The Slow Food USA Blog

Table Talk Winning Recipes & Stories: Slow Food Done Fast

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by Kelsey Wickel, Intern

Whether we’re holding down three jobs, working long hours, or knee deep in volunteer projects, we don’t always have the most time to cook.  Luckily, for those of us trying to stay healthy in our busy lives, good food doesn’t require hours in the kitchen.  This week’s featured Table Talk contest category is “Slow Food Done Fast”.  Three homecooks show us how to whip up some great, quick and easy meals.

Sarah Mooney’s first place-winning Spring Gnudi takes advantage of Portland’s abundance of local producers.  She buys raw milk to make her own ricotta for this recipe.  “I am drawn to the simplicity of the meal and how fresh and spring-like it is,” reflects Mooney, who also believes that a lot of the recipe’s freshness comes from using the vegetables and eggs from her own backyard. Though gnudies usually call for fried sage and brown butter, Sarah likes to use whatever is in season – peas, asparagus, broccoli raab, and more.

Read Sarah’s recipe for Spring Gnudi here.

2nd and 3rd place winners after the jump.

For Claire Beorn Norman, the category’s second place winner, her Salmon with Pistachio-Apricot Pilaf serves as “a great lesson that food doesn’t have to be bad for you to taste great”. Using salmon from the local fish market and produce from her backyard or farmers’ markets, Claire engages her regional food scene while incorporating the complexities of Moroccan cuisine.

Read Claire’s recipe for Salmon with Pistachio-Apricot Pilaf here.

Third place winner Suellen Calhoun also uses local, fresh fish and vegetables for her Trout with a Mediterranean Bean Salad. Her inspiration for this recipe comes from her past experiences doing humanitarian aid work, where she befriended local fishermen and farmers, often buying their produce to make similar recipes.  After coming back to the U.S., Suellen tried to replicate her overseas meals and settled on this good, clean, and fair meal, which she often shares with family and friends.

Read Suellen’s recipe for Trout with a Mediterranean Bean Salad here.