Brandywine Table: Add Some Spice to Your Summer Menu!

Now that we’re in the thick of summer, you’ve likely been putting your grill to good use. And we hope you’ve found time to gather with friends and family as you indulge in the bounty from your garden and local farmers markets.

While grilling offers a great way to switch up the monotony of cooking inside in your kitchen, standard fare like steak and grilled chicken — even with mixed green salads and baked potatoes — can get old pretty fast. The key to enlivening your menu is spicing it up with robust flavors that will make your dishes unforgettable.

To up your summer menu game, begin with a pantry stocked with seasonings and sauces, like a Moroccan spice rub for meats and vegetables, a salsa verde to toss with potatoes, or a roasted garlic dressing to add pizzazz to salads. We’re talking easy dishes that can be enhanced simply by adding spices and sauces. “You can transform simple ingredients, like vegetables, into something more exciting if you have the right pantry items,” said John Alff, owner of Vesta Kitchen, which has a new brick-and-mortar location in Pottstown.

This is what inspired Alff, a father of three young kids, to make ready-to-go, field-to-fork meals. It’s like having a helper in your kitchen who’s sourcing from Chester County farms you likely know and love, such as Kneehigh Farm, Pasture Song Farm, Horse Shoe Ranch and Birchrun Hills Farm. “You know all our ingredients are locally and responsibly sourced, and I put my spin on them and do all the work,” added Alff. Sounds pretty tempting this time of year!

Between summer vacations, camp carpool for kids and work demands, it can be challenging to find the time to keep up with the day-to-day cooking that’s involved with feeding a family. And who has the time for making your own fermented hot sauce, pickling onions or dehydrating oregano to add to your pantry?

That was a motivating factor behind Vesta’s products — to help you stock up on things you don’t have time to make from scratch. Plus these deliver the quality and freshness of homemade go-to items like hot sauces, barbecue sauces, dressings and chutneys.

If you do make the time to shop at local farmers markets, your visits will also serve as a great chance to get to know who’s growing your food. By talking with the growers, you’ll find more ways to showcase what small Pennsylvania farmers and producers have to offer each season.

Read on for some simple and versatile recipes Alff recommends you try at home that can breathe new life into your summer menu!

Read More