Ham and Cheese Quesadilla with Grilled Peach Salsa by Phillippa Cannon

At the end of a busy day without lunch, I arrived home tired and hungry. Because I am trying to eat local during the challenge, I did not want to pick up the phone to order delivery.   After looking forlornly in the refrigerator for a few minutes, I realized I had enough local ingredients on hand to create a quick and satisfying ham and cheese quesadilla with grilled peach salsa. The sweetness of the peach salsa compliments and mutes the smokiness of the ham.

I started with a burrito-sized tortilla from local tortilla maker El Milagro.  On one half of the tortilla I layered four or five thin slices of City Provisions smoked La Pryor Farms’ ham, followed by four slices of Brunkow jack cheese with morels and onions.  I folded the tortilla in half over the ham and cheese and placed it on a hot griddle.  I weighed it down with a cast iron weight designed for grilled sandwiches, but a heavy pan will do the job just as well.  I turned the quesadilla when golden brown on one side and browned the other side.   When the sandwich was brown on both sides I removed it from the griddle and sliced it into triangles.  While grilling the quesadilla, I prepared a grilled peach and basil salsa using a luscious Flaming Fury peach, Italian basil from my back porch herb garden and diced green chili pepper.  I sliced one skinned peach and placed it on the griddle for about two minutes each side.  When lightly grilled on each side, I removed the fruit slices from the griddle, chopped them into quarter inch pieces and added about ¼ teaspoon of finely chopped green chilis and three or four leaves of chopped basil to create the salsa.  Serve the quesadilla with the peach salsa on the side. (Note: To remove the fuzzy skin from peaches, place them in a bowl and cover with boiling water for five minutes, turn the fruit a couple of times so the entire piece of fruit comes into contact with the hot water.   The skin will then come off easily with a sharp knife. )

 

Cucumber Cookies! By Erin Riley

I have a friend.  His name is Brody.  He lives in St. Paul.  He likes to dig for treasure, zip line in his backyard, and putter around in his small garden.

He’s 3.  He has an awesome life.

One day, Brody and his dad were weeding the garden and harvesting their cucumbers.  Brody, sticking his red-headed self into the cucumber vines spotted the very last cucumber waaaay in the back.   He carefully plucked the cucumber from the vine, correctly twisting the tube from the stem, leaving potential for future growth.  Excitedly, he ran to his dad, yelling,

“I found one, I found one!  Can I ask mom to make me cucumber cookies?”  Before his father could say, “You betcha!” Brody tore through the backdoor, into the kitchen, where his mom and little sister Violet were preparing lunch.  He carefully handed her the cucumber and requested his favorite cookies.  His mom rinsed the cucumber as Brody danced impatiently around the kitchen, waiting for his cookies.  She sliced the cucumber into thin rounds, and handed Brody his “cookies.”   He gleefully ran outside, ready to enjoy his “cookies” where he grew them.

A little locavore and he doesn’t even realize it.   During this locavore challenge, I often hear parents of young children complain about the struggle to get their children to eat vegetables.  They share their tips on “hiding” the vegetables or covering them in a butter sauce or cheese, or other “kid-friendly” products.  Whenever I hear these stories, I offer Brody’s recipe for cucumber cookies.  Brody loves those cookies because he made them.  He tended to the plant from seedling on up.  Don’t mask the flavor of the vegetables, celebrate them!   No land?  Grow a small pot of herbs, go to the farmer’s market, and visit the Sprouts table (where we have a fresh local vegetable or fruit for the kids to try at each market), and pick out a vegetable with the children and prepare the vegetable with the herb!  Visit a city farm (there are many, ask Growing Power or Growing Home at the market), join a CSA, or just make the outing to the market an adventure!  Make some cucumber cookies!

Brody loves his vegetables because he’s invested in them and his parents take the time to encourage that investment.

Of course, this could just be that this little guy loves his vegetables.  One night, Brody’s parents brought home pizza for dinner.  With two working parents, sometimes dinner needs to be fast.   Brody, while picking at his pizza, asked his parents,

“Can I have some carrots?”

His mother, on autopilot after a long work day, started to respond, “Not until you finish your piz—.”  Looking at her husband, she realized what she almost said, started laughing, and cut Brody his carrots. 

Getting Creative by Phillippa Cannon

Participating in the Locavore Challenge definitely makes me more mindful about what I eat, but it also inspires me to be a more creative cook.    Last weekend I made a late summer standby – Nichols Farm roasted poblanos stuffed with Prairie Fruits chevre and baked with an heirloom tomato sauce.  In honor of the challenge, I skipped the usual accompaniment of polenta or rice — neither of which are local. I began to wonder whether I could make polenta or grits from cornmeal sold at Green City Market?   How would the dish taste paired with wild rice grown in Minnesota or Wisconsin instead of the long grain variety?   This weekend I plan to experiment with pastry — is it possible to make a flaky, tender pastry without using shortening?

