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What the Farmers’ Market Chefs Themselves Eat for the Holidays

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By Emily Meagher

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s prepared food vendors offer a diverse range of cuisines: choose from Eastern European, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Indian, or Caribbean foods. We asked our international group of vendors the traditional foods they, the chefs, actually make and eat with their families during this time of year.

 

Stuffed cabbage at Slavonian European Cafe, photo provided

At Slavonian European Cafe, husband and wife duo Aladin (originally from Egypt) and Nataliya (from Ukraine) primarily bring offerings to the market that reflect her homeland, with a sprinkling of Egyptian and Italian-inspired (after the couple’s long residency in Milan) dishes. Although Aladin’s family doesn’t traditionally celebrate Christmas, it’s a big holiday for the Ukrainian Nataliya, who fondly points out their stuffed cabbage as a must-have holiday dish. Pick up some ready-made ones at their stand, or to give it your own spin, find cabbage and ground beef at our farm vendors and add your preferred seasonings.

 

Baklava at Euro Delicacies, photo by Pattie Garrett

Euro Delicacies, the market’s longtime Mediterranean food vendor, brings meals to the market that reflect the Hrelja family’s Croatian upbringing. Their classic dishes like moussaka, grape leaves, burek, and baklava are usually part of their holiday spread. Lamb shanks are also a traditional festive dish for the Croatians, which you can find at Elihu Farm.

 

 

Petra Pocket Pies, photo by Pattie Garrett

For Sabreen Samman, owner of Petra Pocket Pies, her childhood holidays in Jordan would start with traditional holiday cookies: shortbread cookies filled with dates, walnuts, or pistachios. For the main meal, the family would gather over Mansaf, a lamb dish cooked in a yogurt sauce and served with rice or bulgur – considered the national dish of Jordan – or Msakhan, made of roasted chicken with onions, sumac, allspice, saffron, and fried pine nuts served over taboon flatbread. Find lamb, yogurt, chicken, and onions at our farm vendors and try creating these Jordanian dishes for yourself.

 

Daily Fresh, photo by Pattie Garrett

 

Daily Fresh owners Sneha and Sathya hail from Chennai in India and have brought their curries and dosas to the market for the past three years. Sathya fondly thinks of sweets, including rum-soaked fruit cake and Indian chocolates, as a major part of their families’ holiday gatherings.

 

 

Vashti’s Kitchen Delights, photo by Pattie Garrett

Vashti and Leon from Vashti’s Kitchen Delights enjoy a big glass of sorrel, a spiced hibiscus drink that is usually topped off with some rum to round out their Caribbean holiday meal. The couple quarrels about whose recipe is best, as Leon’s Jamaican family makes it with a ginger kick, and Vashti’s Trinidadian roots stick to the warmer spices like cinnamon and cloves. Other favorite drinks include fresh ginger beer and ponche-a-creme, a creamy, rich Trinidadian blend similar to eggnog. Fresh pigeon peas are an important part of the main holiday meal, and a rum-soaked fruit cake (or “black cake”) is a favorite at the end.

 

If you want to incorporate some new dishes in your Christmas and New Year’s lineup, try some of the items above to get you an internationally flavored meal. There are two more markets for you to stock up on ingredients, including Saturday the 18th from 9:30am-1:30pm and Wednesday the 22nd from 1:30pm-5:30pm, both at the Wilton Mall food court.

This week’s recipe: Stuffing

 

Take-out food offers a journey around the world (and a break from cooking)

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By Madison Jackson

From Europe to the Middle East, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market has authentic foods from around the world available for take-out every Saturday. So even though we all had to cancel our travel plans this past year, you can still get a taste of your favorite international foods. What’s better is that you can take a break from cooking and enjoy delicious meals prepared by people who love sharing their native cuisine.

Baklava and apple strudel at Euro Delicacies, photo by Pattie Garrett

Euro Delicacies offers various flavorful Mediterranean dishes like stuffed grape leaves (dolma), baklava, and stuffed peppers. Try their moussaka; a casserole layered with potatoes, ground sirloin, and caramelized vegetables with bechamel sauce. Or spanakopita; a Greek pastry filled with chopped spinach, cheese, onion, olive oil, and seasonings. Euro Delicacies began in Sarajevo by the Hrelja family, now sharing their Eastern European heritage with the Upstate New York community.

Fried arancini and mac & cheese at Giovanni Fresco, photo provided

Giovanni Fresco has a selection of freshly made pasta, homemade sauces like alfredo and meat sauce, and entrees such as penne alla vodka and eggplant parmigiana. Some items can be purchased frozen as well so that you can stock up and enjoy fresh Italian food whenever you want. Giovanni Fresco was started in 2017 by Giovanni and Francesca, an Italian couple who moved to America with the hopes of bringing authentic and traditional Italian dishes to their new community.

