Chef Duane Emard (Cook Apprentice 1999, Communication Arts 1993) vividly remembers how his grandma loved to go to all of the food counters and restaurants in Lethbridge when he was a young boy and teen. “I would always go with her, and I always enjoyed the energy around food service,” he recalls with a smile.
That love affair with food would turn into a career for Chef Emard. After first coming to the college for the Communication Arts program, he returned a few years later to start the apprenticeship program. He worked on the cooking side of the business for more than 35 years, but recently made the move to teaching, starting as a production assistant in the college’s Culinary program in August 2020.
“Like most, I started out in fast food and from there have spent time in restaurants in Lethbridge, High River and Calgary,” says Chef Emard. “Coming to the college to work with students was a bit of an adjustment from working in various restaurants, as each semester we start with a fresh batch of new, eager-to-learn future cooks and chefs. It’s always great to see their enthusiasm semester to semester, and that keeps us on our toes as well.”
Chef Emard is pleased to share this savoury sandwich recipe with readers of Wider Horizons – one that is the perfect choice for a crisp autumn evening. To enjoy the cooking of Chef Emard’s students, make a reservation at the Garden Court Restaurant by calling 403-320-3230. Bon appétit!
Ingredients
1 c.........................................................................................................butter
3 tbsp................................................................................... minced garlic
1 tbsp..............................................................................chopped parsley
4.......................................................................... andouille sausage links
4..................................................................................hoagie or sub buns
1/2 c..................................................................... julienned red peppers
1/2 c.................................................................julienned green peppers
1/3 c.........................................................................julienned red onions
1 c.......................................................................................... tomato sauce
1/2 c....................................................................... shredded mozzarella
Salt and pepper to taste.
METHOD
For the garlic butter:
1. Melt the butter on low heat. Mix in the garlic and parsley. Add salt to taste.
2. Remove from heat and set aside to use later.
For the sausage:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Place the sausage into a small roasting pan and cover, roasting in the oven until the internal temperature of the sausage is 77C/170F. This could take anywhere between 15 and 25 minutes, depending on the size of the sausage.
3. Set aside and let cool. Once cooled, cut into 1/8” slices on a bias (diagonal) into rounds or coins.
For the sandwich:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Cut the sub bun in half through the top of the bun, only cutting about 80 percent of the way through. Open the bread up and brush it liberally with the garlic butter.
3. In a small pan, sauté the sausage coins until the outside browns. Add one tablespoon of the garlic butter, and then add the peppers and onions.
4. Cook about one minute, as you want that crunch from your vegetables when you eat the sandwich.
5. Remove from heat and stuff the sausage, onion and peppers into the sub buns. Add mozzarella on top, and finish in the oven until the mozzarella is melted.
6. Enjoy!
