With the Whistler Farmer’s Market well underway for the summer The Insider is hooking up with local chef Jen Godbout for an ongoing look at what’s fresh at the Market this week, and how to prepare it for a tasty meal. Take it away Jen!
Guest Blogger: Jen Godbout
I choose to shop at the Farmers’ Market for a lot of reasons but mainly it’s because the locally produced food has usually been picked within the last 24 hours so it tastes fresh, and better. As well, eating in-season from the market inspires me to try different vegetables and get more creative in the kitchen. Meeting the farmers that grow my food gives me the chance to say “thanks” for all the hard work they do and directly support the local economy. Plus the Farmers’ Market is always fun and a good place to bump into friends.
It’s still early in the growing season but this week I purchased the pre-bagged stir-fry mix from Pemberton’s Bandit Farms booth and grabbed some extra spring garlic as well. The stir-fry bag was filled with beautiful fresh seasonal greens like sui choy, rainbow swiss chard, kale, green garlic, spring onion, beet tops, carrots and hakurei turnips. Delicious. I added a bit of fresh ginger I had at home and that was it— another fresh and delicious market meal.
Bandit Farms stir-fry, before and after. JEN GODBOUT PHOTOS.
Bandit Farms Stir-Fry
Ingredients:
> 1 tbsp of safflower oil (any oil that can handle high heat)
> 1 bulb of green garlic finely chopped
> 1 knuckle of ginger finely chopped
> 2 spring onions thinly sliced
> 2 carrots chopped into half moons
> 1 turnip chopped into half moons
> 8 cups of uniform bite sized seasonal greens
> 2 tbsp of Bragg (soy sauce or Tamari will also work)
> 1/2 cup of chicken stock
Method:
> Add the oil to the hot wok, then sautée garlic, ginger and spring onion for 20 seconds. Add carrots and turnips and seasonal greens, and Bragg. Then swirl the chicken stock around the side.
> Finish with a drizzle of sesame seed oil and sprinkle some sesame seeds.
> Dinner is served in 5 minutes.
Jen’s Bonus Tips for Stir-Fry Cooking:
One of the secrets to cooking in my opinion is to be present, and focus on what you’re doing. When it is time to eat, everything else can wait.
1) Always use fresh seasonal ingredients (words to live by)
2) A hot wok works best. Turn the burner on the stove up to high, you’ll know it is ready when you flick water droplets into the wok and they evaporate within 2 seconds.
3) Stir-frying happens quickly 3-5 minutes from start to finish. Be prepared, have all your ingredients cut up into uniform bite sized pieces. Watch for the change in color and texture, move them out of the pan quickly to avoid over cooking.
4) Use dry vegetables, so you don’t end up steaming or brasing them. This can be done is a salad spinner or simply patting them dry with a tea towel.
5) Sauce is usually the last step, swirl your sauce down the side of the pan so it doesn’t change the temperature of the food and you get
Dedicated to the promotion of locally produced foods and crafts, the Whistler Farmers’ Market happens every Sunday May to October in the Upper Village at the base of Blackcomb Mountain. Find more info on the Market or anything related to Whistler at Whistler.com