Founding Farmers - The Founding Farmers Cookbook: 100 Recipes for True Food & Drink from the Restaurant Owned by American Family Farmers

The Founding Farmers Cookbook copyright 2013 by Founding Farmers, LLC. Photographs on pages iii, xii, and 211 copyright 2013 by Greg Powers. Photographs on pages xiv and 54 copyright 2013 by North Dakota Farmers Union. All other photography copyright 2013 by Rene Comet. Illustrations copyright 2013 by The General Design Company. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC,
an Andrews McMeel Universal company,
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

www.wearefoundingfarmers.com

ISBN: 978-1-4494-4616-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013938126

Design concept The General Design Company
Photographer Rene Comet
Photography Assistant Steven Redfearn
Food stylist Lisa Cherkasky
Prop Stylist Audrey Weppler

ATTENTION: SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES Andrews McMeel books are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchase for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail the Andrews McMeel Publishing Special Sales Department: specialsales@amuniversal.com

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

I am a third-generation farmer. My family has been working the same plot of land since the 1930s. Situated about forty miles southwest of Bismarck, North Dakota, our farm devotes 1,000 acres of pasture to cows and calves, and 600 acres of fields to raising corn. Despite my core connection to the root of Americas food supply, I never imagined that I would be on the other end of the farm-to-table movement. But as a member of North Dakota Farmers Union, I have a stake in the Founding Farmers restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area.

North Dakota Farmers Union is made up of more than 40,000 farmers and ranchers in the state. Since 1927, we have been working together to develop economic and social policies, provide services to start and sustain cooperatives and related initiatives, and offer educational programs to benefit farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. Guided by the principles of cooperation, legislation, and education, North Dakota Farmers Union is committed to ensuring the prosperity of family farms, ranches, and rural communities.

The idea for Founding Farmers can be traced back to 2004, when Farmers Union began exploring getting into the restaurant business. We did so to increase our profits by putting farmers at the top of the food chain, to educate consumers by reconnecting them to the source of their food, and to promote the value and importance of American agriculture. What better place to do that than in the heart of the nations capital? After all, each state is represented in Washington, D.C., and it also serves as a hub for business and leaders from around the world.

Our first enterprise was Agraria Restaurant, which opened in June of 2006 on the Georgetown Waterfront. It showcased American farmers by using products and ingredients from sustainable and humane sources across the country. We knew our farmers, so we knew our food.

Agraria affirmed our belief that a true farm-to-table concept could be a rewarding project for North Dakota Farmers Union. After retooling and refocusing the idea of the restaurant with business partners Dan Simons and Michael Vucurevich, we opened the flagship location of Founding Farmers in September of 2008, just three blocks from the White House. With this restaurant, we sought to bring even more focus to our mission, and to make it a true example of how a sustainable business could operate.

The Founding Farmers Cookbook is the next chapter in our story. Its a mix of traditional favorites and updated classics that come from everywhereour families, our culinary team, our travels. The easy-to-use recipes and the images in this book should make you feel like youve dined at one of our restaurants.

We hope that this cookbook becomes a staple in your kitchen. We want the pages to get splattered and the corners to be turned down to mark your favorites. Consider it a starting point. A number of the recipes come with suggested variations, but you should put your own distinctive stamp on what you makeexperiment, have fun, try the unexpected.

When you go shopping, remember to support your local family farm, ranch, or farmers market, and if youre a bit more ambitious, plant a garden of your own. And, please, always consider that your choices help preserve our land and the great culture and history of American family farming.

Theres an old saying that work never ends on the farm. The same is true of our restaurants. From the fields to the table, we are tirelessly toiling to bring our guests true food and drink, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every day, 365 days a year. All of our efforts have paid offFounding Farmers has been the #1 booked restaurant in the country for more than two years (2011 to 2013) through OpenTable, the most popular online restaurant reservation system on the web. We recently opened Farmers Fishers Bakers restaurant in the space where Agraria first operated, and were looking forward to opening more ventures in the future. There are also plans to share our Founding Farmers Bar & Beverage Guide in the futurestay tuned for the details.

We farmers know that you cant take anything for grantedrains come and go; no growing season is ever the sameso were grateful for your continued support. Thank you, from the bottoms of our hearts.

Now put your apron onits time to get cooking.

ELWOOD WOODY BARTH

President, North Dakota Farmers Union
April 2013

OUT ON THE PLAINS WHERE THE WIND BLOWS FREE/THAT IS THE PLACE I AM LONGING TO BE.

The Plains I Love, words from a song sung at North Dakota Farmers Union events

INTRODUCTION

When you sit down to eat at Founding Farmers, the biggest question you might face is: Do I order the ? We know its a tough call, but enjoying food is all about making choices.

Before your plate arrives at the table, we make dozens of decisions about every dish. The process begins beyond the kitchen, out in the golden fields of the heartland, the green forests of the countryside, and the midnight blue coastal waters. There we connect with the farmers, ranchers, and fishermen who carry on Americas distinguished agricultural traditions.