make “smash” dumplings, topped with rice noodles and vegetables, cucumber peppadew and a drizzle of sweet chili sauce. We haven’t made chicken wings for a while, and they are always popular. This time they will be tossed in a honey, soy and garlic sauce with pickled vegetables, green onions and sesame seeds as a garnish. The final appetizer is Scotch eggs, a traditional pub fare. We will make the sausage they are wrapped in, and we are using a traditional garnish called Branston pickle — a type of pickled and spiced vegetable dish — along with a little mustard and arugula. 

We always have two soups on this menu. The first is inspired by one of the greatest chefs, Paul Bocuse, and his well-known truffle consommé with puff pastry. It is a rich chicken broth with chicken, vegetables, mushrooms, wine and truffles, topped with delicate puff pastry. The other soup is from Africa. It is a creamy tomato and peanut broth we will add shrimp to and top with a little caramelized kale. The salad has crispy chicken, mixed greens, bacon, shaved red onion, boiled egg, tomato and a homemade honey mustard dressing, and is topped with pimento croquettes. The croquettes have a creamy pimento filling that is breaded and fried. 

We are offering three sandwiches on this menu. As usual, we have the regional American smash burgers that change weekly. They are the Oklahoma burger that features caramelized onion; the Flapper, a version of the Juicy Lucy with many layers of smash burger and cheese; the Carolina, which has chili and coleslaw; the Santa Fe, featuring hatch green chili with Swiss and American cheese; and the Luther, which has a Krispy Kreme donut bun, bacon, strawberry mayonnaise and pepper jack cheese. Rather than traditional grilled cheese, this time we are offering a vegetable and cheese flauta. A flauta is a filled and rolled tortilla, normally fried, but we are going to griddle them, almost like a rolled quesadilla. The last sandwich is a crispy cod sandwich dipped in Nashville hot sauce and served on a brioche bun. 

Our pasta this time is a tortelloni filled with mascarpone and lemon, tossed in a butternut squash, sage and prosciutto sauce. The petite beef filet will be grilled and served with a sauce chasseur — a classic mushroom sauce — asparagus and tartiflette potatoes. Tartiflette potatoes are also a classic preparation with onions, bacon, cream and rich, soft cheese. The last dish is rogan josh, a traditional Indian dish from the Kashmiri region. It translates to “red passion,” which refers to its red gravy using Kashmiri chilis that give it color, and the spice adds the fiery passion. It will be served with turmeric rice, green beans and garlic naan. 

We will offer a selection of plated desserts prepared by our pastry students. Our first day of service for this menu will be Wednesday, March 25, and it will continue through Thursday, April 30 (closed April 21-23). Our hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made by leaving a message at 217-786-2821 or by emailing BistroVerde@llcc.edu. We look forward to seeing you, and thank you in advance. 

Peanut soup 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion, small dice
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon serrano, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups San Marzano
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 1 small bunch kale
• Olive oil, as needed
• 8-12 shrimp
• 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, chopped 

Directions

1. Sauté onion in vegetable oil until tender.
2. Add garlic, ginger and serrano; cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute on medium low; do not burn.
4. Add everything else except kale, shrimp and chopped peanuts. Bring to a simmer, and correct seasoning.
5. Blend until it is super smooth. Hold warm. Remove heavy stem from kale, and discard. Rinse kale leaves to remove sand and dirt. Toss kale in a little olive oil, a little salt and pepper.
6. Roast kale at 400 degrees until caramelized and crispy; do not burn. Set aside.
7. Add shrimp to hot soup, and cook until shrimp are barely cooked.
8. Ladle soup into bowls, distributing shrimp evenly. Sprinkle kale and chopped peanuts on top. Enjoy!

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.