Chef JoJo of Churchill Downs welcomes spectators from around the world with the very best flavors of Kentucky. Do Derby Day right and welcome friends with the classic flavors of the historic racetrack.

Roast Chicken with Black Pepper Honey Pan Gravy and Edamame Succotash
Serves 4

2 cups – shelled edamame
1 1/3 cups – fresh corn
2/3 cup – diced canned tomatoes
2/3 cup – yellow pepper
1/3 cup diced red onion
½ cup – country ham, julienned
1 cup – chicken stock

1 pound – boneless, skin-on chicken breasts (about 2)
1 cup – demi-glace (may be store bought)
½ tablespoon – black pepper
8 tablespoons – honey
6 tablespoons – vegetable oil, divided

Chef’s Notes:
Begin by making the succotash. In a medium pot, add the edamame, corn, tomatoes, yellow pepper, red onion, ham, and stock. Stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes to an hour, adding more chicken stock as needed.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pat the chicken breasts dry and liberally salting and peppering both sides. Then, heat four tablespoons of the oil in a large, oven proof sauté pan over medium high heat. Place the breasts in the pan skin side down and let crisp, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook the other side for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Place the whole pan in the oven and let cook for about 12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature is 165 degrees.

While the chicken is cooking, heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the remaining two tablespoons of oil and the black pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the honey to the pan and stir, cooking until the honey begins to bubble. Add the demi-glace and stir. Remove from heat.

To serve, place one cup of succotash on each plate, top with chicken, and drizzle with the black pepper-honey gravy. Enjoy!

Classic Mint Julep:
1 Tbsp. Mint Syrup, 2 oz. Kentucky Bourbon

Notes: Make simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for 5 minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with 6-8 sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight.
Fill a julep cup with crushed ice, add 1 Tbsp. mint syrup and 2 oz. of Kentucky Bourbon. Stir rapidly with a spoon and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

The Oaks Lily:
1 oz.  Vodka, 1 oz. Sweet and Sour Mix, 3 oz. Cranberry Juice, Splash of Triple Sec

Notes: Once the ingredients are mixed, serve in a tall glass with crushed ice, add a straw and garnish with an orange wedge and cherry.

We strive to have a positive impact on the world we share. Conserving our resources and reducing waste is an important piece of the puzzle and something we can do every day. Take the time to change your habits. Small changes can have a BIG impact!

Five Tips for Going Green

1. Recycle all the paper, plastic, glass and metal products you can.
2. At work, reduce what you print and when possible, set printers to double sided printing
3. Bike, walk or ride your bike to work
4. Turn off all unused lights, computers, stereos, televisions, etc.
5. Take reuseable shopping bags to the grocery store

It is Opening Day for MLB and around the country fans are digging into delicious new dishes from our Levy chefs. Debuting at Dodger Stadium today is the Big Blue Burger. Re-create it at home - if you dare!

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 each handed shaped beef patties - 6 ounces each
4 each French bread burger buns
8 slices ripe tomato
1 each yellow onion - chopped
2 each fire roasted pasilla chile- skin / seeds removed, half per burger
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
1 ½ cup mayonnaise
2 each chipotle peppers- seed removed
1 teaspoon ground onion powder
1 teaspoon ground garlic power
1 teaspoon smoked salt
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Fine sea salt
Ground black pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Begin by combining the mayonnaise, chipotle peppers, onion power, garlic powder, smoked salt, black pepper and lime juice to mixing bowl, blend together and adjust seasoning.

In a sauté pan, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.  Season the beef patties with salt and pepper.  Add beef patties to the pan, cook for 2 minutes, flip the burgers and add the chopped yellow onions.  Cook until the internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Add the one ounce of crumble bleu cheese and pasilla chile to each patty- one minute before proper doneness.  In another pan, begin to toast the inside of the burger buns. 

