Great local foods

Earth Day dinner at St. Paul's was a resounding success; we had more than a 100 people, and more than enough dishes to feed everyone. And the food was super! The quiches and gratins, made from local eggs, milk and butter were especially yummy, and the local beef and chicken dishes were incredibly succulent as well. 

Here was my dish; if any of the other cooks pass along their recipes, I'll include them as well.

Sirloin Tip Roast  (serves 10 -12)

Ingredients

1 3-pound roast (donated by Kelli Olson from Horse & Buggy, Harrisonburg)

Two onions, peeled and cut in half horizontally

Instructions

Season overnight with salt, rosemary and pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees; put roast in oiled pan with room on the sides, on top of the onion halves.

Check in 30 minutes to make sure it’s above 115 degrees; take out when it reaches 130 degrees and let sit for 15 minutes, then slice. Serve with following sauce:

Mustard sauce

Ingredients

1 cup beef soup-bone broth

½ cup red wine (Kluge winery)

1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary (from Jane Rotch's garden) or thyme

2 tablespoons hot mustard (locally made by Betsy Respess)

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Pour off fat from roasting pan. Heat remaining drippings with broth, wine, herbs. Reduce until almost syrup. Whisk in mustard and taste for salt and pepper.

Carve meat in thin slices across the grain. Pour sauce over and serve.

Earth Day - tomorrow!

I remember my first Earth Day celebration. I was in college and we thought our parents had screwed up the planet beyond repair and we needed to do something about it. I think a lot of my friends felt the same way. We played nonviolent, cooperative games and talked about how to make this world a better place. 

One of my favorite restaurants in Sacramento was founded on Earth Day, under a neon sign for Tower Records that the owners restored. They featured dishes from around the world, using fresh ingredients. It's still going strong, and the little garden they planted in front of the place is now a lush jungle that makes dining in the urban setting a grand experience.

Tomorrow, we will honor the Earth at St. Paul's with a dinner featuring more than a dozen dishes prepared with local ingredients by local cooks. We hope we have a big turnout, since our youth group will be auctioning off really splendid items (including some vacation cabin stays) to help them on their way to help others this summer. Please come for this free dinner, a gift for those who care and share. We're hoping to attract around a hundred people.

If I don't have the time to post tomorrow, please check back in on Thursday to see what delicious dishes we made from local ingredients and where you can find them, too.