Farmhouse / Vol. 2

FARMHOUSE A Farm & Food Magazine / Vol. 2

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IN THE SPRING

AT THE END OF THE DAY

YOU SHOULD

SMELL LIKE DIRT. - Margaret Atwood

FARMHOUSE A Farm & Food Magazine / Vol. 2

WORKPLACE GARDENS

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COMMUNITY: COOK BOOK CLUB

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PENDLETON’S COUNTRY MARKET

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M & J CATTLE RANCH

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PACHAMAMA’S

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ON THE TABLE

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SEASONAL WINE PAIRINGS

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THE BOOK ON MY SHELF

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photos by Dana Hangauer, except where noted A project of Four Birds Media / (785) 766-5669 / info@thefarmhousemagazine.com Lawrence / Kansas

fresh. local. seasonal PACHAMAMAS.COM TELE 785.841.0990 800 NEW HAMPSHIRE LAWRENCE, KS 66044

WORKPLACE GARDENS

by Karrey Britt of the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department

Workplace gardens are beginning to sprout across Lawrence as employers are realizing the many health benefits.

There’s the fresh produce, exercise, stress relief and more importantly, social interaction.

“Gardens get people out interacting with other people,” Aimee Polson, a community gardener, said. “There’s that bonding while working on the garden, looking at it and eating the produce. Gardens help people connect.”

Polson coordinates the gardening efforts at KU Endowment Association, where she works as gift planning administrator.

KU Endowment has about 150 employees and is located in a three-story building on the university’s West campus. This is the fourth season for its garden, which has grown in employee participation and size.

In 2010, it started as a salsa garden — tomatoes, peppers, basil and onions — inside a couple of raised beds that had been used for plants and flowers. It was such a hit that employees decided they wanted to plant more, so they moved the garden into areas on each side of the building’s back patio. The new location made the garden more accessible for employees who wanted to take a peek at what’s growing, pick a tomato or two for lunch or take a break and pull a few weeds.

Laurie Comstock, who helped spearhead the garden as part of a wellness initiative, said Polson has been instrumental in the garden’s success. She’s not only passionate about gardening, but also organized and a good communicator. Polson informs employees about the garden — what’s ready to pick, how to pick it and what to do with it — through emails, flyers and a newsletter.

The garden’s produce is available to all employees whether they work in the garden or not. Last year’s garden yielded an assortment of produce: cantaloupe, zucchini, beets, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, herbs, hot peppers, tomatoes and more.

This year, they are looking forward to asparagus.

As for the work, Polson asks employees to sign up if they are interested. Last year, 18 people signed up and then she assigned them one day per week to work in the garden. There were at least three people per day, so if someone was on vacation others were available to work in the garden. She also placed a bucket of hand tools beside the back door for anyone to use.

“That was smart,” Comstock said. “What Aimee has done is make it easier for others to help.”

The biggest challenge has been getting employees to take the free, fresh produce. So, the garden workers will pick produce and distribute it among the three floors. They’ve also put herbs in bags to take home. They’ve used produce like cantaloupe at social events. Polson has even picked basil and tomatoes from the garden and then combined them with

cheese to make kabobs as an appetizer for a work event.

“We started out really tiny and last year, it was much more fun to walk by and see what was growing,” Comstock said.

Last June, employees at Health Care Access, a clinic for the uninsured, started a small garden. With some money from the wellness budget, they bought wooden boards, stakes and dirt and created a raised bed in front of the clinic at 330 Maine St. They planted summer squash, tomatoes and basil.

“We were worried that we planted it too late because it didn’t take off at first, but a few weeks later it was like, ‘Boom,’ the whole box was full, so it worked out pretty well,” explained Haley Harrington, navigator and wellness coordinator.

Harrington led the efforts despite no gardening experience, but she had lots of people to lean on for advice, including Director Shelly Wakeman, who used to help her father with gardening.

“My dad had an amazing garden,” she said. Wakeman fondly recalled her father taking 5-gallon buckets of tomatoes to church on garden swap day. “The tomatoes were huge. I will never have tomatoes like that again. He was a wonderful gardener.”

