So Simple, So Good

Here's an easy way to make use of your farmers market finds.  Don't forget, it's still Massachusetts Farmers Market Week and you can help support the market with a donation of any size at http://www.massfarmersmarkets.org, just click on donate. To check out some other great blog posts celebrating the markets visit In Our Grandmothers’ Kitchens.


Now, onto tonight's recipe. I wasn't planning on posting this while I was cooking - I just took a couple pictures with the plan of tweeting them. But my plan changed as soon as I took the first bite.  Tonight's dinner was quick to prepare (thanks to some cooking earlier in the week) and full of great flavor. Even better - it was almost all local!


Last week I picked up some yellow cherry tomatoes from Ward's Berry Farm at the Boston University Farmers Market. On Sunday I roasted them with some olive oil and kosher salt. They made a great topping for pizza bagels and then I put them in the refrigerator and forgot about them until tonight.


After reading about hard neck garlic over at Local in Season today, I picked up two heads from Atlas Farm during my after work trip to the Copley Farmers Market.  Not related to tonight's dinner I also picked up a leek and some local potatoes to turn into soup tomorrow. 

And the BEST part of my visit to the market today - ground cherries are back! These look like baby tomatillos - but have a personality all of their own. A little tart, a little sweet, and so addictive. I can polish off an entire container in one sitting. Even peeling off the little husks doesn't slow me down. Next year I'll have to try growing these in my expanded garden. Until then, I will buy as many as I can before they go out of season.

Now, back to dinner. My basil plants really enjoyed these rainy days and I had a lot to use. This was the finishing touch for dinner. The sauce was spicy from the garlic, but sweet from the tomatoes. The basil was bright and summery. I'm sitting here licking my lips just thinking about it. I might have to go heat up the leftovers for dessert.


Whole Wheat Linguine with Roasted Yellow Tomato Sauce
Serves 2


Roasted Tomatoes
About 20 yellow cherry tomatoes
Olive oil 
Kosher Salt


Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cover a baking sheet with foil
Spread the tomatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet
Drizzle enough olive oil on top to cover the tomatoes and use your hands to toss them in the oil
Sprinkle with kosher salt
Roast for about 15 minutes, until tomatoes split open
I chilled mine in the fridge all week

Sauce
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Roasted tomatoes
1 clove, hard neck garlic
Pinch of kosher salt
1 Tablespoon-ish of fresh basil


When you're ready to make the sauce, heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat
When oil is hot, add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant
Add in tomatoes and salt and mix well
Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes (while the noodles cook)
When the sauce has thickened a little, remove from heat and put into a serving bowl

Add cooked pasta to the sauce and toss
Top with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese


Devour!

Local ingredients: Tomatoes, garlic, basil

Pantry items: Salt, olive oil, pasta, Parmesan cheese

Summary:

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10-12 minutes

Pasta pot, colander, cutting board, knife, baking sheet, small skillet, spatula, serving bowl and utensils

Farmer's Market Round-Up: Massachusetts Farmers Market Week

I don't have to tell you that I love farmers' markets.  This year I've been lucky enough to have access to a local market almost all year round.  In honor of Massachusetts Farmers Market week happening now (Sunday, August 22, through Saturday, August 28), here's a round-up of some of my favorite farmers market recipes and dishes.  Enjoy!

And, if you are inspired by the farmers market finds below, take a minute to visit the Mass Farmers Market website to find a market near you. You can also donate to Mass Farmers Markets. The organization’s donation link is http://www.massfarmersmarkets.org/FMFM_Main.aspx.

Thanks to In Our Grandmothers’ Kitchens for hosting this locally fabulous blogathon!

Now for the farmers market goodness!  But first, a question. Which is correct:

Farmers' Market
Farmer's Market
or Farmers Market

I'll share my preference in my next post.  Now on to the food!

Summer Salad: Farmers' Market Bounty
This salad features a wealth of ingredients from my go-to market vendors, Atlas Farms, Siena Farm, and the Herb Lyceum.  A perfect way to show off the local bounty!

Summery Pasta Salad
A perfect salad for a potluck. Fresh golden beets, purple scallions, and fresh herbs. Your guests are sure to enjoy this healthy (and mayo-free) salad.  They might even lick the bowl clean...

Market Review: Copley Square Farmers Market
This is my regular weekday market.  I visit them either Tuesday or Friday every week from June - November.  Since they stay open all the way until Thanksgiving I can stock up for all of the holidays. This is a recap of my first visit this season.  You can also read about some of the fabulous vendors in my article on Local In Season.  Don't miss Seta's Mediterranean Foods - her food is delicious and she is delightful.

