“My son and my husband are hunters, so we get venison, turkey, duck,” she stated. “It’s neat realizing you’ll be able to self-sustain if wanted. That’s an enormous a part of our homeschooling, too.”
On their homestead, the Ragostas increase heritage breed chickens and Nigerian dwarf goats and maintain a vegetable backyard. Homeschooling her youngsters, ages 5 to 13, additionally consists of subject journeys to be taught “the place the animal you’re consuming comes from. My youngsters are in a position to see, from begin to end, how this product ended up on our desk,” she stated. “It’s been an exquisite course of.”
An East Greenwich native, Ragosta, 39, will launch her debut cookbook in 2023. She talked to Globe Rhode Island about bartering, native farms, fall recipes, and how you can stretch a grocery funds.
Q: I’m so intrigued by this idea of bartering recipes for meals. How did this begin?
Ragosta: Rising up, my father was an entrepreneur, you would say. He was nice at bartering. He was a pilot and photographer, and would take aerial images of companies, eating places, and [trade] an exquisite image, matted and framed, for a $300 reward certificates for the restaurant. He was at all times doing issues like that. I used to be uncovered to that.
I believed: Farms might give me meat or greens, and I might write recipes. Farms might use them on their web site, or social media. As a result of so many instances, with farms or CSAs, folks suppose: “What do I do with frozen chuck roast? Or daikon?”
I reached out first to Wild Harmony Farm, and bartered $30 of meat for a recipe. I reached out to most likely 40 farms and artisans in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Each single one stated sure.
It took off quick. I find it irresistible. And I’ve gotten to know the meals neighborhood. It’s been enjoyable with the ability to showcase like their merchandise in a scrumptious and exquisite means that, on the identical time, helps prospects with inspiration and concepts. Now I’m writing a cookbook with all of those recipes, plus those I’ve created over the previous 15 years.
What number of Rhode Island farms do you’re employed with?
I’ve labored with about 25 Rhode Island farms since Might 2021, not [all] presently, although. Each farm makes use of me otherwise. For Rocky Point Blueberry Farm, I did recipes in trade for letting the children and I decide. Wild Harmony, she’s tremendous good about having every little thing up on the website. Windmist prints them out and posts them on freezers. Chris and Kristina’s Market Garden prints them to show. There are tons of how farms make the most of this. It’s factor for them, their prospects, and it’s been an enormous blessing in my life.
What are a number of others you’ve labored with?
Wicked Roots Micro Farm in South Kingstown. Micro Farms are popping up an increasing number of. One other one: Farming Turtles. Little River Farm, Luckyfoot Ranch, Brandon Family Farm, Emma Acres, Cedar Valley Farm. The Local Catch for seafood. Pat’s Pastured — I really used to work there as an egg-washer.
What’s recipe to stretch a meals funds?
Actually, an entire rooster. I can take a 4-pound rooster, for $20, $25, and feed my household of seven. You are able to do a lot with it. I do dutch oven or Crockpot slow-cooking for soup, tacos, quesadillas. Afterwards, I strip that carcass fully and put it again into the pot with water, veggies, herbs to make bone-broth. That’s one in every of my favourite methods to stretch a meal.
I really like pestos. I hate to waste something, so I’ll take carrot and beet tops that most individuals throw away and switch these into pesto with some herbs, somewhat little bit of cheese, sunflower seeds — that are less expensive than pine nuts and style simply pretty much as good — and olive oil.
What are some kid-favorite dishes?
They love tacos. For a fast meal, sheet-pan nachos. I’ll put a pork-butt roast within the crock pot, make my very own barbecue sauce. It’s really easy — nachos and veggies, pulled pork on prime with native cheese. The youngsters go loopy for that.
And what are a few of your private favourite meals?
I am going proper to a bolognese. There’s so some ways you are able to do that: pork, veal, floor beef, recent tomatoes. I really like pasta. I keep in mind once I was 19, being within the kitchen with my husband’s grandmother, she was educating me how you can make home made potato gnocchi. And the love — I might simply really feel it. So any form of Italian delicacies, I relate to probably the most.
Home made pizza, eggplant parmesan, bruschetta. I really like braised meats with polenta or risotto. Italian delicacies is my favourite. I really like the simplicity and the fervour.
So if someone desires to commerce with you, do they allow you to decide the meals? Or do they offer you one thing as an project?
I’m normally a take-charge individual, however this has been me saying: “No matter you’re in a position to bless our household with, I’ll be artistic with.” I normally do two recipes per thirty days for every farm. So if they offer me pork chops, or floor beef, I’ll begin serious about that.
Numerous vegetable farms, I’m in a position to decide what I would like. I really like that as a result of I can [browse and get] impressed — like that potato and leek soup. I’ve solely had one farm inform me: “that is what I would like for a recipe.” However I undoubtedly have to really feel that inspiration with the intention to make one thing good.
What are a number of recipes for fall?
After I consider fall, I feel stews, soups, breads with kalamata olives, pasta. It relies upon what product I’m working with. I really like cooking seasonally and domestically— meals is extra scrumptious if you’re in tune with the seasons.
Appears to be like such as you’re doing lots with squash proper now.
Squashes are large. There’s a lot you are able to do with them. For mac & cheese, I’ve made a butternut squash sauce the children thought was cheese. And it’s really easy: Simply roast the butternut squash, mash it up. Puree it, add somewhat milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and turns into like this lovely, velvety creamy sauce. I’ve executed it in lasagna. You can put that on pizza.
Courtesy of Kim Ragosta
One other fascinating squash is delicata squash — an exquisite lengthy squash with inexperienced stripes. Roast them till they’re golden brown. The pores and skin is scrumptious and filled with vitamins. Combine that with somewhat ghee or somewhat olive oil. I simply had the very best squash I’ve ever had in my life, a butterkin — a mixture between a butternut and a pumpkin. The sweetness was simply scrumptious.
And if you put flowers in your dishes, are they edible?
Sure. This yr was the primary yr rising nasturtium. You’ll be able to eat these flowers proper up. And it makes it look further fairly.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Lauren Daley could be reached at ldaley33@gmail.com. Observe her on Twiiter @laurendaley1.