Wakeman is following in her father’s footsteps with bigger plans for the clinic’s garden this year. She would like to plant some spring crops like lettuce, and then get the summer crops in earlier this year.

“Hopefully, we get some serious tomatoes this year,” she said.

Wakeman said the benefits of the garden far outweigh the costs. She said the garden has helped employees better connect with patients. “It’s a conversation starter. Sometimes they remember as kids having a garden or they think they could do a garden,” she said. “I think it’s really important to show people just how easy it is to grow some tomatoes or herbs to make their food taste better.”

The clinic also provided recipes that contained four or five ingredients and didn’t require a lot of cooking items, just a cutting board, knife and skillet.

“That was really effective. The recipes disappeared pretty quickly,” Wakeman said.

The garden’s produce was available to anyone — patients or employees — and was mostly maintained by Harrington, Wakeman and three student interns.

“For me, it’s like a little mental health break in the summer when it’s so nice outside and you’re in the office working,” Wakeman said. “It’s nice to go see what’s growing in the garden or to pull a few weeds — just a 10-minute break. Back in the olden days, everybody went outside and smoked, but we don’t do that anymore which is great. Now, we kind of miss that outdoor time so that’s what I like about the garden.” FH

COMMUNITY

THE COOK BOOK CLUB If you love cookbooks, cooking, eating (and talking about cookbooks, cooking & eating), this is the group for you. Each month, the Lawrence Public Library Cookbook Club focuses on a type of cuisine. Group members then dig into their cookbooks to find and make an appropriate recipe. The group meets on the second Monday of each month, samples the dishes and discusses the recipes.

For more information, please contact Polli Kenn / pkenn@lawrencepubliclibrary.org

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PENDLETON’S COUNTRY MARKET 1446 East 1850 Road Lawrence, Kansas

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JOHN & KAREN PENDLETON SMILE A LOT.

As activity around their farm and country store picks up in the spring, the couple smiles at each other from across the greenhouse and sales floor. They greet customers with big smiles. When they tell stories of their 35 years of farming, they smile and laugh.

says. “If you don’t love farming, it’s not a very wise career choice.”

When the rain refuses to fall and the humidity is heavy, they still smile.

“1979 had unbelievable crops, the weather was perfect and prices were very, very high,” Karen says. “We thought we had hit the lottery with this farming thing.”

“When you’ve been doing this as long as we have, you really can’t do anything but smile,” Karen says, with a smile of course.

For more than 35 years, John and Karen have farmed a broad stretch of land east of Lawrence. Theirs is a second-generation family farm. In 1979 the couple moved back after college to help John’s parents manage a cattle feedlot and about 1,000 mostly rented acres of row crops. John’s father had one piece of advice when his said expressed an interest in taking over the family business.

“He told John, very point blank, ‘If you don’t love this as much as I do, find something else to do.’ That sounds like a fun story to tell 35 years later, but it’s true,” Karen

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That first year in the business proved to be both a blessing and a curse.

Then the 1980s hit, and the lottery dried up. The reality of farming in Kansas hit home.

“Well, those years weren’t as fun as 1979,” Karen says with a laugh. “We learned very quickly we needed to diversify if we were going to survive. There was a lot of talk among farmers about alternative crops, finding less traditional products to raise and sell. We decided on asparagus.”

As a ‘test-run,” the Pendletons planted a half-acre of asparagus. The crop was relatively easy to grow and sold surprisingly well. The following year the couple added hydroponic tomatoes and rhubarb. When those sold well, Karen and John knew they were on to something.

“We had a brilliant marketing idea,” Karen says while shaking her head and laughing. “We said customers could only buy 10 lbs of asparagus a season. I mean, who buys 10 lbs of asparagus at a time? But we sold out that first year and people began to pre-order. So, I guess a lot of people buy 10 lbs at a time!”

Karen and John had another marketing coup. Instead of absorbing the added labor cost to pick the crop, the Pendleton’s advertised a ‘pick-your-own’ plan. Consumers received a discount on per-pound price if they showed up and picked the crop themselves. The idea took off and to this day remains a big draw to the farms.

“Our customers started asking for other plants, so we started growing bedding plants,” Karen says. “We closed the feedlot to concentrate on vegetables, perennials and plants. We started putting a lot more work into our store and selling directly to consumers.”

