Advertisement Diane Hatz, founder-director of nonprofit group Sustainable Table (www.SustainableTable.org), is an advocate of buying food that is grown locally on sustainable family farms.
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Buying local is beneficial on a number of fronts. It saves consumers money because food does not have to travel long distances, which adds transportation costs, Hatz said.
And local food tastes better because there’s less time from the field to the dinner plate, meaning the food is fresher and is picked when ripe.
While visiting farmers markets this season, don’t just buy cucumbers and onions. Farmers are growing some interesting heirloom vegetables. If you need help learning how to cook them, take a look at three new cookbooks.
You don’t have to be vegetarian to find “The New Vegetarian Grill” by Andrea Chesman (Harvard — Common Press, $16.95) or “100 Best Vegetarian Recipes” by Carol Gelles (Wiley, $16.95) helpful. Deborah Madison’s “Local Flavors” (Broadway Books, $26) is now available in paperback.
Madison, who published “Local Flavors” in 2002, was at the forefront of the movement toward local and seasonal food. We’ve now caught up with her. Having the book in paperback is a plus for those who want to shop farmers markets with knowledge of how to select and prepare a bountiful supply of vegetables.
A few years back, grilled vegetables were on menus only at upscale restaurants. Now, back-yard chefs are grilling eggplant, asparagus, potatoes, peppers and a colorful array of heirloom tomatoes.
In “The New Vegetarian Grill,” Chesman said, “Vegetables cooked on the grill develop a sweet and smoky taste that is irresistible.”
After grilling, vegetables can be tossed with salad greens, blended into a pasta sauce, layered with polenta, stirred into couscous, stuffed into pita pockets or tucked into tortillas.
The only equipment you need, besides a gas or charcoal grill, is a grill rack — also known as a grill topper or grill grid — that enables you to saute over an open flame. Bite-size vegetables cook faster than slabs or chunks.
Chesman’s recipes include marinated artichoke and mushroom kebabs, stuffed grilled peppers, pita pockets with red pepper hummus and grilled vegetables, grilled potato and carrot salad, and smoky tomato salsa.
Madison’s book helps identify some of the newer varieties we’ll be seeing soon. Squashes such as zephyr (light yellow with a pale green tip and faintly striped), costata romanesco (Italian gray-green) and calabacitas (round zucchini) will lure us away from the bountiful green zucchini.
Recipes in “Local Flavors” include cucumber salad with chili and roasted peanuts, roasted peppers and tomatoes baked with herbs and capers, radish butter for radish sandwiches, and marjoram pesto with capers and olives.
PENNE WITH GRILLED VEGETABLES AND GOAT CHEESE
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pound vine-ripened tomatoes, halved
1 small yellow summer squash, julienned
1 small zucchini, julienned
1 green or red bell pepper, julienned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil
1 pound penne
4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
Prepare a medium-hot fire in the grill with a lightly oiled vegetable grill rack in place. Begin heating a large pot of salted water for the pasta.
Combine olive oil and garlic in a medium bowl. Brush on the cut side of the tomatoes. Toss remaining olive oil with yellow summer squash, zucchini and pepper. Sprinkle all the vegetables with salt and pepper.
Grill tomatoes, cut side down, until charred and soft, about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and seed tomatoes. Combine in the blender with basil, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Grill summer squash, zucchini, and pepper, tossing frequently, until tender and lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Add pasta to boiling water, and cook until just tender. Drain and place pasta in large serving bowl. Toss pasta with goat cheese. Add tomato-basil sauce, and toss. Add grilled vegetables, and toss once more. Serve immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
From “The New Vegetarian Grill”
MARJORAM PESTO WITH CAPERS AND OLIVES
1 small slice country bread
2 tablespoons aged wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup marjoram leaves
3 tablespoons drained capers
½ cup pine nuts
1 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons pitted green olives
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Remove crusts from bread, then soak bread in vinegar on a plate.
Pound garlic with ½ teaspoon salt in a mortar until smooth, then work in marjoram, capers, pine nuts, -parsley and olives until you have a coarse puree. Add bread and olive oil, and work until pesto is well amalgamated. Season with pepper, taste for vinegar, and add a little more if you think it needs it. The pesto will be very thick. Makes about 2?3 cup.
From “Local Flavors”
CUCUMBER FENNEL SALAD
This recipe is from "100 Best Vegetarian Recipes," by Carol Gelles (Wiley, $16.95).
2 cups sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced fennel
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, fennel and basil. Add the oil and vinegar and toss to combine. Makes 5 servings.
Note: The flavors of the fennel and basil are somewhat similar and complement each other. Celery for the fennel and parsley or dill for the basil are good substitutes.
AREA CSA's
Driftless Farm CSA
Amelia Baxter, (608) 452-2315, ameliaswan@riseup.net
www.driftlessfarm.net
Drop-offs: La Crosse
Harmony Valley Farm
Terri Kromenaker, (608) 483-2143 ext. 2, coordinator-csa@harmonyvalleyfarm.com
www.harmonyvalleyfarm.com
Drop-offs: Viroqua, La Crosse, Onalaska
Small Family CSA Farm
Jillian Jacquinot, (608) 625-4178, smallfamilycsa@yahoo. com www.smallfamilycsa.com
Drop-offs in: La Crosse, Onalaska, Viroqua, West Salem, La Farge
Keewaydin Farms
Rufus Haucke, (608) 627-1701, rufus@keewaydinfarms.com
www.keewaydinfarms.com
Drop-offs in: Winona, Minn. (looking for site in La Crosse)
Lynwood Farm CSA
Lynn Tschumper, (608) 483-2718, lynwood@mwt.net
Drop-offs:La Crosse, Onalaska
Sylvan Meadows Farm CSA
Virginia Goeke, (608) 637-2544, naturewool@mwt.net
Drop-offs in: Viroqua
Old Oak Family Farm CSA
Kyle Zenz, (608) 386-8066, niedfeldtfarms@yahoo.com
www.oldoakfamilyfarm.com
Drop-offs in: Bangor, Black River Falls, La Crosse
