Winter Supper guests enjoy great local food

Great food was available (recipes below) and several information tables informed people about community gardening, growing sprouts, and FIG.

Karen Peitzmeier prepares her sprout-growing display

Students from one of Dr. Heather McIlvain-Newsad’s WIU anthropology classes greeted arriving guests, bussed tables and otherwise kept everyone comfortable.  The Macomb First Presbyterian Church hosted the event and provided a wonderful venue with plenty of comfortable seating and a spacious, modern kitchen in which to work.

Great cooks in a great kitchen!

The FIG Winter Community Supper planning team of Holly Stovall, Jamie Lane, Lisa Gruver, and Jan Welch did a terrific job putting the event together.  Local NPR station WIUM interviewed Holly Stovall at the supper and you can listen to the interview here.

Local producers Ann Runner, Kenne and Debbie Dallefeld, and others provided the food for the event from their farms in the area.  One of the goals of the event was to keep food dollars in the community and spur the local economy by buying local food.  The McDonough County Voice newspaper covered the event and helped spread the word about the availability of local food in their January 27 article. Many FIG members arrived at the kitchen at 9:00am to begin preparing the meal.  Everyone had a great time.  You can view more photos of the event that were taken by FIG memeber and WIU faculty member Dr. Joel Gruver by clicking here.

Here are recipes that were used at the supper and a list of the local producers who supplied the food.

Chili
Serves 8 or more

1# local hamburger (ours was raised by West Prairie Beef – the Dallefelds)
1 large onion chopped
1 green or red pepper chopped
1 bulb of garlic minced
1 quart of tomatoes
1# dried red beans
1# black beans
1 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp chili powder
sea salt to taste

Rinse, drain, soak and cook beans as directed. Chop onions, peppers, garlic. Cook hamburger, drain, then add onions peppers, and garlic. After beans are fully cooked, add tomatoes, hamburger mixture, cumin, chili powder and salt. Let simmer.
NOTE: Do not add the tomatoes to the beans until they are fully cooked. May add a can of corn and a jar of salsa.

Italian Chickpea Soup
Serves 8

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth( or cooking water from sweet potatoes)
2 cups water
1 med. onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 small bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper(more of less to taste)
2 16oz cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 large sweet potatoes,peeled and cut in 1/2 inch cubes(may substitute winter squash)
1 stalk celery diced
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Bring broth, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme oregano, cayenne pepper and 2 cups water to a boil in a large pot over medium heat. Simmer 5 minutes. Add chickpeas, sweet potatoes, celery and mustard and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
Mash with a potato masher (chickpeas will remain mostly whole) Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
3-4# chicken, preferably locally raised (ours was raised by Ann Runner)
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 bay leaf
1 stalk of celery chopped
1 carrot sliced
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
1# egg noodles, preferably home made and whole wheat if possible
pepper to taste
Optional:1/2 tsp dried sage or 3 fresh leaves from garden
1 tsp dried rosemary or fresh sprig from garden

Put everything but the pepper in a large soup pot and cover with one to two inches of water. Bring to a boil. At this point you can skim off foam from the top, but this stop can be omitted. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 2-5 hours, depending on how rich you like your broth. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low from 8-16 hours.
Remove vegetables and chicken. Discard vegetables. Debone chicken and shred or chop chicken and return to pot. Add noodles an simmer 5 minutes or until cooked. All pepper to taste and salt if necessary.

Tips:If you simmer with the lid on, the broth witll be lighter, while if you simmer uncovered, the broth will be slightly reduced and the flavor more concentrated. If you cook it uncovered, monitor the water level.

When you place deboned chicken back in the pot, you can also add chopped vegetables like a carrot and celery. Use what’s in your garden or available from local producers.

Sweet Potato Soup with Green Beans and Cilantro
Serves 6-8

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1-2 stalks celery chopped (optional)
1/2 cup peeled and seeded chopped tomato
1 clove garlic minced
Pinch of cinnamon or ground cumin
6 cups water or vegetable broth
4 white sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed(approx 4 cups)
1-2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro or parsley
1/2# fresh green beans, rinsed and cut into 1″ pieces

Heat the oil in a medium soup pot Toss in the onions and celery an saute them until they are lightly golden.
Add the tomatoes and garlic, cinnamon or cumin; stir and cover. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and are married to the onions.
Pour in the wate and stir. Add the sweet potatoes and cover. Bring the soup to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the potatoes are very tender. Using a stick blender, puree the soup in the pot.
Return soup to a simmer and throw in half the cilantro with the green beans. Season with salt and pepper. When the green beans are just tender(about 10 minutes), turn off the heat. Serve the soup with the remaining cilantro as a garnish.

