Aspen – The same community that gave the nation the well-buttered, well-heeled Food & Wine Festival for a quarter-century is now home to what proponents hope will become an annual Healthy Gourmet Festival.
The two-day event, held last weekend, took a serious look at how the way we eat affects not only our lives but the life of the planet. And in taking their first step toward doing their part to remedy unhealthy eating habits, more than 100 participants put their money where their taste buds are by raising $1 million to launch the Aspen Center for Integrative Health’s Healthy Gourmet Festival.
Organizers are quick to note that their festival is in no way designed to replace or compete with the Food & Wine event, pointing out the center’s focus on education.
“For the first time in our history, food writers, authors, government agencies and chefs agree that we all need to eat healthy, not only to protect ourselves but our planet,” says Glenda Greenwald, who founded the center. “This is an attempt to make people take a closer look at how we need to protect the seas as well as the soil in order to feed ourselves well.”
While eating well is not much of a problem for most Aspen residents, Greenwald wants the center to address a more broadly based set of concerns. Board chairman Fred Pryor agrees.
“We’re already looking at a five-year preventive-education program wherein we show people how they can take charge of their own health by making healthy choices,” he says. “We’re taking what we call an allelopathic approach – an integrative approach that looks at how mind, body and spirit unite to prevent illness, as well as heal it.
“For now we’re looking for the best places to extrapolate this concept. It might be through a Children’s Health Foundation or a pilot program on the West Coast. We’ll identify where the need is greatest and where we’re most likely to involve existing services.”
Pryor says Duke University already has sought assistance in implementing a program there.
The newly formed center took its first step by bringing together 12 chefs from across the country who are noted for their support of seasonal, organic food preparation in their restaurants or at spas and resorts.
Participants included Terry Conlan of Lake Austin Spa Resort in Texas; raw-food practitioner Roxanne Klein of Mill Valley, Calif.; Bradley Ogden of Bradley Ogden at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas; Bill Wavrin of Miraval Life in Balance in Catalina, Ariz.; and Cary Neff of The Lodge at Woodloch, Lackawaxen, Pa.
Two Californians were honored for lifetime achievement. The first was Alice Waters, noted for her restaurant Chez Panisse, as well as her nationally recognized Edible Schoolyard, a project that integrates gardening, cooking and sharing daily school lunch into a Berkeley school core curriculum.
Waters didn’t attend, but the second honoree, vintner Jim Fetzer, did. In a wine tasting and presentation, he discussed how, as a matter of conscience, he reverted to growing grapes organically and biodynamically. He now produces sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir and merlot marketed commercially under the Ceago label.
After all, he says, “If you’re going to eat in a healthy way, don’t you want an organically produced wine to go with your food?”
Staff writer Ellen Sweets can be reached at 303-820-1284 or esweets@denverpost.com.
Peach Ricotta Tart
With peach season just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about new, nutritional ways to use the fruit. Here’s one from chef Cary Neff of The Lodge at Woodloch in Lackawaxen, Pa. Makes 8 tarts.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds peaches, sliced,
fresh, or frozen and thawed (about 3 cups)
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise, seeds scraped out
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons raw cane sugar
1 teaspoon brandy
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
1/3 cup ice water
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon raw cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons reduced fat cream cheese
3 tablespoons cold unsalted
butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
Preheat oven to 375.
Coat one baking sheet with cooking spray.
To make the filling, combine peaches, vanilla seeds, honey and lemon juice. Stir to combine and soak for 1 hour. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, brandy, eggs, egg whites and cinnamon. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the sour cream and water. Mix well and set aside. In another bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt. Add cream cheese and butter. Work in with a pastry blender or two knives until dough is crumbly. Add water mixture and combine until a dough forms. Roll dough out into a log, and cut the log into 8 equal portions. Refrigerate 1 hour.
On a floured cutting board, roll out each portion into a 6- to 7-inch circle. Place circles on a baking sheet. Place 1/4 cup filling in center of each circle. Spoon 1 tablespoon ricotta mix onto peaches. Fold in edges of dough to form a small tart. Sprinkle with a little additional sugar. Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Per tart: calories 210; protein 8g; total fat 6g; saturated fat 3.5g; carbohydrates 31g; dietary fiber 3g; cholesterol 40mg; sodium 210mg
Barley Risotto with Wild Mushrooms
This recipe comes from Cary Neff of The Lodge at Woodloch in Lackawaxen, Pa., and serves 5.
Ingredients
3/4 cup organic barley, divided
1/4 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 cups (about 2 ounces) seasonal
assorted mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, portobello or chanterelles)
1 bay leaf
3 to 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock, heated
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper
1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan-Reggiano (optional)
Directions
Place 1 cup barley in a dry medium sauté pan and toast over medium heat. Shake or stir barley while toasting. This will take about 3-5 minutes or until barley is golden brown and has a roasted nut smell. Remove barley from pan to stop cooking process and set aside.
Heat a medium saucepan over high heat and add olive oil to just coat bottom of pan. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions have just softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 1 minute. Stir in toasted barley, regular barley and bay leaf.
Stir in 1/2 cup of the hot vegetable stock and reduce the heat to a simmer. Keep the remaining vegetable stock hot while preparing the risotto. Add 1/2 cup vegetable stock at a time to barley mixture. Stir continuously until barley has absorbed all the liquid. Repeat process – cooking barley slowly until tender, about 20-30 minutes. Stir in thyme, oregano, salt, pepper and optional cheese to season. Remove bay leaf and serve.
Per 1/2 cup: Calories 130; protein 5g; total fat 1g; saturated fat 0g; carbohydrates 26g; dietary fiber 6g; cholesterol 0mg
