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Carrots

Summer Vegetable Stir Fry

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iStock

Adapted from the recipe by Alyssa Rivers
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 1 tablespoon olive oil*
● 1 red bell pepper*, sliced
● 1 yellow bell pepper*, sliced
● 1 cup sugar snap peas*
● 1 cup carrots*, sliced
● 1 cup mushrooms*, sliced
● 1 cup zucchini* or yellow summer squash*, sliced
● 2 cups broccoli*
● 2 cups bok choy*
● ¼ cup soy sauce
● 3 garlic cloves*, minced
● 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
● 1 teaspoon sesame oil
● 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
● 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Optional: chopped green onions* and sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions
1. In a wok or large skillet, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, peas, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, and bok choy. Sauté 2-3 minutes until veggies are almost tender.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, sesame oil, chicken or vegetable broth, and cornstarch.
3. Pour over veggies and cook until the sauce has thickened. Garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds if desired.

Notes:
● Customize your stir fry by adding in protein. Chicken, pork, shrimp, and beef are all available at the farmers’ market.
● Make your stir fry with seasonal vegetables: asparagus, bean sprouts, cauliflower, tomatoes, and corn all make delicious additions.
● Spice it up by adding crushed red pepper flakes or sriracha.
● Serve over brown or white rice, noodles, ramen, lo mein, zoodles, or wilted greens.

Carrot Top Pesto

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Photo by Barb Biagioli

Recipe provided by Barb Biagioli, board-certified holistic health coach and nutritional consultant
www.barbbiagioli.com and on Instagram at @barbbiagioli

Ingredients
● 2 bunches of carrot top greens*, destemmed
● 1/2 cup basil*
● 1/2 cup walnuts
● 3 garlic cloves
● 1 lime, juiced
● 1/4 cup olive oil*
● 1 tsp Himalayan salt

Instructions
1. Place the garlic and walnuts into a food processor. Blend until emulsified.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and blend. You may also add water in tiny amounts to help thin or continue using oil. Continue to blend until smooth. Enjoy on sandwiches, in pasta, on power bowls or in salads, as a dipping agent from summer veggies.

Slow-Cooked Beef Shank with Polenta and Vegetables

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Recipe provided by market customer Enrico Patarini
Serves: 4

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

For beef shanks:
● 3-4 large carrots*, cut in rough cubes
● 1 large turnip, cut in medium-large cubes
● 1 medium onion*, cut into eighths
● 2 cloves garlic*, cut in large chunks
● 1 beef shank*
● 1 tbsp maple syrup*
● 1 cup of red wine*
● 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
● Salt, to taste
● Parsley* for garnishing
● 2-3 cups water (to mostly cover meat)

For polenta:
● 1 cup dried Abenaki corn*, ground (use blender or food processor)
● 1 cup water + 3 cups water
● ½ cup mozzarella*, cubed
● 1 tbsp salt

Instructions
1. Lay down a thin layer of onion, carrot, and turnip. Place the shank on top of that. Fill in around the sides with the remaining onion, carrot, and turnip to fill the crock pot.
2. Sprinkle garlic on top and pour red wine on meat. Then splash balsamic vinegar and maple syrup on meat. Add salt and seasonings of choice (rosemary or Italian seasoning fit great) sprinkled over meat.
3. Put the crock pot on medium-low heat. Add water to cover about three-quarters of the meat. Add the lid. Leave it going for 4.5 to 5.5 hours, flipping meat and stirring veggies every hour or so. It’s done when a fork will pull away the meat from the bone without a knife.
4. For the polenta: Combine a cup of cornmeal with 1 cup of water in a bowl and stir together into a paste. Bring the other 3 cups of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt.
5. Once the water is boiling, add the corn paste to the boiling water. Stir around with a wooden spoon and try to keep it from sticking to sides. Turn heat to medium and keep it at a low boil. After 5 or so minutes of intermittent stirring it should be one mass.
6. Add in mozzarella, continue stirring for 1-2 minutes and turn off the heat once the chunks start to melt in. Leave it on the hot burner for 5-10 minutes to dry out a little more. Done when set.

