Josh Kilmer-Purcell - The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook: 100 Delicious Heritage Recipes from the Farm and Garden

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press. 2014 by Beekman 1802, LLC Photographs 2014 by Paulette Tavormina All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher. Photographs by Paulette Tavormina except for images by Johannes Worse Berg Book design by Amy C. King Food styling by Paul Grimes Prop styling by Cindy DiPrima Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher ISBN 978-1-60961-575-8 hardcover ISBN 978-1-60961-576-5 ebook We inspire and enable people to improve their lives and the world around them. rodalebooks.com FOR ALL THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO GROWNo occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden.THOMAS JEFFERSON O ne warm summer day, a family with a 4-year-old came to visit us at Beekman Farm.

As we walked around the heirloom vegetable garden52 raised beds on a half-acre plot in the heart of the farm, the child was fascinated by pulling carrots out of the ground, biting into a sugary pea pod, and plucking nasturtium blossoms and popping them into his mouth. The boys father commented, I cant believe this! We can never get him to eat vegetables at home. Overhearing, the child looked up with his two fists full of salad greens and said, These are vegetables? As the follow-up to the bestselling The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook and The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook, we wanted to create a book that would help people make the most of each season and provide recipes that make each vegetable taste like something so special that the 4-year-old in all of us would be impressed. Like most home cooks, we start our meals by looking in the refrigerator, the pantry, and the cabinets (and the garden) for what ingredients we have on hand. The recipes in this book are meant for everyday usedishes youll likely be able to make from the items you have on hand or have found fresh in the marketwith results so delicious that you wont even mind making them over and over again. Our goal is for you to use them so often that youll know them like the back of your hand and wont even need the page as a reference.

As is the trademark of the other books in our Heirloom series, each recipe is accompanied by space for you to make notes and adaptations, and each seasonal section includes pages for you to include your familys own favorite meals. After all, its your contributions that ultimately transform our collection of pretty paper into an heirloom for your own family. Eat all of your vegetables, or you cant have dessert. How many of us heard this when growing up? Vegetables, for some reason, have often required the hard-sell approach. In creating The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook, we were influenced by the gardening catalogs that fill our mailbox in January and Februarywell-timed for when winter has left the landscape of the farm its bleakest. For hundreds of years, Americas seed houses have utilized nearly every marketing tool ever created to inspire a love affair with their little illustrated packets of hope.

Their saturated images create fantasies of voluptuous produce and exceptional harvests. But they also promise that all of us can become farmers of something and that self-sufficiency can be both beautiful and delicious. If this unpretending pamphlet should aid, even in a humble way, to advance the interest of agriculture, or contribute to the enjoyments of rural life, the object of our ambition will have been fully accomplished, and our efforts stimulated to renewed exertion.DAVID LANDRETH, 1848, FOUNDER OF D. LANDRETH SEED COMPANY, THE OLDEST SEED HOUSE IN AMERICA For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed dessert and the unclimbed ridge. LYNDON B. LYNDON B.

JOHNSON

SERVES 4 T heres still a little chill in the air when the first peas are ready for picking. This soup is perfect in the spring when young lettuces are around. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter2 leeks, thinly sliced and well washed6 cups tender green lettuce leaves, well washed and driedcup fresh mint leaves2 cups shelled fresh green peas (see Tidbit)teaspoon coarse (kosher) saltteaspoon freshly ground black pepper2 cups chicken or vegetable brothcup heavy cream2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the lettuce and mint and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lettuce is very tender. Stir in the peas, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.

Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the peas are tender and the flavors have blended. Working in 2 batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Add the cream and lemon juice and blend. Serve hot.