"At the Broad Appétit Food Festival in Richmond, Va,...some of the biggest crowds are gathered around David George Gordon" - Time Magazine, June 2008
The Bug Chef creates culinary masterpieces using ants, grasshoppers, water bugs, centipedes, scorpions and their kin. Since the release his book, The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook (published by Ten Speed Press in 1998), Chef Gordon has been giving cooking demonstrations throughout America and in several foreign lands.
His programs are fun, educational and extremely popular with grownups and kids. During a typical cooking demo, Gordon will invite audience members to join him onstage to prepare and taste-test three or four dishes from his cookbook. At each demo's conclusion, he also offers samples of at least one of the dishes to the entire crowd. He can give up to three demos in one day and, on request, can arrive a day in advance to help publicize his upcoming appearances.
Chef Gordon usually gets ample media coverage, which can help promote exhibit openings or other events, ensuring broader audiences. For a recent cooking demo at the Burke Museum of Natural History, he was featured in all four Seattle newspapers (alternative and mainstream) and increased the museum's daily attendance ten-fold, resulting in 30 new museum memberships in one day.
To schedule a cooking demo or other public appearance, or for more information, Contact David George Gordon here.
Sheesh! Kabobs
Yield: six servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon minced fresh herbs-parsley, mint, thyme
and/or tarragon
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
12 frozen katydids, locusts or other suitably sized
Orthoptera, thawed
1 red pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 small yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges
Mix all ingredients for the marinade in a non-reactive baking dish. Add the Orthoptera, cover and marinate overnight.
When ready to cook, remove the insects from the marinade. Pat them dry, for ease of handling. Assemble each kabob, alternately skewering the insects, tomatoes and onion wedges to create a visually interesting line-up.
Brush the grill lightly with olive oil. Cook the kabobs two or three inches above the fire, turning them every two or three minutes and basting them with additional olive oil as required. The exact cooking time will vary, depending on the kind of grill and types of insects used; however, the kabobs should cook for no longer than eight or nine minutes.
Scorpion Scaloppine
Yield: four servings
Ingredients
8 frozen desert hairy scorpions ((Hadrurus arizonensis) or similar species, thawed
1 pint low-fat milk
1 cup white cornmeal
pinch of freshly ground pepper
12 frozen katydids, locusts or other suitably sized
Orthoptera, thawed
1 red pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 small yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Using a sharp knife, remove and discard stingers and venom glands from the tips of the scorpions' tails.
Pour milk into a medium-sized bowl; add scorpions and set aside while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
In a 12" skillet, melt the butter. Remove scorpions from the milk mixture, allowing excess to drain off. Dredge the scorpions through the cornmeal, one at a time. Shake off excess flour.
Place the scorpions in the hot butter, and cook until golden brown (about 2 minutes), then turn scorpions over and cook until done (about 1 minute).
Drain on paper toweling, sprinkle with lemon juice and chopped parsley.
Orthopteran Orzo
Yield: six servings
Ingredients
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup orzo
1 cup two- or three-week-old cricket nymphs
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup finely diced red pepper
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Bring broth to a boil, then stir in the orzo.
Continue boiling the pasta until it is tender (about 10 minutes); drain any extra liquid, then quickly add carrot and red and green peppers. Mix evenly and set aside.
In a separate skillet, melt the butter, adding the minced garlic, onions and crickets. Sauté briefly, until the onions are clear and the garlic and crickets have browned.
Combine cricket mixture, including any liquid, with the orzo and vegetables, top with parsley and serve.
