On October 23rd as many as 7,000 farmers, chefs, bakers, educators and students from around the world are scheduled to gather in Turin, Italy, for fours days of celebration and sharing their knowledge and love of local foods.  Twelve people from Northeast Ohio will be among them.

Slow Food International has sponsored this world event every other year since 2004 and each year Northeast Ohio has been represented by some of our best chefs and farmers.  Our region is a leader in supporting the local food movement through farmers markets, chefs who serve local foods, farmers who are committed to raising diverse food products for local consumption.  We are so fortunate to have such talent to send! 

The 2008 delegates are: chefs Matt Harlan of Lolita, Jonathon Sawyer of Bar Cento, Paul Minnillo of Baricelli Inn, and David Uecke, most recently at Anthe’s Restaurant.  Four farmers attending are Aaron Miller from Miller Livestock, Cindy and Terry Smith from Goatfeathers Point Farm, and Abbe Turner from Lucky Penny Farm.  Bakers Adam and Jennifer Gidlow who own On the Rise Bakery will be joined by Rachel McKinney who teaches at the Hersey Montessori Farm School in Huntsburg, Ohio.  I will go along as an observer and plan to post stories and pictures so that folks in Cleveland can share some of the excitement of this extraordinary event.  To learn more now, go to www.slowfood.com.  And stay tuned here for more updates on our delegation.  Mary

It has been said that if we could only remember an experience with eating that gave us an orgasmic reaction to flavors, we and find our way back to truly good food.  Anyone born after 1980, of course, has a much more difficult time conjuring up such a memory because the industrial food revolution was pretty much complete by then making it nearly impossible to buy truly delicious, fresh foods.  Nevertheless, a resurgence of interest in food, farmers markets, artisan products, and imported specialty foods may offer hope for new generations to experience memorable flavors.  As an experiment, we invite you to send your memories or reflections on a great food moment.  Be our guide to forgotten flavors and the joys of eating.

Send us your food memory here…

SIX SIMPLE STEPS TO A SAUCY SUPPER

Grilled Red Pepper Sauce Is Versatile All Year Long

By Diane Schwartz

When the outdoor grill is fired up it’s a perfect time to roast over charcoal or wood the main ingredient to a sauce that is a mainstay at our house.  Grilled red pepper sauce is also the base for a delightful soup you can serve hot or cold.  The sauce is thick enough for pasta, pizza, fish and seafood dishes, risotto and vegetable creations.  It can be frozen in large amounts or even as ice cubes to pop into stews or winter dishes.

1.  Simply place the red peppers (about 8 large) on a hot grill to blacken all around the outside. Remove when black and soft.  Allow the peppers to cool.

2.  Pull off the blackened outer skin, open the peppers, deseed the insides and cut into large pieces.

3.  In a heavy large pot warm 4 Tablespoons of good quality olive oil.  Add two medium purple onions which have been coarsely chopped plus four cloves of garlic, the skins removed.  While the onions and garlic are sautéed in the oil, liberally season them with coarse sea salt.

4.  Coarsely chop three medium tomatoes and add them to the onion mixture when the onions have become soft.  Let the tomatoes cook for five minutes at medium flame.

5.  Turn the flame down to low and add the red pepper pieces.  Stir.  Cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes until all the ingredients are softened.

6.  Place the cooled mixture into a Cuisinart or kitchen blender to produce a chunky textured sauce.  It is a good idea to blend in batches.

The sauce can be thinned to desired consistency with chicken stock to become a soup. For a creamy version of the soup, add milk or cream as well.  If you end the summer with several batches for the freezer, this soup will give you wonderful summer memories in the dark of winter.

Diane Schwartz is a home cook and photographer living just a few blocks from her favorite farmers’ market, the North Union Shaker Square Market.  She and her husband Lew delight in cooking from their own garden and the market’s bounty, eating al fresco on summer nights using the red pepper sauce two to three times per week.

Bounty of the Western Reserve celebrates the foods, farmers, chefs who use local foods, home cooks, and everyone in Northeast Ohio who is supporting our local food system.  Features include recipes, food memories, interviews, news, photos, links, and opportunites to interact.  If you shop at a farmers’ market, belong to a CSA, grow or produce food for local consumption, eat at restaurants that buy ingredients from local producers, or in any other way support family farmers in Northeast Ohio, you are part of an every growing community of people who are building a regional food economy.  This exciting trend is not just great for our economy, it’s preserving farmland, strengthening our communities, improving our health, using land and water in more sustainable ways, and providing us with wonderful foods to eat.  So join the community!  Celebrate the bounty of the Western Reserve!