By Mike Morsch, Executive editor
The fact that Pamela Parseghian once tested recipes for the food service division of a nonprofit trade association called the Southern Peanut Growers is actually a critical detail for an upcoming program at the Cranbury Public Library.
Add in the words “cherry tomato peanut pesto” and there appears to be a certain amount of intrigue that might make local residents wonder just exactly what is going on at the library that has the elements of peanut farmers and cherry tomatoes converging in Cranbury.
It all sounds like it has the potential to be both interesting and scrumptious.
The program is called “Cooking the Farmers Market” and it will be presented at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, by Ms. Parseghian, a Cranbury resident and cooking instructor at Sur La Table at Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrenceville, and Samantha Jany, owner of Brown Dog Produce at Simonson Farms in Plainsboro.
Essentially, the program will offer ideas on what to do with produce from the garden, the Farmers Market and from community supported agriculture.
“It helps stretch people’s cooking skills and their experience with produce to learn something they’ve never cooked before,” said Ms. Parseghian.
And how to prepare cherry tomato peanut pesto will be one of the highlights that evening.
“Of all the recipes that I’ve tested, and there have been many over the years, it was my favorite peanut recipe. It’s super easy,” said Ms. Parseghian, a longtime food editor for restaurant trade magazines who also gives cooking instruction through Mercer County Community College to young men incarcerated at a juvenile detention center in Monroe.
The cherry tomato peanut pesto recipe that Ms. Parseghian is using during the program comes from a New York chef who won a cooking contest with it.
According to its website, Ms. Jany’s Brown Dog Produce CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is committed to raising only the finest Jersey Fresh produce. Its mission is to feed the community the same healthful fruits and vegetables that Ms. Jany feeds her family.
“While I am passionate about my produce, I also am passionate about the land that I farm. My greatest wish is to leave the ground I farm in better condition for those generations that will come after me,” Ms. Jany writes on her website.
“I admire her,” said Ms. Parseghian about Ms. Jany. “My heart skips a beat when I see her produce out on Main Street in front of the ice cream shop. It’s just lovely that it’s there and that she’s growing this produce.”
Library officials approached both women about putting together the program, and Ms. Parseghian was excited about the opportunity.
“I almost live at the library. I love it. It’s a place that between my husband and I, we’re there every day,” said Ms. Parseghian, a one-time library board member. “The library is hugely important. It’s a place where the community can get together and share things like this, things that aren’t necessarily books but help people explore new things and learn.”
In addition to the cherry tomato peanut pesto, Ms. Parseghian will show attendees how to pickle sugar snap peas and how to use carrot juice to glaze carrots.
It’s the first time the program has been offered by the library, which has put together a booklet called “Cooking the Farmers Market,” that includes some of Ms. Parseghian’s recipes and well as recipes from local farmers. And library officials are encouraging those that attend the program to bring their own favorite recipes to share that evening.
The program won’t just be focused on produce. Ms. Parseghian said she plans to go over basic cooking techniques and skills, too. And those attending can expect to taste what is prepared during the program.
“We’re going to try to cook a couple of things as well, even though it’s a library and we don’t want to stink up the place,” said Ms. Parseghian.
For more information about this program and others, contact the Cranbury Public Library, 23 N. Main St., at 609-655-0555 or visit the website at http://www.cranburypubliclibrary.org.
