Bangor-area restaurants cook up tasty fund-raiser

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An aspiring gourmet might think of it as a fantasy — many different chefs each offering one of their specialties to try and all at the same place. This fantasy will come true on Monday, March 11, at the sixth annual Great Chefs Night. The dinner, followed by an auction, will start at 6 p.m. at Jeff’s Catering and Conference Center, Outer Hammond Street, Bangor, and is a fund-raiser for the Kidney Foundation.

Participating food providers include Pepino’s, The Bagel Shop, Pilots Grill, The Maine Course at the Hilton, Seguino’s, The Greenhouse, Cap Morrill’s, Culinary Arts Department of the Penobscot Job Corps, Jasmine’s, Legends, Papa Gambino’s, E.M.M.C., Governor’s, Shaw’s, and Killarney’s.

Appetizers will be served first, followed by a buffet. Each food provider will have their own table.

Following the dinner, there will be an auction of donated merchandise, ranging in value from $10 to $600. A partial listing of items to be auctioned includes a Forest Hart Wildlife bronze, a 1991 membership to Hermon Meadows Golf Course, a signed lithograph by Will Moses, a nutritional consultation by a licensed dietician, antiques, and art work.

Tickets are $20 per person and are available at Libby’s Card and Gift in Bangor. Tables of 8 may be reserved.

Last year this event raised $12,000, all of which stayed in the Bangor area to provide emergency services to kidney patients.

Below are some of the dishes the “Great Chefs” will prepare for the event.

Jasmine’s Stuffed Eggplant 2 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick 4 slices of mozzarella cheese thinly sliced 1 quart marinara or tomato sauce (use your favorite recipe) Mushroom stuffing

Lay eggplant out in long stripes, place 2 tablespoons of stuffing in each piece of eggplant. Roll eggplant up and secure by placing in casserole, seam down. Once you have stuffed all of the eggplant, and put in casserole dish, cover with tomato or Marinara sauce and bake uncovered at 375 F for 20-25 minutes. For the last 5 minutes of cooking, place the mozzarella on top to melt. Serve with side order of your favorite pasta. Makes 4 servings.

Mushroom stuffing

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup diced onions 4 cups finely chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup dry white wine 1 cup marinara or tomato sauce 1 cup bread crumbs 1 cup Asiago cheese (may use Romano or Parmesan)

1/4 teaspoon dry grated basil

1/4 teaspoon dry oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

Saute onions in oil until transparent, add mushrooms, saute 2-3 minutes, add white wine, let boil for 2 minutes. Stuffing should be thick, if it seems thin, add a little more bread crumbs or cheese. Let cool before using.

Greenhouse Lemon-Herb Chicken 4-8 ounce skinless chicken breasts 1 cup flour 1 tablespoon thyme 1 tablespoon oregano 1 tablespoon basil 1 tablespoon garlic (granulated)

1/2 tablespoon curry powder 1 tablespoon summer savory

1/2 cup clarified butter 1 cup Chardonnay Juice from 2 lemons Chopped roasted hazelnuts (for garnish) Chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

Combine flour, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, curry powder and summer savory. Dredge chicken breasts in seasoned flour. Saute in clarified butter. Brown lightly both sides approximately 4-5 minutes per side. Remove to warm serving dish and hold. Deglaze pan with Chardonnay and lemon juice. Reduce sauce to half. Pour reduction over chicken breasts and garnish with hazelnuts and parsley. Serve with julienned fresh garden vegetables.

This flavorful dish is quick and easy to prepare. The recipe can be modified to include any of your favorite herbs and spices … in small amounts. Fresh herbs, if available, can be used (chopped fine) in recipe amounts.

Serve with chilled Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

Seguino’s Sausage Calabrese 2 pounds link Italian sausage 1 large onion 3 green peppers 3 tomatoes 1 cup meat sauce

1/2 cup dry white wine Salt Pepper Oregano Garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

Oven roast sausage in a pan with very little water at 350 F for 40 minutes. When done, cool and cut into bite-size chunks.

Cut onion and green pepper Julienne style and saute in garlic with 1/4 olive oil until nearly done. Cut tomato into 1/2-inch chunks and add to onion and green pepper. Turn flame on high and add salt, pepper, oregano, and wine. Cook to reduce wine and add meat sauce and sausage. Serve with spaghetti. Makes 4 to 6 servings.