Kansas City Food Blog

This Sunday, three of Kansas City's top chefs -- Debbie Gold, Colby Garrelts and Ted Habiger -- will compete to see who can make the most inspiring dishes using ingredients commonly found in food banks.

It's part of the 13th annual Chef's Classic Dinner to benefit Harvesters. The dinner starts at 6 p.m. at The American Restaurant and includes wine paired with exotic items by chefs from the coasts. If you are interested in attending, tickets are $250 per person and you can buy them at Harvesters Web site.

For the rest of us, who love Harvesters but don't have $250 to spend on one meal, Harvesters has posted the chefs' menus, so we can see what a professional can make with items such as canned goods, jars of peanut butter, lasagna noodles in a box. Here is Room 39's recipe from Chef Habiger -- tuna burgers with sweet chili sauce:
For the burgers:
2 cans (12 ounce) tuna
1 tablespoon garlic puree
1 tablespoon ginger puree
3 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Mix all ingredients and form into burger shapes.

Chili Sauce:
2 red peppers, finely chopped
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch slurry
cilantro

Cook all ingredients except cornstarch and cilantro over low heat for 20 minutes. Mix in the cornstarch slurry until sauce coats the back of a spoon. Stir in some chopped  cilantro.

Cook the burgers in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Put on a
toasted bun, cover with the sweet chili sauce and lettuce.

Serves 6-8

Also available online is Garrelts' summer stew of artichoke hearts, cannellini beam and Italian turkey sausage with tomato broth and parmesan. Gold has prepared a much simpler-sounding stewed tomato and albacore tuna.