Dig LOCAL ROOTS

TIME TO GET TO THE ROOT OF THINGS . . . . .

Visit any farmers market these fall days and you'll find a bevy of potatoes, turnips, winter squash and sweet potatoes - all tasty root vegetables. While at the City Market in Asheville (and without my camera, I am sorry to say), I found gorgeous carrots - purple, yellow, white and orange - and Scarlet Queen turnips, a red one that's great for salads or lightly roasted. Kale and other greens spilled out of baskets. Candy roasters, butternut and acorn squash filled the tables, too.

Inspired by all those root veggies, we made a communal dinner after a family hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Take a look see below, with the recipe!

MEANWHILE, I MUST TELL YOU ABOUT A SPECIAL DINNER I ATTENDED . . . .

Roanoke, VA

Rappahannock Oysters. Golden Trout. Lamb from Border Springs Farm in Patrick County. How local can you get?

And visiting Chef Ed Lee, a James Beard award winner this year and chef/proprietor of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, KY, was pretty excited about working with such fine local ingredients for last week's special dinner. Chef Lee and Executive Chef Joshua Smith shared the menu, alternating preparing the six course menu.

What made this meal such a culinary delight? Using local ingredients with such a global influence, thanks in part to Chef Lee's Korean family background and his New York City upbringing.

A tiny, perfect little quail egg was criss-crossed with tiny strips of duck bak-kua, a traditional Chinese salty-sweet dried meat similar to jerky. Fried kale to add color and crispness. The lamb done "kalbi"-style, a traditional Korean method of marinating, then grilling meat. The final touch for dessert - a damson plum consomme with black sesame paste and basmati sherbet.

LOCAL ROOTS is open for lunch and dinner. Check out their marvelous seasonal menus. 1314 Grandin Rd SW, Roanoke, VA 540 206 2610

HOW TO SIMPLY ROAST A DINNER . . .

We scored a gorgeous eye of round from Hickory Nut Gap Farm at the City Market also. We seared it on the stove top in a bit of olive oil on high heat, to seal the fat and juices, just until it was browned, then placed it in a big roasting pan. Sweet onions, new potatoes, those Scarlet Queen turnips, and the multi-colored carrots were cut into chunks, then added to the pan, along with a green pepper from my daughter's garden. Her roommate also harvested and chopped some rosemary and fresh thyme, which we added with slivers of garlic. Drizzled with olive oil and with several grinds of pepper, the veggies were glistening and gorgeous. Set into a 325 degree oven, stirring occasionally, the veggies were tender and the meat at about 150 after about an hour.

Meanwhile, we laughed, cajoled and teased as we played Apples to Apples. They didn't let Mom win.

The crowd of twenty-somethings that gathered around Bec's table finished off everything in the pan, including the turnips that everyone had sorta scoffed at. Carrots were fought over.

See, it pays to get to your roots, especially with your family around.