From local veggies to fresh spring rolls: a Martha's Vineyard cooking class with no recipes, no rules.

A pinch of creativity, a dollop of spontaneity, and a frig of veggies is all you need to create a magical dinner.

I was late. Walking up to the porch at the Farm Institute kitchen on Martha’s Vineyard, where the cooking class was in progress, I heard a weird rhythmic drumming sound that I thought was music coming from inside. Then it hit me: that’s not music. That’s the sound of 14 adults, large chef’s knives in hand, vigorously chopping vegetables on wood cutting boards. I’m surprised Brian Wilson never captured that sound on a Beach Boy’s album.

Ten minutes late and the meal is half made.

That’s because Jenny DeVivo, the chef in charge, moves so fast. She darts around, grabbing veggies, giving out assignments, impatiently slicing some of the carrots herself, laughing, telling a joke. “Hello, my friend”, she says in my general direction as I stare around the room, bewildered by the noise and activity.

Cooking with fresh, local ingredients begs for creativity and flexibility.

The class is called “Cooking from the Island: What’s Fresh and What’s Local”. It is held regularly throughout the summer at the Farm Institute.

The title is a bit misleading because Jenny focuses as much on spontaneity as she does on specific ingredients. She’s all about creativity and flexibility and just plain old joy while pulling together a meal with what is fresh, local and in the frig.

This class focused on veggies that are around now: cabbage, lettuce, carrots, mint, spring onions (even though it’s late summer) and green beans.

Some of the fresh garden vegetables we used in our dinner.

The goal was to use these ingredients in different dishes. Menu building focused on a taste profile, which I would define as “vaguely Asian”. We basically used peanuts, soy sauce, ginger and honey in different ways.

The evening’s menu:

· Fresh rolls (fresh veggies and noodles wrapped in rice paper and dipped into a peanut sauce)

· A chopped salad with a ginger, soy dressing

· Pork cubes marinated in honey and soy, 3 to a skewer, roasted in the oven

· Roasted green beans and onions

There were no printed or shared recipes. Did I mention that Jenny was all about spontaneity and creativity? There was also not a lot of measuring or complex technique or time-consuming whatevers.

I learned how to make restaurant-like Vietnamese fresh rolls. And so can you!

Ever wondered how to make fresh rolls - those rolls of diced vegetables, protein and noodles served with some kind of peanut/soy dipping sauce in Asian restaurants. They are a healthy treat that feel daunting to make.

Now I know the secret. Buy a package of these discs.

A rice paper wrapper you can buy in any grocery store.

Yes, they look like plastic placements. You could use them for an art project. But they are actually spring roll wrappers, made out of rice flour and water. You can find them in virtually any supermarket. Dip them in water to soften them, layer some sliced veggies of your choice on them, wrap and serve. It is literally as easy as that. The wrapping and rolling part admittedly needs a little practice and yields a lot of shapes:

A collection of hand-wrapped fresh rolls. What we lacked in skill we made for with enthusiasm.

Clearly, our wrapping skills were not top-notch. But what we lacked in skill, we made for with enthusiasm and humor.

Here’s what we layered in:

• lettuce

• thinly sliced/diced carrots

• thinly sliced cabbage

• thinly sliced cucumbers

• diced mint

• Rice noodles

• scallions

Here’s what it looks like pre-wrapping:

ok. So it looks a little more appetizing before the wrapping. It was still fun!

You can literally make it with whatever you have on hand, including bits of pork or chicken or tofu or shrimp.

To make the dipping sauce, whisk or whir these ingredients:

• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 Tablespoons honey or maple syrup

• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil

• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

• water as needed

The whole meal - the fresh rolls, the pork, sautéed shoshito peppers, a salad (same ingredients as the spring rolls, just chopped and put in a bowl) and green beans - took less than an hour to prepare.

And at the end, we got to enjoy the fruits of our labors on the farm porch.

Another fine meal on the Vineyard.

If you have any spontaneous recipes using fresh local ingredients, send them along!

Or sign up for a class at the Farm Institute on Martha’s Vineyard if you are on the island:

Farm Institute
14 Aero Ave
Edgartown MA 02539
508-627-7007