Spring Soup

Frank and Pardis Stitt began the convivium to champion the Southern foods and food traditions of Alabama. And over the past year the members of the local convivium have enjoyed Slow Food meals at the farms where the produce is grown. The most recent event was held at Birmingham Botanical Gardens and The Gardens Café—Kathy G. and Company’s fourth, exclusive venue. Guest speaker Tom Montague, the Slow Food Regional Governor, spoke, and Kathy G. and company served nibbles and wine.

The first article featured David Snow of Snow’s Bend Farm and his vegetables. Snow and the others who followed were photographed delivering their fruit, vegetables, pork, and other products. Slow Food members and this column’s readers now recognize their faces and their products. Thus on the first anniversary issue of Real Food, we celebrate our anniversary by beginning to photograph the delicious dishes using their products, which our local chefs create. And we have come full circle with another delicious dish using Snow’s Bend Farm’s vegetables.

“The Snow’s Bend sweet potatoes were incredible. They were so much sweeter than some of the sweet potatoes I've used in the past, and the color was also better,” The Gardens Café chef, Nichole Keesey describes. Keesey thinly slices the potatoes and flash fries them. Not only are they delicious, but they are much healthier than bagged chips.
Kessey also uses Snow’s Bend Farm’s carrots and shares her recipe. “The carrots are also extremely flavorful, and we're delighted to have such fresh products,” she says.

The Gardens Cafe’s Carrot Ginger Soup
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 medium onion, sliced
1 (3 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
6 cups chicken stock
8 large carrots, roughly cut in even pieces
salt, as needed
white pepper, as needed
heavy cream, as needed
Procedure:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepot over low heat, and sauté the onions until they are translucent. Add chopped ginger to the onions, and saute for an additional two minutes. Increase the heat and add the chicken stock and carrots. Simmer over medium heat until the carrots are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Puree. Finish with a small amount of cream.

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