PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
Chef William Morella grills chicken, leeks, pineapple, beef and veggie burgers.
BY BRIDGET TURCOTTE
NAHANT — Make no mis-steak, Chef William Morella is ready to barbecue and share his techniques with you.
The Johnson and Wales University graduate will hold a free summer grilling seminar at the library. The lesson will encourage using fresh ingredients such as vegetables, meat, poultry, fish and seasonal veggies, including leeks, beets and root veggies.
“Because it’s summertime, I want to focus on freshness,” Morella said. “We’ll be cooking things people wouldn’t typically think of when grilling but are readily available, and people grow them in their gardens. Not potatoes and corn on the cob, which everyone already does.”
He will also teach how to create marinades that can be used on a variety of foods.
“We’ll be utilizing fresh herbs from the herb garden at Town Hall,” Morella said.
Among the many recipes he plans to present include a veggie burger made with black beans, tomato and cilantro. He also hopes to demonstrate one of his favorite summer recipes, a lamb kabob using garlic, olive oil, fresh oregano and rosemary.
“I’ll talk about different strategies for grilling,” Morella said. “How to arrange a grill so you can make several things at once. How to butterfly a chicken breast so it doesn’t take half an hour and doesn’t dry out.”
He’ll toss a few summer salads, including a caprese version with fresh mozzarella and his dressing, and a seasonal fruit salad with a splash of champagne.
“It’s something you don’t normally do, but it adds a lot of flavor,” he said.
His parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were all educators. His mom and grandmother were excellent cooks, Morella added. He knew he had a passion for teaching and for cooking, but never saw himself teaching people how to cook.
His first gig was in the healthcare industry, where he developed menus. Eventually, he worked as a food service director and became a teacher. He realized he was really good at training and got a vocational educators license.
Morella was employed at Lynn Vocational Technical High School before he moved onto the Fecteau-Leary Junior/Senior High School, where he has been for six years. He also works as a caterer for the Nahant Country Club and The Party Specialist in Lynn.
The summer cookout demonstration will be held at the Nahant Public Library, June 16 at 5:30 p.m. Bring a comfortable chair.
“There will be plenty of tasting and sampling,” he said.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.
