Winner of the Health Care Culinary Contest

When it comes to the meat on our plates, less is indeed more—and our Chef Norbert Bomm perfectly demonstrated this in his Almost Authentic Red Dahl recipe, which emerged out of nearly 50 submissions as the winner of the Health Care Culinary Contest.

The contest promoted the “Less Meat, Better Meat” philosophy, advocating for hospitals to promote health and protect the environment by reducing their meat purchases and choosing sustainable options. Qualifying recipes had to be plant-based or use a less-meat strategy.

The Seattle Culinary Academy and a panel of judges taste-tested all the recipe finalists and judged them for their flavor, appeal to the senses, ease of execution, availability of ingredients as well as nutritional and taste appropriateness for patients and consumers. Chef Bomm’s recipe, which utilized only vegetables that were all certified organic and sourced from regional farms, rose to the top.

“I have a very simple food philosophy: using fresh, wholesome, seasonal ingredients, thoughtfully prepared foods that reduce the intake of excessive fat, calories, and sodium while delivering high-quality meals with satisfying flavor and solid nutritional values. The red dahl achieves all of these goals,” Chef Bomm said.

Besides being acknowledged at the 2018 Menus of Change Summit hosted by the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Bomm also attended CleanMed 2018, where attendants met him and enjoyed the delicious dish.

Almost Authentic Red Dahl, Preserved Lemon, Sweet Potatoes & Thai Basil.

Ingredients ( 8 x 10 oz servings)  

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 Spanish onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and finely minced
• 1 red Fresno chili pepper, chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled cut into even wedges
• 10 ounces red dahl
• 1/4 preserved lemon
• 3 cups of fresh spinach
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 bunch of Thai Basil

Instructions

In a Dutch oven, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add the diced onions, spread them out evenly using a wooden spoon or a spatula. Cook onions slowly for about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir onions every few minutes to get a lightly browned even color and to release that sweet natural flavor hidden in the onions.

At medium heat, add the chopped garlic, minced ginger, chopped fresh Fresno peppers and spices, stir and cook for a few additional seconds, to release the flavor of the spices and to infuse the lentils as they cook. Add sweet potato wedges, add the vegetable stock and the lentils, bring everything to a quick boil and reduce heat to a simmer.

Rinse the preserved lemon under cold water to remove all the salt, chop roughly and add to the lentils. Cover and simmer lentils over medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes until the lentils are cooked and the sweet potatoes are tender, but still firm. Beware, dahl cooks much quicker than other dried legumes, you want to cook the dahl until it is soft and thick and collapsed into a rough purée.

Fold fresh spinach into the dahl, once spinach is wilted, serve. Garnish the “Almost Authentic Red Dahl” with Thai Basil, sliced Fresno peppers and serve with brown rice or Naan bread.

Hungry for more recipes from Chef Bomm? Check out his personal blog here.

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Join the Morrison Healthcare Family

Chef Bomm chose Compass One Healthcare and Morrison because of the opportunities he has to touch the lives of patients and staff. Morrison is a proud part of Compass One Healthcare and Compass Group USA. If you’re interested in a career in healthcare, be sure to check out team member or management opportunities to join the Morrison family through Compass Group Careers.