Local chefs share their favorite holiday recipes

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Elli Morris/Chesterfield Observer At work, Chef Mark Kimmel has plenty of room to spread out, but at home, he uses crock pots to conserve space while preparing holiday meals.

Mark Kimmel, Culinary Arts Instructor
Chesterfield Technical Center

1 c. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 tsp. salt
tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 c. heavy whipping cream
Sauté onion and butter in a medium saucepan until tender. Add 1 can chicken broth; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Transfer broth mixture into the container of a blender or processor. Process until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan. Add remaining can of broth, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground pepper; stir well. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in whipping cream and heat through. Do not boil. Ladle into individual soup bowls.

Chef Kimmel's Sweet-and-Sour Braised Red Cabbage

Chef Kimmel cautions, "Make sure the cabbage is cooked on medium heat, so that it doesn't burn."
3 slices of bacon, small dice
1/2 c. sliced onion
c. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
tsp. salt
Black pepper to taste
1 small head red cabbage, shredded
Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Cook onion in bacon and drippings until softened. Add cabbage. Cover and steam, , until tender. Stir in vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes.

Chef Kimmel's Sautéed Green Cabbage
1 qt. thinly sliced cabbage
2 oz. thinly sliced onion
4 strips bacon, diced
Seasoning to taste
Sauté bacon until brown and be careful not to burn. Add onions and stir; cover. Add cabbage and stir until it begins to reduce. Add water if needed to prevent burning. Cover and cook until cabbage is tender and soft. Season to taste. Serve.

Variation: Add a can of condensed mushroom soup to cooked cabbage and top with cheese.

Chef Kimmel's Corn Pudding
3 Tbsp. margarine
3 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
c. milk
tsp. salt
3 eggs, beaten
17 oz. can creamed corn
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Melt margarine in sauce pan. Add flour and cook 3 - 5 minutes. Add sugar and milk and stir until smooth. Add salt. Remove pan from heat. Add creamed corn and stir. Add eggs and stir. Transfer to greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees until brown and firm.

Apple Bacon Gorgonzola Cheesecake

Tim Clinton, Executive Chef Sodexho at LandAmerica

Along with a drink, Apple Bacon Gorgonzola Cheesecake "helps everyone tolerate family and those we call friends," says Clinton.
1 lb. cream cheese, softened
2 whole eggs
1/2 small onion, diced fine
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1/4 c. bacon, rendered and diced
Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Sauté onion until soft. Add apple and cook one minute. Remove from heat and add cooked bacon. Add this mixture and gorgonzola to soft cream cheese. Fold in eggs one at a time. Bake in a cheesecake pan in a 300 degree oven in a hot water bath for 45 minutes or until straw comes out clean. Cut into wedges and serve with crackers and fruit.

Mulligan's Signature Spinach Crab Dip Joe McGinn, General Manager Mulligan's

McGinn likes to serve this with Carr's Water Crackers and a Pinot Grigio or a Chardonnay, along with this piece of advice: "Relax. There's enough stress to go around."
Lump crab meat
Spinach, frozen
1 lb. cream cheese, softened
1/2 quart heavy cream
Black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Crushed red pepper, pinch
Sauté spinach. Add cream and heat through. Add cream cheese. Add spinach and crab; mix well. Turn mixture into an ovenproof dish and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Power Sub David Napier, Co-Owner City Bar & Restaurant/White House Catering

Napier insists on Duke's when he makes this modernized classic. "It's the only mayonnaise made without sugar," he says.
For each 6" hoagie roll, you'll need:
1.5 oz. pastrami
1.5 oz. Genoa salami
1.5 oz. Boar's Head ham
1.5 oz. high-quality bologna
1 full slice Havarti
1 full slice Provolone
1 layer yellow onion, sliced paper thin
2 Tbs. fresh cole slaw
2 Tbs. mixed sweet and hot banana peppers
Dusting of black pepper
Thin layer of Duke's Mayonnaise
Assemble as follows: Line insides of bread with cheese slices. Spread mayonnaise on the cheese slices, not on the bread. Layer cole slaw between two meats to anchor sandwich. Make sandwich a day before serving and wrap tightly in airtight clear wrap to marry the flavors. Slice in one-inch sections. Serve with bowls of chili "and lots of football," says Napier.