Archives for the day of: July 1st, 2010

The best farmers’ market meal I’ve had yet

July 1, 10 //
4

Tonight proved that you can cook an incredible meal made entirely from food you buy at the Farmers’ Market. I’ve already had some incredible dishes, but tonight I went all out.

I had this huge sirloin tip steak from Meadow Lane Beef that I’ve been dying to cook up, but it was way too big for me. So I invited my gal pal Lauren over and told her I was cooking. Here’s what I made:

* Mozzarella, tomato, basil, garlic salad coated in seasoned olive oil. I cut the crust off my sesame and sunflower seed bread and diced up the bread to add, per my boss’ wise suggestion and tossed that in too.

* Sweet corn. The best sweet corn I’ve had since childhood. I bought a couple of ears last weekend at the State Farmers Market, and those were OK. But tonight I made ears from the Durham market that I bought yesterday (sorry, I don’t remember which farm they came from) and seriously, it was like candy. So sweet. So delicious.

* Mashed Potatoes. I made some of my Greek yogurt alfredo sauce to use as a gravy.

* Steak, coated in spices and olive oil. It was a little tough, which I expected because I’ve learned that grass-fed beef is intended to be cooked rare or medium-rare. Lauren and I both like our steak medium well, so we decided we would deal with chewy steak if it meant it wasn’t bleeding. I made a red wine reduction sauce, complete with fresh garlic and onions per my boss’ suggestion and it honestly was one of the most savory things I’ve ever made in my entire life.

I even have leftovers for lunch tomorrow, hooray.

This meal may not seem particularly mesmerizing to foodies or regular farmers’ market shoppers. But for me, this project is about me breaking my processed food, dining out habit. Yes, I want to eat local and support farmers in my backyard in the process. But I’m not trying to make a greater statement here. Mostly, I just needed motivation to stick with a big life change like this. I haven’t cheated once in the 9 days since I’ve started. And I’m learning a lot about food, cooking and my lifestyle as a result.

I have 21 days to go and my food world has already changed for the better. I can’t even imagine what it will be like in three weeks.

Day Eight: What I Ate

July 1, 10 //
1

Breakfast: Watermelon. Half of an oatmeal raisin cookie.

Lunch: Ginny Hash (see recipe). Sliced tomato with malt vinegar.

Snack: Watermelon.

Dinner: Mint Green Pea Ravioli with Greek yogurt alfredo sauce.

So how did I score that fabulous ravioli and make an amazing Farmers Market alfredo sauce to go with it? Well, I hustled over to the Durham Farmers’ Market after work (it’s open from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays). And I saw a woman standing behind a folding table with a small sign advertising Ravioli for $7.50. My stomach ached for some pasta, so I snatched up the locally made pasta. She said it was her first time at the Market and that she planned to be back on Saturday. I think there were about 10 Raviolis inside the package. The price seemed a little steep, but I’m told by my best friend that pinching raviolis is hard work, so maybe that’s why.

As for the Greek yogurt alfredo sauce, that was a concoction I mixed up out of desperation. I bought this Greek-style yogurt from Chapel Hill Creamery on Saturday and I wasn’t that fond of it. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, just Greek yogurt really isn’t my thing. But then I had an idea, my recipe follows.

* Heat several spoonfuls of Greek yogurt (however much you plan on eating in one setting) over low heat.

* Add  ground Parmesan cheese (I had some left over from before my project, so I tossed it in, but that’s the only non-Farmers’ Market cheese I’ve had so far) and Raw Milk Hickory Grove cheese from Chapel Hill Creamery.

* Stir slowly until cheese melts. Enjoy.