Basic HTML Version
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 butternut squash, peeled,
seeded and chopped
4 pears, peeled and chopped
(Anjou preferred)
1 cup apple juice
3 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg (freshly
ground is the best)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Sweat the onion in butter for three minutes and add the squash and
pear. Add the apple juice and reduce by half. Add the remaining ingredi-
ents and cook for at least an hour for flavors to blend. Puree and adjust
consistency with stock. Season as desired.
Garnish options: bruleed homemade marshmallows, cinnamon crou-
tons, cinnamon whipped cream, toasted butternut squash seeds, pepitas
and pumpkin oil.
Butternut Squash
and Pear Bisque
Ingredients
3 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1¼cups semolina
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
14 ounces fresh spinach, blanched,
chopped and squeezed dry (or
6 ounces frozen, thawed and
drained)
2 teaspoons sea salt
3 twists of freshly ground pepper
1 egg yolk
Directions
In a large sauce pan, heat milk, butter and nutmeg. When milk is just
about to boil, slowly sprinkle in semolina in a steady stream while stirring
constantly. Simmer 2 minutes, remove from heat and fold in Parmesan
cheese, spinach, salt and pepper. Allow to cool 5 minutes, then stir in egg
yolk. Pour onto a greased baking sheet and spread evenly about ½ inch
thick. Cool completely and chill. Cut into desired shapes. At this point,
the gnocchi can be baked or sauteed. Serve with tomato sauce and
Parmesan.
Spinach Gnocchi Romaine
In his former position
as the executive
chef of Hilton Head Island’s popular CQ’s
Restaurant, Eric Sayers would whip up light,
fresh fare that would make your mouth
water. In his new post as executive chef of
Beaufort Memorial, he is creating the same
kinds of tasty dishes—only healthier.
“Hospital food has a bad rap,” Sayers
says. “My goal is to change that. I’m going
to treat the hospital like it’s a restaurant
and patients like they’re my customers.”
Delicious—and healthy—options
During his nearly 14-year stint at CQ’s,
Sayers experimented in cooking with
more nutritious foods, including whole
grains. Although he didn’t advertise it,
he found creative ways to sneak a healthy
dish or two onto his menu.
“I was cooking vegetarian meals for
myself at home,” Sayers says. “It became
my testing ground.”
Turns out he was ahead of his time. With
the increased demand for healthier alterna-
tives, more and more high-end restaurants
are adding nutritious entrees to their fare.
For his part, Sayers has launched
Meatless Monday in the hospital’s cafete-
ria. Along with fried chicken and burgers,
he’s offering a vegetarian dish.
“There’s more to vegetables than just
carrots and broccoli,” says Sayers, a graduate
of the Culinary Institute of America. “You’ll
find all kinds of vegetables in your grocery
store. Cooked correctly, they can really
waken up your taste buds and senses.”
His first vegetarian offering—stuffed
portobello mushrooms—was a huge hit at
the hospital. It sold so fast, he ran out of
mushrooms and had to switch to zucchini.
“I’m not out to change the world’s eat-
ing habits,” Sayers says. “I’m just trying to
give people other options.”
Tasty tips
To get the most nutritional value out
of vegetables, Sayers suggests limiting
cooking time to just a couple of minutes.
Whether you’re steaming or sautéing
broccoli or green beans, pull them out as
soon as the veggies turn a bright green.
“Boiling is fine too, so long as it’s not
for hours,” Sayers says. “If you overcook
vegetables, you lose the vitamins and min-
erals in the water.”
Ready to sample vegetarian fare? Try one
of these delicious recipes from Chef Sayers.
At the BMH cafeteria,
veggies steal the show
Chef Eric Sayers
gourmet
22
Health Scene •
www.bmhsc.org