Krull tends his relationships with suppliers as carefully as he tends the 800 meals that f low out of his kitchen each day. Mattics said Krull is very specific about what he likes, which helps Mattics improve his produce: “He told me he’d prefer to see my tomatoes a little less ripe, because they wouldn’t hold up when he sliced them – and I appreciate that.” This is in contrast to other buyers, said Mattics. “If they don’t like something, you never hear from them again.” MAKING CHOICES Local foods cost more. “This choice comes at a premium,” said Krull, but then again, the fact that he buys in volume helps offset the extra costs. For other regional hospitals, conversations around this local-sourcing trend have also begun, with cost as the main prohibitive factor. But Wendy Cashman, the clinical nutrition director at Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez, said the hospital’s administration is gung-ho about local, whole foods. The administration is looking at ways to get these foods in the door, despite the potential increase in cost. Meanwhile, Chef Mike O’Brien at Mercy Regional Hospital’s Garden Terrace in Durango said he’s all for supporting our local farmers. He’s even put in a request for beef and produce from Durango cooperative James Ranch for his kitchen. KEEPING UP WITH DEMAND
CHEF KRULL’S CHICKEN RELLENOS AND ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE Serves 4 Roasted Red Pepper Sauce 4 roasted red peppers 1 clove garlic 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper purée in adobo 2 peppadew or piquillo peppers Combine all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Add salt to taste. Rellenos 1 Troyer Poultry or Colorado Redbird whole chicken, roasted and shredded (leg and thigh meat is preferable; save the breast for chicken salad tomorrow) 1 tablespoon chopped scallions 1 teaspoon minced garlic ¼ cup Rocking W (Olathe) shredded pepper jack cheese 2 tablespoon panko bread crumbs 8 medium roasted poblano peppers
1 cup semolina flour ½ cup all-purpose flour 2 egg whites 2 ½ cups milk ½ cup flour for dredging 1 tablespoon chile powder
Back in Montrose, Krull’s suppliers eat at the Lobby Grille. They don’t get a discount. But despite the higher costs of locally sourced food, nothing on the menu costs more than about $7.00. Of the 800 meals Krull and his staff serve each day, only 25 percent are needed for the hospital’s actual patients. The rest go to the public, and that number is growing. Today, Krull, who has become a sort of pied piper of produce (with a degree from the Culinary Institute of America), is contemplating a trip to Nucla, where he’d spied some sunf lower sprouts at a recent farmer’s market. He wants to build a three-grain salad with bulgur and quinoa. The more he can find to bring back, the easier it will be to justify the expense. His eyes f lash with an idea. “I’ve heard someone sells a terrific granola down there, too,” he said.
Salsa and sour cream for garnish
Roast chicken whole with assorted fresh herbs in body cavity if you desire. Shred chicken and fold in scallions, garlic, cheese and panko. Cut small slit in roasted poblanos and fill with chicken mixture. Combine remaining dry ingredients. Beat egg whites to medium peaks. Mix milk with dry ingredients; gently fold in egg whites. Combine chile powder and seasoned flour; lightly dredge each pepper in flour, and then dip in egg-white batter. Preheat cast-iron skillet or heavy bottom saucepan with grapeseed oil, using as little oil as needed to gently pan fry all sides of rellenos until golden brown. Serve rellenos with roasted red pepper sauce, and garnish with salsa and sour cream.
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