Chef’s Corner:

This month, we welcome a special guest to the Chef's Corner - Chef Cory Morris.

Chef Cory Morris' extensive travels to Spain, Argentina and Portugal have influenced his cooking style and inspired dishes in some of Chicago's top restaurants. A Food Network Champion and Beat Bobby Flay Winner, Chef Morris has an impressive portfolio as the former executive chef at Lettuce Entertain You and Culinary Director of Eat Purely, a home meal delivery service.

He and Eleonora recently caught up to discuss trends in Latin cuisine.

What do you see around chef innovation in Latin cuisine?

Cory Morris:

I'm seeing a lot. And I think right now it's really fun to play with Latin American flavors, because while we can't travel, we can have our taste buds travel, and then be transported through those memories. I think some of the hottest cuisines are definitely Peruvian, because Peru's got such diverse cuisine.

The ingredients themself are really what drive the cuisines. Mexico, they have a lot of chilies and corn. Peru is known for their grains, like the quinoa, and Argentina is known for beef and potatoes. So working with those ingredients, but inspired by those flavors, it's just such a fun way to present to diners.

What are Latin dishes that you see growing on U.S. menus? What is it about these that you think are making them popular?

Cory Morris:

Something approachable that is really great is an empanada. You can put anything in an empanada. You can make it sweet, you can make it salted. And it’s really fun; you can even go a completely different culture. I’ve done it with beef bulgogi.

And I would hop over to beverages…mazamorra morada, or chicha morada, I’ve seen on a lot of cocktail menus. It has this strikingly beautiful color.

Eleonora:

I grew up with churros – making churros, eating churros. But now you really see them on menus, because it’s something you can share. And they innovate on the different dipping sauces—it can be chocolate or it can be fruits. I also see flans, or custards, out there. Or alfajores, which is an Argentinian cookie.

I also agree on empanadas. They are so popular because they’re portable. You can fill them with anything sweet or savory. You can make it formal with cocktails or serve it from a food truck. It works for anything.

Latin fusion is becoming more common. What do you see as the reason for its growing popularity?

Cory Morris:

I think, obviously because of the endless catalog of ingredients, for chefs that’s really fun. And then social media plays such a big role in what chefs are creating. I find so much inspiration from that. People want to be transported. It’s really a key reason why people are starting to explore more of these regions.

Eleonora:

And I also think that we call it fusion, but if you really think about it, different cultures have similar foods but call them different things. Like an empanada, we call it empanada in Latin cuisine, but there are dumplings in Asia. So that’s where different cuisines can marry together and chefs can get more creative.

Cory Morris:

Absolutely. And I just think travel and migration of humans has played such a big role.

What do you think is the foundation of Latin cuisine?

Cory Morris:

Just paying homage to the ingredients and the history of why they got there, how they got there, the seasonality of things. I think history plays such an important part in the cuisine…the migration of people and how all these different cultures brought and built this amazing culture.

Eleonora:

Ingredients drive the foundation for Latin American cuisine, and in the United States, we’re embracing these flavors. I think people here in the States are ready to try new things. They are excited about new flavors, different experiences.