Horseradish-Crusted Steak Roulade

Directions

For the Steak:

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 leek, white and light-green parts only, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 2 1/4-to-2 1/2-pound flank steak, trimmed
• 1/2 pound sliced provolone cheese (about 8 slices)

For the Crust:

• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons drained horseradish
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Prepare the stuffing for the steak: Preheat the broiler and place the peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan. Broil until the skin is charred, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plate and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel the peppers with your fingers or a paring knife. If necessary, lightly rinse to remove any remaining skin and pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Gently pound the steak with the flat side of a mallet or heavy skillet until 1/4 inch thick. Lay out on a cutting board with the long side facing you and season with salt and pepper. Place the roasted peppers evenly over the meat, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Top with the cheese slices, then the leek mixture. Roll the meat away from you into a tight cylinder, tucking in the filling as you roll.

Make the crust: Mix the breadcrumbs, rosemary, parsley, horseradish, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a medium bowl until moistened. Brush the steak roll with a bit of olive oil and press the breadcrumb mixture over the top and sides. Tie the roll with twine in three or four places, making sure it's not too tight (you want the crust to stay intact).

Place the steak roll on a rack in a roasting pan and roast until the crust is golden and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 130 degrees for medium-rare, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes. Carefully cut off the twine, then slice the roll crosswise into 1-inch pieces.

Hearty Winter Green Saute

Ingredients

• 1 bunch mustard greens, cleaned
• 1 bunch turnip greens, cleaned
• 1 bunch kale, cleaned
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, cleaned
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Directions

Remove the center stems from all the greens and slice the leaves into 1/2-inch ribbons. Pour the olive oil into a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and saute until tender and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the ribbons of mustard greens, turnip greens and kale in batches, adding the next batch as the one prior wilts down. Once those three greens are added to the pot, pour in the broth and cook 15 minutes. Then add the ribbons of Swiss chard and cover with a lid. Let simmer 5 more minutes. Taste for seasoning. Spoon the greens into a large serving dish.

Balsamic Root Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 1 pound parsnips
• 1 pound carrots
• 2 large red onions, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Peel first 3 ingredients, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Combine parsnips, carrots, onions, and cranberries in a lightly greased 6-qt. slow cooker; layer sweet potatoes over top.
2. Whisk together sugar and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl; pour over vegetable mixture. (Do not stir.)
3. Cover and cook on HIGH 4 to 5 hours or until vegetables are tender. Toss with parsley just before serving.

Try Something New in 2012: Roasted Duck Breast

I've wanted to try to cook duck for the longest time. My kids tried it when we were traveling abroad last year to see family and they loved it. My son said, "Mom, it tastes like dark meat chicken." I walked by Spain Farm's booth one Saturday at the WWFM and they had some duck breast for me to buy. I hesitantly bought two breasts not knowing how I was going to cook them. A truly amazing and completely local feast took shape.

Preparation

I marinated the duck for only a couple of hours in an asian marinade with garlic, ginger, tamari (GF soy sauce), olive oil and honey (everything except for the tamari and olive oil were fresh from the market). I seared the duck fat side down in an oven proof pan for 6 minutes. I then transferred it to a 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes and let it rest before serving. Perfection.

Sides

I really searched around the internet for a long time trying to decide what to serve with the duck. I had to use my big head of red cabbage and I wanted to use some of the fresh fennel I bought so I combed the internet and found a recipe called Braised Red Cabbage and added some fennel as well.

I needed to green things up a bit so I whipped up a spinach/tatsoi salad. The spinach and tatsoi were delicious. I used some herbed goat cheese along with dried berries and crushed almonds.

My guests were very satisfied and I'm always happy when I try something new and it actually works. I'm no longer afraid of cooking duck and if you have to call it "chicken duck" to get your kids to eat it than so be it. What new dishes will you try in 2012? Look no farther than the Western Wake Farmers' Market for inspiration.

