Weekend food frenzy includes chili tasting, celebrity chef

I had one of those Saturday schedules recently that was jam-packed with back-to-back food events. By the end of day, I'd eaten enough to put me in a coma.

Who says this girl is a lightweight? I began the day sampling chili - lots of it - at the annual E.G. Simmons Park Chili Cook-off and Flea Market. Last year, I was a little green behind the ears and woefully unprepared for the chili tasting.

This year, though, I was armed with my must-haves for sampling pot after pot of homemade chili: water and lots of tissues.

I can't believe I forgot my antacids.

Anyway, 14 varieties were featured in the tasting pavilion. I sampled every last one of them from Bili Chili and Montezuma's Revenge to Hot Attack and Death Row. Yikes. Can you feel my pain?

Patrick Pruitt told me this year he added a little more heat to his Back to Nature concoction, which included ground venison and beef. Donnie Dorman said he always changes his recipe, "but the bacon is a constant."

The Fat Boys were back again with their award-winning Southern-style chili, this year's winner of the talking smack category.

"We're ugly, but our chili is good!" said team member James Rogers.

Mike and Marti Albritton said the key ingredient for their chili is the blob of sour cream they add on top, recommending you alternate bites of chili with bites of the sour cream.
Every contestant had their story. I could go on and on.

Once home, I popped a few Tums and moved on to my friend Ruth Benoit's home in Apollo Beach for a casual afternoon get-together. Hoping she wasn't serving chili, I was relieved to find an incredibly appetizing taco bar, which was a little more tummy friendly.

Then it was on to the annual Celebrity Chef Dinner benefiting the United Food Bank in Plant City.
The evening began though with some killer appetizers.

A cooking duel between Plant City's finest and Hillsborough County's finest highlighted the first course. They were all scrumptious.

But the scene stealer and people's choice was the beurre blanc scallops with tropical slaw. Congrats to the Plant City Police Department.

Chef Jon Ashton did a good job of cooking up fun on stage. This guy is a high-energy performer, and he really knows how to cook. "The Mad Chef" from Liverpool, England, is the food correspondent of the nationally syndicated morning show, "The Daily Buzz," and in-house chef for Relish magazine.

His dinner demonstration included family-friendly fare - a simple midweek pasta, chicken with sweet-shallot mashed potatoes and lovely scones with black pepper strawberry jam.

While Ashton entertained, cooked and poured shots of vodka, he bribed audience members into making additional donations by pouring even more vodka.

What a great day!

MIDWEEK PASTA

14.5 ounces dried spaghetti
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, finely chopped
8-10 anchovy fillets, finely chopped, soaked in milk to reduce saltiness
2 tablespoons butter
Splash of white wine
Splash of chicken stock
Zest of one lemon
2 hard-boiled eggs, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Small bunch of flat leaf parsley,
Roughly chopped Parmesan, finely grated

Boil pasta in a large pan of salted water until al dente. In a sauté pan, over moderate heat, add olive oil, shallots, garlic and anchovies. After 1 to 2 minutes, add butter and let it melt into the mixture.
Add wine and chicken stock and reduce for about 1 minute.

Add the pasta to the pan mixture. Mix well, allowing the pasta to be coated evenly, and then season to taste.

Serve pasta on warmed plates and sprinkle with grated egg, lemon zest, parsley and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Source: Chef Jon Ashton