On the Menu at Curfew

As the executive chef at Curfew in Vero Beach, Red Bellamy finds inspiration in a variety of places.

Being from a multigenerational farming family, his interest in quality ingredients runs deep. He is intrigued by the growing process itself, noting, “It’s part of my family history.” He began cooking while working a high school job at a restaurant in Delray Beach. He loved observing the chefs at work. “At first it was just wanting to make things at home,” he says. Eventually, he realized that his interests harmonized. “Where most people look at an onion and just see an onion, I get to make it into something beautiful.”

Now, decades later, Bellamy has between six and eight handwritten notebooks filled with recipes. Where do the ideas come from? Many are from historically valuable sources that some chefs might overlook. “I have a weird love for old church cookbooks—‘I found them at a garage sale’ type cookbooks,” Bellamy says with a chuckle.

Originating with church bake sales from the 1920s through the 1940s, they were books in which wives and mothers would record and share their recipes; if you bought something at the bake sale, they would throw in a copy of the cookbook. “They were using what they had in the pantry, so the recipes are very inventive,” says Bellamy. For him, they represent “the foundation of American cuisine.”

An interesting note on the Curfew menu states that, unless customers request otherwise, each dish will be brought to the table when it is ready. The common practice of waiting to bring all the dishes out at the same time means that items would not be as hot or as fresh as they could be; in contrast, Curfew has only a 30-to-40-second delay between the time food is ready and the time it is on the table. After he met with the owners and heard about that policy, Bellamy says he knew he wanted to be part of the restaurant.

The name Curfew, he believes, comes from an old joke about how Vero Beach must have a curfew because most places close early. Another interesting feature of Curfew is that the restaurant has begun holding wine-tasting dinners—and they sell out quickly, Bellamy notes.

Bellamy’s varied interests have led to some unexpected connections, such as the Antarctic waters off the southern coast of Chile, where his salmon comes from. He explains that Sixty South salmon, featured on the Curfew menu, is raised in an environmentally friendly way by a company that tries to help the people of Tierra del Fuego. “I don’t see any reason not to support them,” he says. For Bellamy, it’s one more source of inspiration.

Appetizer: Steak Skewers

This recipe shows how a single ingredient can change the flavor of an entire dish. First try a bite without the aioli, and then again with it, and see how much it brings out the deeper flavors.

Makes about 20 skewers

• 5 lbs. flat iron steak
• 1 cup tamari
• 1 cup organic honey
• 20 bamboo skewers
• Black garlic aioli (see below)

Soak bamboo skewers at least 30 minutes.

Remove all of the silver skin and cut flat iron into large cubes.

Coat the meat with the tamari until evenly coated, then apply the honey and toss until evenly coated. Let marinate 1–2 hours.

Grill skewers until medium rare. Pull from the grill and garnish with black garlic aioli or your favorite pesto or chimichurri.

Black Garlic Aioli

• 2 preserved lemons
• 10 cloves black garlic
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients except olive oil in blender and puree. Once all of the ingredients are blended, slowly pour a thin stream of olive oil into the blender until fully emulsified.

Entrée: Pesto Salmon over Polenta

This dish shows the chef’s appreciation of sustainable farming and the impact it has on the world around us.

Serves 3-4

• 3–4 pieces Sixty South salmon, cut to 7 oz. each
• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups fine-ground polenta
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup pecorino Romano
• Pesto butter (see below)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

In a pot, bring vegetable stock to a boil. Gently pour the polenta into the pot while continually whisking. Immediately drop to low heat and cover pot, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Add milk and pecorino, gently whisking until fully incorporated.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, put olive oil, then place salmon, skin-side up, into pan.

Once seared, gently flip it skin-side down and place 2 tbsp. pesto butter onto top of the salmon.

Place in oven for 7–10 minutes, depending on how well you would like it cooked.

Pesto Butter (no nuts)

• 1/2 lb. butter, softened
• 1/4 lb. basil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Pinch black pepper

Place all ingredients in food processor except butter. Process until it is a paste.

In a bowl, fold together the pesto and the butter.

Dessert: Homemade Ice Cream

This recipe reflects Bellamy’s love of old-fashioned American cuisine. It is a base ice cream recipe that can be made into any flavor you wish just by adding other ingredients, “such as chocolate chips, strawberries, blueberries, or extra vanilla if you love vanilla.”

Serves 3

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

You will need a whisk, a bowl, a spatula, and a container with a lid.

In the bowl, place the heavy cream and vanilla and whisk until it takes on the consistency of whipped cream. Then gently fold in the sweetened condensed milk and any other ingredients you have selected.

Pour into a container with a lid, seal, and place in freezer about 2 hours. It will freeze more quickly in a shallow container.