Welcome to ChefCali

Chef Cali Bergold and Carson Pazdan on WGN

The Kids Feeding Kids Club was founded in 2008 by 5-year-old Carson Pazdan.

Inspired by his love to cook and experiment in the kitchen, Carson wanted to create his own cookbook featuring all of his recipes as well as those from other children. He dreamed of a cookbook designed by kids for kids. This idea evolved into a vision of creating a club for kids where they can directly impact the lives of other children and help stop hunger. The organization’s mission is to feed hungry youth through fundraising and volunteering, building awareness, compassion and a foundation of philanthropy that will last a lifetime. It is the organization’s belief that the earlier children are introduced to community service, volunteerism and charity work, the more likely they are to stay engaged in these activities into adulthood thus making the world a better place.

To learn more about the cookbook, and donor opportunities, please visit kidsfeedingkids.info

Worms and Eyeballs

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. bucatini pasta (hollow spaghetti)
1 sm. red bell pepper
1-1/2 lbs. ground chicken breast
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbs ginger, chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 Tbs hoiser sause (Chinese BBQ)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 cup preshredded carrots
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup snow pea pods (cut into pieces with scissor knife)
1/2 cup tamari

PROCEDURE
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Cut off a quarter of the bell pepper and have your grown-up helper (GH) chop it finely. Slice the rest of the pepper yourself. Combine chicken, garlic, ginger, scallions, finely chopped peppers, hoisin sauce, salt and perpper in a bowl. Roll the mixture into meatballs the size of chicken eyeballs and place balls on a nonstick cookie sheet, coated lightly with 1 Tbs vegetable oil. Roast the chicken eyeballs for 10-12 minutes. When the past water comes to a boil, cook pasta according to directions. When the pasta is almost cooked through and the eyeballs are about 5 minutes away from coming out of the oven, start stir-frying the veggies. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat and add remaining 2 Tbs of vegetable oil. Stir the veggies for 1 minute. Have our GH drain the noodles and add the worms to the veggies. Pour in the tamari while the GH tosses the worms and veggies to coat. Transfer noodles to serving platter. Remove the eyeballs from the oven, roll them on top of the worms, then serve.

Artichoke Strudel

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves garlic
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, coarse chop
1, 10 ounce box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
18 sheets (approximately) phyllo dough, thawed
5-8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

PROCEDURE

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Filling:
In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the metal chopping blade, chop garlic. Add lemon zest and parsley and pulse several times. Add artichokes and roughly chop. Add cream cheese, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and pulse just to combine.

Assembly:
Place two sheets of phyllo dough on work surface (keeping unused phyllo covered with a slightly damp, clean towel). Brush top layer with melted butter. Add another two sheets and brush with butter. Spread 1/3 of filling across bottom of sheet, leaving about 1″ uncovered on left and right sides. Roll sheets up beginning with the filling edge and pinch each end of the roll closed. Repeat 2 more times, with a set of 6 sheets and 1/3 of filling, for a total of 3 logs. Place rolls on parchment lined baking sheets and brush each roll with melted butter. Bake until phyllo is golden brown and crispy, about 20-25 minutes. Allow to rest about 10 minutes. Cut individual serving pieces on a diagonal. Serve warm.

Phyllo Dough 101

Phyllo (say, “FEE-loh”) Literally translated; the Greek word phyllo means “leaf.” Culinarily, it refers to tissue-thin layers of pastry dough used in various Greek and Near Eastern sweet and savory preparations, the best known being baklava and Spanakopita. Phyllo (also spelled filo) is very similar to strudel dough. Packaged fresh and frozen phyllo dough is readily available-the former in Greek markets, the latter in supermarkets. Unopened, phyllo can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. Once opened, use within 2 or 3 days. Frozen phyllo can be stored for up to one year. Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Refreezing phyllo will make it brittle. When you are ready to work with the dough, be prepared with a slightly dampened dish towel. Phyllo dried out very quickly unless you keep it covered constantly with a towel. Phyllo is always used in layers, giving it its characteristic flaky texture. The tissue0like sheets are stacked, with butter brushed on each layer to add flavor and crispiness. Phyllo pastries come in many different shapes and sizes. You can use phyllo to create large or appetizer-size strudels, triangles, beggar’s purses, turnovers or casseroles that need to be cut before serving (like baklava or spinach pie). The final shape of the pastry determines how many sheets of phyllo you need to start with. For example, a pastry with a lot of folds like a triangle needs fewer sheets to start out with because they get layered as they are folded. Typically, phyllo dishes require 3-6 sheets per layer (a one pound box of phyllo contains about 20 sheets).

Almost anything can fill phyllo pastries. Appetizer pastries are delicious filled with thick fillings based on cheeses like goat cheese, feta or cream cheese. Most fillings, with the exception of some fruit fillings, should be completely cooked before stuffing the phyllo (since they take so little time to bake in the oven “raw” fillings wouldn’t get thoroughly cooked).

TIPS

Always brush the pastry with butter before baking in a hot oven to create a nice golden brown effect.

Phyllo pastries can often be very brittle when baked. We recommend using a serrated knife to cut the finished dish to prevent all of the filling from coming out.

Make many phyllo-based appetizers ahead of time and freeze the finished pastries (unbaked) in a single layer on a baking sheet. The bake (without thawing) whenever you need a quick appetizer!

An Afternoon Reception

Passed Appetizers

Smoked salmon on dilled lemon zest scone with crème fraiche
Chili lime-rubbed chicken with avocado lime dip
Grilled bosc pears and prosciutto with balsamic glaze and arugula
Sun-dried tomato and shrimp bruschetta

Buffet-style Appetizers

A Trio of “dips and spreads” all served with mountains of toasted baguette, crackers, flatbreads and pitas

Bruschetta di Roma
Kalamata Olive Tapenade
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
White Bean and Rosemary Spread
Wild Mushroom Pate
Artichoke and Spinach Dip
Creamy Roquefort Dip
Black Bean & Grilled Corn Pico de Gallo

Buffet-Style Punches

Mango Ceylon Iced Tea Cooler
Spiked Watermelon Cooler
Key Lime Limeade
Santa Fe Sangria
Lemon Raspberry Cooler

Contact ChefCali to arrange your special afternoon reception!