Robin Leventhal

CONSULTANT—LOCAL 360, SEATTLE, WA

“I had always been the good … well, not the good girl. I was the bad girl who didn’t show her parents what she did.”

—Robin Leventhal

Change best defines Robin Leventhal’s creative career. When she started in the industry after receiving her MFA from the University of Michigan, cooking was a blue collar profession, and despite the industry’s current media profile, Robin still insists, “not for a minute am I creating art with my food, even though it’s a creative medium.” Despite her background in art, Robin fell in love with the culinary world to connect with other people, to create something people will want to consume.

In 2008, Robin organized a charity auction and was put on the spot by its emcee to run the bidding. She’s since become a licensed auctioneer and runs charity auctions regularly as a way to do good for mission-driven organizations. She opened Crave, a neighborhood bistro in Seattle, and worked there until 2009, when she became a contestant on Top Chef, where she finished fifth. Even though her charity work has started to take more of her focus, in 2012 Robin took a head chef role at Local 360, a restaurant dedicated to local sourcing and sustainability located in Seattle, to contribute part-time menu development and “creative support” for chef de cuisine Gabe Skoda.

Robin has two tattoos, and she got both of them to mark times of illness and recovery in her life. Her first tattoo, a stylized version of a nautilus inked on the nape of her neck, was a mark of empowerment, an expression of taking back control of her body from cancer. The nautilus’s spiral shell has become a symbol of Fibonacci’s mathematical sequence that can be found in much of nature. Robin has always found Fibonacci’s work to be fascinating, and she feels it speaks to the interconnectedness of the world. Robin says that the tattoo has a “new age-y and everything is connected” significance for her. She goes on to say, “It was the documentation of being diagnosed with two kinds of lymphoma, one of them deadly! After six months of toxic chemo, I was left with a bald head and a neck tattoo felt right. The placement is very much a power spot on the body. It is the fifth chakra and governs our expression, both verbally and in the ways we interact with the world. This diagnosis was incredibly scary, and chemo was hands down the biggest challenge of my life.”

Robin has also had a fish and hummingbird done, one on the top of each foot, after rotator cuff surgery put her on bed rest for three months. The fish is a reference to her being a Pisces. The hummingbird symbolizes her energy. She started to relate to the animal when a former boyfriend told her, “Stop acting like a hummingbird and start acting like the robin bird that you are!” “I’m a hummingbird, damn it!” she laughs. She says that she has to be doing ten things at once. It’s a quality she thinks you have to have while being a chef. “You have to love chaos, managed chaos…. Can you do ten things at once? Can you think about ten things at once?” Robin can, and we’ll likely see more—more great food and more tattoos—from her in the future.

Sunrise Lentil Cakes

Robin says, “Local 360 is all about locally sourced ingredients from 360 miles or less. Eastern Washington is the lentil and chickpea capital of the United States. We proudly use them in a few different places at Local 360, including these cakes, which make a hearty vegetarian dish or a great side for a fish, lamb, or pork dish.”

YIELDS 10 (6-OUNCE) PATTIES

FOR LENTIL CAKES:

1 cup minced thick-cut bacon (optional)

1 cup finely diced yellow onions

1⁄4 cup minced shallots

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

2 teaspoons cumin, whole seeds toasted and ground

1 tablespoon coriander, whole seeds toasted and ground

1 cup finely diced carrots

1⁄2 cup white wine (use whatever you have on hand that you enjoy drinking)

4 cups stock or water (use whatever you have on hand; any type of stock or even just water will do)

2 bay leaves

2 cups red lentils (any lentils will work)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 large lemon, zested and juiced

1 whole egg

1⁄2 cup flour

Semolina or fine cornmeal

1–4 tablespoons vegetable or grapeseed oil (as needed)

FOR CORIANDER CARROT PURÉE:

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon minced shallots

2 cups chopped carrots

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons coriander, whole seeds toasted and ground

2 cups stock or water (use whatever you have on hand; any type of stock or even just water will do)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Pinch of cayenne

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

Lime juice, to taste

FOR CORIANDER-LEMON AIOLI:

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1 large lemon or 2 small lemons (including all the juice and zest that the lemon yields)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons coriander, whole seeds toasted and ground

1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

1 egg, yolk only

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup olive or vegetable oil

TO COMPLETE:

1 cup chopped salad greens

1 cup julienned carrots

1 tomato, sliced

  1. For Lentil Cakes: In a heavy, deep saucepot, sauté diced bacon on medium until crisp and fat is rendered, about 5–10 minutes. Remove bacon bits from pan and reserve. Add onions and sauté in bacon fat on low until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add shallots to onions along with thyme and kosher salt. Turn heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes, stirring. Then add garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook a few minutes more. If pan is dry, add more oil or butter, or bacon fat if you have some extra on hand.

