Last night was a great success for Common Threads. I am a big supporter of this charity and enjoy working with the women who run it. Back when I was a bit younger (just turned 32 today! Yikes) I helped organize a dinner supporting the charity where we invited a number of talented Chicago chefs all under 30 to participate. We each did a course that was paired with a wine chosen by Alpana Singh. The dinner was great and raised quite a bit of money for Common Threads.

After competing in Top Chef, I decided that I wanted to find a way to raise some more funds and also awareness about the charity. Since I could not play the young chef under 30 card again, I thought it would be great to get some of my fellow Top Chef contestants together. Ryan, Lisa, Spike, Dale Talde, Dale Levitsky, Sara, CJ, and Valerie all joined me and helped make it a great event.

The event was held at A New Leaf which the owners were kind enough to donate for the evening. What a beautiful event space…flowers and candles everywhere with a very unique two floor setup. It is such a great space for any occasion, I can see why they are booked a year in advance for weddings! The chefs were scattered throughout serving various dishes. Dale Levitsky served a seared venison loin with a vanilla cauliflower puree and a rich spiced sauce. Valerie made a classic lemongrass soup with duck filled wontons. Lisa served her Yucca Rellenos which were seen on the show during out pig challenge in Puerto Rico. I am still always amazed when someone can make that vegetable into something tasty! Spike made a delicious pork belly with pickled red cabbage…pretty much had me at pork belly. I went with pork as well with a peanut and pork ragout served over a crisp polenta cake with cilantro vinaigrette.

All in all the guests had a great time and enjoyed meeting the chefs as well as finally getting to sample their food since it is a bit of a tease watching the show every week. I am hoping that we can put together a similar event next year with continued support for Common Threads.

Pork-peanut ragout (Serves 4)
• This ragout was part of an all pork dinner party I held for some friends. The flavors are influence by my travels through Vietnam. It can easily be served over pasta or polenta, or you can serve it topped with a pan roasted piece of halibut or other fish.

3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 pound ground pork
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white miso paste
1 1/2 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
1 cup water
Juice of one lime
1/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, finely chopped with a few larger bitsChopped cilantro for garnish

Heat the oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and sweat without browning for 2 minutes. Add the pork and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar, miso paste, tamarind concentrate, water and lime juice. Pour over the pork, add the peanuts and stir to combine the ingredients. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes until the liquid thickens. Serve over pasta, polenta, or on its own garnished with fresh cilantro.