Discover a chefs top plant-based summer food trends for 2023, from smoking veggies to serving simple side dishes.
Now whos ready for a poolside nosh?
After all, they tend to live by the motto that fresh is best.
For me, its always about whats coming into season, Elam says.
That said, whats seasonal and best will vary depending on where you are.
Find whats growing around you.
Roy Elam ischef ofDonna Jean, the seasonal, plant-based Italian restaurant in Los Angeles.
For instance, in Illinois where Im from, there are lots of corn and soybeans…
But once, I found ghost peppers in a rural area of the state, and they were delicious.
I would really encourage people to search out things that are growing around them first, Elam says.
Always make the most of the freshest produce nearest to you as your first line of defense.
Smoking vegetables
Light and refreshing foodstendto be the way to go come summertime.
Vegetables dont like heavy smoke.
Instead of using something like Mesquite, well use something like apple or cherrywood, he says.
(You gotta see it for yourself!)
The good news is that home cooks dont need any fancy-schmancy equipment to smoke fresh produce at home.
Roy Elam ischef ofDonna Jean, the seasonal, plant-based Italian restaurant in Los Angeles.
Although you’re free to technically do this inside your kitchen, Elam urges against it.
Instead, he encourages folks to take advantage of the summertime weather and head outdoors.
Instead, when at his house, he uses a propane burner setup outside and a few heat-safe pans.
Then, I put a perforated hotel pan on top of that and a lid over it.
You just want it to be kissed with smoke nicely, Elam says.
For beets, an hour is more than enough.
As such, Elam urges folks to simply enhance the subtle flavors of the produce with delicate ingredients.
Another experiment hes testing out is drying onions and turning them into homemade onion powder (genius!).
Cant wait to try?
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