It was a special breakfast for showbiz editor Gloria Martin and entertainment reporter Eva Fragiskatos Thursday morning. They got to judge unique dishes prepared by three of Toronto’s top chefs to kick off the Daily Bread Food Bank’s spring national food drive.

Promoting the spring food drive at the Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws, chefs Mark  Russell from Loblaws, Paul Boehmer from Boehmer and Michael Hunter from Scarpetta were given five cans each of chicken, tomato, chick peas and pears.

All the chefs prepared amazing dishes using the humble fare usually donated to food banks, but Hunter won the contest with his awesome omelette complete with pear salsa.

Co-judge Eva Fragiskatos was surprised at how flavourful it was.

“It was almost like eating a burrito or an enchilada. It had Mexican flavours,” Fragiskatos explained. “And instead it being wrapped in a tortilla, it was wrapped in egg.”

People can donate to the spring food drive at any Lobalws or affiliate store.

A $250 donation was given to the food bank on behalf of the judging panel, which was made up of Martin, Fragiskatos, Rita de Montis from The Toronto Sun, and Gail Nygard from the Food Bank.

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Chef Michael Hunter, Scarpetta at the Thompson Hotel

Chicken Omelette with Pear Lime Salsa
**Winning recipe


Chicken Omelette

½ Cup onion diced
2 tbsp Diced celery
2 tbsp Diced carrot
½ tin of no name® corn
½ tin PC® Blue Menu™ chickpeas
1 tin PC® Blue Menu™ chicken breast chunks
1 tbsp chopped garlic
½ tin no name® tomatoes (drained)
Pinch of chili flakes
1tbsp parsley
2 eggs
1tbsp milk
1 Tsp butter and olive oil

Sautee the onion, celery, and carrot, add chicken, chickpeas, corn, tomatoes,
Beat two eggs with milk, and salt and pepper
Cook the egg mixture in a separate pan with olive oil and butter
When the omelette is almost cooked, add the sautéed chicken and vegetables on top and fold

Verde Sauce

½ bunch of parsley
1 cup vegetable oil
Juice of1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp chopped onion
Salt and pepper

Puree all ingredients together in a juice blender

Pear Lime Salsa

1/2 can no name®  tinned pears
1 Tbsp finely diced onion
1 Tbsp finely chopped celery
1 tbsp of chopped canned plum tomatoes
Pinch of chili flakes
Tsp chopped parsley
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Juice of ½ lemon

Mix the diced pears, diced onions, chopped celery, chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley and chili flakes together in a bowl, with the other half of the juice from the lemon and the lime. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, pour the parsley sauce on the plate and place the omelet on top, add pear salsa.


Chef Paul Boehmer, Boehmer

Lime Chicken Salad with Pear Puree, served with Chickpea Sweet Potato Hash
 
Lime Chicken Salad
 
1 tin PC® Blue Menu™ chicken breast chunks (drained)
1/4 cup chopped coriander
1 medium diced onion
3 freshly Squeezed limes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
Salt and pepper
 
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl being careful not to over-mix so the texture is still chunky
 
Pear Puree
 
1 tin no name® pears
1 freshly squeezed lime
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
 
Strain pears
Keep some of the juice from the can and set aside
Puree the pears
Add some juice back in the mixture
Add lime juice and pepper
 
Chickpea Sweet Potato Hash
 
1 tin PC® Blue Menu™ chickpeas
1/4 tin no name® tomatoes
1 tin no name® corn
1 Sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)
1 small chopped onions
2 stalks chopped celery
1 clove diced garlic
1/2 cup Chicken stock
Salt and pepper
 2 tbsps. olive oil

Blanch the diced sweet potatoes in boiling water for two minutes
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan and sauté chopped celery, chopped onions, and garlic
Strain the sweet potatoes, add them to the frying pan, and fry until brown
Add in the chicken stock, corn, chickpeas, and diced tomatoes
Stir the pan, adding salt and pepper

Chef Mark Russell, Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens

Chicken Falafel served with Sweet Potato Cakes and Caramelized Pears

Sweet Potato Cakes

Grated sweet potato
Grated white potato
1 egg
3 Tbsps flour
Salt and pepper

Set a pan with shallow olive oil to warm over medium heat. Squeeze out the starch from the grated white potato. Add the grated sweet potato, the egg, the flour and a pinch of salt and pepper and mix together. Mold into small cakes. Pan-fry the cakes for three to four minutes, each side.
While the potato cakes are cooking, make the falafel.

Chicken Falafel

PC® Blue Menu™ tinned chicken breast chunks
PC® Blue Menu™ tinned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
Pinch of Coriander
Salt and pepper

Blitz the chickpeas in a blender
Fold through the chicken
Add coriander and a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside

Sweet Corn Puree

no name® tinned corn
no name® tinned tomatoes
Olive oil
1 tbsp diced onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup vegetable stock

In a large saucepan, heat a tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and heat. Add the diced onion. Once the onion is transparent, add the corn and tomatoes and let it soften for 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, a pinch of salt and pepper and simmer for 8 minutes.

Caramelized pear

no name®  tinned pears
2 tsps sugar
1 tbsp butter

Heat butter in a frying pan and add the pears
Dust with a light coating of sugar on each side and fry to caramelize