It’s been a minute — actually, about 30 years — since David Bull, a new graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, packed up for Dallas and a job as prep cook at The Mansion on Turtle Creek. A career and longtime collaboration with ex-Mansion managing director Jeff Trigger later, Bull, now 49 and chef and regional vice president of food and beverage for the Trigger-founded La Corsha Hospitality Group, has opened 16 restaurants. His latest, last fall: Second Bar + Kitchen at the historic Crazy Water Hotel in downtown Mineral Wells. Second Bar’s first location is in Austin. La Corsha also is the food and beverage manager for the historic Baker Hotel, under restoration nearby.

Chef David Bull has brought what he knows best — seasonally driven, scratch cocktails and food — to the Second Bar + Kitchen at The Crazy Water Hotel in Mineral Wells.

Bull, a James Beard nominee for “Best New Chef Southwest” in 2007, has brought what he considers his hallmarks to bear on the menu: scratch cocktails — including zero-proof concoctions — and food.

“Seasonally driven, what’s in the pantry, what do farmers have, smart food,” he says. “I think it’s got to have a story behind it. And from there, flavor profiles and texture. It feels good, it tastes good, and it’s good for you.”

Bull’s collaborated with area farmers for the bar’s “wellness shots” — a nod to the city’s official moniker as “Wellness Capital of Texas,” bestowed by the Texas Legislature last year — and with local vendors of pie and brisket. The menu has plenty of healthy options (ranging from blistered shishito peppers to salmon and soba), but it’s got its share of burgers and chops, including a “Burger of the Month” Bull started in January.

“It’s comprehendible,” Bull says. “And, of course, we still have steak and fried brussels sprouts, because they eat steak and fried brussels sprouts.”

Of his Ginger-Carrot Hummus + Garden Vegetables, which he added to the menu in January, “the veggies are really what we’ve got in season. It’s a great snack to start your dinner.”

Ginger-Carrot Hummus + Garden Vegetables with Aleppo Pepper and Grilled Naan Bread
Makes about 4-6 servings

For the assembly:
4 cups ginger-carrot hummus (recipe to follow)
Garden vegetables as needed (recipe to follow)
Extra-virgin olive oil as needed
Maldon Sea Salt, to taste
Aleppo pepper, to taste
4 pieces grilled naan bread (recipe to follow)

If serving this dish as an individual appetizer, place the hummus in a shallow bowl on a large plate or wood board. Arrange the garden vegetables on top of one side of the hummus. Drizzle the vegetables and hummus with the extra-virgin olive oil and season with sea salt and Aleppo pepper. Serve with the warm naan on the side.

For the Ginger-Carrot Hummus:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp coriander seeds, ground
1 tbsp cumin seeds, ground
1 tbsp ginger, peeled and finely minced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 cups garbanzo beans, rinsed
4 cups vegetable stock
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup lemon juice
Salt, to taste

Over medium heat, add the olive oil and toast the coriander, cumin, ginger and garlic until fragrant. 

Add the carrots, garbanzo beans and vegetable stock. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots and garbanzo beans are soft. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Mix in the olive oil, tahini and lemon juice.

Place the mixture into a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt to taste and chill completely.

For the garden vegetables:
1 carrot, charred and oven-roasted until soft; cut into long wedges
1 zucchini, charred and oven-roasted until soft; cut into long wedges
1 cucumber, cut into long wedges
16 radicchio leaves, trimmed
1 poblano pepper, cut into long strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into long strips
Cilantro leaves as needed
Mint leaves as needed
Sunflower sprouts as needed
Parsley leaves as needed

For the grilled naan:
4 pieces naan bread, large
Olive oil as needed
¼ cup spice rub (see recipe)

Lightly coat the naan bread with the olive oil and season with spice rub on all sides. 

Grill on a preheated grill or griddle or bake in a preheated 375-degree oven until the bread is golden brown and cooked through. Cut into long rectangles or triangles and serve warm.

For the spice rub:
2 tbsp paprika
2 tsp red chile flakes, finely ground
1 tbsp coriander, ground
2 tsp cumin, ground
1 tbsp garlic salt

Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly.