Eat Local Cooking Challenge 2023

Community members were able to purchase a mystery box filled with delicious local products. They were then invited to watch (and maybe even cook along with) two Madison-area chefs as they created amazing dishes featuring the mystery ingredients, with guest host Qwantese Dourese Winters.

The Eat Local Cooking Challenge was presented by Willy Street Co-op. Each September, Willy Street Co-op makes it even easier for you to eat local. They put extra local products on sale, give away $3000 worth of local products, offer free samples of local products, and share the stories of our local farmers and vendors. Learn more at willystreet.coop/eat-local-month.

Not a Co-op member? Stop in one of their three stores and check out what we have to offer—everyone is welcome! You can join for $10 (or less if you qualify for financial assistance) and get special sales, discounts and perks.

Click here to watch a recording of the Eat Local Cooking Challenge

What was in the box?

• Organic Liberty Apples from Atoms to Apples
  
• Old World Bacon from Cedar Road Meats
• Andouille from Driftless Provisions
• Winter Squash from Keewaydin Farms
• Cherry Tomatoes from Lovefood Farm
• Grade A, 8oz Organic Dark & Robust Maple Syrup from Maple Valley Cooperative
• Organic Yellow Flint Corn Polenta from Meadowlark Farm and Mill
• "Candy" Sweet Onions from New Traditions
• Roth Grand Cru® from Roth Cheese
• Certified Organic Oyster Mushrooms from Vitruvian Farms
• Organic Driftless Blend from Wonderstate Coffee

Meet the Chefs

Chef Awa Sibi is owner and chef of Les Delices De Awa, a catering and food cart business in Madison that is focused on authentic West African cuisine. She was born and raised in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire by an enterprising family that taught her the value of hard work and self-determination. Her interest in cooking was inspired by her mother who spent most of her time in the family kitchen making flavorful meals that brought joy to the table. Awa will be opening a West African restaurant on Atwood in early 2024.

Chef Evan Dannells is owner and chef at Cadre in Madison. He moved to the city in 2002 to pursue a culinary career in a community with a robust local food system. He cooked at L’Etoile, 4&20 Cafe & Bakery, Merchant, and Lucille before opening Cadre in 2019. At Cadre, Evan showcases his love of French cooking with a Wisconsin flair while celebrating the seasonal ingredients and dedicated farmers that originally drew him to the Madison area.

Watch a recording of Chefs Awa and Evan in the Eat Local Cooking Challenge

What did Chef Awa cook?

• Gruyere polenta with a squash, tomato and sweet onion stew and grilled steak
• Coffee bofrot (Puff Puff or West African donut) with caramelized apple

Chef Awa's Method

• For the bofrot (puff puff), combine flour, yeast, milk and water in a bowl. Water and milk should be heated if not using instant yeast. The dough should not feel too watery. Cover the bowl and let it sit in a warm place to let the dough rise.
• For the steak, marinade in a combination of poblano peppers, ginger, garlic, black pepper, salt, bouillon, green onions, sweet onions and bell peppers and let it sit for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• For the stew, remove skin from the squash and cut the squash into small cubes. Dice the onion and combine with the squash. Sauté the squash and onions until the onions become a little translucent. Add a bit of the leftover marinade from the steak along with 1-2 spoons of tomato paste. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and add to the squash and onions. Season with salt, pepper and bay leaf.
  
• Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt then add the polenta and whisk. Cover and simmer over low heat. Whisk every 5 minutes until thick and little water is left. Add heavy whipping cream and butter and continue to heat. Add grated Roth Grand Cru® at the end.
• To cook the bofrot, heat enough oil in a pot so the bofrot will be covered and not touch the bottom of the pan. When the oil reaches temperature, use your hand to drop in dollops of dough. The bofrot are done when they puff up and turn a golden brown. Serve with apples cut up and caramelized and a dusting of powdered sugar.

This is not a recipe but some of the chef's techniques and methods used to create these dishes.

What did Chef Evan cook?

• Winter squash bisque with maple syrup topped with apples, bacon and gruyere
• Andouille and corn grits with candied onion and cherry tomato jam, fried oyster mushrooms and red eye gravy

Chef Evan's Method

• For the winter squash bisque, combine two parts squash (peeled and cut into cubes) with one part chopped red pepper and one part chopped sweet onion. Sauté in a pan with butter until everything is soft. Deglaze the plan with a half part white wine and reduce to au sec (nearly dry). Add milk to cover and simmer until everything is completely soft. Add cream and blend in a blender or using an immersion blender. Add salt and pepper then maple syrup to finish.
  
• To top the bisque, combine equal parts sweet onion (lightly cooked in bacon fat) and quarter inch pieces of apples and gruyere. Toss with a little parsley and finish with a dash of white wine vinegar.
• For the polenta, if you're using Meadowlark's Organic Yellow Flint Corn Polenta, Chef Evan recommends going five parts liquid to one part polenta. Simmer with a lid on for about one hour.
• To top the polenta, cook onions and cherry tomatoes in butter. Fry the andouille sausage in a bit of bacon fat then add oyster mushrooms. Roast in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms soak up the fat.

This is not a recipe but some of the chef's techniques and methods used to create these dishes.