A couple of Sundays ago we met up for a Slow Food Triangle Potluck. Little did we know a storm was on its way to Alamance county at the exact moment all ~100 of us convened. As soon as we placed the last dishes on the outdoor tables situated on Alex and Betsy’s beautiful Peregrine Farm, storm clouds gathered and the the sky turned a malicious dark gray.
As the first drops began to fall, Betsy made a generous announcement that we would retreat to their house to enjoy the dishes members had prepared. Here are a couple of snaps from the event by Kirk Ross of the Carrboro Citizen and Lud fame as well as the recipes we have thus far. Send yours in to info@slowfoodtriangle.org or send as a comment here!

The Recipes:

BEST Easy Chopped Pork (Eastern NC-style BBQ)
submitted by Ben and Noah of Fickle Creek Farm

1 Pork roast ~ 3 lb ham roast or Boston butt
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp ground cayenne or serrano pepper
Salt, Pepper, Honey and Vinegar to taste

- Spread 2 Tbsp each oil, honey, cayenne/serrano pepper on the bottom of a covered oven dish.
- Place pork roast in dish (if there is one side with a layer of fat, place it with that side up).
- Spread 2 Tbsp oil, honey, cayenne/serrano pepper over the top of the pork roast.
- Cook in oven at 325F until pork starts to falls apart, ~30 min/lb.
- Shred/chop pork.
- Season with salt, black pepper, honey and vinegar to taste.
- Return to turned off oven for another 30 min.

comments: This can be done on a grill for a smoky flavor or in a crock pot on low. Sugar or brown sugar can be used in place of honey.

dish sources: Pork - ham, shoulder or picnic roast - Fickle Creek Farm, Efland NC
Serrano pepper - Fickle Creek Farm, Efland NC
Honey - Fickle Creek Farm, Efland NC

Roasted beets with walnut and Gorgonzola dressing
submitted by Bernadette Pelissier

Roast 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of beets in 425 degree oven using 1 tablespoon olive oil and some salt and peppper. When cooled, peel and slice beets and place in bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

For dressing, put 2 tablespoons olive oil in hot pan. Add1/4 cup chopped walnuts and cook until browned. Transfer to small bowl and when walnuts have cooled, add 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese and 1/2 light or heavy cream.

dish sources: Beets from farmer’s market. Cream from Maple View, basil from garden. Other ingredients are not local.

Grilled Broccoli w/spring pesto
submitted by Mark Overbay

Large bowl of trimmed broccoli.
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup pesto made from walnuts, basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan

- Fire charcoal under one side of grill
- Toss broccoli in olive oil, using only what you need to coat all the florets
- Place oiled broccoli on other side of grill (not directly over charcoal). Grill broccoli, turning every minute or so, until florets are bright green and slightly charred.
- Let cool 5 minutes
- Toss with pesto and serve.

dish sources: Maple Springs - Ken and Libby
Bluebird Meadows - Stuart and Alice Helga (Durham Farmers’ Market)
Olive oil, nuts, and cheese from Whole Foods Market

Strawberry Trifle
submitted by Fred and Amanda Stipe

A loosely organized melange of local fresh strawberries, locally-baked pound cake; whipped cream; vanilla custard…and a drizzling of rum

dish sources: Carrboro Farmer’s Market: Various local strawberry producers [the strawberries]; “The Cake Lady” [the pound cake]; Mapleview Farms [the dairy products]

Roasted Beet Salad
submitted by Timothy Flynn

simple: roast beets with olive oil at 350 until sweet and cooked. peel beets and slice
place on top of field greens and toss with french vinagrette.
Lay beets on top of salad and sprinkle with goat cheese.
Add croutons for crunch!

dish sources: local beets from Whole foods&nbsp, Goat cheese from France although there are excellent producers close!!

