Fun trip to the Farmers' Market

Hi!!

My dear friends and family how about a little chat about fresh produce? With my new refrigerator I can now store all the fresh food and fruits I want. Tuesday morning like about 8am I went to the Farmers Market on Rt 17 East Rutherford. I absolutely love walking into the fresh market with fresh herbs and fruit smell in the air. You can enjoy fresh foods all year around but there is something special about Summer that brings out the colorful and delectable essences of herbs, making your dish enticing and simply delicious.

I bought myself a little book called "A Field Guide to Farmers' Markets", this guide was very useful and made my trip to the market fun and perhaps educating as well. I had a list of what I needed at home to prepare my freshest dishes. Here are a few things I picked up at the market and how to use them in a recipe. From appetizers to main dishes, fresh herbs will do the trick.

I picked up some Chives, Shallots and Scallions; these are in the Green Onion family. Green onions have a mild flavor compared to the dry mature onion we commonly use for cooking. Chives and Scallions are frequently used in salads or spreads. I love cream cheese and chives, simply fine chop the chives and blend into a container of cream cheese. This spread is amazing on a small open faced bread topped with prosciutto and a melon ball. YUM!! Simple, fresh, elegant and most of all delicious, great summer hors d'oeuvres that your guests will love. Scallions can be used in almost anything and prepared in any way, one of my favorite ways to use scallions is to wrap a piece of marinated meat (any kind even chicken) with the scallion then grill it on stick or roast in the oven. The green onion exudes tremendous flavor in to the meat and gives color contrast. I just love it! Now for the must have in my kitchen, what I can not be without are Shallots. Along with the garlic, shallots are in abundance in my produce basket. I create my most delicious dishes with shallots. Sauteed in butter or oil with garlic add some chicken base and white wine let reduce - season with salt and pepper, and voila, there you have an easy white wine sauce. Use that same liquid to poach a fish or drizzle over roasted chicken. Amazing! Like all onions store in a cool dry area and away from potatoes.

What else did I pick up...? Oh yeah fresh parsley, cilantro and thyme. Parsley stems and thyme are two of the several ingredients used to make stocks or mother sauces, the basis to all soups and sauces. Removing leaves from the parsley stems, storing the stems for later use and pureed the leaves with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice a little sherry vinegar salt and pepper to make a delicious Chimichurri Sauce ideal with Flank Steak. Cilantro is also a great fresh herb to add to your chimichurri sauce. Nothing goes to waste...

Potatoes is a starchy crop that can be prepared in a variety of ways. I bought red and white young potatoes. These potatoes have less sugar so they tend to hold their shape longer after cooking. I combined both the red and white young potatoes to make Boiled Parsley Potatoes. I scrubbed them and cut them into wedges submerging them into cold water immediately to prevent browning. Add salt and bring the water to a boil, once tender drain water and return to heat until steam has been evaporated. Finely chop the parsley leaves adding them to the potatoes with butter, salt and pepper. How tasty does that sound...? Great side dish for your flank steak and chimichurri sauce. And to compliment this simple yet delicious meal a fine glass of Zinfandel or Pinot Noir red wine. Your palette will thank you!

To summarize, a fun trip to the market awakens creativity and imagination. With a little knowledge on how to select your fresh produce, you can create and indulge in amazing and delightful dishes for you and your family to enjoy. Take advantage of what our four seasons has to offer. From year round greens and potatoes, to sweet Vidalia Onions that are best used in the spring. Be creative, have fun and ENJOY!

Talk to you soon!
Cyndi