Solid ingredients and community roots nourish body and soul
BLUE RIDGE, GEORGIA – Situated about 90 minutes north of Atlanta off Interstate-575, in Blue Ridge, Georgia, find Harvest on Main, where quality, locally-sourced ingredients are used to bring new twists to old favorites. Talented chef Danny Mellman teams up with healthy, farm-to-table ingredients to produce sumptuous flavor explosions, like the three onion and apple soup, which will have you craving seconds. 576 E. Main Street; HarvestonMain.com, Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarvestonMain
“We are just so blessed to be able to pair together two things we love – our passion for food and ingredients and the community of Blue Ridge. It is a dream to be able to live, work and play in a community that is as gorgeous and giving,” says Mellman’s wife and business partner, Michelle Moran.
At Farm to Table Camp for Kids, the dynamic duo builds on community efforts by teaching local children and visiting kids where their food comes from. Two weeks over the summer, kids can come and learn gardening, caring for chickens, cooking and more. Wrapping up each week, campers prepare a luncheon held outside in the garden for their families. The farm is open to the public, but there are no set hours; call (706) 946-3276 for more information. Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCooksFarm
When they’re not satisfying the palates of the Blue Ridge community, Mellman and Moran pursue other passions – Michelle: rafting, hiking and paddleboarding and Danny: hunting and foraging – all expeditions easily accessible in Blue Ridge.
So successful, Harvest on Main expanded their offerings in 2013 with the addition of Harvest’s Blue Ridge Grocery offering a from-scratch bakery, deli and café, coffee bar and menu for take-away meals. 560 East Main Street, Facebook: www.facebook.com/BlueRidgeGrocery
Gnocchi with Roasted Autumn Vegetables
Serves Six
½ cup and 1 T water
2 oz butter, plus 2 T to cook
½ T kosher salt
2 T olive oil
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp of strong Dijon
1 T fresh sage leaf, chopped, plus one sprig sage
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
¼ grated asiago
¼ cup small gouda
2 large eggs (room temperature)
Bring to a boil, 1 gallon of water with one teaspoon of salt. To Make Gnocchi – Boil water, butter, and salt. Remove from heat. With a wooden spoon stir in flour all at once. Let cool two minutes and transfer to a mixing bowl (electric is best); use paddle so as not to not over whip. On medium power, add in Dijon, then add herbs, cheese and eggs. Transfer “choux” paste to a large pastry bag with round, 5/8-inch tip. With tightly pursed pastry bag in one hand and paring knife in the other, squeeze and cut half-inch “gnocchi” into pot of boiling water. Once the gnocchi rise to the top, cook two minutes and then remove with strainer or slotted spoon to a large plate or platter and cool overnight. They may also be frozen once cooled and stored for up to 10 days.
Roasted Autumn Vegetables
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Recipe will work with a variety of seasonal vegetables. Chef Melman prefers hard squashes – acorn, Hubbard, butternut, combined with carrots, sweet potatoes, baby beets, red and yellow onions, leeks, turnips and apples.
1 small turnip
1 small yellow onion
1 small red onion
1 small sweet potato
1 leek
1 acorn squash
3 baby beets, quartered
3 baby carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large Fuji apple
3 T melted butter
3 T maple syrup
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
1 T bread spice (recipe to follow)
½ cup apple cider
1 tsp kosher salt
1 T bread spice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
5 T unsalted butter
Dice all vegetables and apples, carrots and beets as instructed, toss with melted butter, then add syrup, salt and bread spice. Toss well. Spread on a cookie sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 24 minutes, or until brown on most edges.
To prepare final dish
In a large 14-inch sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add 2 tablespoons high quality extra virgin olive oil. Add a large sprig of fresh sage, add gnocchi. As gnocchi begins to brown, shake and toss them regularly in the pan until evenly browned/toasted. Add roasted vegetables, toss well, sprinkle with kosher salt (no more than 1 tsp), add 1tablespoon of bread spice. Using a slotted spoon toss well and remove to a warm serving platter. Return pan/sauce to a medium heat and add ½ cup of apple cider. Bring to a boil. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter till slightly thickened. Drizzle over gnocchi. Garnish with baby arugula tossed with lemon vinaigrette and shaved asiago cheese.
Bread Spice
Good for everything from roasting sweet potatoes to crusting crème brulee.
1 cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp curry powder
Pinch salt
Pinch cayenne
Add all ingredients to a sealable container and shake well.
Fannin County Chamber of Commerce, www.BlueRidgeMountains.com, 1-800-899-MTNS.