September in Vermont is when the harvest is at its most abundant, with farmers market stands looking like rainbows with lush greens, bunches of red and gold beets, deep purple eggplant, chicory, red and orange peppers, late-seaason raspberries, apples, and so much more!
At Ferrisburgh’s Starry Night Café, the menu offerings are inspired by cuisines and traditions around the world - but using as many locally raised and grown ingredients as possible.
Executive Chef Robert Smith III and his team are passionate about bringing a true taste of Vermont into their dishes and offerings at the restaurant. In fact, they even have an onsite kitchen garden of 6 raised beds, managed by neighboring Farmer Hil. But for the ingredients they can’t raise and grow onsite, they partner with a variety of farms and producers to bring the best Vermont has to offer into their restaurant.
Chef Robert’s Vadauvon Curry Base is used as a starting point for many of the seasonally, locally-sourced dishes at the restaurant, including soups, dressings, curries, and more. He was kind enough to share the recipe with us, so you can craft your own Starry Night-inspired dishes with locally-sourced ingredients at home!
VADAUVON CURRY BASE
Recipe courtesy of Chef Robert Smith III
Ingredients:
- 2 lb onion
- 1 lb shallot
- 12 garlic cloves
- 4g ground fenugreek
- 7g ground cumin
- 3g ground cardamom
- 4g yellow mustard seed
- 4g turmeric
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon espelette
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 4g black pepper
- 15g salt
Working in batches, either chop or pulse in a food processor the onions, shallots, and garlic until fine.
Heat a large pot with 1 pint of olive oil, add onions, garlic, and salt. Let the vegetables sweat on low heat for 20-35 minutes, until all moisture is gone. Do not scorch the onions!
Once the onions are cooked, add all the spices and transfer to an oiled oven-safe pan or dish and cook at 325 degrees for 1.5 hours.
This makes a great base for curries, dressings, soups, and more! Serve with local vegetables, meats, or other proteins of your choice.
Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
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This recipe was provided as part of a farmers market tour series, supported by Specialty Crop Block Grant 02200-SCBGP-18-05, awarded to Vermont Fresh Network by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets.
