My challenge will be to, every Sunday, make a meal where at least 100%
of the ingredients are locally sourced. This means from within 100 miles
from where I live in Philadelphia. From the produce to the meat (yes
this site is mostly vegetable oriented, but every now and then we will
have meat) to the butter I sauté in, I will tell where it came from. .
When I can I will use locally sourced herbs, but since salt and pepper
are not I will have to give myself a break on that. Follow along and
see how I make out. I will post recipes if necessary and check out the
leftover tips to help you manage throughout the week. First up: Roast
chicken and vegetables
I love a roast chicken. Lots of vegetables and gravy. Nothing better on a cold rainy day. Just put it in the roasting pan chop up your vegetables put some vegetable or chicken stock in the bottom ( I save the water from blanching and freezing vegetables), smear it with lots of butter and rosemary and roast at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half, depending on the size of your bird. Put your giblets in a small pan covered with water or stock and simmer until your bird is done. Here's what it looks like going into the oven. I also served with this radishes sautéed with fennel.
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| chicken with turnips, potatoes and carrots |
Here is my shopping list:
Chicken from Bell and Evans in Fredericksburg, PA http://www.bellandevans.com
Turnips,carrots, radishes and fennel from Pennypack Farm and Education center in Horsham, PA(my CSA)
Potatoes and onion from a local farm purchased at Weaver's Way coop
Rosemary from Overbrook farm in Lansdale, PA
Butter from Trickling Spring Creamery in Chambersburg, PA www.tricklingspringscreamery.com
A delicious Asian Pear wine from Subarashi Kudamono Gourmet Asian pears in Coopersburg, PA
www.wonderfulfruit.com
www.wonderfulfruit.com
The only thing not local was the little bit of salt in the radish/fennel sauté.
Frittata
My local Sunday dinner has been moved to Tuesday due to life getting in the way. Tonight it's frittata.
I joined an egg share this year. The first week I picked up my dozen eggs and they were gone by Tuesday. What to do? Up it to 2 dozen a week right? This would have been a good idea except then my kitchen went into demolition and I had no countertops so there went my plans for pasta and egg breads. I did learn you can freeze eggs. Anyway, a frittata is a great way to use eggs and it keeps well for breakfast or lunch the rest of the week. It also helps with all the spinach and peppers still in the fridge from my last CSA pick-up.
Here is what you will need:
1 dozen eggs scrambled
1/2 of a medium onion chopped
3 small or 1 large bell pepper chopped
1/2 cup of any type of cheese you have around grated
1/2 cup of any type of cheese you have around grated
1 bunch of spinach (I have also used swiss chard)
It's best to use a cast iron skillet if you have one so you can put it in the oven to finish it off. If you don't have one you can put a lid on your pan and cook over low heat until set.
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees
Heat butter in your pan over medium heat until it is bubbling. Add onions and peppers, with a pinch of salt, and sauté unti soft (about 10 minutes)
Add spinach and cook until wilted down.
Add your eggs making sure that your vegetables are evenly distributed. Sprinkle cheese over the top.
Let it cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes then finish it in the oven until it is done, 30-40 minutes.
I served this with a local yellow tomato salad, tomato, onion, salt, oil and vinegar.
Here's the shopping list:
Butter from Trickling Spring Creamery
Eggs from Misty Knoll Farm in Royersford
Spinach and peppers from Pennypack
Onions and tomato from a local farm purchased at Weaver's Way
Local cheese purchased at the Chestnut Hill Cheese Shop
Things not local: salt, oil and vinegar
Sausage and Peppers
This week's dinner is simple, but still local and delicious. Sausages from New Jersey, onions from the coop, peppers from Pennypack and rolls no.. demi-baguettes, from Metropolitan Bakery in Chestnut Hill, that absolutely made the sandwich. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and the peppers and onions that were roasted with the sausage were delicious. Sausage and peppers are like peanut butter and jelly for adults. Perfect combination.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is my local meal for the week. The turkey, veggies and that pear wine from earlier in the month. We had a small crowd this year just a couple of friends, but it really was a good time. We are planning a party on Saturday to use some of the leftovers. There is a big pot of turkey simmering on the stove and turkey waiting to become turkey chili. Smells good in here.
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| 18 pounds of deliciousness
Our turkey was a heritage bird called a Bourbon red. These birds have more dark meat than the birds you find in the freezer of your local supermarket and you have ignore the FDA when you cook it. If you cook it to the recommended 165 degrees it will be dry as a bone. You should only cook it to about 150 degrees. We just roasted it nice and simple smeared with lots of butter, rosemary and sage. Here's what else we had.
Under the bird were parsnips and yams from local farms bought at the coop, carrots from Pennypack. We had Brussel Sprouts bought at the Fair Food Market cooked with bacon from a farm in Lancaster. We roasted cauliflower from the coop and mashed potatoes from the coop. Peppers and onions in the stuffing picked locally and frozen from the summer. Bread made at home with local herbs for the stuffing. Cranberry sauce with berries from New Jersey.
Every Thanksgiving we are too full for dessert, but not this year. We managed room for sweet potato pie. Sweet potatoes from Pennypack, eggs from Misty Knoll Farm, homemade yogurt with milk from Merrymead farms. All in all a delicious meal.
Yes, you are right the pecans were not local and neither was the brown sugar, but it's Thanksgiving so I cut myself a little break. This week we are 98% local.
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