Pleasant House

Heritage Prairie Market Farm produce

Chelsea and I are big fans of eating local. Foraging, shopping at farmers’ markets, and road-side farm stands make it easy to cook local during our growing season here in the Midwest. There will be plenty of time for take-out and canned and frozen ingredients in the near future. Cooking and eating local is just as much fun for us as squeezing as many days as possible out of that pool pass or bike rides along the lake are to others.

The past couple of weekends we’ve had to cook some special meals at home for some special guests, and both times I cooked a variation of the same meal. These meals were not overly fussy or fancy, complicated or expensive, canned or frozen. By definition, locavore refers to someone who eats foods that have been procured from within a couple-hundred-mile radius. The majority of our ingredients fell within these guidelines, but a few of the staples did not; I’ll list those for all of the sticklers. Sea salt, olive oil, and piment d Espillete are not naturally found in the Midwest but are essential ingredients in my pantry. They are examples of traditional and sustainable American and European agricultural products that are easy to transport and store. Not to mention just a small amount of these things can enhance our Midwestern ingredients.

farm stand

Here’s how a multi-course locavore menu could look:

Appetizer

1. Start with some appetizers or nibblers. I like to put out local cheeses with homemade chile jam, fresh fruit, berries, and crostini;

chile jam

Salad

2. A salad featuring greens of the moment–lately, I’ve been using red mustard greens–some raw fresh vegetables (I’ve been shaving pumpkin), grilled or roasted wild mushrooms like hen of the woods, local cheese, homemade pickled cherries, and a pleasant vinaigrette or dressing.

mustard greens and raw pumpkin salad

Pasta

3. One of my favorite things about eating in Italy is the pasta course, so I often incorporate one into my tasting menus at home. Gnocchi is an easy way to accomplish this goal through the use of local starchy potatoes, a couple of eggs, and flour. I like to sauté the boiled gnocchi for a nice textural contrast, and then toss them with pesto made with herbs from my garden.

gnocchi with peas and stinging nettles

Main

4. The main course protein of the moment has been Lake Superior whitefish seasoned with sea salt, piment d Espillette, and fresh herbs from the garden, and roasted in a foil or paper packet on the grill. Lake Superior is probably outside of the 250 mile marker, but Midwestern nonetheless. One week our fish arrived at the table with grill-roasted sweet corn tossed with rings of hot peppers and a selection of whole roasted fingerling potatoes. Another week it came with a selection of mixed roasted carrots and burdock root with a green tomato relish. Not a fish eater? Substitute with Midwestern beef or free-range chicken. Or keep it vegetarian by wrapping any or all of these accompaniments into pastry for a savory pie.

roasted whitefish

Dessert

5.  Everyone loves dessert, and its seductive powers make it easy to overlook any rules that you are supposed to follow in any diet. Chocolate lovers have it tough if they are to stick to the rules of locavorism, but I like to look at chocolate the same way as I do salt, oil, and seasonings: as a staple. It stores well and a little bit is long on flavor. But a great locavore dessert doesn’t have to have chocolate to be good. A pie bursting with local apples or a parfait with fresh cream and berries can satisfy any sweet tooth.

rhubarb tart

Hopefully my example of a locavore menu can inspire you to take advantage of your fresh local bounty.