Food Policy Workshop

Last week, I attended the most exciting workshop all about local food access. I know I get a bit excited about these things, but there are so many amazing opportunities in our community for local food to grow. The workshop was called "Connecting the Dots: Creating a local food system in Wake County" and it was facilitated by one of our partners, Advocates for Health in Action (AHA).

The turnout was unbelievable. There were over 100 people there from diverse backgrounds, but all with energy and interest to create a vibrant food community in Wake County. Heather Wooten was the keynote speaker, and her data about local food economies was compelling. I was particularly interested in the economic development arguments.

The "old" economic development model is to woo and give incentives for big companies to come to your town to add jobs, however that can leave you vulnerable should the company leave or demand more tax incentives. The "new" model is to invest in people who are already vested in your community - Entrepreneurial Development. This model supports the businesses that are committed to your town and help them scale up, in addition to reducing the barriers that prevent them from growing and adding jobs to their businesses. Heather called it "Economic Gardening."

Our farmers' market has experienced one such barrier first hand. When the WWFM wanted to go year-round, we found out that the current rules only allow us to have a temporary permit for 180 days. We had to spend countless hours and meetings with the town to find a work around to this. It's the same situation with trying to occupy space temporarily. The rules should allow for innovation and independence. It's very difficult for beginning farmers and beginning restaurants to devote so much time to figuring out how to comply with the local rules.

With over 60% of Wake County residents obese or overweight^[1], it's critical for local communities to invest in their own resources to affect the food landscape. We don't need any more fast food restaurants. Heather showed a slide with all the McDonald's across the US. There is one McDonalds for every 13,000 people in our country. I beg our elected officials to make it easier for good food to thrive.

Wake Co. Commissioner Joe Bryan attended the workshop and heralded the efforts of the local food movement and the large number of people attending who are passionate about growing our local economy by supporting local farmers and food entrepreneurs. He promised to work on getting the Local Food Enhancement Plan on the agenda of theWake County Board of Commissioners.

I think we are starting to move in a healthy direction, but we have a lot of work to do.

How can you help?

• Contact me for information about how you can support the WWFM's efforts through the Town of Cary for a multi-use farm park. Click here for a blog update by Emily Graban.
• Contact AHA for updates through their newsletter to become part of the process to create a local food system in Wake County.

[1] According to 2009 NC Nutrition and Physical Activity Survellance System (NC-NPASS)
43.2% of children age 5-11 overweight and obese in Wake County
49.5% of children ages 12-18 overweight and obese in Wake County

Join the CFSA conference next year

It's a mouthful, but can you guess what CFSA SAC stands for? Some of you might have seen our tweets this weekend and wondered...where are they and why do I care? CFSA is the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and they hold a Sustainable Agriculture Conference every year. It was in Durham last weekend and it was amazing.

The mission of the CFSA is to advocate, educate and build connections to create sustainable food systems centered on local and organic agriculture. There are many advantages to membership (just $25 for new members), but the SAC annual conference is the highlight. Programs on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday appeal to people of all backgrounds who are interested in food and/or farming. It's not just for farmers. This year workshops ranged from Backyard Economics to Making Fabulous Mead, from Urban Beekeeping to High Tunnels, and from Growing Rice in North Carolina to Renewable Energy on a Small Farm. Networking with people from every aspect of agriculture and farming allows you to truly become a part of this community.

There were many highlights throughout the weekend, but the #1 highlight is always the amazing local food feast. The local foods feast featured only seasonal food and was comprised of over 90% local foods. The keynote speaker this year was Joan Dye Gussow, an inspiring activist of local food. Joan spoke about the politics behind industrial and local foods and how a small piece of land can produce healthy, nutritious food. Her message was to pay attention and be aware, that nature is ultimately in charge, and most importantly, to always promote seasonal and local whole foods. Another highlight was the Farm to Table discussion moderated by none other than Andrea Reusing from Lantern restaurant in Chapel Hill.

