Coming up soon is the Pennsylvania Greater Lehigh Valley Buy Fresh Buy Local’s Taste of the Valley event. Not only does this give you a chance to check out delicious fare from some of the top chefs and restaurants in the region, but all of the restaurants utilize fresh, local ingredients to prepare their meals. This provides for a unique (and tasty) opportunity to find out just how high the quality the fruits, veggies, and even cheese from the El Vee are. I attended last year’s event (read about it here) and it was excellent, but extremely crowded. Lucky for those with extra cash, the organizers have VIP tickets this year that allow you to get in an hour earlier as well as enjoy some special asian pear wine and cocktails before the masses are allowed in. There’s only 150 of these tickets available so get them while they’re still there. The event completely sold out last year and provided for a very packed and hectic afternoon of culinary adventure. As always, The El Vee will be on hand to dish the news on what worked and what didn’t. Below is a list of restaurants expected to attend and a sneak peak at some of the dishes they’ll be doing:
1741 on the Terrance, Hotel Bethlehem
Grilled Bison Green Chili
bison – Backyard Bison (Coopersburg)
vegetables – being sourced
Butternut Squash and Habanero Soup
butternut squash – Suyundalla Farms (Coplay)
BBQ Tofu with a Cucumber Apple Slaw
organic tofu – Fresh Tofu Inc. (Lehigh Valley)
cucumbers, apples – Suyandalla Farms (Coplay)
Curious Goods at the Bake Oven Inn
Apricot & Vanilla Jam Tartlet
apricots – Suyundalla Farms (Coplay)
Two Chocolate Pieces:
Goat Cheese & Port Wine Dark Chocolate
Imperial Pumpkin Ale Milk Chocolate
goat cheese – StoneCroft Farm (Macungie)
beer – Weyerbacher Brewery
“BLT” – Braised Pork Belly with Heirloom Tomatoes, Microgreens, Baby Lettuces, and Black Truffle Aioli on Chophouse Focaccia
pork belly – being sourced
tomatoes, microgreens, baby lettuce – Liberty Gardens (Coopersburg)
Wild Rice Salad with Blue Cheese, Mixed Greens, Grilled Corn, and Dried Cranberries
organic wild rice – Queen’s Market (Emmaus)
blue cheese – Klein Farms (Easton)
mixed greens – Gottschell Farm (Coopersburg)
corn – Teprovich Farms (Tamaqua)
Beer-Marinated Heirloom Tomato “BREW”schetta topped with Lightly Seasoned Grilled Chicken served on a Potato Crostini
heirloom tomatoes – Little Peace Farms (Northampton)
all-natural chicken – Freebird (Lancaster)
potatoes – Tallman Family Farms (Schuylkill Co.)
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
tomatoes – Meadowview Farm (Kutztown)
Heirloom Watermelon Gazpacho
watermelon – Piazza Farms (Phillipsburg)
Freshy-Harvested Gourmet Asian Pears
Nashii Chiizu (“Cheese Asian Pear”) – Grilled Quesadilla with Chopped Fresh Asian Pears, “Caprice” Cheese, and freshly-picked Cinnamon Basil
our own Asian pears
caprice cheese – Rabbit Run Farms (Quakertown)
cinnamon basil – The Seed Farm (Vera Cruz)
locally-made tortilla shells
Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Merry Monks’, Belgian style Abby Tripel