FARM TO TABLE: RECIPES FROM INDIAN RIDGE

21 Jun FARM TO TABLE: RECIPES FROM INDIAN RIDGE

Editor’s note: For those who may not have known the story, we introduced Indian Ridge Farm & Bakery a few weeks with the first recipe from Barclay Daryani, co-owner. You can say “hi” to Barclay and husband Tony every Friday at the Indian Ridge stand at the Telluride Farmers Market. You can join their CSA farm, which now feeds 65 families, online. And if you don’t let any grass grow, you may get lucky and be able to attend the next farm fresh dinner the couple is hosting at Indian Ridge on Saturday, July 28. Dinner and tour start at 6 p.m. Cost, $75/person. Call 970-327-4762 to reserve a place.

Everything here on the farm is a little ahead of schedule this year. Last year our scapes weren’t ready until the beginning of July. What are garlic scapes? Garlic scapes are the soft, lime-green-colored stems and unopened flower buds of hard-neck garlic varieties. Scapes have a mild garlic flavor and a slight sweetness, which makes them a prized addition in the kitchen. You can find them in the early summer and mid fall at farmers’ markets. If you grow your own garlic (which is easy), trim the scapes off before their flowers open. That forces the plant to focus on bulb production and increases the size of the garlic cloves. Add them to the parsley or other herbs, if you like, for a wonderful pesto.

The chopped Chinese Cabbage slaw came from Susan Ritchie and is one of our favorites!  So easy and very delicious!


My Aunt Denise introduced me to the idea of garlic-scape pesto. Here I use it to sauce pasta; you can also spread it on crostini or use as a pungent dip for crunchy vegetables. If all you have are salted pistachios, forgo the salt in the recipe and add salt to taste at the end.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8 (makes 1 1/2 cups pesto)

For the pesto:

10 large garlic scapes
1/3 cup unsalted pistachios
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Kosher salt and black pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound spaghetti

Make the pesto:

Puree the garlic scapes, pistachios, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor until very finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour the oil through the opening. Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste. (The pesto keeps in the fridge, covered, for 1 week or frozen for a month.)
In a large pot of heavily salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta-cooking water, then drain the pasta. Whisk together 2/3 cup of the pesto and the reserved pasta water and toss with the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve right away.

Chopped Chinese Cabbage Salad

Rinse, dry and chop head of cabbage, stems and all.  Place in a big bowl.
Add chopped ½ cup green or red onion.
Add 1/3 cup sliced roasted almonds

Heat together; ¼ C vinegar

¼ C honey
2 tbs. tamari
1/3 C oil

Mix well but do not boil!

Pour over salad and toss well 15. Min. before serving.