Roasted chicken pita pocket at Petra’s Pocket Pies, photo by Madison Jackson

Petra’s Pocket Pies makes savory pita pies, a dough stuffed with combinations of vegetables, meats, and cheeses. Owner Sabreen Samman was inspired to share flavors from her home country of Jordan and began selling her savory pastries at the farmers’ market in 2018. Samman uses a blend of Mediterranean seasonings for her food and offers American style options, like buffalo chicken and Philly cheesesteak.

My Dacha Slavonian & European Cafe, photo by Madison Jackson

My Dacha Slavonian Cafe makes various entrees like pierogies, lasagna, beef stroganoff, and cabbage stuffed with ground beef, tomato sauce, parsley, and rice. They offer a variety of homemade Slavic foods from Eastern Europe. Aladdin and Nataliya Kamel, from Egypt and Ukraine, blend their unique backgrounds to make classic dishes that reflect their home countries and their Italian cuisine knowledge.

If you’re looking for fresh and tasty take-out food, try the melting pot of cuisines every Saturday. For complete menu options, online ordering, and delivery, check the businesses’ websites or retail locations.

 

Editor’s Picks: Favorite dishes not to miss at the market!
Euro Delicacies’ sweet potato salad is probably the best we’ve ever had. It’s made with steamed sweet potatoes and topped with walnuts, cranberries, and scallions, and tossed in an olive oil dressing. This dish is also vegan.

Giovanni Fresco has fried snacks that are a must-try. They make Italian-style arancini (fried rice balls) that are stuffed with cheese, meat, or vegetables. They also make American-inspired fried mac & cheese.

Petra’s Pocket Pies has a roasted chicken pita pocket with garlic aioli; a tasty comfort food that includes aioli sauce from Saratoga Garlic Company.

My Dacha’s lasagna is a Ukrainian take on traditional Italian comfort food.

Don’t forget the dessert!
Euro Delicacies has baklava, a Turkish dessert made from a sweet pastry of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey. Their famous apple strudel is a version of a Mediterranean apple pie made with filo dough.

Giovanni Fresco makes traditional and Nutella tiramisu; an Italian dessert made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavored with cocoa.

My Dacha Slavonian Cafe’s sweet crepes are filled with raisins and cheese, or poppy seeds. They are the perfect dessert to follow any of their savory dishes. They also offer Neapolitan cake, tiramisu, and baklava.

Exploring the Sweet Side of the Farmers’ Market

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By Julia Howard

The Chocolate Spoon, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Beneath a dozen eggs and some carrots with sprawling greens lay some of the most delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted. The Chocolate Spoon was the last stop on my list this past Saturday, and the farmers’ market crowd was beginning to swell. Once the cookies were safely tucked away in my basket, I headed for my car.

Indulging in a sweet treat has become a part of my Wednesday or Saturday shopping ritual – a reward for working hard all week. The rewards vary. Last week, it was applesauce from Saratoga Apple. The apples, slowly and gently cooked, have the perfect chunky consistency and balance of sweetness and tart. With no sugar added, I felt like I was doing something good for myself. The week before that, my treat was Mrs. London’s famous buttery almond croissant. And, the week before that, I fondly recall rich, creamy chocolate milk from Battenkill Valley Creamery.

Slate Valley Farms, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Whatever farmers’ market sweets I choose to indulge in, they are always fresh, delicious, and an ode to quality, local ingredients. Perhaps that’s why they have become my shopping tradition. And, they are treats that I don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen preparing myself.

Argyle Cheese Farmer, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Market sweets come in a variety of sizes to accommodate any desire or occasion. Satisfy a small craving with a honey stick from Slate Valley Farms or personal-sized Sweet Greek yogurt from Argyle Cheese Farmer. Looking for a larger quantity to share? Perhaps a pie from The Food Florist or cheesecake from Grandma Apples Cheesecakes. Tiramisu from Giovanni Fresco is some of the best you’ll try, and baklava from Euro Delicacies is authentic and sweetened with local honey. Dickinson’s Delights’ Nutella crepes are filled with seasonal fruit and make for a decadent and gooey dessert that could be eaten for breakfast.

Looking for gluten-free or dairy-free options? Farmers’ market vendors have those too.

What about the unique chocolate craving that we all succumb to? Saratoga Chocolate Company has a variety of handmade cocoa creations to satisfy that specific desire that must be met.

The next time you’re shopping at the farmer’s market, make time for something on the sweeter side. You’ll be glad you did.

For this week’s recipe, I leave you with chocolate chip zucchini muffins. They are cake-like, sweet, and satisfying with a healthy touch.