Tuesday, January 5, 2010

More deliciousness...

So continue my tale of holiday cooking goodliness, let me tell you about the freshtastic veggies (and dead animals) that we picked up at the farmer's market.

Behold! Seasonal, fresh Virginia produce! (Okay, Pennsylvania and West Virginia produce. But you try finding room for a farm in the DC metro area.)


l to r: mustard greens, baby portabella mushrooms in the paper bag, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, white onion, and rainbow chard!
(Not shown: grass-fed beef, leg of lamb, and buffalo sausages) 

We picked these up on Saturday night but had plans with friends that evening, so we only got around to using some of it on Sunday evening. It was then that Eric made a beef stew that was out of this world. He used beef, onion and potatoes from the market, plus a bunch of (not bagged) carrots and some frozen peas from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, respectively. Oh, and French wine from the Saint-Émilion region of Bordeaux. So not an entirely local meal, of course, but we're trying. It was pure heaven.


Doesn't it look like something you might draw in art class?
Fresh food is so gorgeous!

See my new enameled cast iron pot in the back there? Thank you, Target! Me loves this pot!

And thank you also to my mother, who provided us with this fantastic cookbook when she came down to visit for Thanksgiving. It is called The New Best Recipe and we have been using it for all sorts of things, including this beef stew. It's really useful in explaining how they came to their methods of cooking foods and it even has helpful illustrations. (I can't believe I had never thought before to cut "stiff" greens like kale down their stems with a knife! Duh!)

Here is Eric's masterpiece:


Plus,  I decided to go nuts and bake rolls from scratch! After my minor success with the focaccia, I was pumped up enough to try some more yeasty treats. Again, they burned - this time only on the bottoms (I'm going to blame the crappy oven, not myself...yeah...) but I actually did create edible little rolls! Woo hoo!



Who knows what I'll try next! (Now to just not burn it...)

2 comments:

Christina said...

Pardon me while I clean the drool off of my keyboard. This looks like it was fantastic! Love all the colorful food too :)

boneman said...

tasty treat for burnt bottom rolls...
(especially with stews)

carefully slice off the bottom burnt part and give to the dog or toss out for the birds.
Next, either scoop out the bread innards and poke a spoon of stew in, sprinkle with a 'melty' cheese and broil for just long enough to melt cheese (second rack down or even third)
Or, for an almost dumpling effect, press in the bread and poke the stew in...and then do the same thing.
It looks quite tasty as is, though, and if I could bring my Belgium shepherd with me, he'll get the bottom (and a bite of stew) and I'll hog down for the lion's share. Max is a good dog and won't...er...you know, in the house.

Or, we could cook this chicken with the wine he has brought with him, eh?
d=))