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Dancing Ewe Farm: Authentic, Italian and Farm-to-Fork

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I have spent a great deal of time in recent months in Washington County. I’ve been working with a family to help them find a property to relocate their farm from Ohio. By the time this goes to print, they will have closed on their dream property in Salem, Washington County. I also, drive through or to Washington County to visit my dealership clients. All year, there are a few “honor system” roadside stands with eggs for sale; there is nothing better than fresh eggs! I often stop at one particular stand on Bald Mountain Road. The yolks are almost as orange as my car!

In the summer months, there is a stand set back from the road on Route 4 in Whitehall with amazing produce, grass-fed beef and mouthwatering baked goods. In July and September, we head to Garden Works to pick raspberries. When I think of Washington County, I think of farms and the joy I get from finding a hidden gem on my way home and only then, deciding what I will make for dinner.

In the Catskills, there are several farms owned by chef/owners of restaurants from Brooklyn. The chefs buy the farms and employ the former owners to grow or raise products to be used in the city restaurants. These restaurateurs also schedule dinners during which diners can enjoy true farm-to-fork cuisine at communal tables.

Late last season, I learned that Dancing Ewe Farm, in Washington County, offers farm-to-fork lunches and dinners. I finally made it there this spring. We arrived at the farm for lunch on a Sunday and were greeted with a glass of dry rosé and overflowing platters of Pizza Blanco, a crispy, almost cracker-like bread. As we sipped our wine, we took in the rolling green hills and towering mountains. At our leisure, we wandered into the barn and made our wine selections. Each lunch includes one bottle of wine for every two guests. After all the guests selected their wines, there was a tour of the farm operation located just below the area of the barn where our communal table was set.

Each course consisted of simple, fresh, quality ingredients simply yet expertly prepared. Our first course was individual plates of cheeses, charcuterie, vegetables and crostini with appropriate accoutrements. There were three crostini, one with a house-made sausage and melted cheese. It was salty and slightly spicy and seemed to melt in my mouth. There was a crostini topped with zucchini shaved thin that had a “heat” at the finish. The third one was topped with roasted red peppers; I drizzled it with the olive oil on the table, made on their sister farm in Italy. There was a camembert-style cheese that was aged in ash to help cut the acidity. There was a pecorino laced with truffle that was my favorite cheese. My favorite item was a Cipollini onion marinated in an agrodolce, a slightly sweet, slightly sour liquid.

Our second course was a malloreddus, thin, tube-like pasta prepared with prosciutto, ricotta and garlic scrapes. I again added a drizzle of the olive oil that added a velvet-like consistency to this fragrant and flavorful dish.

Just when we thought we couldn’t eat another bite, we were served a light, yet creamy panna cotta topped with fresh, sliced strawberries. Everyone in our party devoured every bit of this sweet ending.

To say the entire experience was pure bliss would be an understatement. Each member of the team at Dancing Ewe was so knowledgeable and helped us understand and appreciate our meal, every step of the way.

Visit Dancing Ewe Farm at 181 Country Route 12, Granville, New York; call 518-642-8199 or check out dancingewe.com to learn more about the farm.

Written by: Joanne DiMarco

Joanne DiMarco has a degree in restaurant and hospitality management from Paul Smiths College. She fully enjoys life in Upstate New York. When not writing the Cravings column, Joanne is considered a trusted sales and marketing professional as a Strategic Sales Manager with Cars.com and an Associate Broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Blake, Realtors®.
Check out her blog at UpstateGoodLife.com.