Red Quinoa/Farro Vegetarian Sliders
Jason Ziobrowski, Corporate
Chef—Eastern Region
Indian Harvest
Bemidji, Minn.
Yield: 22 (3-oz.) servings
4½ cups vegetable stock, divided
8 oz. dry Indian Harvest Red Quinoa
8 oz. dry Indian Harvest Farro
14 oz. firm tofu
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. cumin
3 T. chili powder
Panko breadcrumbs, as needed
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil, as needed
22 mini burger buns, English muffins or
split dinner rolls
22 tomato slices
Red onion, julienned, as needed
Sprouts, as needed
1) In pot, bring 2 cups vegetable
stock to a boil. Rinse red quinoa. Add
to boiling stock; simmer, covered, for
15 minutes. 2) In separate pot, bring
2 cups stock to a boil; simmer farro,
covered, for 25-30 minutes. 3) Purée
1 cup cooked farro just enough to
leave a little consistency. Purée tofu
(will yield 2 cups when whipped);
add to puréed farro. In bowl, combine
puréed farro/tofu, remaining cooked
farro, cooked red quinoa, remaining
vegetable stock, garlic, cilantro,
cumin and chili powder. Mix well. (If
mixture is too wet, add just enough
panko breadcrumbs to enhance
binding.) Season with salt and
pepper. 4) Portion out burger mix into
3 oz. patties. Lightly coat with panko
breadcrumbs. Pan-sear in olive oil
for 3 minutes per side. 5) To serve:
On each bottom half of mini burger
bun, English muffin or split dinner roll,
layer tomato, red onion and sprouts.
Top with seared quinoa/farro patty.
Brush each top half of bun with
condiment of choice.
Mirabelle Tavern at Three Village Inn
making a difference are focusing on that.
Fun is what it’s all about.”
This braised pork belly with carrot/ginger
salad and slivered scallions is one of
numerous small plates on the menu at
Mirabelle Tavern.
an entrée priced in the mid-$20s before
even ordering a drink. They can come in
and order a salad—perhaps Boston Bibb
Salad with asparagus, sunflower seeds and
tangerine vinaigrette—for $8, a small plate
and a glass of wine. During the week, the
average check with a beverage is about
$35, and about $43 on weekends.”
Top sellers at Honu Kitchen include
Seared Tuna, Wasabi Aïoli ($14); Gnocchi,
Wild Mushrooms ($13); and Chilean Sea
Bass, Polenta Spinach Cake, Lemon
Beurre Blanc ($16). The Chilean Sea
Bass is a 5-oz. portion of fish, so it’s not
tiny bites of food, such as those on a
tasting menu.
However, experienced operator that he is,
Lake doesn’t lose sight of several other
requisites for success, such as consistently
providing the freshness and quality that
today’s more discerning customers expect.
(All meats served at Honu are organically
raised, hormone-free, but Lake doesn’t
put that information on the menu, figuring
customers will taste the difference.) Waste
is another issue, and he keeps it in check
simply by using “great ingredients, and not
adding a bunch of other stuff.”
A total switch to a small-plate menu may not
be for every venue, Lake warns. “Make sure
you know your clientele will be open to the
change. There’s no halfway. You have to be
fully committed to it.”
“It’s all about having fun,” Lake contends.
“Now, more than ever, I think people don’t
want to go to a high-end restaurant and
sit like they’re in church. They want to
have a glass of wine, laugh with friends,
pass around food. Almost all restaurants
Small is “cool”
About 20 miles away, in Stony Brook, N. Y.,
chef de cuisine Guy Reuge also puts his
focus on small plates (in the $7-$13 range,
as well as in the $15-$18 niche for trilogy
plates) at the newly opened Mirabelle
Tavern at Three Village Inn. Reuge and
his wife owned and operated Mirabelle, a
white-tablecloth restaurant in St. James,
www.acfchefs.org
25
