For Chef David Salazzo of Del Porto Ristorante in Covington, the calculus is pretty simple: fresh equals flavor.
For the folks at Healthier Northshore, fresh also equals healthy.
So it was only natural for Salazzo to be invited to serve as the guest chef on Sept. 19 for the inaugural installment of Healthier Northshore’s new quarterly Eat Well, Live Well cooking demonstration series, which is designed to promote healthier food choices by incorporating fresh vegetables from local gardens into delicious dishes.
“Nutrition and access to healthy food choices are kind of the hallmarks of Healthier Northshore,” said Anne Pablovich of St. Tammany Health System, one of the numerous local organizations united under the Healthier Northshore banner. “At the same time, Chef Dave is known for his use of fresh, local vegetables in his recipes at Del Porto. So, this cooking demo is really a match made in culinary heaven.”
Working in the newly completed classroom kitchen at the Samaritan Center in Mandeville, and with a capacity crowd of 40 local residents looking on, Solazzo whipped up his Gulf Shrimp with Ratatouille.
“At this time of year, the markets are full of eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes, summer squash,” Salazzo said. “All of those ingredients are included in ratatouille.”
While he acknowledged that some home cooks might be intimidated by ratatouille, Solazzo’s fuss-free version has the benefits of being easy to make while also maximizing the flavors of all those fresh veggies.
“One of the things health professionals tell us is to ‘eat a rainbow.’ As you can see, this is pretty close to being a rainbow,” he said.
In addition, ratatouille is a versatile dish, Solazzo said. It can be served on its own, or with protein such as shrimp or chicken on top. It can also be served as a healthful side dish. Either way, it’s delicious.
Through the generosity of the American Heart Association and its Go Red for Women sponsor Amy Brumfield, all attendees at September’s cooking demonstration were given a box containing the fresh ingredients necessary to re-create Solazzo’s dish at home.
“And that’s really the point,” Pablovich said as guests collected their boxes at the conclusion of the hourlong demonstration. “Chef Dave made enough for everyone here to sample all those delicious flavors, but the real goal is to provide people with the tools they need to re-create dishes like this all on their own. Judging by the smiles on the faces I’m seeing, I think we’ve done that.” n
Find a schedule of upcoming events hosted by Healthier Northshore at HealthierNorthshore.health.