Montgomery Mag Serves Up Founding Farmers’ Brunswick Stew

Montgomery Magazine‘s Pamela Shipper offers a thorough look at Potomac’s Founding Farmers, from design DNA to menu philosophy, in a recent article about the restaurant. Making its first appearance in print is Woodstock, the 800- to-1,000 degree Fahrenheit oven that’s the heart of Potomac’s Founding Farmers’ kitchen. It’s a powerhouse oven that’s pretty rare in this area, so we thought you’d like to know what it looks like:

Shipper closes out the article with our Brunswick Stew recipe, which we’ve pasted below as well. Enjoy!

Founding Farmers’ Brunswick Stew
Makes 3 1/2 quarts (serves 6–8)
¾ pound applewood smoked bacon—raw and julienne
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
¾ cup celery, diced
¾ cup carrots, diced
½ cup fennel, diced
1½ cups leeks, sliced, white part only
2 quarts chicken broth (low salt or no salt)
1 cup tomato juice
¼ cup barley
¾ cup Idaho potato, peeled and diced
¾ cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 cup tomatoes, ½” diced
¾ cup yellow squash, diced
¾ cup zucchini, diced
1 cup frozen lima beans
½ cup fresh green beans, diced
1½ cup cilantro, rough-chopped
¼ cup basil, rough-chopped
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1½ teaspoons black pepper, fresh mill-ground
¾ cup barbecue sauce
½ pound baby spinach
¾ cup green onions, sliced
1½ each limes, juiced

Optional for heartier stew: 1 pound roasted whole chicken, pulled

Cooking Instructions
Heat a stockpot to medium heat and cook bacon until crispy but not burnt. Add oil and heat. Once oil is hot, add yellow onion, garlic, shallots, celery, carrots, fennel and leeks. Sauté or “sweat” vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Add chicken broth, tomato juice and barley. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add potatoes, garbanzo beans and tomatoes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add yellow squash, zucchini, lima beans, green beans, cilantro, basil, salt, black pepper and barbecue sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes to heat through. Prior to serving, add spinach and green onions, lime juice (and warm, pulled chicken, if desired). Add additional salt to taste.

Best when served with crusty bread.

Potomac’s Founding Farmers Beef Burgoo Recipe

Did you happen to catch Potomac’s Founding Farmers at the Bethesda Farmers Market on Sunday, December 18? We were showcasing our Kentucky Beef Burgoo recipe. In case you missed it, you can find a downloadable PDF of the recipe right here.

Happy cooking!

Chef Joe Chats With Potomac Patch

Today’s the big day: Our second location, Potomac’s Founding Farmers, is officially open for business! Earlier this week, Potomac Patch sat down with Farmers Restaurant Group Executive Chef Joe Goetze to learn more about the restaurant’s menu and his philosophy on food and cooking. Watch the video below.

New Cocktail Menu

Founding Farmers has released the new cocktail menu—featuring the classics you’ve come to love and adding a few more to keep you coming back for more, including a Recession Proof menu for the Recessionistas out there. Chief Mixologist, Jon Arroyo, has worked to create a menu that will please any palate. Check it out below and come by for a few drinks after work or enjoy a few before, during and after a meal!