Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 44

Place farro and bay leaves in a
large pot. Add enough water to cover,
approximately 2 inches. Bring to a boil
and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook
until tender, approximately 25 minutes. Strain and set aside.
In a large sauté pan, add butter
and pecan oil. Cook over medium heat
until butter is melted, then add morel
mushrooms. Brown on one side. Add
garlic and asparagus and lightly toss
until garlic is golden. Add cooked farro,
Parmesan cheese and water. Turn heat
up to high and stir until water is gone.
Season to taste with salt and lemon
juice. Garnish with toasted pecans and
shaved pecan truffle. Serves 4.
Fiery and bright, ramp pesto is
creamy and offers a mild sweetness.
For a variation, use black walnuts instead of pine nuts for a woodsier flavor. The Darughs add some salt to
balance and heighten the other flavors
as well as the juice of half a lemon.
This pesto can be served as an appetizer on some toasted bread or folded
onto pasta, maybe with some slowcooked pork belly.

Wild Ramp Pesto
Gayle and David Darugh, Beechwood
Inn, Clayton
10 to 12 ramps, roughly chopped (early season
ramps are smaller, so use more)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Black pepper, to taste
Squeeze of fresh lemon
1/3 cup olive oil

about 60 seconds and then shock
them in cold water. Note: This makes
the pesto more bright and vibrant.
Add nuts, cheese, salt, pepper,
lemon juice and ramps to food processor. Pour the olive oil in slowly,
and process contents until they look
grainy. Note: You do not want big
chunks remaining, but there should
still be some texture to the pesto
(don't puree it). Serves 8-10 as an
appetizer.
Note: If serving on pasta, boil the
desired pasta in salted water according to the package directions until
just al dente. Drain, but reserve a little of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot and add the pesto. Toss
to coat evenly, adding pasta water as
needed if it starts sticking together.
Garnish with Parmesan cheese and
lemon slices.

Venison Steak With
South Georgia Chasseur Sauce
Chef Lara Lyn Carter, Albany
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 (6-ounce) venison steaks cut from the
back strap
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Melt the butter and brush over
each side of the steaks. Season each
side with salt and pepper. Grill
steaks to desired temperature and
allow the steaks to rest for 10 minutes. Serve with sauce poured over
the steaks.
Sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup Vidalia or Texas sweet onion, finely
chopped
3 tablespoons minced garlic
16 ounces sliced baby portobello
mushrooms
1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup mayhaw jelly
1 cup beef broth
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons fresh thyme

Wash, chop and dry ramps. Blanch
the ramp leaves in boiling water for

Heat the oil in a skillet over
medium heat. Sauté the onion and
garlic for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, bringing to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-high and

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UNICOI PRESERVES

2 ounces Oliver Farms pecan oil
8 ounces morel mushrooms, broken into
pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound asparagus, sliced into 1/4-inch
pieces on the bias
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups water
Salt, to taste
Lemon juice, to taste
3 ounces toasted pecans
1 medium Pecan Ridge Plantation pecan
truffle, shaved

Clark and Suzy Neal's love of hiking and
foraging led to their successful business,
Unicoi Preserves in Cleveland.

cook, stirring constantly, for 5-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat
and allow the sauce to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4.
Note: Chef Carter's variation
of Chasseur Sauce, a French sauce
that was very popular in the Edwardian period, was often referred to as
Hunter's Sauce and was used on beef,
poultry or wild game.

Ramp Biscuits
Shawn and Amy Kight, The Sawmill
Place, Blairsville
1/2 (5-pound) bag White Lily self-rising flour
1 cup shortening
1 cup crispy bacon pieces
1 cup diced white and green ramps
1 quart buttermilk
1/2 cup melted butter

Place flour in large mixing bowl.
Using a pastry cutter or forks, cut
shortening into flour. Stir in bacon,
ramps and buttermilk until flour is
evenly wet. Knead ingredients into
a dough ball. On a floured surface,
roll out biscuit dough to 1/4- to 1/2inch thickness. Cut out biscuits with
biscuit cutter. Place cut biscuits with
edges touching on a greased pan.
Bake at 475 degrees for 12 minutes or until done. Remove from
oven and brush tops of hot biscuits
with melted butter. Yields about 12
biscuits.
GEORGIA MAGAZINE

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - May 2018