iEat Green - Farms and Rooftops - 08/22/12

My guest is Gwen Schantz. Gwen is an experienced urban farmer, a long-time sustainable food advocate, and the co-founder of the Bushwick Food Cooperative & CSA. Gwen is also Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Brooklyn Grange. Brooklyn Grange is not your typical farm. In fact, it is a self-sustaining organic farm with over two acres of rooftops under cultivation in Brooklyn and Queens.

Corn Chowder

What to do with all the leftover corn from your party? Make some chowder! It's also a great way to use up some of the leftover crudités and veggies. Ingredients

10 ears cooked corn 1 large sweet onion 1 Tbs chopped garlic 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped carrots 1 cup chopped red pepper Olive oil for sautéing 12 potatoes (2" size) cubed 2 Tbs chopped parsley 1 can coconut milk 2 tbs flour 2 Tbs coconut milk 3 t. Salt 1/2 t. White pepper 1/2 nutmeg 1/2 t. Red pepper croutons for garnish Chopped parsley for garnish

To start, Remove the corn from the cobs and boil the cobs in 20 cups of filtered water with 2 t. Of salt and 1 bay leaf. Reserve the corn kernels for later. Add the potatoes to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Meanwhile, sauté The onion in a heavy skillet for 5 minutes. Add the celery, garlic and carrots and cook another 5 minutes. add the peppers and cook another 5 minutes. Add the corn kernels and continue sautéing for 5 more minutes Remove corn kernels and bay leaf from soup pot. Purée 1/2 of the potatoes in pot, either by inserting an immersion blender into the pot and puréeing it partially, or removing 2 cups worth of potatoes and blending in food processor and adding it back to pot. Add the sautéed veggies to the soup. Add remaining teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes. In the sauté pan, make a rue by adding the 2 Tbs of coconut oil and whisk in the 2tbs of white unbleached flour (you may use gluten-free flour if needed). Add the coconut milk to the rue, whisking constantly until blended. Add 2 cups of soup broth to this mixture, continuing to whisk constantly, preventing lumps from forming. Add the rue mixture back into the soup pot and continue cooking soup for 30 more minutes, allowing it to thicken. Keep stirring, Being careful not to let it stick to the bottom. Serve in bowls with croutons and parsley as garnish.