Locavore Picnic Supper Tickets- Get them TODAY!

Hi there Locavores!

Celebrate the season’s bounty and the joy of local eating at Green City Market’s upcoming Locavore Picnic Supper! The event, held on Wednesday September 21 from 6pm to 8pm, will feature a delicious array of local farm-fresh foods from Limelight Catering, meditations on year-round local eating from chef, blogger and local food activist Dana Cox, and a chance to mingle with fellow foodies in a casual environment.

The dinner will be held in the south gallery of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. All are welcome, so gather your friends and family for a wonderful evening of local eating and camaraderie! This event celebrates the culmination of Green City Market’s Locavore Challenge, which you can learn about here.

We need you, your smiles, and your stories to make this event a success!

Reservations are $30 per person, Please visit

www.brownpapertickets.com to make a reservation today!

 

Local in the Loop by Phillippa Cannon

Participating in the Locavore Challenge is a challenge indeed for workers on the south end of the Loop.  Let’s be honest, our reach often exceeds our grasp and we can’t pack an all local lunch every day.  On days when brown-bagging it isn’t an option, it can be difficult to find a quick midday bite at casual restaurants  that also use locally sourced ingredients.    To help fellow Loop locavores stick to the pledge to eat local, I contacted a few likely lunchtime favorites to ask whether they use locally sourced ingredients.   I am pleased to report that two Chicago-based businesses that are committed to healthy, natural food responded that they do purchase much of their food locally.

Scott Perin, one of the directors of local sandwich maker Hannah’s Bretzel responded by email:

“At Hannah’s, we try to source as many items locally as possible while still maintaining the complete inventory of ingredients required to make all of our über sandwiches. Below is a list of ingredients that are sourced locally:
brie cheese (MI)
farmhouse cheddar (WI)
fresh mozzarella (WI)
alfalfa sprouts (IL)
all milk varieties (WI)
organic butter (WI)
organic cream cheese (WI)
apples (MI) *seasonal.”

http://www.hannahsbretzel.com/about/2,/why_organic.

David Friedman founder and CEO of the local Epic Burger chain that brands itself as “a more mindful burger” wrote that all their buns are purchased from a Chicago bakery, all their cheeses are from Wisconsin and currently all their produce is from the Midwest. http://epicburger.com/about.

If there is time to walk a few blocks north, Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand, 66 E. Randolph, is a treasure trove of produce from local farmers and ready to eat food from Chicago bakeries and artisanal food producers such as the Middle Eastern Bakery in Andersonville,  Artopolis in Greektown and Delightful Pastries. In no time you can put together a tasty, local picnic.  It will be difficult to leave without a luscious treat from one of the city’s bakeries, or icecream and candymakers.  http://www.ChicagoFarmstand.com.

Chipotle Mexican Grill states on its website that “we source organic and local food when practical.”   I was not able to confirm that its restaurants in Chicago’s Loop source local ingredients.  http://www.chipotle.com

Loop locavores – please share your discoveries and advice on eating local in the Loop.

 

Phillippa Cannon has been a Green City Market volunteer since 2008.

Local Delights by Locavore Gal!

LOCAL DELIGHTS

Day 7 of the Locavore Challenge and I’ve noticed that taking the pledge has encouraged me to be more creative with my food choices. I’ve always enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen but with the self-imposed constraint of using only local ingredients I feel like I’m starring in my own little Masterchef mystery box challenge each time I open the fridge door!

 

I’ve stocked up my pantry, fridge and freezer with plenty of wonderful local produce and now I keep stumbling upon the most delicious combinations. Here are a few of my favorite little discoveries so far.

HONEYED WINTER WHEAT BERRIES WITH HOT MILK, BLACKBERRIES & BLUEBERRIES

I cooked up a big pot of hard red winter wheat berries last week having bought them out of curiosity from guest vendor Breslin Farms. I’d never tried them before and was intrigued by their wholesome moniker. They are not dissimilar from brown rice with a mild nutty flavor. I’ve been scooping out a cupful from the fridge each morning and dousing them with hot Kilgus Farmstead milk, a generous drizzle of honey from Chicago Honey Co-op and a handful of Mick Klug’s fresh blueberries & blackberries. Sweet, warm, tart and toothsome – it’s comfort in a bowl.

CHERRY TOMATOES DIPPED IN CREAMY RAW MILK CHEDDAR

Snacking makes my world go round and if I haven’t got something to snack on before my next meal I’ve been known to get a little anxious. Thankfully this gem has become my go-to for a quick refuel. A big bowl of fragrant Tomato Mountain’s juliet & black cherry tomatoes is residing on my counter. A handful of those beauties dipped in Brunkow’s creamy Raw Milk Cheddar makes for a perfect mid-morning graze.

