How did you get interested in cooking?
I can remember bugging my mom for supper to be finished, and she would have me help to speed things up.
What’s your favorite thing to cook at the station?
Homemade pizza.
What’s your favorite thing to cook at home?
A version of chicken cacciatore.
Best cooking tip:
Don’t over-season.
Favorite restaurants:
There are too many to name, but if I had to pick two today, it would be a toss-up between Highlands Bar and Grill and Gianmarco’s.
How are you preparing for Iron City Chef?
I am wearing out my crew by experimenting with some different ideas.
Glover Cacciatore
“I don’t really have any recipes I use; most of the things I cook come from my head unless I am baking, and then it’s an exact measurement,” Glover said, adding that he doesn’t bake often. But with dishes like this one in his repertoire, it’s no wonder he leans to the savory side.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken, cut up
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 large bell pepper, sliced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 large can whole tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons oregano; adjust as needed for taste
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pasta of choice
- Parmesan cheese
- Chopped parsley
Directions:
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then sear it with the sausage, olive oil, onion and bell pepper.
- Add garlic, tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Then add oregano and bay leaves.
- Bring temperature up until the liquid begins to boil. Then cover it and reduce to low heat.
- Allow to cook for a couple of hours (the chicken should fall off the bone).
- Serve over pasta and garnish with freshly-grated parmesan cheese and parsley. A nice warm crusty bread goes well with this, too.
What’s Cooking in the Iron City Chef Kitchen?
Here’s what the contestants plan to serve in the first round of this year’s Iron City Chef cooking competition.
Guests will sample each chef’s food and then vote for their favorite. The top two vote getters will move on to face each other in the finals.
• Lee Currie was choosing between two menus at press time: Boston butts with macaroni and cheese or meatloaf with mac and cheese and turnip greens. Either way, he’s adding fried cornbread. For dessert, he’ll make a cobbler.
• Alexander Glover will dish up pasta shells stuffed with beef, Italian sausage and cheese and topped with a red sauce. He plans to offer key lime pie for dessert.
• Edward Pegues will stir up shrimp and grits as his main course with banana pudding for dessert.
• Trey VanHooser will serve herb-roasted roulade stuffed with apple chutney, goat cheese and mashed potatoes with focaccia bread and, for dessert, bananas Foster bread pudding ϖ
Journal photo by Kaitlin Candelaria
