Still story by MIA CARBONE
photos by DOUGLAS MERRIAM
n honor of our Farm and Ranch Issue, we sought out a chef who has been at the forefront of the Santa Fe farm-to-table movement. Chef Matt Yohalem, owner of Il Piatto Italian Farmhouse Kitchen, stands out for his longstanding dedication to local farm-grown produce. “I’ve been doing this since the ’80s,” Chef Matt says. In the four-star New York City kitchens where he was trained, “farm to table wasn’t a movement, it was the way people cooked.” Chefs simply wanted the best produce, and the best produce happened to come directly from the farm. “I thought that was how you were supposed to cook,” the chef says with a laugh. “It was the best quality, and you picked out exactly what you wanted.” Today, over two decades into his Santa Fe restaurant tenure, Chef Matt remains true to his roots. He shops for his produce directly from the farmer—be it at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, from the farm or delivered by the farmer to Il Piatto. This is, he finds, “a more economical way to go. There’s no warehouse, no administration or bureaucracy—I talk directly to farmers, who deal directly with me.” Chef Matt mentions Lorenzo Candelaria, a farmer down in Albuquerque’s South Valley. “With the crazy weather here [in Santa Fe], I’ve been so lucky to have him down there,” he says. “I buy everything he grows.” Part of the beauty of buying directly from the farmer is that the menu becomes subject to the season, to the yield and even to the farmer’s suggestions. Recently, Chef Matt has been cooking with bok choy, herbs, turnips, beets and spinach from Albuquerque—including all 54 pounds of Lorenzo’s asparagus. “When I first got here from New York, there was something that hit me—the sun, the type of soil, what’s in the water….” There’s something special, Chef Matt says, about New Mexico produce. Then he laughs and in his New York accent shares a joke he tells to his students at the cooking school: “Vegetables the size of a basketball? Only in New Mexico. [Here in Santa Fe,] we’re just south of Los Alamos—that’s why we have super vegetables.”
Grilled ProsciuttoWrapped Asparagus with Spiced Mascarpone 12 stalks fresh spring asparagus ¼ cup crème fraîche ¼ cup fresh cream 1 lemon, juice and zest ½ teaspoon red chile powder Salt and pepper 2 Tablespoons Mascarpone 4 slices prosciutto di Parma 8 basil leaves 1 Tablespoon grated parmigiano cheese In a large pot of rapidly boiling, lightly salted water, cook asparagus for 3 minutes. Remove and shock in an ice bath. Pat dry with a paper towel and refrigerate. In a small mixing bowl, combine crème fraîche, fresh cream, lemon juice, zest and chile powder. Add salt and fresh ground pepper. Add the Mascarpone. Reserve.
| Chef Matt Yohalem, owner of Il Piatto Italian Farmhouse Kitchen
Photo: Kate Russell
The following recipes are Chef Matt Yohalem’s creations, which can be made in large part with farm-fresh, local ingredients. Enjoy!
On a clean surface, lay out prosciutto slices. Top each with two basil leaves and sprinkle with cheese. Add 3 asparagus spears to the center of 1 prosciutto slice and roll up tightly. Complete with all 4 slices. On a hot grill or broiler, grill the bundles until slightly charred. As they cook, the prosciutto will tighten the bundles. When sufficiently charred, serve immediately as an appetizer, side or small salad. Garnish with spiced Mascarpone.
36
JUNE 2014
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