An invasive plant is at the center of a fundraiser this week for a group pushing to create a new watershed in Northeast Ohio.
Vaccaro’s Trattoria in Bath will be serving three dishes this week that feature garlic mustard, a slightly bitter plant with the consistency of spinach. Brenda McShaffrey is part of the group trying to create a Yellow Creek watershed conservancy district in Bath. She says the idea for the fundraiser came about after she picked a carload of the invasive plant.
“It’s different but it’s good; for the foodies and the adventurous diners, that’s for sure. And people who go there this week don’t have to order the garlic mustard. The tables will have information on garlic mustard.”
McShaffrey says Chef Raphael Vaccaro has enjoyed experimenting with the new dishes.
“It is a little on the bitter side. So it’s important to get the leaves or the plant when it’s young. When it’s more like a rosette. He added some Swiss chard to the pesto to tone down the bitterness. He added, obviously, some really good cheese and olive oil.”
The “Pest to Pesto” event includes a pasta dish, a chicken dish and a pizza, which will be available through Monday, August 26. McShaffrey says the Friends of Yellow Creek are planning another fundraiser on September 9.
