Historical February–March 2009 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Cooking has always been a party of Mary Edgerton’s life. Growing up in New York, she spent a lot of time in the kitchen helping her mother and grandmother. “They were great cooks and they had me working in the kitchen with them as long as I can remember.” Last year, Mary and her husband Mike, residents of 4XX Westgate in Parkview, joined Fair Shares, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) that distributes fresh, seasonal, sustainablyproduced foods grown by local farmers and producers to its members in St. Louis every week. “We were interested in eating more locally grown produce and had been looking for a CSA for a while,” said Mary Edgerton. “We wanted to support small local farmers, reduce transportation, and get great food!” Fair Shares has spurred Edgerton’s creative cooking juices. “I love the fact that I am no longer in a ‘food rut’! Before, I would go to the grocery store every week and buy the same old things out of habit.
Now we try to plan our menus around what’s in the bag every week and have made many delicious new discoveries. Who knew all the things you could do with zucchini?” Edgerton shared a black bean and sweet potato enchilada recipe that uses many items included in a weekly Fair Shares bag: peppers, sweet potatoes, black beans, salsa and tortillas.
The recipe was given to Mary by her 20-year-old daughter, Leah, who is vegan. “When she’s not around, I’ve been known to add some cheese on top!” The Edgertons enjoy the enchilada dish with guacamole tortilla chips, a green salad, and “a great beer, because Mike is a home brewer.” To be considered for future issues, contact Ligaya Figueras at figuerasl@sbcglobal.net. 2 lge. sweet potatoes, peeled, diced 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 small, fresh hot chile pepper, seeded and rinsed (or substitute 2 fresh jalapeno peppers) 1 1/2 cup black beans, cooked 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes or 2 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced 1 Tbsp. chile powder salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 cups salsa 8 flour tortillas 1/4 c. red onion, finely chopped Preheat the oven to 400º. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer on a slightly oiled baking sheet and roast until tender, turning once, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile pepper, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans, tomatoes, chile powder, salt and pepper. Stir in the sweet potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside. Spread a thin layer of salsa over the bottom of a lightly oiled 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set aside. Place a tortilla on a flat work surface. Spoon a portion of the bean-sweet potato mixture down the center of the tortilla and roll it up. Place the filled tortilla in the baking dish, seam side down, and repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling mixture. Spoon any remaining filling mixture on top of the enchiladas, top with the remaining salsa, and sprinkle with red onion. Cover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Parker’s Pick We asked Jon Parker, resident of 60XX Kingsbury and proprietor of Parker’s Table Wine and Food Shop in Clayton, to suggest a wine pairing for Edgerton’s enchilada dish. “Try something with juice and fresh fruit and low alcohol,” said Parker. “The spice and heat of the peppers can work against wines with high alcohol and strong tannins.
The combination of these elements might turn your mouth into a chimenea.” Parker offered red and white picks that retail for $15 a bottle. “For the red, a good Beaujolais fills the glass in a soft, jammy-juicy pale way. Blue Franc from Washington State also works with a darker but similar taste.” For the white, Parker suggested Nora Albarino from northwestern Spain.
It was long thought that the Albarino grape was a relative of Riesling made in a dry style.
The smell is fresh and spicy like Riesling.
However, through modern wonders of DNA tracing, the connection was proven unfounded.
Original photograph caption
Mary Edgerton helps with weekly food distribution at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Ames Place, the winter pick-up site for Fair Shares CSA members in Skinker-De Baliviere and University City.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February–March 2009.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: Garlic appears in method but no quantity is printed in ingredient list. Source opening says party of Mary Edgerton’s life; retained.
Original source: SD_Times2009_02.pdf, printed page(s) 5; PDF page(s) 5.
