2021 JPF grant recipient New England Culinary Arts Training (NECAT), offers a Re-Entry Culinary Job Training Program for incarcerated individuals just prior to their release, helping set those individuals up for a smoother, more stable re-entry into the community. Like all NECAT training programs, the Re-Entry Program provides the technical, professional, and life skills necessary to secure career-ladder jobs in the culinary industry.
For the Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 2 ½ tablespoons Champagne vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Calabrian chili
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup blended oil (half extra virgin olive oil half neutral oil)
- 1 (4-ounce) broccoli crown
- ¼ cup heirloom pumpkin seeds
- 1 ½ ounces cheddar, preferable clothbound cheddar, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 ounces green grapes, halved and seeded
- ½ teaspoon chopped herbs, such as dill, parsley, chives and/or tarragon
- 2 teaspoons pickled shallots
- 2 teaspoons crispy shallots
- 3 tablespoons mustard vinaigrette
- Kosher salt
- Crispy Cheddar, for garnish, recipe follows
- 2 ounces cheddar, for grating
Method
- For the vinaigrette: In the cup of a blender, combine the vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, Calabrian chili and garlic and blend for 30 seconds. With the blender running, drizzle in the oil until the dressing is emulsified. Pour into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the full broccoli crown in the boiling water for 45 seconds to 1 minute to very lightly cook. Remove and let cool.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the broccoli crown in half, trim the stem end, and then slice thinly. Put in a large bowl and add the pumpkin seeds, cheddar cubes, grapes, chopped herbs, and the pickled and crispy shallots. Toss together.
- Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the salad, add a generous pinch of salt, and using tongs, toss again, adding additional vinaigrette as needed until generously coated. Crumple the cheddar crisps into pieces and sprinkle over the top. Then, using a microplane, grate more cheddar over the top. Serve immediately.
For the Crispy Cheddar
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon blended oil (half extra virgin olive oil half neutral oil)
- 4 ounces cheddar, coarsely grated
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Lightly brush a baking sheet with the oil and spoon heaping tablespoon-size mounds of the cheese, spacing them at least ½-inch apart. Using your fingers, gently pat down each mound to flatten so that the cheese can melt into a circle.
- Bake until golden and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet until crisp, then using a thin spatula, transfer to a serving plate or store in an airtight container.
While cooking in Paris, I discovered amazing produce in markets everywhere. On returning to New York, I committed to searching out exceptional, organically grown ingredients and making vegetables the center of the plate. This recipe shaves broccoli for textural contrast, tossing it with cheddar, three ways – cubed for intense creaminess, baked until crispy and finely grated to shower over the top. Seek out the best cheddar you can find, which for me is local, raw-milk, clothbound, aged cheddar.