One of our favorite events every summer is The Sylvia Center’s Farm-to-Table dinner, hosted by Great Performances in the fields of Katchkie Farm in Kinderhook, N.Y. The mission of The Sylvia Center is to inspire young people and their families to eat well through hands-on learning experiences on the farm and in the kitchen. Julie Cerny, farm education director and garden manager at The Sylvia Center, offers us recipes the teenagers are learning to make.
Every season is the perfect season for Vegetable Fried Rice. It’s a great way to “upcycle" miscellaneous types, as well as odd portions, of veggies. And it happens to be a recipe that kids, as well as adults, almost always enjoy — you can choose whichever vegetables you like best. You can also modify the recipe and use quinoa instead of rice if you feel like mixing things up a bit, and feel free to adjust the soy sauce and sesame oil to your liking. Vegetable Fried RiceServes 4-6 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced ½ cup scallions 5 cups assorted vegetables, washed and chopped, herbs 1 cup frozen baby peas 5 cups cold cooked rice 2 teaspoons sesame oil 5 eggs, lightly beaten ¼ cup soy sauce Salt and pepper 1. In a large heavy bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook for 30 seconds. 2. Add all of the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes, until done but still a little crisp. Add the peas, rice and sesame oil, and stir to combine. 3. When the rice is hot, add eggs and soy sauce, cooking until the eggs are dry. 4. Season with salt and pepper.