Local Squash - Delicious Pies
Here's an example of why I love being able to get produce year-round from local farmers.  This is my first attempt at a homemade pumpkin/squash pie. After I tried this out, I stocked up on more squash for a Thanksgiving pie that I'm still drooling over and my relatives keep asking about. Read about that pie over at Local in Season.

Potato Leek Soup
I challenge myself to buy a new-to-me item at the farmers market during each visit. It can be something I've never eaten, never cooked, or a new variety of an old favorite. Before this visit I had never cooked leeks.  Inspired by the awful leek cooking on Top Chef, I decided I could definitely do better.


Watermelon Radishes and Bonus Corn
On the train home on a regular commute, I found a bag of fresh local corn that someone had forgotten to take home. Sad for them, great for me!  It was a great grilled side dish to burgers and a watermelon radish salad.

Favorite Fall Muffins: Local Apples
These are my favorite muffins. And its also my favorite cake. Any shape you make it, these apple kugel muffins deliver great flavor. What puts them up in the flavor hall-of-fame is the combination of fresh local apples, almond extract, and cinnamon.

Farmers Market Lunch...and Snack...and More
Here's a delicious look at some of my regular purchases from the Copley Market. Sadly, the Nantucket Wild smoked fish vendor isn't there this year, but you can find them at the South End Open Market (SoWa) on Sundays.  I am ahead a few Goat Cheese Picnic coupons if anyone wants to meet for lunch!

Local in Season at the Roslindale Farmers Market

Local in Season
If you are local for information on all foods local - visit Local in Season. The site is a great resource for where to find local food, what to do with when you get it, or where to eat out and have someone else cook it for you!  Here are a few of my farmer's market posts over on LIS:

Vic Torrito: The Pasta Man at the Russell's Garden Center Winter Market; Wayland, MA
Winter Local: A trip to the Natick Winter Market
Local Veal and other Winter Market Finds
The Market: Not Just for Produce
Brisket: Just Add Smoke; Russell's Garden Center Summer Market

I could recap almost my entire blog in this post - there is a local food in almost everything.  I hope this inspires you to get out and explore the wonderful resources in your area. Get to know your neighborhood and your farmers. I guarantee the food will taste better when you know where it comes from.

When He Fends for Himself: Bison Burgers

I never thought I would ever say this, but Ted Turner has had a positive influence in my life. Ever since I went to Ted's Montana Grill ten years ago and had my first bison burger, I knew I had stumbled upon something I really liked. There is a Ted's nearby to us and we have gone a couple of times, but I make an effort to see what other bison burgers are being created out there. More often than not, if a bison burger is on the menu I'll order it. Such is my desire to get a good burger that I had a bison burger on the way to Yellowstone, where one of attractions I was most excited about was to see the Buffalo roam. The burger was delicious and I don't feel the least bit guilty about. The herds of buffalo in the park were pretty awesome also. But, what does this have to with lonely dinners?

I don't know if you have noticed, but Whole Foods regularly stocks ground bison. When planning our meals for a particular week, the wife informed me that I was going to be on my own for a night. She told me this right in front of the meat counter, and because I don't really like to put too much thought into what I'm going to have for dinner 2 days in advance, and because the ground meat looked so good, I decided on the spot that I'd do bison burgers for when I fended for myself.

I had a solid plan for quickly forming the burgers and getting them on the grill when I got home, but I decided to take a load off first. This lead to "resting" for an hour or two, and before I knew it the wife was on her way home, it was kind of late, and I missed my opportunity to make the burgers. Admittedly the cooking and execution of my lonely meals is probably biggest hurdle I need to overcome. I can be quite lazy.

However, not all was lost. I originally purchased a half of pound of the meat so the next night I made two burgers for me and the wife to have for dinner. I wasn't fending for myself, but I was giving the wife a night off. Here's how the magic happened:

1. I placed the ground meat into a mixing bowl
2. Added dashes of salt and pepper
3. Sprinkled in some Worcestershire sauce (I've seen this go in burgers before, so it's staple, right?)
4. Added and egg and some breadcrumbs (The wife's suggestion)

I mixed this all up by hand and then formed the 2 patties. In the meantime, the grill was preheating so I took the burgers out back and threw them on. When they looked done, I used our fancy spatula to scoop them up and plated them. I also grilled up some corn on the cob go to with it. It turned out to be a really quick dinner and looking back on it, I'm not sure why I couldn't do it the night before. A couple of weeks back I promised more healthy and complete dinners and I think this one is a step in the right direction. Hopefully it is something I can build on so you all can be impressed by the next "When He Fends for Himself"