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Athens Locally Grown
athens.locallygrown.net
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Recipes

Cauliflower Saffron Dill Risotto

Risotto is commonly served as a first course, but served with a salad it’s a great meal on its own. The possibilities are endless: vegetables, meats, seafood, cheese, or a combination of any of these. You have only to master the simple, basic technique of preparing risotto, and you will always be less than an hour away from a fantastic, satisfying meal. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.

Serves 4 to 6

5 cups light vegetable, chicken, or beef stock
1/2 teaspoon chopped saffron threads
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 pound cauliflower (about 1/2 head), finely chopped
2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
salt
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1. In a large pot, heat the stock to just below a simmer. Stir in the saffron.
2. Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a heavy, preferably enamel-coated cast- iron pot. Heat over medium-high until butter is melted. Add the onion; cook over medium-high heat until onion is slightly golden, about 10 minutes.
3. Set some water to heat in a tea kettle or saucepan in case you need it in the next steps.
4. Add the cauliflower to the onions in the pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rice and add salt to taste; cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is lightly brown, 3 minutes.
5. Add 1/2 cup of the hot stock; cook, stirring constantly, until all the stock is absorbed by the rice, 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Continue as described above, adding another 1/2 cup of stock after each addition is fully absorbed. This will take between 25 and 30 minutes total. The rice should not be mushy and should have a little bite in the center. If you have run out of stock, and the rice is still not tender enough, continue with hot water.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining butter and the Parmesan cheese and dill.

Market News

Athens really gets to show off our local food system this winter, as the Georgia Organics annual conference is being held in Athens on February 18-20. The keynote speaker will be Slow Food Founder and Leader, Carlo Petrini. Also attending is Woody Tasch, a leader of the “Slow Money” movement, and Alice Varon, director of the Certified Naturally Grown program. And at least 1200 others, all dedicated to the sustainable production and distribution of healthy locally grown foods. For the first time, they’re opening up the trade show portion of the conference to the general public, but if you’d also like to attend the conference itself (there are tracks for farmers, gardeners, cooks, and others you’d be interested in) they will be opening up registration very soon. Even if you won’t be attending yourself, please consider this: to make the travel expenses more affordable for farmers who travel from across the state (and beyond), Georgia Organics is looking for Athens households willing to host a farmer in their home during the conference. Check your calendars, see if you have a room you’re willing to share, and if so please let Georgia Organics know by emailing Jonathan Tescher at jonathan@georgiaorganics.org or by filling out the form you can find at http://athens.locallygrown.net/files/document/document/334/2010HomeStaysForm.pdf.

We have a new vendor this week. Zocalo Salsas is a fixture at many Atlanta area farmers markets with their freshly made salsas and tamales, made with locally grown ingredients, and now you can also find them at Athens Locally Grown.

In addition, you’ll find the new products carousel is full of new listings from the rest of our growers. There are 724 products listed at the moment, which is pretty good for a farmers market in December, I’d say.

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Coming Events

The Athens Farmers Market has closed for the winter. You can watch for news during the offseason on their website. The other area markets are also all closed for the season too. All but Athens Locally Grown, that is.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!