Cape Cod chefs made gourmet meals using food pantry ingredients. Here's one recipe.

When three chefs set out to compete over who could make the best meal at the Lower Cape Outreach Council’s 40th gala celebration, the ingredients were a perfect match to the event.

The chefs ― like 4,500 other people last year ― did their grocery shopping at the food pantries that the council supplies.

Each chef was given $20 to be spent at the grocery store for incidentals ― with the catch being that if there was a tie, the chef who spent less of the $20 would win.

“I think he only bought cilantro, garlic, onions and tomatoes at the grocery,” said Sean Sullivan, owner of Navillus, the new restaurant in Orleans where Julio Lazzarini is head chef.

Lazzarini competed with Christian Schultz, former owner of several Cape restaurants including Christian’s and Red River Barbeque, and Chevaun Goulbourne, executive sous chef at Pate’s Restaurant where the competition was held June 6.

Sometimes, such as this, being food and restaurant writer at the Cape Cod Times is less like a job and more like an adventure. I was fortunate to share judging duties with “Edible Cape Cod” co-publisher Larry Egan (you may know him from his show, “The Handyman Hotline” on WXTK-FM) and Jon Krongard, general manager of Cape Cod’s 102.3 and 106.5 FM, who is now settled on the Cape after working in New York and Chicago.

The other media types and myself consulted briefly while trying the three dishes, but submitted independent scores on each meal so we didn’t know the winner until it was announced.

Lazzarini won the competition with a Spam and ground turkey chili that was light years ahead of the simple meal normally billed as chili.

I was no stranger to Spam growing up and I remember its fat- and salt-forward flavor profile from Friday-night fry-ups. But in this dish, Lazzarini cleverly renders the Spam’s fat and uses it to saute all the other ingredients. The effect was phenomenal, not only distributing the meat’s excess salt and fat, but seeming to leave it less densely packed with a more pleasing texture.

The gala fundraiser, with its first-ever chefs’ competition, sold out weeks before, with organizers selling 200 tickets at $150 each. While the chefs worked, gala guests gathered to observe and enjoy passed hors d'oeuvres, including beef sliders and a lobster mousse served in a miniature ice cream cone.

Food adventure continued to show its colors when someone in the live auction bid $10,000 for an at-home cooking class with renowned chef Michael Ceraldi, chef/owner of Ceraldi in Wellfleet which is known for its 7-course prix-fixe meal. Bidding was so frantic during the live auction that gala organizers were calling the chef to see if he might give two lessons.

The impact? According to council literature, every $5,000 raised provides 8,000 meals for food insecure families.

Chefs in the competition were given one hour to prepare the best meal possible for a family of four using mostly food pantry ingredients. All three meals were restaurant-quality and would be a delight on your kitchen table.

The winning recipe has several ingredients and steps (don’t skip the pineapple, it’s a game changer), but we thank Chef Lazzarini for sharing it with our readers. If you are the kind of cook who reads a recipe like science fiction figuring, “Right, that will happen,” you can also find Lazzarini’s cooking at Navillus (yes, the restaurant name is Sullivan spelled backwards.)

Turkey and Spam chili recipe

From Navillus head chef Julio Lazzarini

Makes 8-10 portions

1 can (12 oz.) spam, cubed

2 lbs of ground turkey

2 medium onions, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced (or pre-chopped garlic)

1 green bell pepper, small dice

1 can (15 oz.) stewed tomatoes

1 can of potatoes (drained)

2 packets chili powder

4 Tbls of sofrito

1 bunch cilantro – fine chopped

6 oz sour cream

1 lime – zested and juiced

2 Tbsp. of Adobo (seasoning)

Dash of black pepper and salt to taste

2 cups of rice

1 can of corn – drained

1 can black beans – drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can pineapple – diced save liquid

8 oz. chicken stock

5 Tbsp of vegetable oil

3 cups water

For the chili: 

1. Over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan. Fry Spam until light brown on all sides.

2. Remove Spam – leave fat from cooking in pan

3. Add 1 ½ onion, peppers, sofrito and stems of cilantro (small chopped). Sauté until soft.

4. Reduce heat to medium. Add ground turkey, break into small pieces as it cooks.

5. Stir in stewed tomatoes, including liquid, chili mix, potatoes, chicken stock and black pepper and salt.

6. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes on medium- to medium-low heat.

Rice:

1. Over medium heat – Add 3 Tbsp of oil in pan

2. Add rice – coat rice – add 1 Tbsp salt

3. Add garlic, chopped

4. Add 3 cups of water

5. Bring to a boil

6. Cover with lid, reduce heat to low, DO NOT REMOVE LID

7. When no liquid is visible rice is done, remove lid

For salsa:

1. Drain and rinse black beans, add to bowl

2. Add corn with liquid

3. Add diced pineapple with liquid

4. Add 2 Tbsp of Adobo (seasoning)

5. ½ onion – small dice

6. Add salt and pepper to taste

7. Add 3 Tbsp of diced cilantro tops

For crema:

1. Add zest from lime

2. Add juice from Lime

3. Salt to taste

4. Mix

To plate: 

Put one serving of rice on the bottom, add chili, top chili with salsa, crema and remainder of the cilantro.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod restaurants compete using budget ingredients. Who won?