That plan has worked for the couple. After nearly 30 years, the Pendletons have established themselves as one of the go-to shops for seasonal flowers and vegetables in Northeast Kansas. The couple is a mainstay at the Lawrence Farmers’ Market and play host to busloads of school kids every spring. In fact, Karen says, kids and consumers often refer her to as “The Asparagus Lady” across the region.

“We love dealing directly with customers,” Karen says.

“That’s the main reason we’ve kept most of our business as direct-to-consumers. John and I both enjoy working with people and getting them our products. The social aspect of our business is one of the best parts.”

Karen says that, although they are dedicated to the Lawrence Farmers’ Market and love Lawrence customers, only about 25% of their income derives from the Lawrence market. The majority of their business comes from Kansas City. Karen has a simple explanation for that.

“I think it’s more exciting for someone to drive out here from Kansas City,” she says with a shrug of her shoulders. “I think most Lawrence people don’t consider driving to our farm as an adventure. For someone in suburban Kansas City, it’s more of an experience.”

Spring on the farm is spent in the greenhouse planting and transplanting seedlings, digging asparagus crowns and getting ahead on paperwork. Karen is a very orga-

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nized person and with a few strokes on her laptop can explain exactly how many seeds she has ordered from each catalogue and company they use. She is in charge of the ordering, organizing and paperwork. John “wears the muddy boots.”

Seasonal arrangements have become a stable of Pendleton’s business. She has been creating floral arrangements for more than 30 years. Slowly the cut flowers have become a more important aspect of the farm’s income.

When flowers bloom and business picks up, so do Karen’s responsibilities to local brides. Her arrangements, bouquets and wedding pieces generate almost half of the farm’s summer income. Karen estimates she works on 3 to 5 weddings a week in spring.

Through April and May, the Pendleton’s Country Market is open 7 days a week. Business slowly grows until asparagus is ready to be picked. Asparagus harvest in Kansas normally starts about the middle of April and runs until the first of June. Spear growth depends on temperature.

If it is warm, the asparagus may need to be harvest every three days: if not, harvest is necessary every day.

“This year the asparagus took much longer to mature,” Karen says. “Our spring was very cool and that delayed growth significantly. But, it’s Kansas and we can’t control the weather. That much we’ve learned.”

Karen recommends gardeners hand-snap their asparagus above the soil surface. Snapping severs the spear at the junction between the green tender tissue and the white woody tissue below ground. Snapping doesn’t injure buried spears and insures that what you are getting is 100% edible.

“That’s another reason we encourage pick-your-own,” Karen says. “It’s pretty easy and you can eat it as soon as you pick it.”

As temperatures rise through the summer months, tomatoes, melons and corn are harvested. The rush of spring purchases subsides and traffic to the farm store becomes more consistent. Karen and John have been at this long enough to know that the only thing they can count on is that nothing will go exactly as planned.

“When you accept that, you can know you have to just work hard and smile,” Karen says.

FH

M & J CATTLE RANCH 3105 Wild Horse Road Lawrence, Kansas

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THE CATTLE AT M & J RANCH ARE HAPPY.

They spend their days roaming the hundreds of acres in Northeast Douglas County’s rolling countryside while feeding on grass with no food pellets feeding troughs in site. They use the shade from overhanging trees to escape the sun and drink from fresh ponds scattered throughout the pasture.

When the cattle have eaten the grass down to about 4 or 5 inches, the heard is moved to another part of the pasture. The method insures limited work is needed to maintain the health of the pasture and the cattle can’t be picky about what grasses they eat.

And the cattle “do a heck of a job” fertilizing the fields.

The folks that own them, Mel and Joyce Williams, are pretty happy too.

“You know, we have real affection for our cattle,” Joyce says while shaking her head. “These cows are pretty great.”

“That’s not poop,” Mel says with a quiet laugh. “That’s pasture fertilizer. Either way, you probably don’t want to step in it.”

Mel and Joyce make a great pair. Mel is a strong, silent farmer with kind eyes and an easy smile. Joyce is an energetic, organized farmer’s wife that shuttles from job to job, happily explaining exactly what she’s doing and why she’s doing it. The couple run M & J Ranch and sell their 100% all-natural grass-fed and finished beef products.

