Pumpkin Coconut Soup from BOKA’s Executive Chef Angie Roberts of Hotel 1000

The International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association will be a pre-trip to the Seattle area prior to our Conference at Sea on June 25, 2011. How fortunate we are that we ill be experiencing the food from Chef Angie Roberts of BOKA and Seattle’s Hotel 1000. MTM Luxury Lodging was kind enough to share this information with us.

About BOKA KITCHEN + BAR

BOKA KITCHEN + BAR is a vibrant blend of lounge and restaurant located inside the luxurious Hotel 1000. Sleek, contemporary design is infused with a menu of urban American food, hand crafted cocktails along with new and old world wines. Meal services include breakfast, lunch, cocktail hour, dinner, late night, weekend brunch and seasonal patio dining. Chef Angie Roberts brings to the table her vast knowledge of local produce and grower relationships and her boundless creativity evolves with the seasons.  BOKA features 85-90% organic and sustainable cuisine. For more information on BOKA KITCHEN + BAR please visit www.bokaseattle.com.

More about Angie

In September 2007, Angie Roberts was named executive chef of BOKA KITCHEN + BAR, a vibrant blend of lounge and restaurant located at Seattle’s premier luxury destination, Hotel 1000. Leading a highly collaborative, talented team, Roberts presents a kitchen with boundless creativity and an affinity for local, seasonal and organic ingredients.  Currently, BOKA incorporates 85% organic ingredients in its menu items and is striving for even more.

As a committed advocate of sustainable agriculture and local farmers, Roberts sources a trusted network of local producers and suppliers, which she has established during her 15 years in Seattle.  With her pure, organic cooking-style, Roberts is committed to keeping recipes simple so that her customers can learn to appreciate the flavor and lineage of each ingredient.  Roberts is a true believer in knowing where one’s food comes from and how it was raised or cultivated.

Prior to joining BOKA, Roberts served as the chef de cuisine of Flying Fish under Chef Christine Keff, spearheading kitchen operations and overseeing more than 300 meals per day.  While at Flying Fish, she and Christine collaborated on new menu items and oversaw Whistling Train Farm to enhance their produce program, as they strived to utilize all organic and/or wild-harvested ingredients.

Previously, Roberts held a six-year tenure at the W Hotel in Seattle, where she progressed through many culinary positions, including sous chef for Earth & Ocean restaurant.  During her career at Earth & Ocean, Roberts had the opportunity to accompany Jean Michel Boulet to James Beard House in New York City and worked alongside James Beard Award-winning chefs Johnathan Sundstrom (now chef-owner of Lark and Licorous) and Maria Hines (now chef-owner of Tilth) both of whom also earned honors as a Food & Wine magazine Best New Chef.

Chef Roberts is a native to the Pacific Northwest and grew up in Northern Idaho on her family farm. At age 18, Roberts began her career studying both nutrition and culinary arts at Seattle Central Community College.  Currently, Roberts resides in Seattle and is a member of Slow Food Seattle.  Since joining the culinary team, BOKA has received acclaim in USA Today, Seattle Metropolitan, Edible SEATTLE, Seattle Sound, Sherman’s Travel, and Seattle Magazine.  The restaurant has also been featured on KOMO’s “Go Eat!” and “Extreme Tourist: Off the Beaten Path.”

Pumpkin Coconut Soup

1 baby sugar pumpkin                                                      ¼ tsp. cumin, ground

Extra virgin olive oil, as needed                                    ½ tsp. coriander, ground

½ lg. yellow onion, thinly sliced                                    1 ea. clove, ground

1 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced                         1/8 tsp. cinnamon, ground

½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced                                              1/8 tsp. paprika

1 Tb. Canola oil                                                                       Water, as needed

2 Tb. Aji Mirin                                                                        1 can coconut milk

½ tsp. cardamom, ground                                    Kosher salt, as needed

** Carefully cut pumpkin in half and remove the seeds.  Generously coat each half with extra virgin olive oil and salt before placing them cut side down on a sheet pan.  Roast pumpkin at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until pumpkin is cooked through and soft.  Remove the skin and roughly mash the flesh. In a medium sized soup pot, sweat onions, fennel and ginger in Canola oil until vegetables are translucent. In a separate pot, gently simmer coconut milk with spices, reduce by half. Deglaze vegetable pot with Aji Mirin.  Add mashed pumpkin and just enough water to cover all the vegetables. Simmer about 20 minutes. Remove both pumpkin and coconut mixtures from heat and combine.  Puree immediately and season with kosher salt to taste. Serve with Coconut Relish (below).

Coconut Relish

½ young coconut (meat only)                                                      ½ lime, juice of

½ bu. cilantro leaves                                                                        1 sm. jalapeno, minced

1/2 tsp. ginger, microplaned                                                      1/2 Tb. Canola oil

¼ tsp garlic, minced                                                                        Kosher salt, to taste

**Add coconut meat, cilantro, ginger, garlic, lime juice and jalapeno to a Robot Coupe or food processor.  Blend.  Add Canola oil as needed to loosen to desired consistency. Season with Kosher salt.

On February 10, 2011, we will feature Angie’s Pan Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash Puree.

There is still time to join IFWTWA and sign up for this trip before March 15, 2011. A special thank you to Allen Cox, Board Member and Chair of the Excellence Awards Committee for organizing this entire pre-trip and all of its exciting components along with MTM Luxury Lodging.