Archive for the ‘Garden’ Category

We have started to harvest some of our Fall/Winter veggies and we are pretty pleased with our results.  I particularly love our heirloom carrots, they colors are just amazing, though not as amazing as the story of why we eat orange carrots.  While I prefer just to roast my carrots with a little salt and pepper, here are some great ideas on how to use to tops to cut down on waste and try something new.

Our herb garden is starting to kick into overdrive which is allowing us to start sending home grown herbs to many of our events. While we are able to get great herbs locally, there is nothing like the smell of freshly cut, basil, mint and rosemary, not to mention all the other interesting varieties we can grow here that aren’t available commercially.



All of us have gotten very used to having nearly all of our favorite vegetables available to us nearly all the time. Strawberries in February, why not! The recent extreme weather throughout the country however have put this to a test. As you can see in the attached pictures, there is going to be a shortage in many of the fresh fruits and vegetables that we have grown used to. This is one more reason to try to eat local seasonal foods throughout the year. Many locally grown vegetables are able to store well throughout the winter months, so make sure to include, apples, potatoes, rutabagas and other ‘winter vegetables’ on your menus, they will taste great and save you some dough. There is also a great variety of locally preserved fruits as well as pickles and chutneys to add some summer flavor to your winter meals.

The garden is coming along beautifully and we are getting a small, but great selection of produce!

We’ve had a bumper crop of breakfast radishes this year and we’ve been thinking of all sorts in interesting ways to use them. Our Executive Chef Joe Beck thought of this recipe which is a great for Spring Menus.

Grilled Chesapeake Rockfish

With Radish, Olive & Orange Salad

Ingredients: yield 8 servings

Rockfish filet, boneless, skinless 3lbs. (or 8 ea. 6 oz portions)

Marinade:

Canola/Olive oil blend ¼ cup

Chives, chopped ¼ cup

Parsley, chopped ¼ cup

Garlic, minced 1 tablespoon

Shallot, chopped 1 tablespoon

Salt & pepper to taste

Salad:

Oranges 5 ea.

Radishes, washed 16 ea.

Kalamata olives, pitted sliced .5 cup

Red onion, finely julienned .5 cup

Parsley leaves, washed .5 cup

Mint leaves, torn .5 cup

Virgin olive oil .25 cup

Lemon, juiced 1 ea.

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cut out orange segments. Use a chef’s knife to remove top and bottom of the orange and then remove the peel. Use a paring knife, gently slice along the membranes to remove the segments.
2. Slice the radish very thinly either using a mandolin or by hand.
3. Combine all salad ingredients and refrigerate.
4. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for up to 45 minutes.
5. Pour marinade over fish, turning to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes.
6. Heat grill to very hot and remove fish from marinade. Season with salt & pepper on both sides. Spray fish well with a vegetable spray such as Pam.
7. Grill rockfish 3-4 minutes per side, brush with marinade once or twice while cooking.

Transfer the rockfish to a platter and spoon the salad around the fish. Serve immediately.