The early bird catches the spinach
I have a fundamental problem with getting up and out of the house by 7:00 on a Saturday morning. But last week it ensured me a bag full of fresh tender spinach from Primrose Community Farm and it’s sweet, green, fresh flavor is enough to tempt me again tomorrow. Who knows if there will actually be any spinach but that’s part of the fun of cooking seasonally. My dressing on this salad is far from local but then my intent is to do the best I can…every little bit helps. It’s a mix of olive oil, dijon mustard, rice vinegar, and yuzu dressing (it came from World Market). I added sweet naval oranges and green onions. The first salad of the season and it was a big hit.
I’ll append a list tomorrow of what I find at the market. Cristie commented in last week’s post that she was looking forward to watercress…what are you looking forward to?
It was a head down, hurry-up and get home before I freeze kind of morning at the farmers’ market. Geez…it was painfully windy and cold…snowflakes were sighted! I was back home by 8:00…very little chit-chat going on but I certainly do appreciate the farmers and producers for bringing their tasty products for us to buy. I bought:
- Breakfast sauage, bacon, and pork tenderloin from Eric at Jordandal Farm
- Fresh spinach and tender chives from Primrose Community Farm
- Baguette and pain au chocolat from Madison Sourdough
- Eggs from Dreamfarm
- Raw milk cheddar from Brunkow
- Muester from Edelweiss Creamery
- Maple corn and little sausages from Sunnyhill Acres
- Raspberry kolachi from some lovely new bakers…but I don’t remember their names
Did you go to a market? What did you get?
Porky deliciousness
I wish I knew what to call this pork creation. I suppose if I’d rolled them into balls they could be meatballs but actually I was trying to recreate a dish Dave ordered in Paris…it had a big long French name written in cursive on a chalkboard and when the waiter kindly translated it for us he called it “pork salad”. But oh, it was so much more than that! I actually had plate envy as I had foolishly ordered the endive salad…and after tasting the pork I wanted to marry it. It was that good. In order to quell my unbridled lust for this porky dish I decided to try to recreate it. Not so easy to do since Dave would only share one bite and then refused to tolerate my queries about the presence of chervil, shallot, and such as he smugly devoured every last remaining morsel. There you have it…my one regret regarding Paris is that we didn’t order another plate of that heavenly pork.
My version is good, in fact it’s fabulous but it’s not the pork salad from L’ AOC. It didn’t have that incredibly rich unctuousness nor the crusty, caramely exterior. I suspect that lard was used…perhaps even wrapping the pork in leaf lard before cooking and the seasoning was probably much simpler than what I attempted. But there were no complaints at the dinner table last night and I’m looking forward to the leftovers for my lunch.
I served the pork (which I will hereinafter refer to as porklettes until I have a better name) with a potato, celeraic puree, sauteed mushrooms, and baby bok choy that I chased around an incredibly hot pan for a few minutes. It was the perfect combination. I’ll keep trying to improve the porklettes…they have a lot of potential for flavors and I can imagine how excellent they would be with ripe heirloom tomatoes…mmmmm.
Porklettes
inspired by the “pork salad” served at L’ AOC, Paris
printer-friendly recipe
16 ounces pork shoulder
4 ounces side pork
1 shallot, peeled
2 inches ginger, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon Penzeys fines herbes
1 egg
1 tablespoon bread crumbs
3 tablespoons white wine
salt
pepper
Using the food processor, pulse the pork shoulder and the side pork until it is coarsely ground. Transfer the meat to a mixing bowl. Put the shallot, ginger, and garlic in the food processor and pulse until it is chopped fine. Transfer it to the mixing bowl. Rehydrate the fines herbes using a tablespoon of water, add that and the remaining ingredients to the bowl and using your hands mix lightly until combined. Store overnight in the refrigerator.
Prior to cooking allow the pork mixture to come to room temperature. Form it into whatever shape size suits you. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and add the pork just before the butter smokes and cook over medium heat until browned, flip and brown the other side.
Chimichurri chicken, rice, and artichokes
This is geek fast food ala Trader Joe’s. But unlike drive-thru fast food, nothing here will make you queasy, it’s all good for you, it costs less than drive-thru fast food, and you can enjoy a bottle of two buck chuck while you prepare it. Ooops….before I forget, it’s delicious. Also, save all the trim from the artichokes and make a vegetable stock with it…perfect for a spring risotto.
What you need:
1 box of baby artichokes
2 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bag of chimichurri rice
salt, paprika, cumin
splash of white wine
Olive oilPrep the artichokes according to these instructions.
Blanch them in boiling water for about three minutes, then drain.Slice the chicken into bite-size strips. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the chicken in olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and a bit of cumin. Once the chicken is browned add the artichokes, and the bag of rice. Toss in about a 1/4 cup of wine or water, stir, cover, and cook for about 8 minuted or until fully heated through. Serve.
Thanks for all the birthday wishes…I appreciate each and every one of them. I’d write more now but I want to go play Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii. It’s a kick-ass game!!!!
