Ingredients:1 cup finely chopped carrots1 cup finely chopped mushrooms1 cup finely chopped onions2 garlic cloves minced1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped3 tablespoons oil or butter1 1/2 cups brown lentils1/2 cup wine or beer1 8oz can tomato sauce3 cups broth1/2 cup organic ketchup I used agave sweetened2 tablespoons brown sugar (prefer cane syrup)2 tablespoons chili sauce2 tablespoons…
Author: Ashley Rella
Chef Ashley believes that the kitchen and the farm is the center of everything - it's where families and friends congregate, history is preserved, and where health and equity can be fostered. Food is a basic human right. I believe in growing and cooking food locally as a means to help feed ourselves and our communities, especially those most at risk. I write to tell stories and share my experiences in commercial kitchens in the south. I also create recipes unique to my area and the crops that are grown well here. I do a little dabbling in uncovering and defining what Florida local and historical foodways look like.
How to make passata
Passata (or more specifically Passata di Pomodoro) is the multi-purpose tomato purée. This Italian staple is relatively easy to make albeit messy! Group processing is the fun and easy way to do all of this. Gather your goodies and friends and make a day of it. This last spring when we convened to process tomatoes…
Malai (cream) Broccoli with Spiced Almond Cream Sauce
It’s time to put you on some of the yummiest broccoli you can make. CSA’s have been filled with cauliflower, romeneseco, and broccoli the last few weeks and I wound up with with about five heads in the fridge. While most people know a good way to cook these cruciferous veggies, they tend to get…
Pickled Beets
When it is beet season many local farmers will have bulk flash sales. I usually will pick up beets carrots and cabbage around the same time and do a big run of pickling, canning and fermenting. Pickled beets remind me of my mothers plate at dinner time. There is reason I still have this underlying…
Banana Pancakes:
Anyone else always have that one left over banana? Like you have finally been realistic about not buying 5 bananas anymore because you never ever ever eat all five so you buy three AND STILL one is left to brown? It’s like the banana trees have a curse that guarantees a minimum of one banana…
Food Writing: Gifting Soup
I love to gift soup. It’s like a little hug in jar when you get it. Maybe that’s because whenever I’m sick my mom will drop off some homemade chicken soup. But it’s always the perfect gesture of love and exactly what I need. Wintertime is when I try to use up what’s in the…
Sugar Cookies
This is the perfect sugar cookie recipe I use year round. They hold their shape and are buttery and soft to the bite. They lend well to decorating whether you use icing or imprints. Delicate enough to serve with tea yet sturdy enough to use with kids. I love all cookies but there is something…
Sopa de Fuba using Georgia Southern Collards
It’s about to get real Collard-y on this site. I can’t help it when I have access to an Heirloom Collard Variety Trial in my backyard. Projects like this are a chefs dream but also an unsettling reminder that our food system is whack and void of variety and flavor. My immediate inclination around something…
The “Desperate” Buttermilk Pie
Buttermilk pie is a staple across the tables of the south and has never too far from a holiday table. But it along with other desperation pies like vinegar, custard, or sugar pie seem to be catching popularity outside of the south as curious foodies are enamored by chefs reclaiming their humble heritage in kitchens…
Bama Poundcake
My cousin Jerry (from Alabama) makes three desserts. This is one of them, the other two are pies. One of the tricks is under-cooking the cake just a smidge. Makes this gooey texture on the bottom that we like. If this is not your thing, you can cook it a little bit longer. The other…
Food Writing: Black Farms, Food Systems Disruptions, and COVID-19
When COVID hit it became glaringly obvious the food system was broken. We knew to some degree it wasn’t working, but it took the gears screeching to a stop in our economy. Overnight, milk was being dumped, produce was being left to rot, animals being killed because there wasn’t room to keep them. It wasn’t…
Savory Tart Dough
Think biscuit meets tart/pie dough. You’ll want to keep this on hand. I came across it by a colleague of mine from culinary school. I have adapted it over time, but for the most part this recipe has stayed the same and consistently produces a tasty savory crust. Options are limitless as to what can…
Smoky Persimmon and Bellvue Butternut Squash Soup
From Chef Ashley Rella This is a great recipe to help use up two of those crops coming in right now. If you don’t have any growing at home, be sure to check out local producers from High Spring Orchard and Bakery, Frog Song Organics, and Siembra Farms, Softer persimmons like Haichau or Sajio can…
Fall Squash Salad with Roselle Vinaigrette
When covid wasn’t a daily worry, the non-profit Working Food in Gainesville Florida, hosted a pumpkin tasting event that highlighted a variety of ways to use locally grown native squash creatively in dishes and beverages. Beer, bread, ferments, meals, salads, and desserts. It was neat to see the versatility of winter squash and why this…
Weekday Italian Salad
I genuinely love salads and the versatility they have especially in the summer when the last thing I want to do is turn on the stove or oven. They are also really easy to prepare during the work week, and if you don’t have time to sit down for lunch, are easy to eat your…
Tomato Okra Tart
If you love tomatoes and okra there is no reason not to make this. The savory herbed crust is reminiscent of a biscuit. Roasted tomatoes and okra are tucked into a cheesy spread to make a perfect summer treat. Serve with a green salad and you have a perfect alfresco outing. Tomato Tart Ingredients: Instruction:
Tomato Pie
I can’t remember the first time I had Tomato Pie. I know I was in South Carolina. I know we harvested the tomatoes. Everything else is a blur but I know it was the day my heart felt I was exactly where I should be doing the exactly what I was doing. I can explore…
Yujucha (Tea Concentrate)
Yuja-cha is concentrated Korean tea made from the yuja fruit. It’s bright, sweet, tangy, and has a strong and unique citron flavor and aroma. If you have eaten kumquats the rinds of yuja have a similar taste and numbing bitterness. Fresh yuja-cha is a traditional Korean tea made with yuja (also known as yuzu in…
Honey Roasted Fall Squash with Harissa Studded Ricotta
One thing I am really humbled about is getting to play with food. The byproduct if you will of saving seed is food to eat. Not so ironic why it’s so important to do this kind of work. But it gets really cool when farmers and gardeners become breeders and start designing food. Often times…
Fruit Cake Cookies
I know I know fruit cake!? But seriously, these things are addicting. I like to believe that these are what fruit cake should be. These were my great grandmother Monnie’s special cookies that she would always make during the holidays. Passed down through my Grandmother, and then onto my mother, these were made all through…
THE FOOD STORIES PROJECT 