A Disaster No More!

Remember the disaster that sent us packing for Z Cucina? Jack and I decided that it would be a real shame to throw out the organic, free-range chicken that I had purchased that day from the Clintonville Farmers market. I had been trying to make it into tandoori chicken (the sauce failed pretty miserably), but to save the chicken we put it in a strainer and gave it a rinse.
The next night, it was just Jack and I for dinner and we were very happy we had saved the chicken. This disaster became the centerpiece of our very delicious dinner! This meal was made entirely from farmers market finds, and that was really exciting.


The Menu:
Peas
- cooked with a bit of bacon from the market...a great way to add flavor!
- There is something very nice about shelling your own peas. The effort of this labor seems to make them extra delicious.
Corn
- Ohio is known for its corn, and this was the first of the season. I was very excited when I saw it at the Schatz Family Farmstand.
Chicken Salad
- onions, garlic, tomatoes, and green beans all from the market!
- A delicious cilantro curry vinaigrette, made with herbs still warm from the sun in our garden
- The rescued chicken



VERY FRESH, VERY LOCAL, VERY TASTY!!!!!!

fun with addition

Last night my housemates and I had each invited someone over to cook dinner which meant that by about 7:00 our kitchen was full of 6 people preparing 3 separate meals. Sarah was making pasta. I was roasting veggies. Olivia was putting things together for a cold barley salad. Aliza was preparing to cook some tempeh. Avi and Emily hadn't even started and we had a storm of people chopping, sauteing and mixing. The counters and tables were littered with spices and Brussels sprout ends and dirty bowls and utensils. Things were kind of crazy, when someone had a brilliant idea - - we could combine all of our efforts into one meal for 6. All of the food got combined into 2 delicious dishes that didn't go together that well but were excellent on their own.
Dish # 1 - a barley/rice and veggie salad
What went in:
- Olivia made a base of tomatoes and artichoke hearts
- Olivia had also made some barley. We thought it was going to take too long to cook though so I also started some brown rice which was mixed in as well.
- I roasted some brussels sprouts and green beans
-I also picked some cilantro from our garden and mixed it in
- Avi made a delicious vinaigrette using grapeseed oil infused with orange, rice vinegar, a bit of mustard and some other mysterious ingredients. It was a delicious dressing and its too bad that we don't know exactly what went in it.
- This was all tossed together....yum!


Dish # 2 - Penne with tempeh and cranberries in a brie sauce
- Sarah made some penne
- Emily brought some red onion and chopped it up
- Aliza made Tempeh using the onion, some sherry, dried cranberries and some mysterious add-ins by Avi (Avi, you should comment on the post or edit if you can fill in any of these ingredients. I would love to duplicate this dish)
- Avi made a brie sauce. At the last minute we threw in some cranberries and curry powder.
- Once again this was all mixed together for another amazing dish!

We took our food outside and sat down as a merry group of six. What an excellent last minute dinner party!
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Basking in the Post-Market Afterglow

The Food:
Selfishly, my favorite thing about the farmers' market is that it exists as a place where I can go buy delicious ingredients for my cooking endeavors. This week I bought some baby arugula, a half round of aged french-farmstyle goat cheese, a nutty gruyere by Cato Corner, baby kale, maple syrup, a baguette by Wave Hill Breads and a porterhouse steak.
Today for lunch with Emily, I tried to incorporate a lot of this local goodness. We had a bistro style lunch: lobster bisque and a baby arugula salad with grated carrot and a slice of fresh gruyere. So the soup obviously wasn't local, but the salad certainly was. The tart arugula took me back to when I was a kid squatting in my mother's vegetable garden and nibbling on her plants. We were also able to enjoy another market treat with the meal: some delicious wave hill bread that we used to dip in our soup!

The People:
Technology failed me today. My camera wasn't charged and Avi's didn't have a memory card. I took a picture of the food with my cell phone camera, but you are going to have to use your imagination to fill in me and Emily eating it!