Fall Feast: Eat the local harvest at Farm Trails benefit

In autumn, the cool, foggy mornings and the golden light of evening beckon us to slow down, lower the flame and pull out the slow cooker, where warm spices can gradually marry with braised meats and vegetables.

For those who love to cook, the bittersweet arrival of autumn inevitably leads to a harvest feast. The shoulder season delivers an embarrassment of riches, from late-summer peppers and tomatoes to wintry pumpkins and carrots.

This Saturday, Oct. 29, the chefs at Rocker Oysterfeller's in Valley Ford will celebrate Sonoma County's harvest season with a fundraising Fall Feast hosted by Sonoma County Farm Trails to benefit agricultural education and the future of food. Guests will not only taste local apples and farro but meet the producers in person at the rustic yet elegant Tresch Barn at Olympia's Valley Estate in west Petaluma.

“The Tresch family are sixth-generation farmers that have an heirloom apple orchard and an organic dairy,” said Carmen Snyder, executive director of Farm Trails. “It's a relatively new event, and we envision it as every other year ... as a celebration of the fall harvest and our local bounty.”

The evening kicks off with a “Meet Your Farmer” reception and a family-style, farm-to-table dinner in the barn, then continues with a live auction of 4-H heritage turkeys and other tasty lots, followed by dancing to live music by Cahoots. Nick Papadapoulos from Crop Mobster will serve as the auctioneer.

“We are funding ag education, from sprout to young farmers,” Snyder said. “That means kindergarten all the way up to FFA and 4-H students in high school, plus scholarships for college-age kids and young farmers.”

The feast itself draws upon local products that have put Sonoma County on the map as foodie heaven, from whole lambs raised by Joe Pozzi of Pozzi Ranch to the buffalo farmstead gelato made by Double 8 Dairy. All of the ingredients are sourced from Farm Trails members, including lots of crisp, juicy apples from Olympia's Valley Orchard.

“We will use whatever is coming out of the immediate watershed surrounding the farm,” said Brandon Guenther, chef/owner of Rocker Oysterfeller's and Firefly Catering, who created the menu with the help of his co-executive chef, Matt Alias.

For appetizers, the chefs will be grilling up polenta cakes made with heirloom polenta. The toppings include a variety of local products, from Laguna Farm pesto and Valley Ford Cheese Co.'s Estero Gold Reserve to Twisted Horn Ranch Pulled Pork created by Estero Cafe of Valley Ford.

Dinner guests will be greeted by small cups of pumpkin and apple soup, garnished with a diced apple and toasted cumin seeds, along with polenta cakes topped with heritage turkey picadillo.

“People can taste the heritage turkey and be inspired to purchase their Thanksgiving turkey from the kids,” Snyder said.

The dinner menu itself could be easily duplicated by home cooks who want to throw their own harvest party for friends and family.

“It draws upon the farm-to-fork, California style,” Guenther said. “It's pretty Mediterannean, with a nod to the Mexican .... Dia de los Muertos is right around the corner.”

As a salad course, consider sourcing some local chicories and topping them with fresh apples and toasted walnuts. At the dinner, the salad will also include the Valley Ford Cheese Co.'s Gorgonzola Dolce, which is so new that it's not available to the public yet.

“That cheese is pretty special,” Guenther said. “I like the funk in it ... it has a nice sweetness, a full, round flavor and a little salt that gives it a nice crunch.”

As an entree, the chefs will brine and slow roast whole lambs from Pozzi Ranch at 300 degrees in their Texas-style smoker. For home cooks, Guenther suggests serving roast leg of lamb or lamb shanks, topped with minted salsa verde.

The chefs are also hoping to get their hands on some local King salmon, which they plan to pan roast and serve with heirloom Romano beans and a relish of charred corn and Gypsy peppers.

Because the local tomatoes may be frost-bitten by the end of October, Guenther expects to make some glazed carrots as a side dish, then serve them alongside a Wild Rice and Farro Salad with kale, herbs and dried apricot.

For a sweet finale, the chefs will create mini Apple Cobblers baked in short Mason jars and topped with the Double 8 Dairy Farmstead Buffalo Gelato and the goat milk caramel known as cajeta.

