Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Black Garlic

I've been big into farro this year so I was intent on making a great spring salad with it for a healthy side to go with beef tenderloin at a recent family celebration. I often linger in the produce aisle of Whole Foods, checking out any new produce they might have. Expanding my repertoire is part of being a good chef. I've never seen nor heard of black garlic until last week so I decided to buy a package. This garlic has been fermented for three weeks and the end result is a sweet and raisiny soft bulb that you can squeeze out like roasted garlic. It is not a strong and pronounced flavor, more of a nuance. I love it. Basil sprigs, lemon wedges and fennel fronds make a nice garnish for this pretty dish.

4 cups uncooked farro
1 head of black garlic
1 bunch purple spring onions (or 1 purple onion)
2 carrots
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 bulb fennel
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini
1 cup mixed sliced mushrooms (cremini, baby bella, and oyster mushrooms are my favorites)
1 bunch asparagus
1 T chopped fresh oregano
1 T chopped fresh basil
1 T chopped fresh Italian parsley
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Chop all the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and place on a large baking pan. Squeeze the cloves out of the bulb of black garlic and break into pieces. Add the garlic to the vegetables with a drizzle of the olive oil, some salt and pepper. Roast at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or just until cooked. Meanwhile, soak the farro for 20 minutes, drain, and cover again with water in a stockpot. Boil for 20 minutes on medium or until the farro is chewy but still firm. Drain the farro and toss with the roasted vegetables, fresh herbs, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss gently and then salt and pepper again to taste.

- DeeDee Arthur / Charleston, SC

Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market - Spring's Bounty

The first Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market of spring brought out the locavores en mass. Farm-fresh veggies, hand-made fresh pasta, YesUmay cookies, local pickles and the coolest ice cream cart around, Roots, made the first of many appearances.

I was particularly excited to taste some fresh pea tendrils. They can be used much like spinach, sauteed or eaten raw in a salad. I would use them to garnish a dish in a heartbeat. They are a sculptural delight.

Giddy Goat, our fab local chevre, rolled out their sampler pack of four flavors, perfect for a little wine and cheese get-together.

Purple spring onions made a special appearance. They are just gorgeous and are fabulous roasted.

Green garlic looks just like a scallion but with a kicky garlic punch. Chefs have been using green garlic heads to infuse wine for deglazing.

I'll pass on the turnips, but they're really nice to photograph.

Spring means local asparagus. They can't get any fresher or more beautiful. I'm planning to pickle some soon.

Local author/cooking diva Nathalie Dupree was doing a demo and cookbook signing. When I asked to take her picture with her latest book, she obliged and on the count of three said "Sex" (also one of my grandmother's favorite lines for producing great smiles).

- DeeDee Arthur / Charleston, SC

I'm a Superfrite!

Patat Spot
41B George St.
Charleston, SC
843.723.7438

A friend coming into town often prompts me to try a hot-spot I've been meaning to go to. In last night's case, it was Patat Spot. It means "fried-potato place" in Dutch. It's a wonderfully under-simplified name and you will further appreciate its modesty after you have tried their frites.

Ahhh..their frites!!!! These are morsels of crispy potato perfection in their paper cone and little stand. I can't explain my level of joy when these appeared on the table; it probably insulted my two little falafel patties, which sat waiting on a hunk of lettuce to be dressed at the salad bar. Nevertheless, as I learned at cooking school, "hot food hot!"

The fafafel comes as a salad option where you choose from lots of fresh, raw and healthy vegetables, plenty of pickled local vegetables, a fennel-apple salad and your more falafel-friendly cucumber-yogurt sauce, hummus, and baba ganoush. I loved the bright pickled cabbage the most and perhaps the baked pita bits as a garnish.
The falafel patties are delicious and bright green from parsley. If I was a C of C student, I would be at this salad bar religiously - they accept the school's dining card: mom and dad will PAY for you to eat here.
It's like culinary yin and yang in the Patat Spot, with the healthy vegetarian fare against the ultimate diet crashing treat - those heavenly frites. To further tempt your fried-food loving taste buds, they offer a Dutch treat called "oliebollen", a hole-free, yeasted raisin doughnut topped with powdered sugar. Everyone at my table loved them. They are moist and spongy like foccacia but with a nice crisp crunch and a moderate sugar level.

