When it comes to preparing foods I find at the farmers market I like to keep it simple and let the ingredients speak for themselves. The farmers put a lot of work into growing amazingly flavorful produce so I just let them do all the hard work. Throwing a meal together is the easy part – just be sure to use fresh seasonal ingredients grown by your local farmer. It tastes better that way.
Here’s an example of a complete meal for 4-6 people using ingredients entirely found at our local farmer’s market:
INGREDIENTS:
6 pork sausages
1 lb Bloomsdale spinach
1 lemon
1 lb small red potatoes
1 lb small heirloom carrots
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Wash carrots, remove tops, and dry. Wash potatoes and cut them into pieces that are as thick as the carrots. Put carrots and potatoes in a large bowl. Add rosemary, olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and toss. Then spread carrots and potatoes onto a shallow cooking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender but not over-cooked, garnish with scallions.
While the potatoes and carrots roast in the oven, cook the sausages in an iron skillet on medium heat. Once the sausages are done, remove them from the skillet and turn off the heat. Add the spinach to the skillet while it’s still hot, squeeze the juice from 1 whole lemon over the top, and quickly toss until the spinach is coated with the juices from the sausages and slightly wilted. Remove the spinach from the pan and plate it onto a serving dish, place sausages over the spinach and serve with the roasted carrots and potatoes.
SOURCE: Chef Jay Dolata, Carmel Belle