For home cooks, Guenther suggests simplifying dessert by making homemade kettle corn, an easy treat that combines the best of both flavor worlds: salty and sweet.

“Heat up a pot (with a lid), put your butter in it and throw the kernels, sugar and salt into that,” he said. “It dresses itself as it pops.”

Baby caramel apples, Mexican hot chocolate and coffee served with Straus Creamery milk will round out the Fall Feast.

As part of the decor, there will be a Day of the Dead altar honoring agricultural heroes and heroines who have passed on, as well as a large map that pinpoints all of the farms and producers contributing to the feast.

“We're 100 percent committed to sourcing entirely from our members,” Snyder said. “The only thing that won't come from Farm Trails are the spices and the coffee.”

The following recipes are from Matt Elias, co-executive chef Rocker Oysterfeller's and Firefly Catering in Valley Ford.

Pumpkin & Apple Soup

Makes 6 servings

1 3- to 5-pound sugarpie pumpkin or kabocha squash, cut in half, seeds removed

6 tablespoons butter

1 large yellow onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, smashed

2 Gravenstein or Gala apples, diced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

6-8 leaves fresh sage

1 16-ounce bottle hard apple cider (we use Apple Garden Farms from Tomales)

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

- Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out seeds. Rub pumpkin with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and roast until tender. Once cool, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, add the onions, garlic, apples and herbs. Season with salt and let cook slowly until the onions and apples are soft. Add the hard cider and bring to a simmer. Once the cider is reduced by half, add the roasted pumpkin and stock. Simmer for 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Garnish with sliced apple and toasted cumin seeds

Winter Chicories Salad with Quince Dressing

Serves 6

For dressing:

¼ cup quince paste (membrillo)

2 shallots, finely chopped

½ cup sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

3/4 cup olive oil

- Salt and pepper to taste

For salad

4-5 heads mixed chicories (treviso, radiccio, endive, escarole)

2 Gravenstein apples, sliced

1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and process till smooth. This recipe will make more dressing than needed for the salad and will store in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Toss the greens and apple with the dressing until coated and top with chopped toasted walnuts.

Roasted Lamb Shanks with Minted Salsa Verde

Serves 6

For the brine:

1 gallon water

1 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup honey

6 bay leaves

6 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon peppercorns

6 sprigs rosemary

6 lamb foreshanks

For lamb shanks:

6 brined shanks

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 head garlic, cut in half

1/4 cup white wine

2 cups lamb or chicken stock

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs rosemary

2 tablespoons butter

For brine: Combine all ingredients (except for shanks) in a pot and heat until salt and honey have dissolved. Cool the brine and pour over the shanks. Refrigerate for no less than 2 and no more than 4 days.

For lamb shanks: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat a heavy bottomed braising pan on medium high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Pat the shanks dry after removing from brine and sear until brown on all sides. Remove shanks and pour out any oil left in the pan. Add the onions and garlic and lightly brown. Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan. Add the shanks, stock and herbs to the pan.

Roast at 375, covered,for 2-3 hours or until tender. Remove shanks and strain the liquid. Reduce the liquid until slightly thick and stir in the butter. Pour over shanks.

Minted Salsa Verde

Serves 6

- Zest and juice of 2 lemons

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

- Salt and pepper to taste

Combine lemon juice and zest with shallots and let sit for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and serve with lamb.

Farro and Wild Rice Salad

Serves 6

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 head roasted garlic

¼ cup olive oil

1/2 cup farro (boiled until tender, about 20 minutes)

1/2 cup wild rice blend (cooked according to instructions)

1/4 cup dried apricots (plumped in warm water)

1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped

1 bunch dinosaur (lacinato) kale (thinly shaved)

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

- Salt and pepper to taste

Blend the vinegar, roasted garlic, and olive oil to make a dressing. Prep the apricots, almond and kale while cooking the grains. Once grains are cooked and drained, let cool just until warm to the touch and add the rest of the ingredients. Season and serve warm.

Sorghum Glazed Carrots

Serves 6

4 bunches baby carrots, cleaned and peeled

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons sorghum syrup (molasses is a suitable substitute)

- Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a saute pan on medium heat and melt the butter. Add the carrots and cook until lightly browned and tender. Add water and sorghum and simmer until thick and coating the carrots.

Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.