What to Cook for Labor Day

The 20 participants of Ambler Farm's Labor Day BBQ cooking series will definitely not be serving the usual fare to guests at their holiday picnic this year.  How could they after tasting such amazingly delicious and easy to prepare dishes? 

"It's fast, it's done, you get the ingredients local and it's easy," said Barcelona Restaurant Group's Culinary Director Adam Halberg, who taught the class since originally scheduled restaurant proprietor Andy Pforzheimer was not able to attend.  "You don't want to be cooking all Labor Day long." 

Halberg is absolutely right.  What fun is it for you if you're stuck in the kitchen, while the rest of the family takes a last dip in the pool and plays croquet on the lawn? 

This idea of simple cooking is exactly the basis for Barcelona's spectacular success. Dishes made with local fresh ingredients taste better and the farm-to-chef-to-table movement makes for better tasting food and less time spent in the kitchen. 

Halberg, whose 12 year career as a chef has led him from The Art Institute of Atlanta to Italy then Boston and now to Connecticut, believes that local food tastes better. 

"Mainly it's because of time," said the chef.  Corn, for example, begins its conversion to starch almost immediately, which reduces its sweetness. That's why fresh local corn is always sweeter and tastier. 

And fresh and local the star ingredients of the evening were.  The summer squash, bell peppers, cucumbers, beets and tomatoes were all picked the morning of the event by farmer Ben Saunders.  The scent of fresh vegetables filled Ambler Farm's Carriage Barn's kitchen. 

While guests donned aprons, Halberg set out some 'nibbles' and a bottle of Prosecco.   Slices of Wave Hill bread were topped with a piece of hardboiled egg, mayonnaise and a special smoked paprika called Pimentón de La Vera.  Every single piece disappeared into smiling mouths within minutes. 

Once in groups, guests got started wielding santoku knives to chop vegetables and used mandolins for Carpaccio-thin slicing of the squash.  The shaved summer squash salad topped with arugula was a hit just like the beet salad with Valdeon cheese, grilled pork tenderloin with Egyptian-spiced eggplant, and gazpacho. 

Guests were thrilled to experience the event, since once posted online, it sold out almost immediately.  Ambler Farm board member Erin Willigan left work early and travelled up from her home in Manhattan to attend the class with her mother Ann and friend Carol Boas.  "It's just perfect," said Willigan.  "We're going to cook everything he is making!" 

Ambler Farm's next class in their cooking series will be held on October 14^th and will feature a harvest theme.  Sign up to receive email notification about this and upcoming events at www.amblerfarm.org.