Farm to Table
July 27th, 2009 by HHG
Farm: Last week Liz attended Veggie U´s Food and Wine Celebration at Chefs Garden in Ohio. Chefs Garden is Farmer Jones´amazing farm that uses traditional sustainable methods of agriculture in order to avoid using insecticides and harmful chemicals to control weeds. They produce an amazing assortment of herbs, microgreens, lettuces, vegetables, and edible flowers – all of the highest quality. The Veggie U Food and Wine Celebration is an annual benefit with food, wine, cooking demos, and auctions all honoring the practices of farms like Chefs Garden. At the event, Liz was able to meet and swap ideas with many chefs, food writers, restaurateurs, and others interested in supporting Veggie U and sustainable agriculture. We know that you don´t have to go to Ohio to support such a wonderful cause, and our mission is to create a restaurant and company that promote healthy living through sustainable practices in Asheville.
Table: For the first time, Katie ate fideau, a classic Spanish dish made in the style of paella but cooked with short thin noodles instead of rice. Having been invited to celebrate the birthday of Kiko Meana (Felix´s brother), she offered to arrive early to help set up for the party with the ulterior motive of being able to jot down notes on how to make fideau. First you mash up 1 head of garlic for every kilo of pasta, then you saute the raw pasta in a paella pan with the garlic and oil infused with shrimp essence until the noodles crisp up and start to brown. Then you add homemade fish stock to cook the noodles and finally when everything is near completion, you throw in the seafood of your choice. Serve it with bread and alioli (garlic and extra virgen olive oil mixed until the consistency of mayonnaise) and enjoy! The secret is in the homemade shrimp infused olive oil and fish stock….mmmmm. It is the perfect party dish, prepared outdoors for family and friends served with cold beers and white wine, the Spanish version of a barbecue. I wonder if it is possible to purchase a paella pan in the United States…or maybe I just need to buy a bigger suitcase.
Posted in Chapter One: The Four Corners of the World | Comments (0)