Wanting to eat and cook with good food, Lake Zurich man turns to farming
It was while watching a documentary during his senior year of college, that altered the course of our Cook of the Week's career. Dan Pilguy of Lake Zurich was a human physiology major at the University of Iowa when he watched “Food, Inc.” in one of his classes.
“It was about the food system in America - how corrupted and manipulated it has become. The government subsidizes foods that are the worst for you.”
Dan was impressed by the emerging urban farmers who are trying to fulfill the need for fresh, healthy foods in 'urban food deserts,' using healthy, sustainable and alternative methods of farming.
Dan admits his parents were initially dismayed to learn that their son had decided to become a farmer once he graduated, but they came around to the idea and are supportive. Dan and a college classmate began with a startup business in Iowa. They grew organic produce and raised chickens; the farm grew to 6 acres. After five years, Dan felt the need to branch out on his own and return to his native roots. He opened Arlington Crest Farms, which is a Community Supported Agriculture operation in the middle of Palatine. AC Farms supplies subscribers in the Northwest suburbs with a box of ripe, seasonal fruits and vegetables twice a month throughout the growing season. You can also see Farmer Dan selling produce at any number of local farmers markets. Dan writes a Farm newsletter where he includes recipes for whatever vegetables his subscribers find featured in their boxes.
Dan has always loved to cook. As a child, his grandmother and mother often invited him into the kitchen to help with chopping and stirring. As a teenager, he worked as a line cook in a restaurant and learned the basics of seasoning and flat grilling from a veteran chef. That experience helped him land a job in college working at the Iowa football stadium prepping food for the food venues and the executive suites.
“Tailgating is a big deal there - and I got into all the games for free - it was a win-win,” he laughs. Dan cooked a lot in college where Taco Tuesday was a regular event and visits to farmers markets happened every weekend.
Now, at home in Lake Zurich, Dan and his girlfriend both enjoy cooking.
“We like to cook together - we both like to experiment with recipes and always enjoy learning new techniques. I'm really interested in doing more with preserving. I'd like to be able to stock up my pantry with fresh produce so there would be no waste.”
Although Dan finds that he doesn't eat as much meat as he used to, he still really loves cooking on the grill.
“I grill all the time. My favorite thing to grill is Swiss chard. Just remove the stem and place the chard over high heat for 15 seconds. I chop it up and add balsamic vinegar, bacon bits, and some crumbly cheese, and it works really well. I also grill zucchini, onions, peppers, and tomatoes.” Dan shares another recipe using Swiss chard that he got from one of his professors in college. This dish begins with brown rice, layers in the vegetables which serve as a bed for poached eggs.
Eating seasonal foods is a given for Dan. In the spring, Dan likes doing big salads.
“Zucchini and squash will be coming in now - so we have a good zucchini lasagna we like to make. And I make a butternut squash soup with jalapeño peppers - because I like spicy!” Soon tomatoes will be the star like in the tomato basil tortellini recipe he shares with us today.
Ever wonder why tomatoes are soo tasteless until right about now?
“Tomatoes grown for major grocery stores are genetically modified - they are not designed for taste - they are designed to last the trip to the store and still look good on the shelf.” Dan is looking forward to his tomato crop.
“Once they're on, they're on!” he laughs.
Is there anything better than a ripe, homegrown tomato?
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