    NOTES FROM THE CHEF

    You can make these Lentil Cakes vegetarian if you so choose. Simply cut out the bacon fat and start the onions in vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or butter instead.

  2. Add carrots and sauté quickly to coat with seasoned onion mixture. Once brown bits form on the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes, it’s time to deglaze with the wine (you can use water if you don’t have wine). Scrape bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon; then add stock, bay leaves, lentils, and a bit of salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high until lentils are tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Add lemon zest and juice, taste for seasoning, and adjust as needed. All the liquid should be absorbed before you purée. A loose mixture will require more egg and flour to bind the cakes. Remove pot from heat.
  3. Remove 1⁄2 the lentils and pulse in a food processor; then add back to the pot. Add bacon and mix well to incorporate the lentil mixture. It’s best to let this cool before forming patties. Either cook one day ahead, or spread on sheet pans and let cool for an hour before adding flour and egg to assist with binding.
  4. Once cooled, add egg and enough flour to bind mixture, approximately 1⁄2 cup. When you squeeze the mixture in your hand, it should maintain that shape. Now form into 10 round balls, roll each one in semolina or fine cornmeal, and slightly flatten. (Bread crumbs will work but won’t give the crunchy outside that semolina or cornmeal will.) In a sauté pan with vegetable or grapeseed oil over medium-high heat, pan-fry cakes until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Then flip and continue cooking until both sides are golden brown and crispy, about another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, place on a paper towel to drain, and put aside.

    NOTES FROM THE CHEF

    Freeze formed raw lentil cakes for a quick meal later. Lentil cakes make a great side dish, especially for lamb or fish, and also work on a bed of shaved carrots and greens for a light lunch or dinner. They’re great in a sandwich as a burger replacement with the Coriander-Lemon Aioli below, or you can make small, bite-size cakes and serve them as an appetizer. You can also make the recipe with additional stock and serve as a soup.

  5. For Coriander Carrot Purée: Melt butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Sweat shallots in butter until they just begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add carrots, minced garlic, and toasted coriander. Sauté until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add water or stock and lemon zest and simmer until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and blend immediately. In a blender, purée carrots, cayenne, and enough liquid to reach a velvety consistency. Season with salt and lime juice to taste, adding more coriander or cumin if you desire. Will keep up to 4 days in the fridge, or freeze in small containers for easy sauce “on the fly.”
  6. For Coriander-Lemon Aioli: Add all ingredients except oil to a blender. On purée setting, slowly stream in oil. You can also do this with a hand mixer in a tall container or in a mixing bowl with a whisk. Cover and keep cool in refrigerator.
  7. To Complete: Spread 1⁄3 cup Coriander Carrot Purée across the bottom of a plate. Place two lentil cakes on top and garnish with salad, carrots, and tomato. Feel free to substitute other local vegetables. Add 1–2 tablespoons Coriander-Lemon Aioli.

NOTES FROM THE CHEF

Robin says, “Lentil cakes make a great side for a fish, pork, duck, or lamb dish, or even make them larger and serve them as a lentil burger and enjoy as you would a beef burger. Creativity is your friend here. Caramelized or grilled onions, roasted peppers, or sautéed spinach would all be fantastic with these cakes. The Coriander-Lemon Aioli is a versatile sauce that adds great flavor and balance to these hearty patties. Use about a tablespoon per cake as garnish on the plate, or spread it on a bun if you are enjoying them as a lentil burger. Shaved fennel and picked herb salad is a nice way to dress up the plate, add some crunch, and add some complexity of flavors to this dish. I enjoy picked parsley leaves, tarragon, and chervil. Oranges would also be delicious in that herb mix with the shaved fennel. Simply toss with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. This should be dressed at the last minute. Another tip for storing shaved fennel is to crisp it in ice water. This step can be done up to one day ahead of time. Just squeeze a touch of lemon into the ice water to prevent the fennel from oxidizing.”

She also says, “My favorite way to bring out the flavors of spices is to purchase them as whole seeds and toast them in a hot dry skillet until you start to smell them and they turn a nice dark golden brown. This can be done in a 400°F oven or over a medium-high heat on the stovetop. Once toasted, let them cool; then grind them in a coffee grinder that you use only for spices or simply with a mortar and pestle. They are best used within a week and will change the way you treat spices and season your food forever. Once you’ve had fresh toasted and ground [spices], there is no turning back!”