Sidebar by Alison Hobbs
Agriculture – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
THE FOLLOWING RECIPES were adapted (with slight alterations) from Colorado Farmers’ Market Cookbook: Delicious Recipes and Tips fresh from Colorado Farmers’ Markets and Chefs, by Melissa Craven, Laura Korth, and Janis Judd, with permission from CD
CHILE RELLENO BAKE
Grassmick Produce operates a market at their farm, located two miles west of Rocky Ford, and this recipe is courtesy of Grassmick Produce and Coin.
You can purchase grass-fed beef from Landmark Harvest or Tres Rios Co-op, or organically certified beef from Gosar Ranch, and corn-fed beef from Scanga Meat.
Or you can try this recipe with goat meat from Prairie Fresh Meat Goat Group; Onions from Tres Rios’ Gabacho Farms; Eggs from the Sweet Pea or El Sagrado farms; and milk and cheese from Horizon. Serves 8 to 10.
* 1 pound ground beef or bulk pork
* ½ cup chopped onion
* 10 mild chiles, roasted, seeded and peeled (if you
didn’t freeze them fresh, use canned, whole chiles)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* ¼ teaspoon black pepper
* 4 eggs, beaten
* ¼ cup flour
* 1½ cups milk
* 6 ounces cheddar cheese grated.
Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet. Drain the fat. Remove from heat and add ½ teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place half of the chiles in the bottom of a greased 8×8-inch baking dish. Top with the meat. Arrange the rest of the chile on top. Combine the eggs, flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, and milk. Mix until smooth. Pour over the chile. Top with cheese. Bake for 45 minutes.
RAINBOW TROUT
with Red Chile and Pecans
You can substitute almonds or macadamia nuts for the pecans, and if you want to stay native to the region, try pine nuts. Tres Rios’ Austin Farms has honey. This recipe courtesy of Cuisine Catering. Serves 4.
* 4 rainbow trout
* ½ cup honey
* 1 tablespoon ground red chile
* ½ cup chopped pecans
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil,
* lemon slices (not regional or in season!)
Clean the trout if necessary; rinse and pat dry. Lightly warm the honey and then stir in the chile. Brush the honey and chili mixture on the trout. Roll the trout in the pecans to coat. Heat the oil in a skillet. Put the trout pecan side down in the pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until browned. Turn the trout and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove and serve immediately, garnished with lemon.
Baked Goat Cheese and Field Greens Salad
This salad features field greens with a Middle Eastern accent. Goat cheese can be bought from a goat dairy in Trinidad (sorry, but I don’t have contact information). Simple Foods carries Pine Nuts, as does Safeway (but they’re from Arizona). Recipe courtesy Cuisine Catering. Serves 4.
* 1 pound assorted mixed greens, washed and dried
* Balsamic vinaigrette
* 1 11-ounce log goat cheese
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup diced breadcrumbs
* 2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted
* ½ cup peeled and chopped tomato.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Toss the field greens with the balsamic vinaigrette. Just before you serve, plate the salad, prepare the cheese. Slice the goat cheese into 8 disk-shaped pieces. Brush each disk lightly with olive oil and dip in the breadcrumbs to coat evenly. Bake for 2 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned and heated through (be careful not to overcook the cheese — the goal is to warm the cheese, not melt it).
Divide the salad greens among 4 plates and sprinkle each with toasted pine nuts. Garnish with olives and tomatoes. Top each salad with warm goat cheese and serve immediately.
SESAME HONEY BAKED FRUIT
Tahini is a Middle Eastern sesame paste available at most groceries. Tres Ríos’ Austin Farms has apples, pears, and honey. Recipe courtesy of Cesar Flores, Beekeeper. Serves 2.
* 2 large Colorado apples, or pears
* ½ cup sesame tahini
* ½ cup Colorado honey, slightly warmed
Carefully cut the top ½ inch off of the apples and scoop out the core without puncturing the skin on the bottom. Thoroughly mix the tahini and honey. Divide the mixture between the apples and place in the hollowed-out apple. Put each apple in a small dessert bowl and bake, microwave or steam until the apples are tender. Garnish with a sprinkle of bee pollen or a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
