You may recall that on the last episode of GoGreenfields, we featured the first ever GoGreenfields’ Iron Chef at Home Competition, with the amazing US Wellness Meats providing our secret ingredient – pork butt. That was such an amazing episode, and we enjoyed filming it so much that we simply couldn’t resist reaching out to someone with a great deal more experience with the heat of battle in the kitchen.

Meet the Real Iron Chef

Beau MacMillan was certainly able to tell us a thing or two about what it means to win an Iron Chef competition. This real life Iron Chef received his crown in 2006, he took down none other than Bobby Flay in a Kobe Beef showdown. Chef Beau, commonly referred to as BeauMac, is nearly as familiar with television sets as he is with kitchen utensils. While his first love was always the craft of cuisine, he found fame on the small screen, appearing on shows such as Guy’s Grocery Games, Worst Cooks in America (fortunately not competing for the title, but rather as a coach and advisor), and Beat the Chefs.

The Iron Chef in His Own Kitchen

Beau MacMillan was certainly able to tell us a thing or two about what it means to win an Iron Chef competition. This real life

Chef MacMillan has won multiple awards for his menus. He was co-founder of Elements, a restaurant in Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort in Arizona, where he now serves as Culinary Advisor. He is also the acting Culinary Director for Cala in the Senna House.

Needless to say, we were very impressed with his resume and even more thrilled with his decision to sit down for an interview with us, here on GoGreenfields.

Cooking Like an Iron Chef

This is a recipe from Chef Beau’s Cookbook, The Alzheimer’s Prevention Cookbook: 100 Recipes to Boost Brain Health. We gave it a try ourselves and the outcome was delicious!

Cannellini Bean Dip with Roasted Red Peppers

This spread fits right in with the Mediterranean diet. Cannellini beans, a staple of Tuscany, Italy, are a great legume. Their benefit is further enhanced by the polyphenol-rich peppers and onions as well as the Brain-Boosting Broth. Try this dip on a piece of grilled artisan bread, with a little drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

Ingredients

2 bacon slices, diced
2 tablespoons diced celery
2 tablespoons diced yellow onion
2 tablespoons peeled, diced parsnip
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight and drained
5 cups Bone Broth (he had his own broth recipe in the cookbook, so this is a substitution)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 red bell peppers

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the celery, onion, parsnip, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown, about 2 minutes.
Add the beans, broth, and thyme.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, until the beans are tender, 1 to 1½ hours.
With an immersion blender and using a pulsing action, puree the bean mixture in the pan, stopping when the dip has a nice, chunky texture.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool.
Roast the red bell peppers in the oven at 375°F on a baking sheet, on the grill, or held over a flame on a gas oven with tongs.
Char the skin, rotating it for even charring, for 5 to 8 minutes.
Once the skin starts cracking, place the peppers in a small bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap for 5 minutes.
The skin will steep and separate from the peppers so that you can peel it off easily. Once the peppers are cool, peel and seed them, then cut into thin strips.
Arrange the red pepper strips on the dip and serve