Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens: Pre-Fall Peppers!
Posted in Mario Batali's Edible Garden, Programs and Events on September 14 2012, by Matt Newman
With autumn so near at hand, you’d think the excitement would be winding down in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden. Most vegetable gardens in New York are offering up the last of their produce right about now, while green thumbs stow their trowels for the next spring planting. But at the NYBG, the best of the season is still ahead of us! In fact, the atmosphere is nearly humming with anticipation for the peak event of the summer: Mario Batali’s Edible Garden Festival. And while the legendary chef’s top culinary minds have inspired plenty of palates during Family Dinners throughout the season, it’s Mario himself that will treat your tastebuds for September’s pièce de résistance.
Now that the Family Dinners have come and gone, I got to wondering what might end up on Mario’s menu. And when you think of Italian cooking, you don’t have to be shy about it: your mind leaps straight to the tomatoes. Plump and delicious, blushing red (or yellow, or purple), they take center stage in so many of the dishes we’ve come to love. Still, while picking my way through the Family Garden in recent weeks, I thought to myself, “Why let the tomatoes hog the spotlight?” They’re delectable–don’t get me wrong–but Italy’s culinary history encompasses so much more! Mario knows this better than anyone. And when his acclaimed chefs first planted their vegetable plots, they dotted the Family Garden with leafy greens, pungent onions, and herbs enough to make your spice rack green with envy. And the peppers! So many peppers, in myriad shapes and colors.
The gardens of Esca‘s Dave Pasternack and Del Posto‘s Mark Ladner had their share of tomatoes, sure, but the peppers were even more inviting. Hot red mushroom peppers, King of the North varieties, and exotic, sweet cultivars like Quadrato d’Asti Giallo. Each plant tells the story of a complex and flavorful culinary heritage. In honor of such, I thought I’d share a pepper-friendly recipe from Mario’s latest cookbook, Molto Batali–something that blends many of the vegetables grown in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden since Batali’s chef’s first made their mark.
Sauteed Spinach with Cremini and Pepper
Recipe courtesy of Molto Batali (Ecco 2011)
Ingredients (side serves 4 to 6)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, brushed clean and halved
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into thin julienne
12 cups young spinach leaves, trimmed
Salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- In a 14-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, cut side down, and sprinkle in the lemon zest. Cook, without shaking the pan or stirring, until the mushrooms are a nice, golden brown, about 8 minutes.
- Add the onions and the peppers and stir thoroughly. Saute until the onions and peppers are soft and translucent, 6 to 7 minutes.
- Raise the heat to high and allow the mushroom mixture to sizzle. Add the spinach and cook quickly, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, seasons with salt to taste and the pepper, and serve immediately.
Tickets for the Edible Garden Festival with Mario Batali are now on sale, allowing you to join us on Sunday, September 23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden. Available seats for the cooking demonstration and exclusive dinner event will disappear quickly, so be sure to register early! Don’t miss this rare opportunity to join Mario at the table as he shares anecdotes, memories, and inspirations over a four-course feast prepared by the master himself.
Enter to Win Great Prizes from NYBG!
To celebrate all the Edible Garden fun going on in the Family Garden, The New York Botanical Garden is giving away eight prize packages featuring a combination of Mario Batali Series Vic Firth Peppermills, pairs of Mario’s beloved Crocs, tickets to the Garden’s Edible Garden festival on September 23, and high quality cookware from the “Mario Batali by Dansk™ Light Cookware” line. These prize packages will vary and are valued at up to $310!
This week we’re giving away four tickets to the Edible Garden festival on September 23 ($100 value) and a 10″ skillet in turquoise (a $130 value)! View the full sweepstakes rules, and click here to enter. Each weekly contest will begin at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Monday and run through 11:59 p.m. EDT that Sunday. This week, entries will be accepted beginning at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Monday, September 10, 2012 through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, September 16, 2012.
