If you have not been to a chef demonstration on Saturday mornings at the Morningside Farmers Market, then you are missing your chance to see some of the best chefs in Atlanta show you how to prep and cook seasonal vegetables. This week chef Steven Satterfield of Miller Union served a beautiful fall salad with chopped lacinato kale, sugarloaf endive, and watermelon radish. Fresh turmeric was added at the last minute.
This “slaw” was placed on slowly cooked braised pork with star anise and bay and a sweet Johnny Cake. All of the vegetables and pork can be purchased at the market from one of the certified organic farmers. So many of you are looking for new dinner ideas and these demos will help you expand your palate.
The featured vegetable this past week was leeks and Steven explained how they are grown, showed how to properly wash them, and gave suggestions on how to incorporate them into recipes. As leeks grow, the farmers pat more dirt around the plant for stability and a longer stalk. The section you what to eat is the lighter green part which grows under the dirt similar to a carrot. The darker green leaves are wonderful in stocks.
To clean the leeks begin by cutting off the roots and the darker green wispy pieces. Slice the leek lengthwise in half and submerge in a bowl of water. Wash the leek and watch the dirt fall to the bottom of the bowl. Remove the leeks and place in a strainer. Do not pour the leeks in the strainer with the water unless you want dirt on your vegetables.
Now chop the leeks and place them in a bowl. Add some apple cider vinegar and several pinches of kosher salt or Back to Organic zest salts. Taste to see if you need more salt. Let the leeks pickle while you wash and chop the head of sugarloaf endive and bag of lacinato kale. Use a mandolin to thinly slice the watermelon radish and then cut into tiny slivers. Add the leeks and toss all the vegetables together. Drizzle some of the apple vinegar and Georgia Olive Oil over the top and season with salt to taste.
You can serve this as a slaw or a salad. To create a Thanksgiving side, toss in some Honeycrisp or green apple slices for a little crunch. You can even add the slaw on top of your leftover turkey sandwiches. Add a pinch of Back to Organic Tuscan Himalayan with fresh sage and lemon zest to add a different flavor to your leftovers.
Recipes from Miller Union
About the Chef
Steven Satterfield believes in a simple, rustic approach to cooking using the best, seasonal ingredients from local farms. He is a member of Georgia Organics, Slow Food Atlanta, Georgia and the Southern Foodways Alliance. He began his career at Floataway Cafe and Watershed in Decatur. Presently, he is an owner of renowned Miller Union on the Westside which just celebrated its 4th year.
Miller Union was named “Restaurant of the Year” in 2010 by Atlanta Magazine, Bon Appetit listed Miller Union as one of the the ?Best New Restaurants in America? in 2010, the James Beard Foundation nominated Miller Union as a semifinalist for the national award of best new restaurant in 2010, and Food & Wine magazine named Steven Satterfield ?People?s Best New Chef? in 2011.
I highly recommend trying the field pea hummus, beet and sunchoke ravioli with a sunchoke cream and the ice cream sandwiches with housemade cookies and ice cream only served at lunch. Please visit the Miller Union website for more information.
Next Week
Ron Eyester of Rosebud, The Family Dog, and Timone’s Local Pizza Joint will demonstrate how to use Dandelion from Woodland Gardens on Saturday, November 23rd at 9:00 following a tasting. You will not want to miss it. I thoroughly enjoyed his demo on Shrimp and Grits featured in an earlier post. See you at the market!
Credit: Photography by T. C. Brodnax.
