FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 1, 2019
Angela Corrado
484.955.3817
Make This with PA Produce: Spirits & Tales’ Heirloom Tomato and Fennel Galette
The Oaklander Hotel Executive Chef, Jessica Lewis, Shares Delightfully Versatile Comfort Recipe
Harrisburg, PA – Jessica Lewis is a culinary beacon, literally and figuratively, of the Pittsburgh Dining scene as the Executive Chef of Spirit & Tales, a classic brasserie that sits beaming on the 10th floor of The Oaklander Hotel. Her locally focused career can be traced back to a monumental moment as the proprietor and chef of Carota Cafe, one first cohort of Smallman Galley restaurants, a communal food hall for new & local dining concepts in Pittsburgh.
“When I owned my own business, my concept was vegetable forward and that was when I first started to make decisions about where I got things from and it made me really question why I was buying things. As a prior sous chef for a restaurant that wasn’t necessarily locally-focused, I didn’t know Pittsburgh so I really started doing my research. I went out to farms and walked the fields with them and I’m still close with the people I support and I’m still buying from them – Rivendale Farms, Elysian Fields, Tiny Seed Farm, Clarion River Organics, to name a few. That was really what turned a leaf for me, having those relationships and being part of that community.”
Even prior to her run at Carota Cafe, Jessica recalls going to the farmers markets with her parents as a child. The occasion was momentous and looked forward to by everyone in the family as a special trip they would take together. She recalls enjoying samplings of snap peas or cherries and recognizes how fortunate she is to be able to transfer that excitement from her childhood into a culinary passion every day at the restaurant now in the form of approachable, creative, and veggie forward recipes.
“[This recipe] is super simple and very enjoyable. It’s crunchy and we’re able to interchange the ingredients in the galette and provide a vegan option. I’ve done a potato and garlic scape galette, a butternut squash with a lot of herbs – sage, thyme, cilantro. You can do so many combinations. It’s really a great vessel to experiment with and highlight what’s going on in the season.”
Spirits & Tales’ Heirloom Tomato and Fennel Galette
Pie Dough
Ingredients
- 1.5 c all purpose flour
- 1.5 t sugar
- 1/3 c coconut oil
- 1/3 c ice water (MUST BE ice water)
- 1 pinch Kosher salt
Directions
- Combine everything in a bowl.
- Mix until just comes together (do not overmix).
- Cover loosely and put in fridge to rest for 15 minutes.
Filling
Ingredients
- 16 ea heirloom cherry tomato (sliced in half)
- 1 T cornstarch
- ½ head fennel, sliced thin
- Tt salt & black pepper
- 3 T olive oil
- ½ c parsley, rough chopped
- 2 ea shallot, thinly sliced
Directions
- Combine everything in a bowl & mix.
- Cover loosely and put in fridge to rest for 15 minutes.
Pie Dough Wash
Ingredients
- 2 T almond milk (original)
- 2 T honey
- Pinch of sugar, sea salt, and sesame seeds
Directions
- Combine almond and honey & brush over pie dough.
- Sprinkle ‘sugar in the raw’, sea salt & (optional) sesame seeds on dough.
Pie
Directions
- Set oven at 375 F.
- Roll out dough, pour in filling, fold dough over the filling.
- Using a pastry brush, brush dough with wash.
- Bake pie until bubbles & crust is golden brown.
- Cut into 6 pieces and enjoy.
The Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and Research Program is a statewide marketing order established by a grower referendum, governed by a grower board and funded by grower assessments. The Program’s sole purpose is to serve the vegetable growers of Pennsylvania by promoting Pennsylvania-grown vegetables and funding practical vegetable production research. Consider liking PA Veggies on Facebook (PAVeggies), following along on Instagram (@PAVeggies), subscribing to our YouTube channel, and using #PAVeggies to find and share your homegrown PA happiness experiences.
EDITORS: If you have any questions, please contact Angela ℅ PA Veggies at 484.955.3817 or [email protected].