Top Cooks: Chris Jelepsis uses mom as role model

THEY SAY that good cooks are born one of two of ways: They either had a great role model growing up or they learned out of self-defense.

Chris Jelepis of South Philly is one of the former.

"My mom was a wonderful traditional cook," Jelepis said. "She came from a Polish background, but when she married my dad she became the best Polish-Greek cook."

Jelepis now cooks for his wife, 8-month-old son, and 3-year-old daughter, a super-picky eater.

Cooking is a family affair in their kitchen. Even the 3-year-old helps out; Jelepis believes her involvement makes her much more likely to try new foods.

Jelepis recently lost 30 pounds, so he brings a healthful approach to the family table. "I've always thought of preparing meals by focusing on the traditional plate: half the plate is a meat, a quarter of the plate is a starch, and a quarter of the plate is a vegetable."

Now meat is an occasional add-on, he said. "We went mostly vegetarian, so a big change was moving portions to lots of vegetables, whole grains such as quinoa, farro and brown rice."

Jelepis found the Internet a big help as he modified the family diet. He often turns to mynewroots.blogspot.com for recipes and nutritional information.

Although his mom never used cookbooks much, she did pass along a book that has become his favorite, On Cooking: A Textbook of Fundamentals. It has recently been revised in a fifth edition by Labensky, Martel and Hause.

Jelepis's biggest tip to other home cooks is to invest in a really good chef's knife.

"I liked learning how to make stock the right way," said Jelepis. "By building up on fundamentals, I think you are really able to understand the cooking methods."

The following recipe is very adaptable. Jelepis suggests substituting sweet potato for the carrot - or take inspiration from what's in your refrigerator. He makes his own vegetable stock so he can control the amount of salt in the dish.

CARROT SOUP

1 large white or yellow onion, cut into medium dice

1 teaspoon butter

1 clove garlic

1 to 1 1/2 pounds carrots, unpeeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

3 stalks celery with leaves, cut into small dice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Cinnamon, a pinch or to taste

Allspice, a pinch or to taste

Ground ginger, a pinch or to taste

3 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup 2 percent milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

In large pot, sauté onions in butter on medium heat until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Do not brown.

Add garlic and sauté another minute.

Add carrots, potatoes, celery, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice and ginger. Sauté for another 3-5 minutes.

Add vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Puree using a hand blender or carefully transfer to a stand blender.

Add milk, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Garnish with julienned red pepper or fresh cilantro, if desired. Serves 4.