Iron Kids

This past weekend I went up to the Vermont Jr. Iron Chef Competition. Maria, my friend and a former intern at the Round Barn Farm was volunteering with one of the teams. This was only the second year the competition took place, though I see great potential for the future (I really was jealous that nothing like this existed when I was in school). The teams were judged on a few categories but all needed to use local products and make recipes that could be replicated in a school cafeteria. Things really have changed. Bye bye fish sticks and boiled hamburgers.
I didn't wait to see who the winners were that day, but here are the results as sent me in an e-message from Maria, but really congratulations to all the kids for doing the work!

"BHS/Healthy City recipe was Polenta Pizza with Curried Winter Harvest Hash. The local ingredients were butternut squash (prepared), cheddar cheese, celeriac and cornmeal (and maybe the potatoes, too ... not sure).

CVUHS Redhawks won Most Creative with their apple pizza and Twin Valley HS in Wilmington won Best In Show with Huevos M??? (Something ... Read More involving eggs and corn tortillas, but I couldn't hear over the crowd. They were the team with the decorations and sombreros at one of the corner tables). The pizza concept is apparently a good one for cafeterias ... go figure! :-)"

and by the way, Maria's team was the first one listed there (and pictured with the pink bandannas) - BHS - Nice Job!!

I think I can see a Round Barn Team next year....

Good as Gould

Tonight, I stopped by my neighbors, which is different then "the people that live next door", I think in Vermont, neighbor has a bit of a different meaning. While out taking a trip to town, I stopped at Keith Gould's Farm a few miles from my house. He named the Farm after the Vermont state bird, the Hermit Thrush. Keith has had the Hermit Thrush Farm since 1976, a bit of a gentleman farmer (he was a professor of english until he retired a few years ago), Keith has maple, and honey (if you're lucky enough). I saw the big white clouds of steam and smoke billowing from the shed and decided I needed to participate in the old Vermont tradition and pick up some fresh maple syrup. Keith, set me up with a nice warm jug of grade A dark (I wanted B, but he insisted I try it, we'll see, so far -it's pretty sweet. He has 1000 trees tapped and from what I'm told you can get a half gallon from each tree, Keith said he has already made about 150 gallons. "it's been a great season", Keith said. Keep up the good work Keith, and I am going to try not drinking all the syrup!

Snap Shots

Ok, so it's a busy week and I feel a bit funny about it, but this posting is just going to be snap shots. You see, we have a really nice wedding this weekend, then the next night we have the Green Mountain Opera Gala, sold out, and I hear we are over 200 people! I decided that since the opera is The Marriage of Figaro, we would honor Mozart with an Austrian menu. There will be pumpkin seed oil, Schnitzel, Spaetzle, and Liptauer. Dessert was easy (well, easy to pick) everyone will be sharing platters of Apple Strudel, Sachertorte, and Fig Linzertorte.

The Round Barn Farm will be filled with the sounds of music this weekend, and to prepare I actually, well practiced. I decided to "test" the recipes at home over the last few days. Here are a few snap shots of the test.

Right into Summer

So, this is what I made for our guests this morning it the inn. Though, it is still winter in Waitsfield, these Vermont grown tomatoes brought a touch of summer to the Round Barn farm.
This is a Egg Stuffed Tomato with Carmelized Onion and Chevre, there is Yak Sausage, Spinach, Basil Pesto, and Roasted New Potatoes. The spinach and potatoes were the only items that were not "local". We also had Cider Donuts, and Pear Claflouti. It was like autumn into winter, and then the entree was right into summer.

Everything's Coming Up Sprouts!

This past weekend Robin McDermott and I did a cooking Demo at the Flower Show in Essex (that's up in the Burlington area, if that helps). I was very nervous, when we arrived I was very surprised to see that the demonstration area was right smack dab in the center of the show! However, once we got started, it went very well, and pretty quick. Robin's work with the Localvores and of course her radio show has made her a natural in this type situation and as she said, "I really just love the opportunity to teach someone something", and she did indeed.

I made Paella -Vermont style and Robin talked about growing sprouts and microgreens all year, right in your own home.
Here's my recipe for the dish I made at the show, and though, it might not be a Round Barn wedding "staple" dish, it certainly would make a great dish for smaller rehearsal type event or family reunion, etc.

Paella - Vermont Style
With Grilled Tomatoes, Butternut Squash, Misty Knoll Chicken and Vermont Yak Sausage

Perhaps the most famous of Spanish dishes, perfect for entertaining or a simple family dinner. This version has a Vermont twist, with a squash soffrito, Yak sausage and local tomatoes. Whether cooking on the grill or filling the house with the warm scents of the smoked paprika – saffron rice all winter long, your going to love this dish.

Ingredients:
2 pounds cut up Misty Knoll Chicken parts
2 pounds Yak Sausage
8 each Tomatoes, cut into wedges
4 each Tomatoes halved, cored, seeded, and run through a food mill
¼ cup Olive oil
1/8 cup (heaping) Pimenton
4 each Garlic cloves, minced
1 ¼ quarts Spanish Onion, diced
1 ½ quarts Butternut Squash
3 each Red Bell Peppers, cut into ½ inch strips
pinch of Saffron
1 quart Rice
2 ½ quarts Chicken Stock or Water
3 cups peas (optional)
To Finish:
Juice of a lemon
Olive oil
Flat Italian Parsley, rough chop
Maldon Sea Salt

• Grill or sear (in the paella pan) the chicken, sausage, and the tomato wedges. Reserve for later.
• Place the paella pan over medium/high heat with olive oil, when the oil is hot add onion, garlic and the peppers. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent.
• Add the rice, and the butternut squash, toss with the vegetables. Add the pimenton saffron and add the tomato puree and 2 quarts of the stock. Stir a few times while the mix comes to a simmer. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer slowly, place the chicken, sausage, and the tomatoes around the top pushing them in slightly. Cover with foil. Continue cooking the paella for about 15 minutes, checking the rice for doneness add the remainder of the stock if needed.
• Once rice is cooked, allow the rice begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, and toast/crisp to give a nutty aromatic flavor to the rice. Remove the pan from the heat once you achieve optimum nutty flavor so the rice will not burn.
• Chop the washed parsley and sprinkle over top of pan. Squeeze the lemon over, straining the seeds away. Drizzle olive oil around, sprinkle sea salt and serve.

Beyond a Doubt

Andrew, Sam, Spencer, Brendan 2/28/09

Yes, it's so very wrong, dangerous, maybe even disrespectful. An example of "do not try this at home". Crazy. Nuts. Yes, I know it's wrong, and I also know that, beyond a doubt - it's a great shot!