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Simple, Good, and Tasty's Bookclub Tonight: Real Food, What to Eat and Why

Onward and upward!  Are you ready for another dose of book club?  We sure are! 

As the Simple, Good, and Tasty club continues, we're looking forward to tonight's discussion about Real Food: What to Eat and Why. Where do you stand on full-fat or raw milk? Organic over local? Check out our proposed discussion questions, grab the book (or not -- you know, getting all the way through the reading isn't as important as checking in and participating), and swing on over.

Thanks to our friend Kristin Hamaker, a real-food advocate and cooking instructor for creating these delicious recipes highlighting some of the fabulous "real food" ingredients covered in Planck's book.  Kristin is the happy chef and owner of Farm to Fork, a personal chef service in the Twin Cities.

Join in the conversation tonight at Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op’s Selby location from 7 to 9:00 p.m., and at the Harmony Co-op in Bemidji from 6 to 8:00 p.m. See you there!

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Basic Frittata

Frittatas, like omelettes, call for lots of great ingredients, but are limited only to your imagination. Grab whatever is fresh and create your own unique version. Add vegetables of your choice, sausage or chorizo, different cheeses and herbs. Serve with a good green salad.)

Serves 4 - 6.

Ingredients:

  • 8 large pastured eggs (preferably from Larry Schultz or other local farm)
  • ¾ cup whole milk (preferably from Cedar Summit or other local dairy)
  • 2 teaspoons parsley, chopped
  • 2 teaspoon basil or marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
  • ¾ cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter (preferably from Hope Creamery or Pastureland)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • black pepper

First, preheat your broiler and have a rack ready in the upper quarter of your oven. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl along with the milk, add the fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and shredded cheese. Melt the butter in a heavy, oven-proof medium-sized non-stick frying pan and when the butter foams, tip in the egg mix. Turn down the heat to low-medium and let the eggs cook gently for 10-15 minutes or so. Check to make sure the underneath is set and notice that the very top of your frittata is slightly runny.

Now, pop the pan under the broiler for a minute or so to set and lightly brown the top, watching all the time to make sure you don’t burn it. Slide a spatula under the frittata to free it from the pan. Slide onto a warm plate. Serve in wedges. 

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Star Prairie Trout with Cream and Dill

You can find these lovely, Wisconsin-raised trout at the Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis or at Coastal Seafoods all year round. Such a simple, and nutritious dish should be served with either a good green salad, potatoes, or other seasonal vegetable such as asparagus. 

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

Gut and fillet the trout (or have it done for you at your fishmonger’s). Rinse the fish under cool water and dry well with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the fillets, flesh side down, until golden brown. Turn the fish over, add the cream to the pan and your chopped dill. Simmer gently for a few minutes or until the trout is cooked. Taste the sauce to check the seasoning and serve immediately.

 

 

 

Tracy Morgan is a frequent contributor to Simple, Good and Tasty. She also runs Segnavia Creative, a business development and marketing firm, and serves on the board of directors for the Mississippi Market Natural Food Co-op. The last book she previewed for us was Mark Bittman's Food Matters.