Whole Life Times: The Compassionate Kitchen

December 2006 | Thought for Food

The Compassionate Kitchen

The secret to cooking up a culinary masterpiece? It’s all about the love, baby!

By Charlie Cascio

The most important and most overlooked ingredient in any recipe is the preparer of that recipe. Yes, that’s right—the cook. Concrete ingredients such as the freshest fruits, herbs and vegetables are important in any recipe, of course; but the attitude of the cook, the subtle messages and energies that are incorporated into the recipe in the process of the preparation is never given any credible thought—though it should be. A certain positive awareness in the cook’s attitude will almost secure success in the kitchen. A stressful, insecure, angry or fearful attitude on the part of the cook will impart these feelings into the food and ultimately be absorbed by whoever eats it. Those of you fortunate enough to have a mother who is a great cook know what I’m talking about when I say that every dish that mamma made was great—great because of the incredible effort and care, the loving tenderness that she had when she prepared food for her family. Preparing food with a warm heart is a direct expression of love.

When I took over the Esalen kitchen eight years ago, I had a strong commitment to the belief that the individual can help to change the world by action. I was eager to create the idea of a “compassionate kitchen.” I wanted to bring the humane view into the realm of kitchen management, to create a kitchen culture that would reflect a good morale, mentally and physically healthy employees, flowing creativity, high productivity, great food, and fun in preparing that food. I used a philosophy of Dick Price, Esalen co-founder, for my recipe to this new approach to kitchen management. This was to allow people to express themselves and to witness that expression without judgment. Taking risks, believing in people and empowering them with confidence to believe in themselves is the key to the magical success of the Esalen kitchen.

By empowering these untrained, unprofessional students with confidence that they could produce healthy, world-class food, by giving them a guiding hand with culinary technique and by allowing them the chance to express their creativity, the Esalen kitchen became not just a place to prepare food but a loose-fitted family with high values, caring feelings, concern and understanding for each other. We blossomed into an interdependent kitchen working with one goal: to present the best meals from our hearts to our guests and our community.

Quinoa & Veggie Soufflé

¾ c. quinoa
1 ½ c. water
3 tbsp. oil, divided
2 ½ c. grated carrots
1 ½ tbsp. dried thyme, divided
2 ½ c. grated zucchini
1 medium yellow onion,
diced into ½-inch pieces
1 c. grated Asiago cheese
2 c. ricotta cheese
1 ½ tbsp. sea salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
4 eggs, separated

Place the quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse. In a saucepan on high heat, stir in the quinoa. Continue to stir 5 minutes or until it has a nutty aroma. Add the water, lower the heat to simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a sauté pan, add 1 tbsp. of oil and sauté the grated carrots with ½ tsp. dried thyme. Set aside. Sauté the zucchini and onion separately, using the same method as the carrots. Place the quinoa, carrots, zucchini and onion in a mixing bowl. Add the Asiago and ricotta and stir well. Add salt, pepper and basil. Beat the egg yolks and stir into the mixture, making sure everything is well mixed. Beat the egg whites until they have stiff peaks, and then gently fold them into the mixture.

Oil a 6-inch soufflé pan and pour the mixture into it. Bake in preheated oven at 350˚ F, covered, for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 30 minutes more. The soufflé is done when a knife inserted into it comes out clean. Serves 4.

Chocolate Wacky Cake

5 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
3 c. Sucanat (dehydrated cane juice)
or brown sugar
1 tbsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. salt
2/3 c. cocoa
1 c. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 c. water

In a mixing bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whisk all the wet ingredients until they are well blended. Add the wet ingredients to the dry; stir just until the ingredients are mixed. Don’t overmix.
Pour into two 10-inch cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake in a preheated oven at 325˚ F for about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a rack to cool. Frost with your favorite frosting. Serves 12.

Roasted Butternut & Curry Soup

1 large butternut squash
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
2 stalks celery, cut into ¼-inch dice
2 tbsp. curry powder
3 c. coconut milk
2 tsp. sea salt
3 c. chicken stock, vegetable stock
or water
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Sunflower seeds for garnish (optional)

Place a large butternut on a baking tray and place in a preheated oven at 400˚ F. Roast for about 1 hour; it is done when you can stick a knife into the squash and there is no resistance (it goes through like butter). Split the squash in half; scoop out and discard the seeds. Scoop out the pulp and set aside.

Place oil into a 6-quart soup pot over high heat and sauté onion until it is translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the celery and curry powder and sauté until the celery is tender. Turn heat down to medium and add the butternut pulp, coconut milk, salt, and stock or water. Blend with a hand mixer, or whisk by hand until you have a smooth consistency. Heat until soup is hot, add cilantro, and serve.

For an excellent added taste, add chunks of fresh goat cheese or fresh cream to the soup before serving. Serves 4 to 6.

Excerpted from the Esalen Cookbook by Charlie Cascio. Reprinted with permission of Gibbs Smith, Publisher.

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