ITEMS
French Breakfast Radishes
Kale Bunch
Oyster Mushrooms
Sunchokes
Bozemano Alpine Aged Cheese
Cubed Steak / Shiitake Mushrooms
PRODUCERS
Gallatin Valley Botanical - Bozeman
Gallatin Valley Botanical - Bozeman
SporeAttic - Bozeman
Ploughshare Farm - Moiese
Amaltheia Organic Dairy - Belgrade
Amsterdam Meats - Amsterdam / Mother Fungi - Missoula
Lemony Pan-Fried Sunchokes
Sunchokes are tubers from a sunflower-type plant that's native to North America. They're also called Jerusalem Artichokes. The flavor is reminiscent of potato, water chestnut, and artichoke: subtle, nutty, and slightly sweet. They pair well with artichoke hearts, potatoes, cauliflower, lemon, thyme, rosemary, hazelnut, and dairy like goat cheese or cream, as well as mushrooms and hardy greens. They can be cooked much like a potato - boiled, roasted, pan fried, deep fried, made into soup, put in a gratin, etc... Peeling them is optional, and given their shape, it's easier to simply scrub them before cooking. A Word to the Wise: some people have difficulty digesting a carbohydrate called inulin that's abundant in sunchokes. The method below helps convert the inulin into digestible sugars by cooking them in acid. You don't have to cook them this way, but be aware of possible side effects! When in doubt, consume just a little bit at a time, or use the par-boil method here before proceeding with another recipe.
1 lb sunchokes
Juice of 1 lemon (3-4 Tbs, or more if you like)
Water to cover
2 Tbs oil, fat, or ghee
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: garlic cloves, fresh or dried herbs like thyme or rosemary, cheese, butter, more lemon juice or vinegar, or whatever sounds good to you!
Rinse and scrub sunchokes to remove any dirt. Slice into 1/4-1/2 in rounds, or do a medium dice, and immediately transfer to a large, high-sided skillet or saucepan with the lemon juice and 1 C of water to prevent browning. Once all sunchokes are in the pot, add just enough water to cover them, plus a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 7-10 minutes or until they have softened but aren't mushy (larger pieces may take longer). Drain well in a colander.
Heat a skillet (it can be the same pan, or a different one) over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbs of cooking oil or fat. When the oil is hot, add the sunchokes in a single layer and pan-fry until they begin to get brown and crisp on the outsides, flipping once or twice (~4-6 min.) Finish by seasoning with salt and pepper, plus any butter or herbs you might want. Add goat cheese or vinegar off heat, if using.
Ginger Beef, Mushroom, & Kale Stir-Fry
Recipe adapted from Ali Martin. Serves 2-4.
1/3 C soy sauce or tamari
1/2 C broth, any kind
3 Tbs rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs corn starch
2 tsp ground ginger (or use ~1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated)
1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 package cubed steak, thinly sliced across the grain
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs cooking oil
4 oz oyster or shiitake mushrooms, halved or quartered (large stems removed)
3 C kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Optional: cooked rice, quinoa, or farro for serving
Add soy sauce, broth, vinegar, corn starch, and pepper a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the steak and gently toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes, or longer if you want.
Heat 1 Tbs oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Reserving the marinade, remove the steak with a slotted spoon and put it in the pan. Sear the steak until just cooked through, just a few minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove steak with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add remaining 1 Tbs of oil to the pan. Then add in the garlic, mushrooms, kale, and reserved marinade, and stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 minutes stirring frequently to prevent burning: the sauce should thicken and briefly come to a boil. Finally, add in the steak and toss everything to combine, then serve immediately over the grain of your choice. Garnish with chopped green onions.
For a vegetarian option: use 2x the mushrooms (you can marinate them if you like), plus up to 1 lb of other veggies in place of the steak. Broccoli would be good, or snow peas...
French Breakfast Radishes
Fresh spring radishes really don't need much... they tend to be sweeter and smaller thanks to the cool weather, which makes them great for everything from salads to sandwiches to snacks. They're good paired with other spring veggies like greens, peas and pea shoots, asparagus, herbs like cilantro, mint, dill, or chives, asparagus, cucumber, citrus, eggs, salty cheeses, and of course, butter! The greens are edible, too, either raw or cooked. Sauté radishes with their greens in butter or oil for a simple side dish. Roasted in a little oil or butter, they become almost like candy. Personally, I like a simple snack of sliced radishes, crackers or toast, and a smear of butter or soft cheese. The Bozemano alpine cheese is a pairing worth trying!
Additional Recipes & Suggestions
This Veggie Lo Mein remains a favorite, flexible recipe for a wide variety of veggies. For a steak version, up the sauce quantity to marinate sliced cubed steak in, and sear it first as in the recipe above.
This grain salad was one of the first recipes we ever shared, and I come back to it all the time because it is SO flexible and delicious. Any grain, any root, any greens...