Assembly- Add the dressing to the bottom of the bun followed by the  tomato, beef patty with blue cheese, pasilla chile, caramelized onions, finish by smearing dressing on the top bun. 

Enjoy!

A procrastinators recipe to the centerpiece for many St. Patrick’s Day Tables.

The Ingredients
3 – 5 lbs. Corned Beef Brisket**
10 – Small Red Potatoes [about 1lb.], cut into 4 wedges
6 – Carrots peeled and cut into 2” segments [about ½ lb.]
1 – Head of cabbage, cut into 8-12 small wedges [about 2lbs.]
1 – Onion, medium sized, peeled and cut into strips [about 4oz.]
2 – Stalks Celery, cut into 2” segments [about 4oz]
2 – Bay Leaves
1 – Cinnamon Stick, broken into pieces
½ tsp – Allspice, ground
3 – Quarts Water
1 – tsp Salt, kosher
½ – tsp Black Pepper
** Corned beef brisket may contain a small spice packet

The “How To”
Place the corned beef, black pepper, bay leaves, allspice and salt into a large 8-quart pot along with 3-quarts of water.
 Cover and set over high heat. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to low and cook, at a low simmer for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, add the cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes and celery. Return to a simmer and cook covered for 30 minutes or until cabbage and potatoes are fully cooked. Remove the bay leaves and serve immediately.

The “What Do I Need” [Equipment]
Cutting Board
Knife
Peeler
2 Gallon Stock pot or Crock Pot

The best players in the NBA headed to Houston for the NBA All-Star Game this past weekend, and fans attending the festivities got in on the action with the best in basketball dining.  We dished up the ultimate sports snacks and drinks, shining a spotlight on great local flavors.
Toyota Center Executive Chef Atanacio Zamora spent months crafting the All-Star Game menu, with a slam dunk coming from his spicy grilled chicken wings.  Chef tip – make the wings extra spicy or on the mild side by adjusting the amount of chipotle peppers and cumin.
Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings
16 chicken wings, de-jointed
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons chipotle peppers, canned in adobo
2 tablespoons honey
½ cub green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Bamboo skewers for serving
Buttermilk Dip

In a food processor, add the vegetable oil, chipotle peppers, honey, green onions, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne pepper and blend until just combined.
Using bamboo skewers, place 4 chicken wings on each skewer. Place the chicken wings in a plastic zipper bag and add the marinade. Refrigerate overnight.

Prepare a charcoal grill to medium-hot heat. Place chicken wings on the grill and cook for about 10-15 minutes, turning and basting constantly with marinade. Serve chicken wings with buttermilk dip.

Buttermilk Dip
1 cup sour cream
½ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper

Combine all of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Adjust seasoning to taste. Chill and serve dip with spicy grilled chicken wings.

Music royalty will be out in full force this weekend, as The Staples Center prepares to host the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. California cuisine with signature Levy flair highlights the menu for this star studded event, with our Millionaire Margarita taking center stage at the bar.  Create another stellar variation of this festive cocktail by mixing all ingredients in a blender with ice and serving it frozen.

Millionaire Margarita
2 ounces Don Julio Tequila
½ ounce Grand Marnier
2 ounces sweet and sour
2 ounces lime juice, fresh squeezed
½ ounce agave nectar
¼ cup margarita salt
2 limes, cut in wedges
8 stemmed margarita glasses for serving

In a shaker, combine the tequila, Grand Marnier, sweet and sour, lime juice, agave nectar.  Shake with ice.

Wet the rim of your glass with lime juice and dip into margarita salt.  Pour the mixture from your shaker into the margarita glasses of your choice. Add lime wedges and enjoy!

“Stadium eating: can the food inside Verizon Center compete with the food around it?”

Washington City Paper’s food blog Young and Hungry sure thinks so!  Executive Chef Kevin Holler is bringing his A-game to Wizards fans, making the arena more like a restaurant than your average sports venue.   Using a huge variety of ingredients from local farms and bakeries, incorporating regional dishes like crab cakes and Washington D.C.’s signature Mambo Sauce, and even creating a daily menu and chef’s table at the popular Acela Club restaurant, Chef Holler will make your taste buds want to… well… “holler”.

