This week At the Farmer’s Market took us through the steps to whip up what I could only count as a simple and elegant feast of braised short ribs atop a creamy polenta. Braised in red wine and garnished with blue cheese crumbles, it sounds like ultimate celebration of winter.
rich and golden homemade broth
JLGB at Daftly Smitten simmered down some luscious looking beef broth using a beef bone procured by an Amish farmer and the miscellaneous vegetable remnants found in her fridge. With this liquid gold she served up not one, but two, amazing locally sourced soups: a classic French onion and a cabbage soup that has certainly piqued my interest.
It made my evening to catch a peek at Fessenden Farm’s blog of the cute farmer boy and his equally adorable farmer father who delivered her heritage hog in the form of pork and sausage (what, no bacon?!) Despite the lack of bacon, Stacey pulled together a tasty meal of sautéed sausage with mustard greens with a side of sweet potato fries—definitely making me envious of her still-open farmer’s market here in January.
Marisa at Food in Jars confesses to what we’ve all been through at some point—that ‘I’ve gotta have it’ moment when some of the details aren’t exactly S.O.L.E. And I commend her! The red pepper and sausage pizza she put together looked delicious but what really caught my eye were the brussel sprouts. Looking forward to growing some this spring to enjoy during another Dark Days challenge to be sure!
simple, colorful and delectable
Mangochild has had an excellent couple of Dark Days weeks over at Living in a Local Zone. After wrestling with the recipe a bit she’s perfected her buckwheat pancakes for week 9’s challenge. For week ten she started with a simple theme of apples and onions (we have entered the cold storage maintenance period of the winter, haven’t we?) and enjoyed the pair alongside some fresh corn muffins. Simple and satisfying.
Sophie at Late Bloomers farm snagged a sweet hook-up from a local farm and scored some veal shanks for some Osso Buco, a dish I have never tried but am eager to know. This time around she opted for pan-friend polenta over risotto and was more than happy with the results.
When I checked in with My Local Food Obsession a single word caught my eye: Buttflap. Certainly a word I would have not predicted to fall into my locavore vocabulary! It must be good because she saved it special to serve up to her mother during a recent visit. Marinated in apple cider vinegar, sautéed and served with a side of roasted turnips and butternut squash, its flavor far surpassed it name. After such deliciousness the custard sounds almost too much—but really just right.
i can just imagine the crunch!
My recent interest in bread-making was piqued even further by the herbed wholewheat breadsticks from Local Kitchen this week. Locally sourced wheat combined with home-grown herbs and clarified butter, a simple twist brings it into the recognizable shape. They served them up with some %100 local potato-leek soup, where the breadsticks really shined as stars.
Elittlestar at Sustainable in the City gave the classic fried rice a new local twist and cooked up some winter vegetables and wheatberries to sooth her soul after an adventurous weekend in NYC. With just a little bit of prep work she was able to throw together her CSA vegetables, homemade chicken stock and some locally sourced wheatberries into a feast to feed her for more than a day.
Peg at The Palmyra Silver threw her husband into the Dark Days fray while she is away on business and I am happy to say he came through with flying colors! Scott whipped together a potato egg casserole—a dish that takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen to be sure. But I bet Scott’s tasted a whole lot better given how outstanding his ingredients sounded. Well done Scott!
savory golden pumpkin gratin
Using leftover local pumpkin soup, theSimpleLifeinFrance concocted a pumpkin gratin—one of the more fancy repurposing of leftovers I’ve heard in awhile. To top it off, they served mache salad alongside. Appropriately simple and completely mouth-watering.
At Pennywise People Colleen celebrated the announcement of a new farmer’s market with an appropriately all local meal. With roasted pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, rutabagas and locally source garlic I’d say it was one fantastic celebration. When you can eat locally like that, who wouldn’t celelbrate a new market?
Margo went Ethnic for her Dark Days Challenge last week on Thrift at Home, local Ethnic. Her classic Pennsylvania Dutch meal featured cauliflower gratin, pickled beets (always so red!) and an simple fruit crumble starring some frozen local cherries. While it might not have felt easy-peasy to Margo, she certainly makes it look so, not to mentioned tasty.
sunchokes, up close and personal
Self-grown sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes) were the real stars at Unstuffd this week. Sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with sage, garlic, salt and pepper they sound delicious. Hopefully her listening audience this week was equally appreciative!
What Did She Do Today? Amy kept it simple—and fun—for her Dark Days Challenge this week snacking on some delicious homegrown popcorn, applesauce and maple-yogurt. Hopefully her new feathered friends will figure out how much fun her farm is going to be and stick around.
*****
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