Vegetable curry prepared by Chef Robert Coleman in the kitchen of Cafe Joshua. (Lannis Waters / Palm Beach Post)
In his food service career, Robert Coleman has traveled worlds in a few short miles.
A little over a year ago, he was training flight attendants in the fine points of plate presentation aboard the private jets of the wealthy. Today, he trains homeless cooks struggling to support themselves and their families.
But, in the kitchen, these scenarios are not too different from one another. For Coleman, director of food service at The Lord’s Place in West Palm Beach, both center on using fresh ingredients.
That focus is stronger now at Café Joshua, the agency’s training and job-placement program. Fresh-picked vegetables and herbs are coming into the program’s catering kitchen from a newly dedicated urban garden planted at The Lord’s Place men’s campus in Boynton Beach.
On a recent morning, chef Coleman inspected a basket of produce and herbs delivered for that week’s menu. (In addition to providing a range of catering services to the community, the café also feeds daily about 100 agency clients and staff who are on-site for appointments and services.) A diverse mix of herbs, like fragrant chocolate mint, apple mint and purple basil, shared the basket with string beans, peppers and squash.
Such a basket may spark a curry dish, for instance, says Coleman, whose budding interest in Indian cuisine led him to a local spice market where he often seeks culinary tips from the shop owner.
"We got these great bell peppers today, so we’ll be making stuffed peppers tomorrow," says Coleman, a Maryland native.
Or, if that week’s basil crop is particularly bountiful, he may dream up a soup, such as the Italian wedding soup his apprentice chefs recently made using basil instead of spinach.
"How great is that?" says Coleman.
They don’t call it soup at Café Joshua, which is set up as a kind of learning bistro, not a soup-kitchen. "Here, we call it ‘potage,’ " says Coleman.
VEGETABLE CURRY
Chef Robert Coleman, director of food service at The Lord’s Place in West Palm Beach, made this dish using green beans, peppers and herbs from the organization’s community garden.
Serves 4 to 6
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon (Methi) fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dried curry leaves
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
5 cups coconut milk
2 cups baby red potatoes, washed and cut in half
2 cups fresh green beans
1 cup vegetable stock
Minced green chilies
Place a skillet over low heat and add the first four ingredients. Toast for 15 seconds, until aromatic, then pulse in a coffee grinder. (Or grind in a mortar and pestle.)
Place a pot over medium heat and add the oil.
When it is hot, add ginger, garlic and onions, and cook until very soft and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.
Add the curry leaves, garam masala, turmeric and tomato paste and stir well.
Add the toasted spices, tomatoes, salt and pepper, coconut milk, potatoes, green beans and 1 cup stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the potatoes are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (For brighter, slightly crisp green beans, add 40 to 50 minutes after the other ingredients.)
Add green chilies to taste. (Remove seeds to reduce their heat.)
Garnish dish with a dollop of plain yogurt mixed with cilantro and fresh
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