The Farmers Market is Open! The Farmers Market is Open!

"The new Phone Book is here, The new Phone Book is here!!!"  Steve Martin from "The Jerk"

I'm probably the only dork out there that actually gets giddy when I know our Local Farmers Market is opening for the season.  I have spent all winter looking at the goods at the Local Super Grocer and, frankly wrinkling my nose at their wares more often times than not.  Its been a long winter this year and I have watched my supply of fresh dried herbs slowly dwindle to the point of actually hoarding them so that I might not run out.  Spring is here and that means the hoarding of herbs is bloody well over...and everyone benefits from that!

I'm not going to spend a great deal of time on buying local as I did that in a previous post (please re-read "Political Food".  It's worth it).  However, I will remind you that there is a tremendous feeling that comes from looking the person who raised, reared, and/or grew what you are about to eat.  Over time, mega-marts, super-grocers, and our busy schedules have placed a knowledge gap between us and our food.  We can go and get fresh produce from dozens of places but what would you think if you found where they were grown and found an industrial farm setting.  Mechanized, computer controlled quality packed into a truck and shipped from either its nation of origin or across the USA to get to you.  I'm not trying to be a food snob, I'm really not, but I bought some sausage yesterday and I know that man that makes it...which means I have not only met the person who prepares my food, at some point, I probably met the pig.  There's a lot to be said for that type of relationship with ones food.

Todays selections are presented using the fresh, organic ingredients that I find throughout the season.  In some recipes there are only a few items to accent the dishes, some are nothing but farm raised ingredients that come together to make One Hell of a Dish.  In the recipes themselves, look for the asterisks next to the ingredients that I get from the Market.

Chicken Salad with Dill Aioli
Scotch Eggs
Pork Chops in a Orange Rosemary Pan Sauce

Chicken Salad with Dill
Chicken Salad is one of those things that works for almost any occasion, catered lunch, or is just handy to have in the fridge for snacks.  If you take the time to add a few simple ingredients, it goes from Ho-Hum to something people talk about for a long time.  A few years ago, I had a houseful over the Christmas Holidays and I made Chicken Salad almost every day.  I tried making a ton of it and it still was gone the next day.

2 large Chicken Breasts, Grilled and cut into 1/2 in. cubes
1/4 cup Diced Granny Smith Apples (peels off).
1/4 cup Red Seedless Grapes, cut in half
1/4 cup Quality Mayonaisse
1 half Shallot, finely diced **
1 tsp. Fresh Dill, finely chopped **
1 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice
Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

I'm not going to hold your hand through this.  It doesn't take much thought to make Chicken Salad, however, I will say:

• You should make this in the morning and let it sit until at least lunch if not longer.  Serving this too early will short change your eaters out of the combination of flavors.
• Do not over mix.  The chunk Chicken needs to stay that way to let the Chicken be the Chicken and the rest of the ingredients work around it.  You could mash it all together, but....why?
• If you like more Mayo or if the recipe is a tad dry for your tastes, feel free to add more but remember Mayo has a knack for burying flavors under the oil and lemon in it.  Say tuned for a Swinging Aioli recipe to come soon.

The point here is to use the Chicken as a vehicle for the fresh flavors that will surround it and the Dill will make every ingredient in the Chicken Salad pop, including the apples.

Scotch Eggs

The first time I heard of this, My Sister was taking a guided fly fishing tour and the guide had them as part of a very simple but satisfying lunch next to a cold stream.  I can't remember what all he presented for lunch but I remember the Scotch Eggs..and Scotch, of course.  This is a seriously simple recipe but I promise, you will think of these little gems forever after.  I always do.

6 Farm Fresh Eggs, Hard Boiled **

1/2 lb. Fresh, Organic Sausage (Hot or mild, its your choice) **

Canola Oil for Deep Frying

Additional Options

Cayenne Pepper, Sage **, Fresh Ground Pepper to season the Eggs

If you like, season the Eggs with the above mentioned spices, either all or some, and let sit for just a few minutes to make sure they stick.  

Make sure your sausage is in the fridge until the last minute.  It needs to be firm to make this work.  Pat out a patty large enough to wrap around the hard boiled egg at about 1/4 in. thick.  Make sure the entire egg is covered with no gaps for the oil to penetrate.  Put the eggs back in the fridge for about 10 minutes for the sausage to firm up again and get your oil heating.  About 300-325F will do the trick.

Deep fry eggs and turn until all sides are cooked, browned, crispy, and delicious.  Let cool to either room temperature of put in the fridge for a while.  Finish by slicing eggs about 3/8 in. thick.  These tasty little treats keep about a week in the fridge and will last most of the day in a backpack without refrigeration.  Serve with Scotch.  No sense in breaking tradition.

Pork Chops with Orange Rosemary Pan Sauce

I first had this dish at a little pub in my Town.  It was on the Specials Board one Friday night and once it hit my tongue, I knew it would be in my kitchen soon there after.  The technique that goes into this is somewhat simple and the science behind it drives the rest to create an explosion of flavor.  If you are looking for accolades in the Kitchen, this recipe will do just fine.

4 Bone In Loin Chops about 1 in. thick

Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder to taste

1 Shallot, finely diced **
1 clove Garlic, finely diced **
2 cups quality Orange Juice
3-4 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
3 tbsp Organic Butter **
1 fresh sprig Rosemary **

With a little olive oil, pan fry the chops until done and set of to the side.  In the same pan, saute shallots over medium heat until translucent and add the garlic.  Be careful with the garlic as the burnt taste will not work well with this.  Turn pan up to medium high and degalze with the orange juice and vinegar making sure to scrape all the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan.  Reduce liquid to about half, turn off the heat, let stand for about 30 seconds and add the butter and rosemary.  As the butter melts, whisk it into the liquid to make an emulsion while the acids thicken the butter solids, resulting is a sauce without compare.  It is important NOT to have the heat on during this process or the sauce will break and separate.  Let stand for another minute, remove the rosemary sprig, and serve sauce over chops.

Over the course of a week, I will go to at least 3 different stores to find what I want or need.  Without a doubt, one of my favorite places to shop for food is only open one day a week, in a parking lot, and is only open between April and September.  Should you find yourself in Carrollton, GA, stop in to see the vendors at the Cotton Mill Farmers Market.  Your recipes will thank you.

Party Well, Eat Better
Rob