They do not spray their pastures with synthetic pesticides or herbicides. During the winter, cattle feed on highquality brome and alfalfa, which is rolled out across the pasture. During the late spring and summer, cattle are rotated on lush green pastures. By not confining the animals in a stock barn, the cattle are more likely to remain healthy and prevent land erosion and groundwater contamination.

The 520-acre ranch features multiple expansive pastures through which Mel and Joyce move the cattle to feed and fertilize. The Williams practice intensive rotational grazing by herding the cattle in a defined area to graze.

The current herd is produced from two on-property bulls.

The ranch keeps bulls for about 5 years, Joyce says. The bulls share a pasture and tend to keep to themselves, often away from the herd. To control aggression, other

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males are castrated soon after birth.

Calves are weaned from their mother’s milk at about 10 months. The ranch rarely has any issues during calving season. When cows are birthing, Mel and Joyce often wake up to find new calves in the herd.

“These mamas are awfully good to their babies,” Joyce says.

“During the spring we’ll keep an eye on the pregnant ones, but we really don’t do anything to interfere. I can only think of a couple times a birth hasn’t gone smoothly. It’s just so neat to come out to the pasture in the morning and see a new calf walking next to its mama.”

“We’ve been fortunate to do well selling the meat,” Joyce says. “We have folks who come out each year and pick their cow. I guess they like seeing how the cattle are treated. I don’t think I’d like that. I always get just a little emotional when it’s time to take them away.”

Though the ranch raise both red and black Angus cattle, Mel says the black seem to sell better.

“I don’t get it,” he says with a shrug. “They are the same meat. The only difference is the color of their coat. Some marketers must have decided the Black Angus sounds better because that’s all you ever hear about.”

Joyce is a retired nurse and lactation consultant. It’s not uncommon for her to help a calf latch on to its mother in the first few days after birth.

Mel worked as a mechanic before they started cattle farming in 1994. Mel always knew he wanted to be a cattle farmer when he was a boy.

“Sure, I’ll get in there and help them out, when needed,” Joyce say with her custom matter-of-fact tone. “But once a calf gets the hang of it, they don’t need me anymore.”

“I grew up on a dairy farm, that’s why I’m a cattle farmer now,” he says with a nudge and a big smile.

The ranch has a cow/calve herd and a yearling herd of red and black Angus cattle. The ranch is known for the high quality meat of their cattle and has created a strong business selling directly to consumers. In fact, they are sold out for 2014.

The ranch is a labor of love for the Williams. The couple works the farm with the help of their son and his family, who lives just down the road. Their grandson spends the days with them, helping grandpa catch the cattle and keeping grandma on her toes.

Quarters, halves and wholes are available in the spring and fall. The ranch sells ground beef, individual steak, roasts and other cuts year-round.

“Oh, he’s just the best boy,” Joyce beams. “He makes sure we don’t rest too much out here. Not that we have that option.”

FH

PACHAMAMA’S 800 New Hampshire Street Lawrence, Kansas

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KEN BAKER COOKS FOR HIMSELF.

His dishes at Pachamama’s are a reflection of his culinary training, Midwest roots and DIY attitude. Baker mixes local ingredients, adventurous ideas and exotic finds to create wholesome New American plates. He doesn’t look to start trends; he makes what he wants to eat.

Baker taught himself to cook as a teenager. By spending time in the kitchen, he taught himself enough to start a small catering company in high school and he enjoyed some moderate success.

“Well, that first paid gig was from my dad’s friends,” Baker says. “But we got some more deals after that and had a nice little run. Granted, I really had no idea what I was doing, but we made it work.”

finger off,” Baker says. “I’m not sure how I managed to bandage it well enough to hide the cut, but I just kept working.”

Baker knew he would make his living in the kitchen, and he knew he wanted to do it right, so he enrolled in the San Francisco Bay area’s prestigious California Culinary Academy. He graduated, with honors, in 1999. He headed to New Orleans to work with Chef Daniel Bonnot at Bizou Restaurant. At that point, he needed a break.

“I’d been going at it hard since high school,” Baker says.

“I needed a break to figure out what I was going to do next.”

