Paper Chef #57

Foodies in the US and Japan and many other parts of the world will be familiar with the "Iron Chef" cooking show. Great chefs are put up against one of the iron chefs in a rather over-the-top and dramatic cooking competition to see who can make the most spectacular food from a host of regular ingredients and one special ingredient - say octopus. There is a somewhat similar TV show in Britain called "Ready, Steady, Cook!" Paper Chef is based on a somewhat similar idea... and you're invited to take part!


Paper Chef is a monthly creative cookery challenge. On the first Wednesday of every month at some point prior to Noon, a list of four ingredients that must be used is announced, and, along with any other ingredients you choose, you are invited to make a dish and then write about it by your Noon on Tuesday, seven days later. An impartial judge will pick their favourite recipe and the winner will be awarded the "Paper Chef" title for that month. Anyone who wants to is welcome to submit ingredient ideas on the Paper Chef blog and all suitable ones will go onto a list. Three of the ingredients will be randomly picked from the list and the fourth will be seasonal or trendy or in the news in some way.

The winner of the Paper Chef (the one crowned by the judge or judges) will choose the ingredients and judge the following roundup the month.

Please enter this month's challenge! You have until Tuesday noon (where you live) to send it to paperchef AT gmail DOT com. The roundup will be posted on the Paper Chef blog and the winners will be announced here on Simply Cooked!

When you create your entries you have to use all four of the ingredients but you are obviously allowed to add other ingredients as well. You can make more than one dish but only if they all contain the four ingredients. If you are a vegetarian, vegan or suffer from food allergy or intolerance or cannot eat certain food for religious reasons you are allowed to substitute whatever it is you cannot eat with something similar that you can eat. If you can't find an ingredient because of wrong season or because it is impossible to find them where you live, you can substitute it with something similar. Photos are not necessary and I would like to point out that it's the recipes that are being judged, not the visual result.

I was the fortunate Paper Chef winner last month (with my peach and pumpkin salad) and so it's an honour to choose and announce the ingredients for Paper Chef #57. Randomly chosen, they are as follows:

currants
bread
dried dates
kale

I can't wait to see what the contenders come up with! Stop by next week for the annoucement of the winner, and don't forget to email yours to paperchef AT gmail DOT com. Enjoy!