FRESH GOAT CHEESE & WHITE PEACHES ON WOOD FIRED BREAD

I love fresh goat cheese. I love white peaches. I tried them together and was swept off my feet. Wedges of toasted Prairie Fruits Farm wood fired bread, spread with Heritage Prairie goat cheese and topped with slices of juicy white peaches. This is one seriously good combo.

 

BRAISED EGGPLANT WITH SWEET ONIONS AND TOMATOES

Turkish food is a favorite of mine and one of my best-loved dishes is Imam Bayildi. Typically, a halved eggplant stuffed with tomato, onions and garlic and simmered in olive oil, which is then served cold. With a glut of late summer eggplants populating my crisper I decided to give it a whirl. However, being typically time-poor I improvised a short cut and just threw a collection of sliced eggplants from Iron Creek Farm into a heavy pot with lots of Kinnikinnick’s sweet tropea onions, Genesis Growers garlic, Tomato Mountain’s roasted tomatoes and fresh sungolds. I added plenty of olive oil and sea salt, which are my two exceptions during the challenge. After an hour bubbling on the stove I had a luscious soft braise made quite sweet by those magical onions. I have been happily spooning my cold Imam Bayildi inspired dish over toasted Prairie Fruits Farm wood fired bread and sprinkling with fresh herbs for lunch.

So at the very least I’m glad to report I’m not going hungry! Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to further discoveries and to hearing what other tasty fare our Midwest bounty has inspired.

Green City Gumbo! By Kitt Healy

 My Locavore project for day 3 of the challenge is Green City Gumbo. This emblematic dish of Louisiana seemed like the most delicious way of putting as much Green City goodness as possible into one pot. I also love making gumbo as the weather turns colder. It not only warms the tum and the spirit, it also reminds me of New Orleans, whose eternal summer, year-round outdoor markets, and general magic I start to miss as winter approaches. I’ve even got John Boutte jammin’ on the i-tunes as a tribute!

 Gumbo is, by definition, a hodgepodge. All of my ingredients today are grown within 300 miles of Chicago, but their cultural influences span the globe. The word “gumbo” is itself derived from a West African word for okra, one of the classic ingredients in the dish. When preparing gumbo, you always start with a “roux”, the traditional French combination of flour and butter, cooked to a milk-chocolate brown color and used as a thickener. The spice filé (made from dried sassafrass leaves) is also often used in gumbo and comes from the Choctaw Indians, whose presence in Southern Louisiana precedes the Europeans and Africans by god knows how long. I love the image of the original inhabitants (Choctaws), West African slaves and French Acadian settlers sitting around a big cauldron over a fire on the bayou, each adding their own special something to the peace pot. If it had only happened that way…

 Anyways, now we’re making gumbo! I start with a roux of Heritage Prairie whole wheat flour and Nordic Creamery’s summer butter. The smell they make when combined over heat is pure ecstasy. Whole wheat flour doesn’t usually make a great roux, but I’m also putting okra in the mix and I’m pretty sure its infamous goo will do the trick as a thickener.

 After the roux is nice and brown I add some sliced up Meadow Haven sausage, onions from Genesis, okra from Nichols, carrots from Tiny Greens and sweet peppers from Green Acres and Leaning Shed. I cook those for 5 minutes and throw in the last of my Granor Farms garlic (sad face). After cooking that for a bit, the chicken broth goes in (made a few weeks ago from Tj’s chicken). I also add a little bit of white wine (not local, but so necessary), parsley (from my garden), salt, pepper, and some cajun seasoning that I got at the Spice House on Wells.

 After this boils for a moment and simmer for an hour, I taste it. It’s generally good, but not quite spicy enough so I add a tablespoon of this fabulous roast tomatillo and spicy yellow pepper sauce that Dave from Leaning Shed made. Pure magic.

 Gumbo is usually served over rice, but this wicked concoction is going over boiled hard winter wheat-berries from one of our fabulous guest vendors, Breslin Farms. Yum!

 So, that’s the gumbo! And to answer, Dana’s question. I find myself consistently cheating with chocolate. I can’t help it. I have a dependency. But, I’ve been fortifying my morality by buying chocolate only from the incomparable Mr. Canaday, Le Choclatier on Wabash. He is a true artist and I’m happy to have his art as my vice.

 Happy Locavoring!

A Day in the Life of a Locavore! By Erin Riley

Breakfast:  Zestar Apple from Mick Klug Farms and a hunk of 3 year raw milk Cheddar from Brunkow.  If you haven’t tried the Zestar apple, go to Mick IMMEDIATELY and buy a pint—a bargain at $3, these apples are HUGE.  Delicate skin with a sweet and slightly spiced flesh, it’s the best apple since the Honey Crisp—I made some killer apple sauce with this apple last year.  It’s a new breed of apple, developed, like the honey crisp, by the apple breeders at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Horticulture Research Center in Chanhassen, MN.   I am going to make more sauce this year and can it so I can enjoy it in the winter!