He traveled for a few months throughout Australia and New Zealand and then found himself back in his father’s house in St. Louis. He was sending resumes across the country, looking for an opportunity to get back into the kitchen when he heard that an old friend needed some help with his restaurant in Lawrence.

Baker’s life after high school culminated in one basic decision.

“I could cook or I could join the military,” Baker says with no hint of irony. “I chose to cook.”

Baker enrolled at KU and found a job on the line at Teller’s, quickly moving up ranks to kitchen manager. He managed that kitchen for 3 years, but things didn’t always go smoothly.

“My first day, literally my first half hour, I almost cut my

“My first gig with Pachamama’s was a 2-week job to help them during a pinch during the spring of 1999,” Ken says with a slight smile. “Well, I’m still here.”

Ken worked on staff for a time, and then was able to

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implement his ideas and soon take over operating control of the business. He hasn’t looked backed. He moved the restaurant from its former West Lawrence location to his building on the corner of 8th and New Hampshire in 2006. Business has grown to welcome much more walkup traffic, more bar business, an expansive catering outlet and a large event space.

dience with overtly adventurous dishes. I don’t do that anymore.”

“This space has allowed me to really control the whole show,” Baker says. “I don’t know if I’m a control freak, but I know how I want things to be done. My ass is on the line here, so I’m going to make sure we run the best restaurant we can.”

“You know, we’re a restaurant. If people don’t like the food, then we have a problem.”

In the nearly 10 years since the downtown space opened, it has become a Lawrence staple. The building is recognizable, accessible and almost always busy.

Pachamama’s sleek space is banked on two sides by walls of windows that look onto downtown Lawrence.

The modern design of the restaurant is offset by the work of local artists and the music of a jazz pianist.

A typical Saturday night crowd offers a great crosssection of Lawrence. One table will have two couples, dressed to the nines, enjoying cocktails and entrees; at another table sits a musician in a black t-shirt, jeans and Vans sneakers. Pachamama’s attracts both hypercritical food snobs expecting the best meal in Lawrence and blue collars looking for a welcoming bartender. By catering to himself, Baker has created a space that all of Lawrence can appreciate.

Baker rubs his tattooed forearm and sets down the coffee mug decorated with fliers from old punk rock shows.

“I fucking hate pretension,” he says. “I don’t want people to think of our place as pretentious. Yes, we serve really good food. We use really good ingredients and we take this shit very seriously, and we charge for that, but we’re not snobs. Pretentious restaurants drive me crazy.”

Baker changes his menu seasonally, always pushing himself and his staff to make the most of the most local seasonal ingredients. To the blandest palate, Pachamama’s menu might seem overwhelming, but Baker insists that his dishes are accessible and understated.

“Our food is, in many ways, very traditional,” Baker says.

“I went through my phase of trying to educate the au-

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Baker laughs as he tells stories of menu items that he was going to serve “whether they like it or not!” But at the end of the night, if the trashcan is full of half-full plates, things have to change.

Baker doesn’t compromise on quality, but has learned what he can do to satisfy his culinary creativity and create memorable meals. His menu has the stables: steaks, seafood and the phenomenal Star Bar Burgers. The most popular dishes are almost always the seasonal plates featuring local produce and proteins.

“Using locally sourced ingredients is one of the tenants of our business,” Baker says emphatically. “Whenever we can we source locally. Of course I like to support my neighbors financially, but really it’s a matter of quality control for me. I can hit the Farmers’ Market in the morning and plate that afternoon. Then I can drive to the farm the next day and talk to the growers about their business. Having those relationships helps plan menus for the upcoming season. I’ll know what will be harvested and ready to purchase.”

Now 15 years into Pachamama’s, Baker hasn’t tired of the day-to-day grind of the restaurant business. In fact, he thinks things are just getting started.

“I think the public is now becoming more educated on food and food-related ideas,” he says. “The entire farmto-table movement is really positive and I think will only help our restaurant, other great local restaurants and local food producers. Also, I think more people are willing to try new dishes. That also opens a lot of doors for us.”

Baker says he’s gotten pretty good at identifying young talent, and that that has allowed him some time to step back from the kitchen galley.

