Tracey Medeiros, the author of The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook, was kind enough to ask the Accidental Locavore to take a look at her new book. Like the previous one, The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook, it tells the story of local farmers and food purveyors along with 150 of their signature dishes.
I was curious about the choice of state and asked Tracey why Connecticut? “The Nutmeg State is a hidden gem that has been slipping under the culinary radar for far too long. Hopefully, The Connecticut Farm Table will serve to shine a light on the state’s farmers and food producers whose dedication to sustainability, and the food community, is making it evident that hard work really does pay off. ”
Not only do you get a broad cross-section of foods, the recipes vary greatly, from simple, easy-to-toss-together dishes, to ones requiring both time and some kitchen skills. I’ve bookmarked a few, like the raclette potatoes (my kind of dish!) to come back to when the weather is colder and ones like the pork belly stuffed tomatoes, that need to wait a month or two for peak produce.
Tracey’s favorites are some of my picks. The raclette potatoes, a kale Caesar salad, the chicken ginger stir-fry and the blueberry sour cream coffee cake (since I’ve been in sort of a retro, coffee cake mood) are all on my list to try shortly (so stay tuned to see how they all turn out).
My one initial complaint, and it’s a minor one, is that there could be more photos of the actual dishes. While the shots of produce are lovely, dishes like the Roasted Potato and Heirloom Tomato Tower would really benefit from a shot showing the finished tower. Ditto the Roasted Carrots al Andaluz which is described as “a very pretty dish, with lots of color…” but isn’t shown. As you get further into the book, there are many more photos of the dishes, which is a big help as well as being an incentive to get cooking!
While you would think this would be a very veggie-centric book, you’d be wrong. No matter what state you live in, the cookbook will be a great help in giving you ideas for making the best of your CSA share. Other chapters are dedicated to all sorts of meats and fish, reflecting Connecticut’s diverse landscape. And don’t miss the dessert chapter! Besides the blueberry coffee cake, there are a host of other great recipes for classics like strawberry shortcake to quintessential lavender cookies, for those who believe lavender cookies are quintessential.
Enjoy the book, I certainly did, and let’s take a guess as to where Tracey is going next!
Thanks to Tracey for the book and the cover photo!
