Dishing it out - again

Three years, three dishes, one winner.

Kim Troughton of Maxwell retained her title as the best cook of locally grown products at the commodity cook-off on closing day of the Colusa Farm Show.

Troughton took the top prize Thursday with a cream of mushroom and wild rice soup — a dish a panel of four judges deemed worthy of $500 for "Best of Show."

"The soup was incredible," said Greg Hankins, food and beverage manager at Colusa Casino Resort. "Cream and wild rice together is a very good mix. I gave it 100 points out of 100 possible."

Troughton has won the Best of Show all three years the cook-off has been held during the farm show.

"Now I can retire," she said.

Troughton has been asked to judge the contest next year, although organizers said they may move the event to the closing day of the Colusa County Fair rather than the farm show.

"With a total purse of $2,000, we would like to have more participation," said Carolan Meek, chief executive officer of the Colusa County Fairgrounds.

Only four people entered Thursday's contest, including newcomer Michelle Jewitt, who won first place and $100 for her fennel salad with orange vinaigrette, served with mandarin oranges, slivered almonds and mint.

"I love to cook," said the busy mother of 4-year-old daughter, Eleanor, and 18-month-old son, Henry. "It's a hobby I can do and still feed my family. They love my cooking — most of the time."

Rounding out the contest were Bernice Dommer, who placed second in the side dish division with a pistachio rice pilaf, and Cheri White, who placed second in the main dish division with wild rice stuffed Cornish game hens.

Prior to the Best of Show portion of the contest, Troughton placed first in the main coarse division with Spanish rice-stuffed taco mini-sliders, first in the wild rice division with the mushroom soup and first in the side dish division with a pineapple rice pilaf named "Kim's Fried Rice," after Kim Davis, who gave her the recipe.

'It's the dish I'm most proud of because I used organic, long-grain rice grown in Maxwell by David Carvalho and milled in Maxwell by Polit Farms," Troughton said. "You can't get more locally grown than that."

The contest required the main ingredients to be California grown commodities, Meek said.

Bill Camp, Colusa Casino Resort chef supervisor, Kathleen Rocha of Chef Colus, and Miss Colusa County Anastasia Cristler rounded out the judging panel for Thursday's competition.

"I was really impressed," Cristler said. "Everything was amazing and absolutely delicious. It was interesting to see all the different textures and different tastes."

Although Thursday's cold and wet weather dampened the farm show attendance closing day, organizers trumpeted the overall success of the exhibition.

"I've only heard positive comments from the exhibitors," Meek said. "People showed up and they were buying."

About 30,000 people attended the farm show over the three-day period, fair officials said. Wednesday's sunshine brought about 12,000 people through the gates.

Contact Susan Meeker at 458-2121 or smeeker@tcnpress.com