Chef Curtis Gamble invited TABLE Magazine to spend a day in his kitchen with simple recipes and springtime flavors.

We started our day together with a plate of thinly sliced cucumbers with shallots, crumbled feta, fresh dill, and a sprinkle of Aleppo chile. Chef Gamble had our full attention with this first delicate and delicious plate. “I look for ways to be reductive,” Curtis says, explaning his keep it simple ethos. “Limiting myself to a certain ingredient or idea leads to creativity with texture, salt, fat, and acid. Allowing space and room for flavor to breath is a skill.”

 

We moved on to Roasted Eggplant with Anchovy Almond Crumble. As always when good food hits the table, stories were shared. “I grew up with a single mom, very food insecure, and that has had the most impact on the way I like to cook,” Curtis recounts. “Whether my mom was breading off-cuts like chicken livers in seasoned flour and frying them or pulling potatoes and spring onions from our modest garden, we would always eat humbly but well-seasoned. My first real job was as a prep cook at a big-box rib joint, and from there I never turned back. One foot in front of the other took me from culinary school to Grit and Grace, to Station.”

 

The Gnocchi alla Romana with Pesto Genovese arrive, along with the English peas with soffrito, yogurt and lemon shown here, and a gorgeous asparagus platter with soft boiled egg, buttermilk dressing, and sourdough croutons tossed in tarragon salsa verde. We exclaim that we will never forget these gnocchi, with their earthy crispiness playing off of the vivid, garlicky sauce. Or any of Chef Gamble’s veggie-forward dishes.

Curtis responds, “As brutal as this pandemic is, the thing that it has really made me appreciate is the connections and the memories we facilitate for people.”  

English Peas, Soffritto, Yogurt, Lemon, Pea Tendrils 

 

4 oz of Greek yogurt 

8 oz English peas, blanched 

2 tbsp soffritto (recipe follows) 

4 lemons 

EVOO

Pea tendrils 

 

Soffritto

 

100 g celery 

100 g carrots 

200 g Spanish onion 

50 g garlic clove 

EVOO, to cover 

 

In small batches, pulse celery, carrots, onions, and garlic to a fine mince in a food processor. Combine in a narrow pot  and cover with olive oil and place over medium low heat. Gently cook until the olive oil is clean and most of the moisture has cooked off. Cool overnight in the refrigerator. 

 

 

To finish:

Spoon several spoonfuls of yogurt on to a serving dish. In a mixing bowl add English peas, soffritto, zest and juice of 2 lemons and extra-virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Spoon over yogurt, top with pea tendrils, and the zest of 2 lemons. Serve.   

STORY AND STYLING BY KEITH RECKER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE / FOOD AND RECIPE BY CHEF CURTIS GAMBLE, STATION