Havre boy to represent Montana to first lady

Colton Kuka, 9, in a nationwide contest to create original recipes to send to Michelle Obama, took first in Montana and will be spending time in the White House.

"Me and my grandma entered this contest with the White House, and if we won, we could go to the White House and eat dinner with the first lady," Kuka said.

Kuka is one of 54 youths who have earned the opportunity in the contest to visit the White House. One youth from each state and United States territory is chosen to attend.

Nearly 1,000 recipes were sent into the White House. From these, two recipes are chosen from each state and territory for a chef in the White House to make. Out of the two Montana recipes, Kuka's pulled first.

Kuka and his family will be visiting the nation's capital to get a private tour of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American history and attend a welcome dinner together with the other contestants. The next day, they will visit the White House to attend a "Kid's State Dinner," where they will be served some of the winning recipes and have a chance to meet Michelle Obama.

Last year, Barack Obama spoke at the dinner and Kuka said he hopes he gets to see him as well.

Kuka will also be given a tour of the White House Garden and Julia Child's Kitchen and Food Exhibit.

Kuka said that he has never been to Washington, D.C.

"I'm very excited. I can hardly wait," Kuka said.

A cookbook with each of the contestants' recipes will be printed to show off the work the youth have done.

Kuka's recipe is a twist on a dish called "Three Sisters Stew." His "Three Brothers Stew" is a healthy entree accompanied by a whole wheat roll, milk and yogurt parfait. To meet the criteria, the recipe has to be an adapted or original recipe. Kuka made some interesting changes to the original recipe and renamed it because his brothers helped him cook it.

"We took a picture and we emailed it to the White House, and they emailed us about a month ago that I am a finalist and two days ago, that morning they emailed my mom and said that I won," Kuka said.

Cathie Bradbury is Kuka's grandmother and is a teacher at Havre Middle School. She said she invited her students to work with her and Kuka signed up.

"When I told them Colton got to be a finalist, they said 'oh, we should have done that too,'" Bradbury said, laughing.

HUNGRY BROTHERS STEW

1 small butternut squash

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium green or red bell pepper, cut into short narrow strips

14- to 16-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with liquid

2 to 3 cups cooked or canned (drained and rinsed) pink or pinto beans

2 cups corn kernels (from 2 large or 3 medium ears, or frozen)

2 cups chicken broth

1 - 4-ounce can chopped mild green chilies

2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

½ cup quinoa

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove squash's stem and cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. Cover with aluminum foil and place the halves, cut side up, in a foil-lined shallow baking pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until you can pierce through with a knife, with a little resistance. When cool enough to handle, slice and peel, then cut into large cubes.

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is golden.

Add the squash and all the remaining ingredients except the last 2, and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently, covered, until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

If time allows, let the stew stand for 1 to 2 hours before serving, then heat throughly as needed. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro. The stew should be thick and very moist but not soupy; add additional stock or water if needed.