Saturday, August 11, 2007

This is Rio Grande!

tonight i made a list of my, well, my bounty, after my last functional trip to the market and my last paycheck too :(

though probably infinitely more interesting to me, i still thought this was pretty cool:

3 pounds - pork loin chops
1 pound - grass-fed buffalo bratwurst sausage
1/2 pound - fresh goat's milk feta
Huge-ass delicious radishes
Potatoes (both store bought and tiny farmer's variety)
Baby Red and White Carrots
Japanese Eggplant
Assortment of Yellow Squash and Oddly Shaped Zucchinis
Fresh Basil, Sorrel, and Dill
Assorted Varieties of Peaches, Plums, and the first delicious apple of the season!

So a summer of foodish discovery comes to an end, with various lessons:

-how to find your way around a farmer's market and become an insider (favored food stands, sellers who recognize you, know what's good and when and perhaps even why!)'

-how to be cheap. i mean, in the best way. work the deals, stock up on the carrots and squash and fruit, etc.

-how not to be cheap. splurge on the fresh herbs, the cheese, cookies.

-well, over the summer i've gotten some decent cooking practice, half practical, trying out different techniques and recipes, and the other half sort of spontaneous, working with limited ingredients and limited time. its my weak point, but i'm getting better!

so, without further ado, some eats that you may have missed!


the perfect plum! every week a different variety? i think this is shiso...


butter-braised radishes with chopped sorrel alongside an omelet using fresh basil, just-picked onion, herbes de provence, and feta cheese.



mmmm


roasted hatch pepper marinated skirt steak with grilled garlic-smothered japanese eggplant


fresh crepes filled with candied apricots and plums


once again, mmmm!


tex devours our bison burgers with a jalapeno-lime aioli