Apple Crisp
TOTAL TIME
1 hour
Ingredients
* 6 cups peeled, cored, sliced apples or ripe pears, 2 to 3 pounds
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or more to taste
* 1 or two lemons
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 5 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the pan
* 3/4 cup oats
* 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional, but if you omit nuts add 1/2 c oats)

Preparation
1.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss fruit with half the cinnamon with enough fresh lemon juice to coat apples, and spread it in a lightly buttered 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan.
2.
Combine remaining cinnamon and sugar in container of a food processor with butter, oats and nuts; pulse a few times, just until ingredients are combined. (Do not purée.) To mix ingredients by hand, soften butter slightly, toss together dry ingredients and work butter in with fingertips, a pastry blender or a fork.
3.
Spread topping over apples, and bake about 40 minutes, until topping is browned and apples are tender. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

YIELD
6 to 8 servings

Our Food Sources for this Supper:

Fresh Tomatoes……………………………..Flour Creek Farm in Augusta
Canned tomatoes……………………………Basil’s Harvest in Elmwood
Garlic…………………………………………….Prairie Circle Farm in Macomb
Noodles………………………………………….Treats for your Tulips in Macomb
Chicken and eggs…………………………….Hickory Grove Farm in Colchester
Onions and tomatoes……………………….Cory Crawford in Ursa
Apples…………………………………………..Camp Grove Orchard in Camp Grove
Apples…………………………………………..M&M&M Farm in LaHarpe
Garlic, Butternut squash…………………..Barefoot Gardens in Macomb
Sweet potatoes, carrots, oregano, wheat…WIU Organic Program
Beef (no hormones or antibiotics)………West Prairie Farm in Macomb
Honey…………………………………………….Frey’s Farm in Monmouth
Green Beans and potatoes…………………Amish Cooperative in Macomb
Colbyjack Cheese……………………………..Ropp’s Cheese in Normal

The church is located at 400 E. Carroll St. (entrance to the building is on Dudley St.). “We chose the location of the First Presbyterian Church because it is also the home of the Loaves & Fishes Food Bank,” said FIG treasurer Jamie Lane. “This event is a great opportunity to bring attention to the affordability of simple home-cooked meals during a period of tight economic times.”

FIG is a grassroots group which is working to involve the community in supporting a fair, sustainable, and local  food system in the Macomb area.  FIG members hope the dinner will help illustrate the ability to support local growers even in the winter. In anticipation of the event, several items for the dinner were purchased at the Macomb Farmers’ Market in October and were placed in cold storage or frozen.  The chili features tomatoes and onions from the Farmers’ Market and beef from West Prairie Farm.  The butternut squash soup uses squash from Barefoot Gardens.  Both West Prairie Farm and Barefoot Gardens are located in Macomb.  The chicken in the chicken noodle soup is from Hickory Grove Farm of Colchester, and the vegetable soup includes potatoes and green beans purchased at the Macomb Farmers’ Market.  Wheat from WIU’s Allison Organic Farm is the main ingredient in the bread, and apples from M&M&m farm of LaHarpe are featured in the desserts.

Attendees will have the opportunity to take home copies of the soup recipes and estimated budgets for making each soup at family scale.  “We are excited to offer a supper in the winter with food grown by local producers and with recipes that anyone can make at home for a reasonable price,” said Holly Stovall, FIG supper committee member.

The wholesome feast is sponsored by FIG, in collaboration with members of the Service and Justice Committee of the First Presbyterian Church, Macomb.  WIU students from FIG member Heather McIlvaine-Newsad’s “Applied Anthropological Methods” class will serve the guests as part of their community service project.

In addition, guests will be able to learn about a variety of food related topics including upcoming community gardening projects under the direction of the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Administration; Sociology & Anthropology; and the School of Agriculture in collaboration with the Western Illinois Regional Council, FIG, and various community groups. For more information about the dinner, FIG, or about FIG membership, visit www.macombfig.org/blog/ or contact Jamie at 309-833-3748.



Please call Kenne and Debbie Dallefeld if you have questions or would like directions to West Prairie Farm.

Local food is delicious!

On August 8th, 2009, FIG hosted its second annual Local Foods Dinner fundraiser at Taylor Hall on the Macomb Square.  Coordinated by FIG Board of Directors member Vajo Necak, the dinner raised over $1,700.00 to support FIG projects.  Chef Dan Murphy led the FIG cooking team in providing a delicious meal to over 95 guests.  A tomato and cheese bruschett appetizer was followed by a choice of three entres: braised chicken topped by corn salsa, braised beef tenderloin with carmalized shallots and red wine jus, and a Shitake mushroom polenta tart.  A wheat berry salad with french bread baguettes and a desert of lemon pound cake topped with blueberry jam and creme fraiche rounded out the menu designed by FIG memeber Heather McIlvaine-Newsad.   The event was covered by local radio station WIUM 91.3 FM. Heather McIlvaine-Newsad’s radio commentary on the dinner asked listeners to “vote with their fork.”