I am a MMLocal "Groupy"!!
On August 28, 2008, I catered a wedding for Bryan and Rebekah in Crested Butte, CO. Bryan and Rebekah are wonderful friends, so it was the first wedding that I catered that I was also a guest at - it felt a little out of the ordinary for me. It was a weekend of meeting many new people, and in that I met Ben Mustin. Ben is someone you want to get to know and be around - he is fun, smart, creative, outgoing, and happy. At the time, Ben worked at Greenhouse Scholars and was thinking about starting a business in jarring/canning local produce and selling retail. A few months after the wedding, Ben invited me to have lunch at Sherpa's with his girlfriend at the time - now fiance, Breanna. He knew we would all have plenty to talk about. Breanna is the owner of Anna Be - a bridal boutique in Denver. There are a few stories to tell about that lunch - overall it was super amazing to sit down with two people who shared a similar interest as I, that were entrepreneurs with good vision and passion for what they were doing.
Ben and Jim Mills created MMLocal and have been successful with producing the highest quality product on our grocery shelves. I like to refer myself as an MMLocal "groupy" - I talk about their product every time I walk by the end cap at Whole Foods Market in Boulder, I created a menu inspired my MML for a Farm to Table dinner at the Lyon's Farmette in September, and I truley believe in their ethics and values as a company!!! I have written all the recipes that I created for that dinner and wanted to share them with you. My hope is that you too will become an MM Local "GROUPY" and Buy LOCAL when it is available. Thank you MM Local for delivering tasty, fresh, sustainable products that I can feel good about buying!!
www.mmlocalfoods.com
Here is part of MML's Bio:
"At MM Local, we are a company that invests in relationships to make better food.
At every level of our organization, we believe that the value we create is in the relationships we build. Our strength as a company, our value as a brand, and the deliciousness of our food will only be as strong, as valuable and as good as the relationships we build along the way."
Pictures taken by Alison Vagnini Photography
Farm to Table - Eat, llc - Lyon's Farmette - September 2011
MML Guacamole
1 medium mango, chopped
3 avocados, peeled and cored
Juice of 1 lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp. MM Local Hot or Mild Peppers
1 ½ tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. Cheyenne pepper
½ tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. agave nectar
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve with tortilla chips, tacos, fajitas, etc…
Potato Latkes topped with Beer Braised Beef Brisket, Cabernet-Horseradish Crème, and MMLocal Peppers
*Recipe makes 30 units
Beer Braised Beef Brisket:
4 lb Beef Brisket
Santa Maria Seasoning (found at Whole Foods Market)
1 tbsp. butter
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. each of fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
¼ cup brown sugar
1 bottle of your favorite beer
1 jar MM Local Tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
*beef brisket can be made up to 2 days before serving on Potato Latkes.
*make potato latkes within 3 hours before serving- they will discolor if made more than 3 hours before serving.
Generously, rub Santa Maria Seasoning over brisket and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Heat gas or charcoal grill to 500 degrees. Grill brisket on each side for 4 minutes, until each side is charred and has a dark brown crust. Remove the brisket from the heat and place in a slow cooker. Meantime, in a medium dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until onion is translucent – about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn heat down until liquid is at a steady simmer, do not put a lid on the stew. Cook until the liquid is reduced by ½ - just around 20 minutes or so. Add the liquid to the beef brisket in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-9 hours until beef shreds. You may have to shred the beef with 2 forks. Drain most of the liquid so you serve mostly brisket on the potatoes. Serve 1 tbsp. of beef brisket on potato latkes with 1 tsp. cabernet-horseradish cream, and 2 MM Local hot or mild peppers.
Potato Latkes:
10 yellow potatoes, shredded
1 large onion, diced
1 cup quinoa four
4 eggs
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. crushed red pepper
Olive oil for pan frying
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
*Before making patties, make sure to drain potatoes of liquid. To do this, place shredded potatoes in a large cheesecloth. Wrap sides of cheesecloth around the potatoes to form a “candy wrapper”. Twist the cloth and allow liquid to drain. Do this a few times until you can no longer drain liquid from the potatoes. This will prevent them from becoming soggy and keep them bright in color.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Generously coat a large non-stick skillet with olive oil. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Take ¼ cup of the potato mixture and roll around in your hands to form a ball. Apply pressure to press the ball into a flat patty – about ¼ to ½ inch wide. Add to pan and cover with foil (this will help the inside of the latke to cook through). Cook on each side until golden brown and crispy – about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and repeat. When all patties are completed: top with 1 tbsp. of beef brisket, 1 tsp. cabernet-horseradish crème, and 2 MM Local peppers.
Cabernet-Horseradish Crème
1 cup cabernet
2 cups sour cream
2 tbsp. horseradish
1 tsp. agave nectar
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Add cabernet to a small saucepan. Bring cabernet to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat until liquid is at a gentle simmer. Reduce wine to 2- tbsp. – this may take a while (20-30 minutes). Do not allow liquid to reduce over high heat because the liquid tends to candy and solidify if cooked too fast. When liquid is reduced to 2-4 tbsp, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Combine all the ingredients and serve. This is also great on Steak!!
Havarti and Brioche Grilled Cheese with MMLocal Tomato Soup
Tomato Soup:
½ stick salted organic butter
1 cup diced onion
4 jars MM Local Tomatoes with Basil
2 tbsp. agave nectar
1 bay leaf
4 fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Increase heat to high and slightly brown onions for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes, agave, bay leaf, and basil and cook over low heat for 2 hours. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Add soup to blender and puree until smooth. Makes 10 servings.
Havarti and Brioche Grilled Cheese:
20 slices fresh Brioche Bread
20 slices Havarti Cheese
Butter for pan
Make Sandwiches: 2 slices of bread/2 slices of cheese. Lightly coat skillet or griddle with butter over medium heat. Add sandwiches to surface and allow to cook on each side for 45 seconds. Because Brioche is so light and fluffy, it doesn’t take long for the cheese to melt and the bread to crisp. Remove from pan and repeat. Serve with Tomato Soup.
