whew.

i am still recovering from saturday. it was an extremely fierce battle and we both cooked our little hearts out. bottom line... it was fun day for all:

our panel of esteemed judges (L to R cousin aaron, brother jim, cousin scottina)

pre-battle (L to R prof. paradox, me, scottina)


post-battle


the aftermath

the menus:
steve's (from memory... i'm sure the prof. will put up something more detailed)

• deep fried spinach cheese sticks with ranch, marinara, and sweet vinegar dipping sauces

• spinach antipasto plate with salami, pepperoncini, and vinegrette

• feta and spinach stuffed burgers with hand-made onion rings and shiraz reduction

• spinach eggs benedict with a parmesan white sauce

• spinach and cheese topped polenta rounds topped with candied walnuts and maple syrup

me

• honeyed spinach sauteed in sesame oil with raisins, pine nuts, & black sesame seeds

• spinach maki rolls with pickled ginger and wasabi

• spinach feta kalamata pie with homemade tzatziki

• spinach risotto topped with roasted red pepper and shaved parmesan reggiano

• sag paneer with fork mashed purple potatoes

our takes on the secret ingredient were pretty different. this is dish is steve's feta and spinach stuffed burger topped with hand-made onion rings and a shiraz reduction.


my sag paneer with purple potatoes.

to be honest, it was really hard to get pictures taken of all the steps we took to get to end results. i will probably re-enact my menu throughout the next couple of weeks to show step by step recipes.

p.s. wii bowling is super-fun. i want a wii.