Several weeks ago, I challenged you all to become Locavores, and indeed, Buckwheat Flats is developing quite a following of foodies! Increasingly, people are recognizing that a diet made primarily from local, organically grown whole food is the optimal way to good health, and strong, sustainable communities.
A book that went a long way to popularizing the concept of eating locally, and bringing it to kitchens on the west coast, is the 100 Mile Diet, the story of authors Alisa McKinnon and JD Smith's experience of a year of local eating in Vancouver. It is an excellent book, and should give East coasters some great ideas as to how to make the most of our local food opportunities. But being dedicated to local food on the west coast is different than going local in New Brunswick. If not technically, then practically, the growing season is longer on the west coast, there are more local producers, therefore more variety.
So, all you true New Brunswick locavores, give yourselves a pat on the back. You're hardcore! Do you still love carrots? Good. Me too. Here are a couple of recipes that feature...carrots!
Keep enjoying carrots for the next few weeks, and take heart: It is spring, and there is more to come.
Sesame Ginger Wild Boar Burgers
New Brabant Farms has been supplying Buckwheat Flats with wild boar for a while now, and if you haven't tried their products, you should. Wild boar is higher in protein and lower in saturated fat than beef, chicken or pork, and it is succulent as well as delicious. Their sausages are superb, too.
Grate some CARROTS, maybe 2 or 3 medium sized ones. Or more, if you've got a hungry crew. Chop up some SCALLIONS, a few cloves of GARLIC, if you have half an ONION lying around, you could use that too. I like GINGER a lot, so I usually grate or chop a good-sized hunk, maybe 2 inches. Grab a handful of nuts. ALMONDS work well, cashews would be nice too. Chop them. Pour in a slosh of SESAME OIL, and a handful of SESAME SEEDS. Don't forget a pinch of SEA SALT or whatever spice you have around. Mix all of the above with your wild boar, form into patties, and cook them in your cast iron frying pan. Or make them into smaller balls and throw them into a clear broth along with vegetables or noodles, for a fantastic soup. A thai spice soup would work marvellously.
Don't let the fact that there are no measurements stress you out. Use your common sense when it comes to quantity. Add whatever happens to be around that needs to be used up. Cooking intuitively will make you a freer, more interesting person. And besides, making a terrible meal once in a while is good for the ego. Both these recipes are relatively fool-proof though, so have fun!
Ginger Carrot Apple Salad
I love this salad, and I hope you do too. This is a great salad to make with kids. They love to grate, they love to taste. It might sound unusual, but it is delicious and *ridiculously* healthy. Take the following ingredients:
APPLES, CARROTS, GINGER, NUTS, SESAME SEEDS, SESAME OIL, SCALLIONS, CILANTRO, NUTS
Make everything small. IE: grate the grateables, chop the stuff that likes to be chopped, and mix it all together. Some people are quite sensitive to ginger "the underground stem of the ginger plant Zingiber officinale", says Wikipedia. Ginger is purported to have numerous health benefits, and has been used throughout the ages, throughout Asia, especially. And elsewhere. Oh, and you might want to peel the apples and clean the carrots thoroughly. Throw everything together in a beautiful wood-fired ceramic bowl. Or any old bowl.
Cooking well requires the clever use of what's at hand, as well as your head, your eye and your palate. You can do it.
I love this so much
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