Last night, Joe and I had the pleasure of taking part in the Syracuse Real Food Co-op’s 2006 Harvest Dinner. This year, it was held at bc Restaurant, one of the stand-out eateries in Syracuse, and showcased many of the local and regional farms and foods.

We arrived a little before 6, right before the onslaught of other attendees. The bar area got a bit cramped with everyone packing in, but there was also the opportunity to taste cheeses from Lively Run Goat Diary of Interlaken, NY, Neighborly Farms of Vermont, Evans’ Farmhouse Creamery of Norwich, NY, Old Chatham Sheepherding Company of the Hudson Valley, and Sidehill Acres of Candor, NY and sample organic wines provided by Vinomania. We were also all given coupons for 20% off our next purchase at Vinomania, so that will come in handy for the holiday season.

We were seated in the back dining room with Sally White at our table. As none of us were vegetarian or vegan, we tasted all of the meat-based dishes. Others who did not eat meat were given alternate dishes. One, with butternut squash, looked particularly good and I wanted a taste of that as well. Baskets of sourdough bread and olive oil were provided and Joe and I could have eaten about three of those baskets.

First off we had a Roasted Baby Carrot and Shallot Soup, with Chorizo Sausage and Creme Fraiche:

This was amazing and again, we could have eaten bowls and bowls of it. Definitely a recipe to figure out at home. The soup had a very deep flavor and the bits of sausage provided a nice spicy contrast. The vegetables were provided by Grindstone Farm and the sausage by D’Artagnan.

Next was the House Smoked Sable on a bed of baby lettuce, pistachios and pomegranate seeds with lemon ginger dressing:

I’m not usually a big fish person, but this was excellent. The pistachios and pomegranate seeds provided nice crunch and flavor. All over, a nice, light salad. The fish came from Fins and Tails and the greens from Grindstone Farms.

This was followed by a Porcini Mushroom Risotto with Short Ribs and Pea Sprouts:

The risotto was very creamy and flavorful and the meat of the short ribs very tender. If I absolutely had to choose though, this was probably my least favorite part of the dinner as I’m not a big mushroom person. Joe really enjoyed it though and the rest of the dinner was so good that saying it was my least favorite really isn’t bashing it that much. The purveyors for this portion were Cobblestone Valley of Preble, NY (this is where our turkey is coming from!), Fresh Herbs of Fabius, and D’Artagnan.

Oops.. I was a little late in remember to take the photo on this one.

This is the remnants of a Roasted Leg of Lamb with assorted potatoes, caramelized red onion, and rainbow swiss chard. This was probably my favorite of the entrees. The roasted crust on the lamb was amazing and swiss chard is one of my favorite greens. The food for this dish was provided by Eight O’Clock Ranch, Black Brook Farm, and Grindstone Farm.

The dinner was rounded out with a light dessert: an Apple, Goat Cheese, and Hazelnut Napoleon with Salted Caramel Yogurt Sauce.

This was very yummy indeed. The goat cheese and hazelnut filling was tangy and creamy and we were being ruffians and swirling up the remnants of the caramel sauce with our mint garnish. The goat cheese came from Lively Run, the yogurt from Evans, and the hazelnuts from Tierra Farm of Valatie.

We also left with a special “Co-op” blend of coffee from Freedom of Espresso, Syracuse’s premier coffee roaster (with locations on Pearl Street and in Armory Square). We were lucky enough to come away with three of the little bags (they had some extras at the end).

Overall an excellent evening! It was great to enjoy a meal knowing where all of the food had come from and to enjoy it with the farmers and producers in the same room (did I mention that a large number of the people behind the farms mentioned above were dining along with us?). I can’t wait until the next dinner!