The Local is a Naples-area favorite for healthy, innovative, locally-sourced, fresh, organic cuisine! Owner-chef Jeff Mitchell tosses a harvest salad, one of his favorites that can be served hot or cold. It features Swiss chard, wild rice, roasted oyster mushrooms, pomegranate seeds, toasted pecans, and Madeira. Putting a twist on classics, he also serves blackened green beans and goat cheese mashed potatoes, the ultimate comfort food, which make three excellent accompaniments to any holiday or get together!
Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes recipe from The Local
Ingredients:
8 large peeled organic Russet potatoes
1 qt. heavy cream
1 cup of unsalted butter
2 cups goat cheese
Method
Peel and cut the potatoes and place them in the pot filled with cold water and salt. Boil them until they fall apart. Then strain the water off and return them to the same pot. Begin mashing them over high heat. Constantly mash and stir the potatoes until you see the potato starch becoming fluffy. The more water that you can cook out, the more flavor you can add. In another small pot add the cream, butter, goat cheese and salt to taste. Let it come to a boil. Make sure the liquid is seasoned properly since this will be the base of flavor for the potatoes. Add the hot liquid, slowly stirring the cream into the potatoes. Stir for another minute making sure to get any corners of the pot. Salt to taste.
Harvest Salad
Ingredients:
3 cups of wild rice, cooked
3 cups of Swiss chard, cleaned and chopped
3 cups of roasted oyster mushrooms
6 oz. Madeira wine
1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted
Method
Boil the rice in lightly salted water for 30-45 minutes or until tender. Clean and chop the Swiss chard. Toss the roasted oyster mushrooms in a little oil and roast them in a 400° oven for 8-10 minutes or until slightly brown. Add salt after you roast the mushrooms. Pull the mushrooms out of the oven and deglaze the pan with 6 oz. of Madeira wine and place back in the oven for 1 minute. Toss the warm mushrooms with the rice and Swiss chard lightly wilting them. Season with salt and pepper. Add your pecans and finish with colorful pomegranate seeds.
Blackened Green Beans:
Ingredients
3-4 handfuls of green beans
1 1/2 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. ground and diced thyme
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
Method
Clean and rinse your green beans. Lightly blanch the beans in boiling salted water. Shock in cold water. Toss the blanched beans in 1 tablespoon of olive oil to help the seasoning stick. Heat up a sauté pan and begin to blacken the beans over high heat in a small saucepan.
