Savoring the Seasons: Inspired by the Greenfield Farmers Market
The Recorder, July 22, 2015, by Mary McClintock
I love Saturdays in downtown Greenfield when it’s farmers market season. As the season unfolds, there are always new delights to inspire me. Last Saturday, I was thrilled to see sugar snap peas and garlic scapes along with the many greens. Fungi Ally was there with fresh and dried mushrooms they’d grown as well as information about their upcoming workshops.
One joy of the farmers market is running into friends. Trouble Mandeson and I chatted about the music festival we’re attending in Michigan in August. Trouble is a fabulous, inventive cook, so when I saw her Facebook post about mushroom-truffle risotto, I asked for her recipe (see below). Trouble said, “It’s time-consuming, but so worth it. I hear many serve it as a side but as it takes so much work, it’s generally our main dish.”
I’m sure it works as a main dish, but I also think her risotto would go well with one of the great grillables available at the farmers market. I asked Natty and Kyle from Bostrom Farm what they’d suggest for grilling and Natty had a great idea of combining equal parts ground pork and ground beef for a burger that’s tasty and juicier than a beef burger. Kyle said he also likes pork chops on the grill. I’m a huge fan of Bostrom Farm’s old-fashioned hot dogs.
I also chatted with the man from Balky Farm (whose name I don’t know) about lamb sausage. They sell bulk sweet Italian lamb sausage and bulk lamb kielbasa and we talked about how they’re both tasty shaped into patties and grilled. Their “heritage hog” pork sausage links grill well and their goat ribs make great barbecued ribs.
Heads up cherry fans: Ben Clark from Clarkdale Fruit Farms said he’ll have limited quantities of sour cherries at the June 27 Greenfield Farmers Market. Get there early; they’ll sell out by 10 a.m. Sour cherries will be available for three weeks, with sweet cherries starting July 4.
Heads up SNAP users: Get $10 market produce for $5 SNAP at Greenfield Farmers Market this Saturday.
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This Week We’re Eating …
Mushroom Risotto
By Trouble Erin Mandeson, Greenfield
Prep time: 1 hour (15 minutes assembling ingredients; 45 stirring)
extra virgin olive oil + butter
½ C. chopped onions (may use yellow, green or shallots, I used green onions and garlic scapes)
2-3 gloves garlic, chopped
2 C. sliced or chopped mushrooms (preferably fresh, this week I used crimini mushrooms along with pale pink oyster and shiitake mushrooms from Fungi Ally)
fresh chopped herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage)
kosher salt/fresh-ground pepper
2 C. Arborio rice
2 C. white wine (Chardonnay or similar)
4 C. chicken broth
½ C. grated Parmesan cheese
(optional) real summer truffles from Europe: I had some as a gift from a friend and I grated about 1/4 of a small black truffle into the veggies once I sauteed them.
Heat 1-2 T. oil and 1 T. butter over medium heat and saute onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add mushrooms and herbs and saute another 3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Add more oil and butter to pan and heat. Add Arborio rice and begin to stir, and stir, and stir, about 5 minutes. Allow the grains to brown, but not burn. Add in the wine and continue to stir. Do not stop stirring except to adjust the volume on the radio or take a sip of Chardonnay. You do not want the rice to get lumpy, it’s creaminess comes from the constant movement. Feel free to change hands frequently. Stir approximately 15 minutes until nearly all the moisture is gone. Add in 2 C. of broth. Repeat. Add last 2 C. of broth and just before all the liquid is entirely gone, add in the mushroom mix, cheese, and turn off the heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