Lunch:  Whole wheat bread from Bennison’s Bakery, a striped Italian Roma Tomato from Leaning Shed, a touch of Nordic Creamery’s summer butter and Vanessa grapes from Mick Klug for dessert!   The Nordic Creamery Summer Butter is gorgeous. Only made in the summer when the cows are in the pasture, nibbling on bright green grass, and dozing in the sun, the butter is sweet and slightly salty with a creamy and smooth texture that tastes AMAZING with…well, everything.  It is BUTTER…made from the milk of some seriously happy cows.  It makes a HUGE difference in flavor and texture than the factory-farmed counter parts.

Dinner:  Frittata made from eggs, zucchini and leeks from Genesis Growers, and a small grilled cheese and tomato sandwich with Bennison’s wheat bread, more Leaning Shed tomatoes and Brunkow Cheddar, and, of course, more of that Nordic Summer Butter!  Whenever people ask me about local eating, and do I find it difficult, expensive, etc.  I always talk about eggs.  The eggs will turn even the most devout big box store shopper.  Free range, farm eggs literally changed my life.  I call them a gateway food to local eating.  You do not know how good an egg can taste until you eat one that came straight from the farm.  These little orbs pack more flavor than a dozen of the factory produced eggs.  The bright orange yolks and clear whites need only a touch of heat to cook them to absolute perfection.  A light dust of a good flaky sea salt and a crust of bread and you have the ultimate expression of comfort food.  The flavor simultaneously reminds me of being outside in the sun and sitting around my childhood breakfast table.   Whisked, these eggs make a lovely and light frittata.

Not bad for day one of the Locavore Challenge.   The exceptions I’ve allowed myself are coffee (free trade and crop to cup), and salt, pepper and olive oil.  There were several repeats during the day, but that is because I can only carry so much on my bike, even with a front carrying basket!  Looking forward to Saturday when I can pick up another round of groceries!   Another volunteer, watching me as I packed up my several bags of food, sent me this picture later in the day, and now I’m thinking I need to upgrade my bike!  Thanks for the idea, Marilyn!

Erin's future bicycle

Local Substitutions

I realized this morning that taking the Locavore challenge is about becoming aware of what I am eating.  For instance, yesterday morning I had an apple (Honey Crisp from Seedling!) and spread a little peanut butter on a few slices.  Whoops!  Peanut butter wasn’t local.  I beg forgiveness from my fellow Locavores for the slip and wondered what I might Substitute for some of my favorite things.

When I arrived at Green City Market yesterday the volunteers at the information booth were having the same discussion and wondered what might be easy substitutes for the things we eat daily.  These were some of my ideas for staying local.

Lemon on salads – substitute cider vinegar

Olive oil for cooking – oh how we must suffer and use butter for two weeks!  Some Locavores were making exceptions and using corn oil or olive oil from California

Coffee – steep herbs such as mint for local tea in the morning.  I chose to drink coffee from local purveyors such as Metropolitan Coffee, Intelligensia or Crop to Cup

Chocolate Desserts – Crisps and Crumbles would be my choice as the fruit at the market is at its peak.  Our Locavore guest vendors at Green City Market have  local oats and wheat flour for baking.  Use local honey as for sweet when possible.

Cocktails – There are many different wines from Michigan and Illinois available and of course, lots of vodka and spirits from Death’s door.  Ask your local wine purveyor for suggestions.

What are some of your creative solutions?

Dana Benigno – Executive Director, Green City Market

Locavore Challenge Starts Tomorrow!

Come kick off 2 weeks of fabulous local food at Green City Market! Tomorrow (Wednesday, September 7) we will feature two guest vendors with unique, horizon-expanding products. Breslin Farms will have heirloom dried beans and hard winter wheat. Sunny Lane Farms will have a variety of jams, jellies, juices and teas featuring their highly nutritious and delicious aronia berries. Learn more at: www.breslinfarms.com and www.sunnylanearonia.com.

On Thursday, September 8, some of Chicago’s top restaurants will offer prix fixe menus featuring local food from Green City Vendors. Come see what happens when some of Chicago’s most talented chefs get their hands on the ripest, freshest produce around. Pure Magic! Check out the list of participating restaurants on the GCM website.

This Saturday, September 10, Jake’s Country Meats/ Great Lakes Fish will join the guest vendor line-up with their Michigan pastured pork products and wild-caught smoked fish. The pork is raised on a vegetarian diet, without hormones or antibiotics, and processed without nitrates or MSG. The fish is caught in the great lakes by members of the Chippewa Tribe.

See you at the Market!