ITEMS
Mint
Lettuce Mix
Sunchokes (AKA Jerusalem Artichokes)
Mushrooms
Feta or Chèvre
Farro / Chickpeas
PRODUCERS
Lowdown Farm - Moiese
Last Best Organics - Missoula
Ploughshare Farm - Moiese
SporeAttic -Bozeman
Amaltheia Organic Dairy - Belgrade
Timeless Natural Foods - Ulm
Mediterranean Farro & Vegetables
Recipe adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi (Plenty). Serves 4 as a side. The original recipe calls for roasted red peppers instead of sautéed veggies. Find it here.
Juice of 1 lemon
4 Tbs Olive oil, divided
1 Tbs Honey
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp smoked paprika, plus more to taste
1/2 clove of garlic, smashed
1/4 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
3/4 C farro [sub cooked chickpeas, rice, lentils, or quinoa for a GF version]
4 oz mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, cut into 3/4-1 inch pieces
10-12 pitted olives, quartered lengthwise - use Kalamata or any other kind you like (optional)
1 Tbs fresh herbs like parsley, mint, basil, oregano, or thyme, chopped
3 scallions or a handful of fresh chives, sliced thin
4 oz feta or chèvre, crumbled
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the farro and simmer until it is tender, ~20 minutes. Drain farro in a fine mesh colander, rinse with cold water, and set it aside. While it's cooking, combine lemon juice, 3 Tbs oil, honey, allspice, paprika, garlic, and salt in a small bowl or jar. Shake or whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a skillet or saute pan over medium heat, add remaining 1 Tbs of oil. When it's hot, add the peppers and mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Stir often until the mushrooms soften and start to sweat, ~3 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring less often, until the mushrooms are tender and juicy and the peppers have browned in spots.
In a large bowl, mix together cooked farro, peppers and mushrooms, olives, green onions/chives, and feta. Pour on the dressing and mix gently. Taste and adjust salt, then serve with an additional sprinkling of smoked paprika.
*Sunchokes contain high amounts of inulin - a prebiotic fiber which may cause GI discomfort and gas if your system is not accustomed to it. Inulin occurs naturally in many vegetables, fruits, and grains in smaller amounts, and in supplement form is used to support gut and digestive health. However, large quantities may be problematic. I suggest consuming sunchokes in small amounts unless you eat them regularly or take inulin supplements. Some say that boiling sunchokes in water and lemon juice breaks down the inulin. If you enjoy a deeper dive into your ingredients, read this article and this one. I you just want a few more recipe ideas, try Brown Butter Sunchoke Soup with Bacon or Smashed Sunchokes with Herb-Butter (I would add a little lemon juice to the water in step 1!) or Lemony Pan-Fried Sunchokes
Roasted Sunchokes with Capers & Creamy Herb Sauce
Adapted from Christopher Kimball (Milk Street: Vegetables), makes 4 small servings. I suggest serving this as an appetizer/starter, or make it with other root veggies like potatoes, celeriac, or parsnips and just a few sunchokes mixed in.
1 lb sunchokes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 a red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 C sour cream or plain yogurt
1-2 oz feta cheese or chèvre
1 garlic clove, grated or finely minced
1/4 C fresh herbs, finely chopped - mint, chives, parsley, basil, tarragon, or dill would all be good
3 tsp lemon juice, divided
1 Tbs capers, drained
2 oz fresh greens such as lettuce mix, arugula, or pea shoots
Heat oven to 450 F with a rack in the lowest position. In a large bowl, toss together the sliced sunchokes, onion, oil, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Distribute veggies in an even layer on a baking sheet and set aside the bowl to use again later. Roast the veggies, stirring once halfway through, until they're browned and soft all the way through, 25-35 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream/yogurt, feta or chèvre, herbs, garlic, 2 tsp lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Season with salt to taste and set aside.
When the vegetables are done, return them to the bowl. Add the capers and remaining 1 tsp lemon juice, toss to combine and let stand for ~10 minutes. Finally, toss the greens with the veggies and serve drizzled/dolloped with the creamy herb sauce.
Additional Recipe Suggestions
I enjoy farro and/or chickpeas cooked in salted water or broth and added to green salads. They'll keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or two if you cook a bigger batch.
Here's another version of Farro with Sautéed Mushrooms
Skillet Beet and Farro Salad (sub carrots or other root veggies for the beets)
Farro Risotto is a favorite, plus some other good mushroom recipes here
For those who got Black Butte Chickpeas, try this extra smooth Hummus recipe and/or this Homemade Falafel Recipe
My Favorite Cookie Recipe! Real Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies