Georgia Magazine - April 2018 - 47

Blackwell hopes the future will
bring security for the farm and all its
work for the university. With more
trained staff, the farm could be more
productive, he says.
But meanwhile, 112 dozen eggs
and 15 pounds of lettuce will be put
to good use.
Jane F. Garvey is a freelance food,
wine and travel writer from Decatur.
Kennesaw State University's culinary program, housed in the Michael
A. Leven School of Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality, uses the talents of many area chefs on its faculty.
Here are recipes from a few of them
that incorporate produce from the
university's Hickory Grove Farm.
Chef Liason Aaron Russell likes
to use the herbs produced by the
farm along with its tomatoes, arugula,
cucumbers and bell peppers to craft
this panzanella, an Italian salad that
also relies on good bread for its character. Halloumi cheese is a semi-hard,
unripened, brined cheese originating
in Cyprus. It's made from goat's and
sheep's milk and sometimes cow's
milk. Having a high melting point, it's
good for grilling.

KALEB GREEN

7,000 people daily. He uses the farm's
produce to do that.
The Atlanta native and alumnus
of the Art Institute of Atlanta's culinary program did a three-year stint
with Restaurant Eugene, a noted
Atlanta fine-dining establishment.
There, he recalls, "a farmer walks
in the back door and drops off a
product, and we were able to tweak
it and put it on the menu in an hour
or two.
"[At KSU] we're doing similar
techniques and ingredients. Only I'm
not able to take the 5 to 7 minutes [it
takes] to plate up one plate."
At KSU there can be surprises
and interesting combinations of ingredients. One recent afternoon,
Blackwell sent down 112 dozen eggs
and 15 pounds of lettuce. "[Our] bake
shop and pastry [makers] use most of
the eggs," Jones notes, unruffled.
"Like at Restaurant Eugene, we
allow the season and the farmer to
create the menu," Jones says. "[The
chef] is just responsible for steering
that menu and making sure the techniques are right for this small larder
of produce, depending on what season it is. In theory it's easy, but ..."
He trails off, laughing.

Chef Humberto Guardiola's class in Latin American culinary immersion gathers around the
fruits of its labors.
April 2018

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

Grilled Panzanella Salad
Herb Oil
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Wash and dry the herbs. Heat the
olive oil with the herbs over low heat
(less than 200 degrees) and bring to
a simmer. Turn off the heat and allow
oil to cool. Strain and reserve.
Salad
1/2 pound Halloumi cheese, cut into
4-6 slices
Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to
taste
1/4 loaf sesame batard (or any firm white
bread with a good crust), sliced
1/2 cup Herb Oil (see recipe above)
1/8 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup diced red onion
3/4 cup fresh basil, washed, dried, stems
removed and leaves torn into rough pieces
1/2 cup baby arugula
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, cut into
1/2-inch dice
1 pound cucumbers, peeled, seeded, cut
into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 pound ripe bell peppers, stems and ribs
removed, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch dice

Grill the Halloumi cheese on a
flat top griddle, in a dry sauté pan or
on a charbroil-style grill. Set the temperature to medium-high heat (high
if using a charbroiler). Lightly rub the
cheese with the herb oil, and season
to taste with salt and freshly ground
white pepper. Sear on all sides until
browned; reserve.
Brush slices of bread with the
herb oil. Sear bread on a hot grill until
toasted, less than 2 minutes. Remove
from heat and reserve.
To assemble the salad, cut the
grilled Halloumi into 1/2-inch dice.
Cut the grilled bread into 1/2-inch
dice.
In a glass or ceramic bowl, combine 1/2 cup herb oil, vinegar, diced
red onion and torn fresh basil leaves.
Add the diced cheese, arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers;
toss to coat. Add the grilled bread
last, and toss again. Adjust the sea47

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - April 2018