“I’m still in there grinding,” he says. “But now I focus a little more on helping these other guys get better at what they are trying to do. I think I’m a little more open to accepting some ideas for dishes. When one of my guys comes up with something new, it’s just the best. I’ll let them cook for me any day.”

FH

ON THE TABLE Seasonal recipes from local cooks.

Seared Salmon with Roasted Beets & Arugula Salad / From The Roost Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette 1 shallot 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar 1 tsp Dijon 1.5 Tbsp roasted garlic puree 1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan ¾ cup olive oil Add first five ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended.

Slowly add olive oil until emulsified.

Roasted Beets Peel beets and chop to consistant size. Toss in olive oil, salt & pepper, then spead evenly in pan and roast at 350º for 45 minutes. Check & toss in pan ½ way through cook time.

Salmon 1 Tbsp olive oil on Med-high heat in medium sautee pan. Sear each side approximately 4 minutes, starting skin side up.

Simple Spring Kale Salad / The Merc 1 bunch washed Kale, de-stemmed & torn into small pieces 2 Tablespoons honey or agave nectar 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 minced garlic cloves 1/8-1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper Cayenne Pepper Dressing 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Italian-Style Rigatoni with Mushrooms Antonio Lopalco’s & Patrizio Ceccagnoli 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, cut in half 1/2 a pound of bacon, chopped 1 pound (one small basket) shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1 dozen of cherry tomatoes, cut in half 4 oz white wine 4/5 of a pound rigatoni pasta 1 tsp chopped rosemary, plus sprigs for garnish salt and black pepper Parmesan cheese Directions Brown the garlic in olive oil.

Add the bacon and the chopped rosemary and remove the garlic.

When the bacon is almost done, add the mushrooms and white wine and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and let it cook for other 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper.

In the meantime, boil the pasta in salted water.

One minute before the pasta is ready, add 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking water to the sauce.

Saute the pasta in the pan with the sauce and serve with grated parmesan cheese, fresh pepper and rosemary.

Morel Mushroom Poppers Dana Hangauer

4-6 medium-sized fresh morel mushrooms, stems trimmed 2-3 oz chipotle gouda cheese, sliced into 1/4 inch thick batons 1 whole egg plus 1 Tbsp water, lightly beaten 1/2 cup panko 1 cup vegetable oil sea salt, to taste Directions: Rinse the morels to remove any visible dirt. Soak mushrooms in cold, salted water for 20 minutes to remove debris from interior. Drain and gently dry on paper towels.

Fill mushrooms with sliced cheese, carefully stuffing 1-2 batons per mushroom. Repeat until all of the morels are filled and set them aside.

Mix the egg and water in a small bowl. Fill a second bowl with panko bread crumbs and season to taste with sea salt.

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating up, dredge the cheese-filled morels in egg wash, and roll in panko until coated completely.

Gently drop into the hot oil. Repeat with remaining morels, but do not crowd the pan. When the bottom is golden-brown, turn each morel with tongs.

Remove cooked morels to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm. Serve with lemon wedges.

CITY WINE MARKET 4821 W 6th Street Lawrence, Kansas

SEASONAL WINE PAIRINGS Steve & Jamie from City Wine Market pair wines with our seasonal dishes.

Morel Mushroom Poppers

Italian-Style Rigatoni with Mushrooms

Mushrooms and wine are a classic pairing. Typically, the wines that do best with mushrooms are light to medium bodied whites and reds that show a nice balance of fruit and earth notes. Pinot Noir and its white variant, Pinot Gris, are delicious wines with mushrooms, as are wines made from the Italian red grape Sangiovese and some lightly oaked Chardonnays.

This pairing doesn’t require over thinking. The recipe calls for four ounces of white wine, which should be dry (not sweet) and unoaked. For simplicity, it probably makes sense to use the same wine in your recipe that you’ll enjoy with the meal. And given that this is an Italian dish, it also probably makes sense to stick with an Italian wine - hey, things that grow together, go together.

WINE PAIRING: Pinot Noir or Pinot Gris from Oregon; Sangiovese from Tuscany, Italy; and Chardonnay from Burgundy, France.