In addition to having great food, the staff was friendly and helpful and I loved the ambiance. The spot looks out at one of my favorite theaters, The Sotille, and the lovely George Street..

Eating worldly street food in glittery red seats is cushy and satisfying. As the employee's shirt said, I'm a Superfrite!

- DeeDee Arthur / Charleston, SC

Vidalia Onion Pie

This past Sunday was National Pie Day and I at least decided what my pie would be-a familiar and decadent caramelized onion pie with goat cheese and thyme, one that I have made so many times that I don't need the recipe. But I did want to share it. It is sweet and savory, rustic and elegant.

1 unbaked 8-inch pie crust, frozen
1 Tablespoon butter
2 large Vidalia onions, sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
1/2 cup of half and half
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 ounces goat cheese
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Caramelize the sliced onions in a saute pan with the butter and salt. Start on medium-low and scrape pan with a spatula periodically to get a nice golden color. Add the caramelized onions to the bottom of the pie crust and then scatter chunks of the goat cheese. Add a grind of black pepper to the onion and cheese layer. Whisk together the egg, half and half, mustard and cayenne. Pour over onions. Sprinkle the top of the pie with the Parmesan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until crust is light brown and the cheese is golden.
Top the finished pie with the chopped thyme.

Serves 6

- DeeDee Arthur / Charleston, SC

Mary Had A Little Lamb Stew

This stew has a little heat from curry powder but is tempered with sweet peppers, tomatoes, and currants for a nicely balanced array of flavors. It makes a great warming winter meal.

2 lbs. leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 sweet onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
4 cloves minced garlic
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon curry powder
2 Tablespoons currants
28 oz. diced tomatoes in juice
2 cups chicken stock
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Brown the lamb on medium high heat in two batches in 1 T of the olive oil in a large stockpot. Set the browned lamb aside. Add two cups of water to the empty pot and scrape with a wooden spoon. Pour this liquid over the reserved lamb.

Add the garlic, onion, peppers, curry powder and the other T of olive oil to the pot. Cook on medium-low for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.

Add the lamb with it's liquid, the stock, tomatoes and the currants. Simmer covered on medium-low for about 45 minutes or until the lamb is very tender. Turn off the stew and stir in the rosemary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

- DeeDee Arthur / Charleston, SC

Roasted Beet and Carrot Soup

This nutritious soup has the most gorgeous color and a silky smooth texture capable of jazzing up any dreary winter day you might encounter.

4 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 large beets, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
1 large red onion, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
6 cups chicken stock
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Roast the carrots, beets, and onion with the butter on a sheetpan at 350 degrees until tender-about 30 minutes. After baking about 10 minutes, stir the vegetables in the pan so that the butter coats them and they don't get too brown. When the vegetables are fully roasted put them in a stock pot with the ginger and the stock. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot or wait till the soup cools and puree in a blender or Cuisinart. Season the soup with salt and pepper once the soup is pureed and keep tasting and adding more until the flavors are fully brought out.

- DeeDee Arthur / Charleston, SC

Southern Veggie Burgers

These healthy burgers combine the South's favorite New Year's day staples: black eyed peas, rice, and collards for a real taste treat. I like to serve them with barbecue sauce.

1 cup cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked black eyed peas
1 sweet onion, chopped and sauteed in 1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped roasted red pepper
1 cup cooked collard greens finely chopped
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (plus another cup for dredging the outside)
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Mash or puree one cup of the black eyed peas. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Form into 6-8 large patties. Put the second cup of the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl and coat the patties on both sides with the crumbs. Saute on medium in a non-stick pan sprayed with olive oil and cook until golden, about five minutes on each side.

You could choose to bake these on a lightly oiled piece of aluminum foil, turning once after about ten minutes in a 400 degree oven.

-DeeDee Arthur / Charleston, SC