Whole Wheat Sourdough (Desem) bread
submitted by David Leigh

47 oz Whole Wheat Flour
45 oz Water
19 oz Whole Wheat Desem culture
1.2 oz Salt

Mix flour, water and desem until flour is completely hydrated. After 15 minutes add salt and mix to integrate salt evenly. Dough should be very wet, sticky, and batter-like. After 15 minutes stretch and fold. Repeat stretch and fold every 15 minutes for 1 hour and 30 minutes (6 times in all). At the end of this period, dough should have gained strength and integrity. Bulk ferment for 1 hour 30 minutes. Divide into 4 loaves, pre-shape, rest for 25 minutes, then shape and proof for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Bake at 460 degrees with lots of steam for 45 minutes.

dish sources: Whole Wheat flour from Lindley Mills. Whole Wheat Desem culture from Orange County

Shepherd’s Pie
submitted by Melissa Schumacher

1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
1 onion chopped
1-2 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas
1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Seasonings

1 Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).
2 While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.
3 Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.
4 Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.
5 Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.
6 Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.
7 Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.
Serves four.

Magic frosting with strawberries

submitted by Rebecca Vidra

1 quart of strawberries (or more, depending on how many berry-obsessed toddlers you are feeding)
1/2 lb of Quark cheese from Chapel Hill Creamery
1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar
Directions:
Mix brown sugar and quark together to make whipped spread, much like frosting. You could actually whip it a bit to make it even more “airy”.

Dip strawberries into frosting and enjoy!

This easy dessert is actually a favorite breakfast food in our house during strawberry season.

dish sources: Local organic strawberries (we love Eco Farm’s berries), Chapel Hill Creamery Quark cheese

Strawberry and Rhubarb Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuits
submitted by Sheri Castle

Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling
1 1/4 pounds rhubarb stalks, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 pint strawberries, halved or quartered if very large
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Combine the rhubarb and strawberries in a large bowl. Add the sugar and cornstarch and toss the mixture to coat the fruit. Spread the fruit mixture into a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Prepare the Cornmeal Biscuit Crust.

Cornmeal Biscuit Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and refrigerated until very cold
2/3 to 1 cup heavy cream
1 lightly beaten egg
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 375º. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Use a fork to blend in 2/3 cup of the cream until the mixture forms soft dough. If the dough seems dry, drizzle in more cream. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface until all the loose dough pieces come together. Pat or roll the dough to a half-inch thickness. Cut the dough into pieces and arrange it over the filling. Lightly brush the biscuits with the beaten egg and then sprinkle the tops with remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake the cobbler until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cobbler cool for 15 minutes before serving. Top each serving with a small dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

dish sources: Carrboro Farmers Market for strawberries, eggs, and rhubarb (I hope!). I grind my own cornmeal. Local cream.

pate de foie de poulet “c’est si bon!”
submitted by dorette snover

3.25 pounds chicken livers (fickle creek farm)
2 strips of (stanely hughes) bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
5 scallions (anathoth community garden) finely chopped
2 green garlic bulbs (anathoth community garden) finely chopped
10 dried mission figs, coarsely chopped
½ cup mixed fresh herbs (c’est si bon parsley, marjoram, chives, thyme and rosemary)
3 bay leaves
½ tsp. piment d’espelette
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cointreau
chopped herbs, for garnish
french bread
sweet onion confit

in a large saute pan or skillet, cook the bacon and remove, till  cool. chop and reserve. melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. add the scallion and green garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. add the chicken livers and figs, 1 tablespoon of the peppercorns, the bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until the livers are browned on the outside and still slightly pink on the inside, about 5 minutes. add the cointreau and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated and the livers are cooked through but still tender.
remove from the heat and let cool slightly. discard the bay leaves.
in a food processor, puree the liver mixture. add the remaining butter in pieces and pulse to blend. fold in the remaining 1 tablespoon peppercorns and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
pack the pate into ramekins or small molds, about 4 ounces each. cover with plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours.
garnish with herbs and surround with bread or crackers.
serve with sweet onion confit.

sources: fickle creek, stanley hughes’ pine knoll farms, anathoth community garden and c’est si bon!