By Chef Robbie Tutlewski and featured at neighborhood gem, Big Bear Cafe
Serves 2
Grains
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1/2 cup wheat berries
- 2 quarts vegetable broth or water
Obtain some fresh grains preferably with the husk (or use any grain you have on hand prepared according to their instructions). Rinse the grains thoroughly. Add your grains to a pot with a 1/2 quart of broth or water. Boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the grains pop, about 1 hour. Drain the grains and reserve liquid and use as desired.
Dressing – Charred Onion Vinaigrette
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1 cups of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the onions in half and grill them or roast them in a very hot oven until the outer layer is very well blackened. When cooled down a bit, scrape off the outer black layer of the onion and chop the onion very finely by hand. Add all the ingredients to the same bowl mix well and keep at room temperature.
Dressing – Lime Tomatillo
- 1/2 quart goat yogurt (sub any other yogurt)
- 1/2 cup aioli or mayo
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (can be made with milk + lemon juice/vinegar)
- 1 small bunch of parsley
- 1 small bunch of cilantro
- 1/4 cup soft herb dill or tarragon or fennel or marjoram
- 2 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 jalapeño
- 2 small tomatillos
- 1 whole lime
Blend everything very well
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes with wild oregano
- A bunch of tomatoes, any variety
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt, Fresh Cracked Pepper
- 2 tablespoons of wild oregano
- A bunch of garlic cloves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325. Cut your tomatoes in half or quarters, place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil (enough to coat), and season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Lightly toss together. Arrange tomatoes in a single layer, skins down, on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Put whole garlic cloves in the skin on the pan. Give it one more generous drizzle of olive oil.
Roast for 2-3 hours, depending on the size of your tomatoes. (It usually takes about 3 hours for romas that are halved, if you quarter them they’ll get done a little faster). Keep an eye on them after about 2 -2 1/2 hours. You’ll see the juices have dried up and some of the tomatoes will start to get dark around the edges. When they’re done they’ll look kind of dried up, and blackened around the edges, but still soft.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes or Carrots with Bay Leaves
- 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes or yams (or carrots)
- 4 fresh bay leaves
- Flur di sel
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- 1 yellow onion, cut into quarters
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400F. Cut the sweet potatoes vertically into coin shape, about a thumbs thickness. Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. In a roasting pan 12in/8in, lay your sweet potatoes side by side. Like a little army of sweet potatoes. Make sure the bay leaves and onions are distributed evenly over the potatoes. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30-40 minutes. The sweet potatoes are done when the sugars start to come out of the potato and caramelize. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes to get a nice crisp top.
Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower
- 1/2 pound Romanesco cauliflower, core removed then broken up into florets
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of smashed garlic
- 1/4 teaspoons flur di sel
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Ground black pepper
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1/2 cup of chicken or veg stock
Directions
Heat your olive oil in a 12” cooking pan or large sauté pan to medium high heat. When hot add your garlic, toast for a minute, then add the romanesco. Season with salt and pepper and cook on one side without stirring for 5 minutes. This will give the romanesco a nice crisp texture. After 5 minutes add your chili flakes and stir the romanesco and cook another 5 minutes on the other side that doesn’t have as much color. Add your lemon juice, stock and bay leaves then cook for another 3 minutes almost until all the liquid is absorbed. To finish, toss in the fresh parsley leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
Salad Assembly
- 1/4 lb. Little Wild Things Signature Shoot Salad
- 1-2 cups thinly sliced Brussel sprouts
- 2 oz of spicy wild arugula
- 2 cups mixed vegetables roasted
- 2 oz onion dressing
- 2 cups of grains mixed
- A drizzle of tomatillo dressing
Toss everything in a bowl except for the LWT Salad mix. Season everything with charred onion dressing and salt/pepper. Top with LWT Salad mix, then drizzle with tomatillo dressing. Finish with the pickled onions or your favorite fermented veg if you have them around. Enjoy!
