Farm to Table....really!

A few months ago  I was introduced to Lisa Marvier, who had just opened Farm Girl Nursery close to my home in Marin County.  It's a beautiful little oasis tucked away in the country, where she grows tons of fruit and veggies, raises pigs, chickens, roosters, goats, ponies, bunnies, and if that's not enough, she also rescues race horses.  She is one wild powerhouse, and I am so glad to call her a friend.  We met because of a mutual interest in teaching people; Lisa teaches people how easy it is to grow your own food, no matter what space you have (I think I saw her growing something in a lunch box!), and I teach people how to cook those foods.  What started as a potential business partnership has turned into a beautiful friendship. Love that lady!

As I've written before, we started with a kids' camp, where they spend the day learning, harvesting, playing, feeding farm animals, etc.  And then I take them into the garden to collect fresh veggies and fruit for a lunch that we cook together.  It's a whole lot of fun!

Our latest venture is Farm to Table dinners: a five course meal inspired by and created from the bounty of the farm.  Last night was our very first....

This was the scene when I arrived.  In a matter of hours this table would be filled with 18 eager diners.  By the end of the evening, these strangers would become friends, and my heart would be full. 

We started with a Stacked Caprese Salad using colorful heirloom tomatoes and basil from the farm, sandwiched between fresh mozzarella and drizzled with sea salt, freshly cracked balck pepper, balsamic and olive oil.  This is a prefect illustration of what I love to tell people: when you use fresh, in-season produce, there's very little you need to do to it to make it taste fantastic.

We followed that up with a new favorite of mine, green gazpacho.  This chilled soup is a new Bauman College recipe (not sure of the origin beyond that), and it was love at first bite for me (and apparently everyone else last night!  I've made slight adjustments to the recipe (below), but it's essentially anything green and fresh: avocado, peas, cucumber, zucchini, green grapes, chile pepper, tomatillos, cilantro, mint, lime juice and coconut water (OK, that last one's not green).  Soooo refreshing, especially on a hot night like we had that night!  I garnished it with a little brunoise of watermelon radish, giving it a nice color contrast and a little spicy kick..

The next course was my creamy farrotto, made with fresh summer squash, onions, garlic and corn from the farm. (I think Lisa dug into it too fast to take a picture, but you've seen it a million times in this blog.).  That course was followed by the main dish, organic chicken breast stuffed with herb goat cheese, served over braised greens from the farm and topped with a tomato salad...

We finished with a delicious dessert (which unfortunately escaped a photograph, also... I'm going to blame the wine on that one!)  I made a free-form tartlet, with a nut & date crust, topped with berries sauteed in coconut oil with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg.  On the side we served a homemade vanilla ice cream.  I'm not a fan of white sugar, so we used coconut palm sugar, which because it's natural, is brown.  This created a lovely mocha colored ice cream (just whole milk, cream, vanilla, and the sugar) with a distinct maple flavor.  I'm not a big sweets girl, but dang, that was delish!!!

It's one of those days when I am so thankful that I decided to take a big leap of faith, change my life and take up cooking.  The love and appreciation from that table warmed my heart.  And it inspires me to cook and cook and cook some more....

What inspires you?

Farm Girl Gazpacho
Serves 6-8

3 tomatillos, husks removed, and chopped
1 avocado, pitted and peeled and chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup green grapes
1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
8 mint leaves
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 1/2 cups coconut water
1/4 fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

• Place tomatillos, avocado. jalapeno, cucumber, zucchini. bell pepper, grapes and peas in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
• Add mint, cilantro, chives, and garlic and process again to combine.
• Add the mixture to a blender and add the coconut water, lime juice, and olive oil, working in batches if necessary.
• Blend the soup a few minutes until completely smooth and creamy.  Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Yum it up!!