Mambo Sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup white vinegar, distilled
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
Hot sauce, to taste

Mix all ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer (do not boil).  Let sauce simmer for 20 minutes and taste for seasoning and preferred heatness.  Sauce works well on chicken wings, french fries, sandwiches and fried rice.  May be frozen for later use.

How are those New Year’s resolutions treating you?  Personally, we’re fighting the urge to have a lunch meeting with a cheeseburger.  Thankfully, American Airlines Center’s Chef Johnny Blackerby is saving the day with a Maverick’s fan favorite that will make the perfect healthy lunch option – All Natural Chicken Salad.  Chefs tip - this salad is amazing on it's own, but also fantastic in a lettuce wrap or on a whole wheat bun!

BIG flavor, small calorie count.  Apparently everything isn’t bigger in Dallas!

All Natural Chicken Salad
1.5 pounds chicken breast, grilled and julienned
2 cups celery, diced
1.5 cup red grapes, cut in half
1 cup almond slivers, toasted
2 heads bibb lettuce, washed and dried
2 cups poppy seed dressing
½ cup scallion, sliced for garnish

Preheat grill to high or 375°. Season chicken breast with salt and black pepper. Place chicken on grill and let sear on both sides for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn heat to low and cook chicken breast completely thru or to 165°. Remove from grill. Once cool, slice breast in half and then julienne.

In a large mixing bowl combine chicken, celery, grapes, almonds and dressing.  Lightly toss ingredients until mixed well. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to let flavors come together.

Meanwhile, prepare a large serving bowl by lining one side with Bibb lettuce leafs.  Add chilled chicken salad to your serving bowl and garnish with your scallion.  Serves 8-10.

Poppy Seed Dressing
2 cups cider vinegar
4 tablespoons white vinegar
8 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 cups sugar or agave nectar
2 medium yellow onion, grated with juice reserved
1 cups onions juice
 3 cups canola oil
1/2 cup poppy seeds

Combine all ingredients except oil and shredded onion into a blender. Turn blender on medium and slowly add all your oil to mix. Stir in grated onion and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes until flavors come together.

Happy New Year!  As we look back on 2012 fondly, we find that a lot of our favorite memories involve Bar Toma pizza.  A LOT.  Apparently Esquire’s do too - they just named Bar Toma the Best New Pizzeria in the country!!

But pizza isn’t the only awesome thing on the menu at Bar Toma.  In fact, to help kick off some resolutions in 2013,  we sharing the recipe for Bar Toma’s impossibly delicious – and healthy – charred carrots!

Bar Toma’s Charred Carrots
6 large carrots
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
6 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 ounce almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons Essenza Balsamic vinegar

Cut each carrot in half crosswise. Then carefully cut each of those halves into 3 planks each.
Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, coat the carrots with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Place the carrots in the heated pan and cook until well-charred and cooked through. The carrots will be al dente.

Place the charred carrots in a large bowl. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice and parsley. Mix well to coat the carrots. Divide the carrots equally among 4 plates and garnish each with the goat cheese and almonds. Sprinkle each plate with Essenza balsamic. Serve immediately.  Serves 4.

With the busy holiday season in full swing, it's time to enjoy family, friends, food and (most importantly...) cocktails!  In anticipation of hosting more than 18,000 cheering Lakers fans on Christmas Day, Executive Chef Joseph Martin of Staples Center is giving us his ultimate adult holiday treat: the Nutcracker Martini.

Cheers!

The Nutcracker
1 ¼ ounce frangelico
1 ounce eggnog
Ice
1 dash of ground nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick

Shake Frangelico, eggnog and ice. Strain and serve in a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with ground nutmeg and cinnamon stick.  Enjoy!