Lunch at the Film Festival

Lights Camera, Action! OK, I just wanted to start off this way with my article. Although I am not making a movie, cartoon, small feature or documentary I am one of many local catering services involved in feeding people at this week’s Film Festival.

Today (Thursday) and for the next two days I will be making the noon lunches. This is so exciting for me because it is a chance to prepare food that is familiar and yet different. I have no idea if you out there in reader land know this, but people come from all over the world to Fargo for this event. I want my food to make a statement and yet not be so out there that people will wonder “What is this stuff?” Familiar, making something that in a different country might have a different name, but mean the same thing; different in that it may be unexpected to get the item in Fargo.

That last statement though is really not so true anymore for us that live here. We know that we have a very diverse cuisine in the FM area. So really the statement is for those just here for a short time, and anyway on to the food. So I decided to look through some of the many cookbooks I have to come up with ideas. Believe it or not I didn’t make it past the first one. It had that familiar and different in it from the start. Lucky me, I have a lot of cookbooks.

OK so I had to think about three different lunches, keeping in mind that I would also be feeding some people that are vegetarian. Whenever I make my food, whether it is a sandwich or soup or main entrée, it all starts out vegetarian.

For today, Thursday, I wanted it to be the most different, I guess, in a small way. So I am serving Cuban chicken, rice and bean wraps. My chicken has been smoked on the Weber grill, thanks to my husband Mike, to bring in that great outdoor flavor. This will be served with your choice of homemade Hamburger Chili or Tomato Basil Soup, some of my Texas Chips and a small dessert. So the wrap is familiar but different, and the chips will also be familiar but of a different size and texture. I think you will like it.

For Friday, I wanted to make sure that I kept the fact that it is Lent in mind. I am a very big fan of salads, so I am making a very big salad bar, with many choices, from chopped meats to curried chick pea salad. Of course I must have soup, and I am making vegetarian potato corn chowder.

Saturday is barbecue day. I will be making bbq mock duck or pulled pork, with chicken sandwich, potato salad, cole slaw, potato chips, and of course a dessert too. My son’s girlfriend gave me the recipe for the bbq mock duck.

Ok, so let’s get to the recipes:

BBQ Mock Duck
(From Erin McIntosh of Minneapolis)

(You will have to decide on how much of each ingredient)
Mock duck
Garlic (chopped)
Ginger (chopped)
Onion (white or red, chopped)
Sweet chili sauce (like the kind you used on the meatballs)
Fresh black pepper
Soy sauce (optional)
Hoagie buns or small french baguettes. Any kind of soft bread will work.
Open mock duck and drain liquid out of can. Also squeeze as much moisture out of mock duck as you can.
In pot or frying pan cook mock duck and onion till onion is soft.
Add about half the garlic and ginger. Let cook until you can smell the garlic and ginger cooking through.
Add chili sauce and continue cooking until ingredients start to become gooey.
Just before you’re done, add the rest of the garlic and ginger and mix in. Don’t let them cook too much; they should be closer to raw than cooked for flavor.
Add black pepper to taste if you want.
Chill ingredients in fridge (Erin likes it this way, but you can try it hot also)
Toast bread and add ingredients.
If you want to add tomato slices and fresh spinach you can but it’s good without them also.

Cuban, Chicken, Rice and Bean Wrap
From Amy Cotler, “Wrap It Up,” 1998.

Step 1:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (for this event I left the onion out)
1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
Heat the above all together until veggies are translucent.

Step 2:
Add the following with 1 2/3 cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer covered until rice has absorbed all the liquid, about 15 ~20 minutes.
2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into strips (I used chicken breast)
1 ~ 5 ounce package yellow rice mix with seasonings (I made saffron rice with veggie stock.)
¾ teaspoon ground cumin

Step 3:
Stir in the following:
2 plum tomatoes (I used whichever was the cheapest)
1 cup drained and rinsed canned black beans (I boiled my own, I always have some in the freezer though)
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
4 large burrito ~ size flour tortillas

Step 4:
4 slices of boiled or baked ham (I left this out. Lots of people do not eat pork)
Place one slice of ham on each flour tortilla and then spread about a quarter of the rice mixture on top.
Optional hot sauce, (Never optional in my world. On the side, though)
That as they say in the film world is A WRAP!!
Questions and comments:

If You Go:

WHAT: A Film Festival Feast
WHERE: The Ivers Building, 4th Ave & Roberts, in the basement.
WHEN: Thurs.-Sat., 11:30-1:00 or so.
HOW MUCH: Lunch is included in Film Festival admission.
INFO: (701) 239-8385