One interesting bit of information we learned is that for every one calorie eaten from food we buy at the grocery store, it takes 7-12 calories of fuel (transportation, packaging, etc.) to get that food to our table.

If you're interested in food, you won't want to miss the next conference in Greenville, SC in October 2012. Hope to see you there!

Unique Opportunities for the WWFM and the Town of Cary

The Town of Cary is currently in the process of updating its Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Master Plan, which is the basis for the town’s activities in this area for the next 10 years. Town of Cary began soliciting public input for the Master Plan this past summer through several public meetings, online surveys and by collecting emails from the community.
On Oct. 26, 6-8 pm, the community is invited to the Herb Young Community Center in Cary to review the findings of Master Plan process to date, including public meeting comments, the surveys, park and facility inventory, focus group meetings and email input.

How Does the Western Wake Farmers’ Market Fit in the Plan?

The Western Wake Farmers’ Market (WWFM) Board of Directors and shoppers who support the market attended the earlier public meetings to comment on suggestions for a permanent home for WWFM in Cary. The market’s lease at its current location expires in the spring, and WWFM had previously approached the Town of Cary about how a permanent structure for the Western Wake Farmers’ Market could benefit Cary citizens.
Staff from the Town of Cary reported to the Town Council on the possibility of housing the WWFM temporarily on town-owned land called the A.M. Howard Farm Park in an operations meeting on Oct. 6^th. The property is located very close to our current location on the NE corner of Louis Stevens Rd. and Morrisville Carpenter Rd. It is the same land that the WWFM has in mind for a permanent structure as part of a unique educational farm park.
It was not a surprise that the TOC was unable to grant the request for temporary use of this currently undeveloped land. Cary has some of the strictest development and zoning rules in the country. This has made Cary able to uphold a certain quality of living, but at the same time does not yield the flexibility to accommodate unique, homegrown events like a weekly farmers’ market. While other cities and small towns across the state and the country strive to enhance offerings by establishing and operating farmers’ markets, the Town of Cary simply has not yet prioritized this for its citizens.
The reasoning for the rejection of the request was simply that under the current code, it would be irrationally expensive as there is no provision for any temporary use. Just to set up a gravel parking lot, we would be required to widen Louis Stevens Rd, compose a full-site evaluation and everything else that a permanent developer would be required to do. A gravel parking lot with a price tag in the multiple hundreds of thousands just doesn't make sense.
Cary has pharmacies and indistinguishable grocery stores on every corner, but what about something that stands out a little bit? What about something that will draw people to our community? I look forward to the day Cary can boast about the unique experiences people can enjoy here. I look forward to the day when the WWFM has a permanent structure that we can use to give Cary businesses a chance to showcase their items. I look forward to a day when healthy, local, sustainable food has an enduring presence in Cary. We know that many Cary citizens value this service. The WWFM averages 700 visitors during high-season Saturdays.

How Can You Be Involved?

You can help change the status quo by telling Cary that you want a farm park that contains a farmers’ market. The Master Planning Process is well underway. We had a lot of support in the first public meeting and need as many voices as possible in the next public meeting on October 26 at the Herbert Young Community Center at 6pm. If you cannot make the meeting, email your comments to parksplan@townofcary.org. You can view the comments from the first public meeting by following this link.
The Carpenter Village property owners where the market currently operates are very accommodating and will continue to work with the WWFM so that we can remain where we are as long as possible while we solidify plans for a permanent structure and hunt for a good temporary location. We are looking at public and private options in Cary and Morrisville.
The WWFM is a non-for-profit organization committed to educating the public about the importance of eating local food. WWFM is the only market in Wake County that currently accepts EBT cards, which enables those who qualify for financial assistance to purchase healthy, local produce. We will continue to work hard to establish a foothold in Cary so that it is convenient for our citizens to eat this way. If this is important to you and you are interested in using your talents to help the WWFM build a permanent home in Cary, please contact Juliann Zoetmulder.