Our first Cooking Day of the season was June 6. Loren, Niki and Dean were our guest chefs. Dishes included asian flavored pork on lettuce leaves, creamy spinach, mushroom orzo, roasted carrots and beets, cornmeal patties with jam and strawberry ice cream.
Here’s a list of the farms that provided ingredients for our cooking demonstrations.
- PORK from Pure Farm Project
- CARROTS, SPINACH, TURNIPS, and BEETS from Rising Roots Farm
- MUSHROOMS from Hillcrest Mushroom Farm
- CORNMEAL from Windy Hill Farm
- STRAWBERRIES from Part From Me Farm
- JAM/JELLY from Mineola Farm
First Dish: ground pork on lettuce leaves
For the lettuce wraps
- 1 large head lettuce. butter lettuce, iceberg or romaine – leaves separated
- 8 ounces water chestnuts. canned, diced **We used white turnips for the demonstration**
- 1 cup carrots. shredded, about 2 medium carrots
- 1 tablespoon olive oil. avocado oil, vegetable oil, or your favorite cooking oil
- 1/4 medium diced onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon dried ginger
- 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce **We used Garlic Jalapeño Pepper Jelly for the demonstration**
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
For extra Dipping Sauce (optional)
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- green onions for garnish
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Prepping the lettuce wraps
- Separate the lettuce leaves carefully from the head. Rinse the lettuce leaves in cold water, then dry well and set to the side. Drain and dice the water chestnuts, then set to the side. Peel then shred the carrots and set aside.
- Add a tablespoon of oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Place the diced onion in the pan. Cook the onion for about 2-3 minutes until translucent and tender. Add the minced garlic and ginger, and cook for about a minute or until fragrant.
- Place the ground pork into the skillet. Brown the pork, breaking up the meat with a wooden spatula. Cook the pork until browned and no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess oil well from the pan.
- To the ground pork add the water chestnuts and shredded carrots in the skillet. Stir for a minute to heat and combine.
- Pour 1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 4 teaspoons rice vinegar over the pork mixture. Stir well so the sauce coats the mixture evenly. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring as needed and allowing the sauce to thicken.
Making extra dipping sauce (optional)
- In a medium bowl add 1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar. Mix well. Top with sesame seeds if desired.
Serving the lettuce wraps
Spoon a generous amount of pork filling into each piece of lettuce, adding some of the sauce from the pan to the top of the pork. Garnish with optional green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with optional dipping sauce on the side.
Second Dish: mushroom and spinach orzo
Creamy, savory and delicious. This vegetarian pasta dish can be a main entree or side dish.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms – aka chestnut mushrooms, sliced thinly into 1/4 inch slices *we used Oyster mushrooms*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces orzo uncooked
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- 2 cups half and half
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup parmesan freshly grated, plus more for serving
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
Instructions
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and melt the butter. Add onions and sauce for 3 minutes, then add the mushrooms (season with salt) and cook for 2-3 more minutes until the mushrooms have softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the orzo, toast for 30-60 seconds, then pour in the vegetable stock and half and half. Give everything a stir, bring to a simmer and season with ground black pepper.
- Cook the orzo uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring every minute to avoid orzo getting stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the parmesan and baby spinach leaves until the parmesan has completely melted in the sauce and the spinach is wilted (about 1 minute). If needed, add a splash of milk or water to thin out the sauce. Remove from the heat and serve.
Third Dish: cornmeal cakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups white or yellow cornmeal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup water
- Mild vegetable oil for frying
- Peach raspberry jam
Instructions
- Whisk dry ingredients
- Whisk egg & water
- Combine those quickly with few strokes
- Heat oil in skillet or griddle
- Add small dollops. Cook until edges crisp, then flip and finish cooking.
- Plate and top with peach raspberry jam
Fourth Dish: roasted beats & carrots
Ingredients (version 1)
- Beets and carrots sliced into French fries
- Olive oil
- Minced garlic
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pan to medium high heat
- Add the carrots and beets
- Season with the salt, pepper, and garlic
- Cook covered for 15-20 minutes until tender and slightly browned
Ingredients (version 2)
- Beets and carrots sliced into French fries
- Olive oil
- Garlic jalapeño pepper jelly
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pan to medium high heat
- Add the carrots and beets
- Season with the salt & pepper
- Cook covered for 15-20 minutes until tender and slightly browned
- Near the end of cooking add a heaping tablespoon of garlic jalapeño pepper jelly. Stir to melt and incorporate the jelly. Serve.
Final Dish: strawberry ice cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped strawberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 cups half & half
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Dash of salt
Instructions
- Freeze the ice cream maker bowl overnight
- Mash strawberries w/ sugar. Let the juices release.
- Mix together all ingredients
- Freeze in ice cream maker according to directions
- Soft serve immediately or place in freezer