For this recipe, an Italian Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco or Trebbiano would all work well. All these grapes produce wines that are light to medium bodied, fairly crisp, and perfect sippers for the season’s warmer weather.

Simple Spring Kale Salad

We paired this with a Pinot Grigio/Verduzzo blend from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy.

This recipe offers a useful lesson in wine pairing.

Kale, like many leafy greens and vegetables, can pose some challenges to wine pairing. Greens are by their nature, vegetal. The problem is that excessive vegetal or “green” flavors can make some wines taste under-ripe and seem out of balance. In others however--particularly Sauvignon Blanc and Gruner Veltliner--green notes are a component of the wine’s natural flavor profile, even when the grapes are fully ripe. In these cases, the green flavors are balanced and integrated with other complimentary “non-green” flavors. In these cases, the green flavors don’t seem out of place.

The other issue here is acid. High levels of acid from vinegar or citrus in dressings can leave the accompanying wine tasting flat, particularly if the wine doesn’t posses the same high acidity. One way of getting around this is by using a cream-based dressing. But if the recipe calls for a vinaigrette, substituting a softer acid, like sherry vinegar or white balsamic vinegar, can be a good fix.

When we prepared this recipe, and knowing that we’d be having wine with it, we did substitute white balsamic for the cider vinegar. But given that the recipe only calls for two tablespoons of cider vinegar, such a substitution is really not critical in this case.

WINE PAIRING: Sauvignon Blanc from California or Gruner Veltliner from Austria.

WINE PAIRING: Italian Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco or Trebbiano

Seared Salmon with Roasted Beets & Arugula Salad Salmon and roasted beets both love Pinot Noir. The wine’s typical flavor profile of cherries/berries, spice and earth does wonderful things for both. Pinot’s tangy acidity, soft tannins and silky texture are perfectly matched for the delicate texture and taste of salmon and the earthiness of some Pinots, particularly those from Oregon, melds very well with the earthiness of the beets.

If you are sold on white wine however, look to Pinot Noir’s offspring, Pinot Gris or Pinot Blanc. They too will work well.

WINE PAIRING: Pinot Noir, particularly one from Oregon; Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, particularly those from Oregon or France’s Alsace region.

Steve Wilson & Jamie Routledge operate City Wine Market in West Lawrence. The shop offers a vast selection of wines and craft beers. Wine tasting, wine pairings and answers to any wine questions available.

(785) 856-2489

THE BOOK ON MY SHELF Evan Williams / Evan Williams Catering

The New Best Recipe I buy a lot of cookbooks and recipe books and I make it a point to read as much as I can. I really adore this book and keep going back to it. I had been reading Cook’s Illustrated for years. This book is a combination of those great recipes.

The book is a result of a very elaborate and scientific test kitchen. The authors find as many recipes for a dish as they can; they make them and publish the best recipe. It’s phenomenal. They give great explanations for what makes the recipes work so well.

Baking isn’t my strong point, so this book is my go-to for baking help. There is so much more science involved in baking, and the recipes really do an exceptional job explaining the reasons for each ingredient. I love the science behind the food. I’ve used this book to bake the best corn muffin I’ve ever had.

I refer to my copy a few times every week. It’s a little beat up and torn up, but I always have it around the kitchen.

FH

Your family is growing.

So are we.

For years, families just like yours have trusted the physicians of Mt. Oread Family Practice to provide comprehensive medical care for all ages. And now, to better serve our growing community, we’ve added a new family practice in Lawrence: Total Family Care is now accepting patients at the 4th

John Gravino, DO

W. Greg Stueve, MD

Thomas Marcellino, MD

Street Health Plaza.

Both practices offer a full range of medical and diagnostic services, complete with on-site lab services, patient education and more.

Get comprehensive care for your whole family at one location that’s most convenient for you.

Karen Evans, DO

Patricia D. Neis, APRN-C

3510 Clinton Parkway Place, Suite 210, Lawrence

(785) 842-5070 www.lmh.org/mtoread

Call now for an appointment.

Sherri Vaughn, MD

Joy Murphy, MD

Luis Salazar, MD

Bethany K. Vardiman, PA-C

1130 W. 4th Street, Suite 3200, Lawrence

(785) 505-5850

www.lmh.org/totalfamilycare