Marquette-Braised Beef Brisket

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Recipe by Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo for Food & Wine
Active time: 45 mins
Total time: 4 hrs 30 mins
Yield: 6 servings

AdobeStock

Ingredients
*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market
● 2 1/2 pounds beef brisket*, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch
● 2 cups of Fossi Stone’s Marquette*
● 1 cup red wine vinegar
● 4 juniper berries, smashed
● 2 teaspoons white peppercorns
● 2 carrots*, finely diced
● 1 celery rib, finely diced
● 2 garlic cloves*, thinly sliced
● 4 large onions*, thinly sliced
● 1/4 cup canola oil
● Salt and freshly ground pepper
● 2 tart apples*, finely chopped, plus 1/2 tart apple, peeled and chopped, for garnish (optional)
● 1/2 cup raisins
● 1 bay leaf
● 1 teaspoon chopped thyme*
● 3/4 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth

Instructions
● In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the beef brisket with the Marquette, red wine vinegar, juniper berries, white peppercorns, carrots, celery, garlic, and 1 of the onions. Close the bag, pressing out any air, and refrigerate the brisket overnight or for up to 2 days.
● Preheat the oven to 275°. Strain the marinade, discarding the solids. Pat the brisket dry. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Season the brisket with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until browned all over, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the brisket to a large plate. Add the remaining 3 onions and the 2 finely chopped apples to the casserole and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes.
● Return the brisket to the casserole and add the raisins, bay leaf, thyme, and the strained marinade. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover and braise in the oven for about 3 hours, until the meat is very tender; turn the brisket halfway through cooking.
● Carefully transfer the brisket to a plate; cover and keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid into a heatproof measuring cup, pressing down on the solids. Wipe out the casserole and add the cooking liquid and chicken stock. Boil over moderately high heat until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Thinly slice the brisket across the grain and garnish with the chopped apple. Serve with the sauce and a glass of Fossil Stone’s Marquette.

Make Ahead: The brisket can be refrigerated in the sauce, whole or sliced, for up to 2 days. Rewarm in the oven.

Comfort Foods for Christmas

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Prepping Roast Chicken, Adobe Stock

Short days, long nights, and frigid wind chills characterize our winter holidays, even without a pandemic. This kind of weather offers an excuse to forgo extensive meals and focus on what is elegantly simple: dishes that require few ingredients and few steps to prepare. With foods from our local farmers, elegance is easy.

Think roast chicken. Pick up a half or whole chicken at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, fresh or frozen. If frozen, thaw. If fresh, immediately wrap the breast and wing in aluminum foil and roast in an open pot at 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven, cool the oven down to 325 degrees, unwrap the foil, put a lid on the pot, and continue cooking for an additional 15-17 minutes a pound, usually about 50 minutes for a three-pound chicken. You can add salt and pepper, lemon, herbs, or any other seasonings to the chicken beforehand. But farm-raised chicken is delicious as is.

While the chicken is cooking, consider adding mashed potatoes. Wash potatoes and scrub skins of debris. Boil until soft or cook in an instant pot. Then, melt butter or heat oil in a stovetop pot. Add potatoes, and mash until they’re of a consistency you like. Salt, pepper, herbs, and milk can enhance the flavor.

Pleasant Valley Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Carrots, turnips, and beets tossed in oil and seasoned with salt and pepper can roast nicely as your chicken cooks. Or try boiling these nutritious root vegetables on the stove until fork tender and tossing in a half or quarter head of cabbage toward the end.

Finally, try onion soup. Warm 5-6 cups of chicken stock (or any other meat stock or vegetable broth) in a soup pot. While the stock is simmering, thinly slice about five medium-sized onions. Cook with oil or butter in a skillet at medium-low heat until the onions have caramelized, about 25 minutes. The key is to get the onions soft but to stir often so they do not stick to the pan. Turn the heat down and add a tablespoon of flour. Toss well, then add to simmering stock, stirring gently to dissolve the flour. Serve with toasted bread and sliced cheese.

This week’s recipe: French Onion Soup

Apple & Carrot “Superhero” Muffins

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Recipe by Cookie and Kate
Prep & Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 2 cups packed almond meal or almond flour (10 ounces)
● 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
● 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
● 1 teaspoon baking soda
● ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
● Optional mix-ins: ½ cup chopped walnuts, raisins, chocolate chips
● ½ cup honey* or maple syrup*
● 3 eggs*
● 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
● 1 cup grated apple* (about 1 ½ apples)
● 1 cup peeled and grated carrots* (about 3 carrots)

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and optional mix-ins, if using.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, eggs and butter. Whisk in the grated apple and carrots. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each to the brim. Bake until the muffins are nicely browned on top and a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Allow muffins to cool completely before storing.
5. Store leftover muffins in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. If you like them warm, reheat them on low power in the microwave.


Notes:
MAKE THEM NUT FREE: (The muffins will no longer be gluten free with this variation) 2 cups whole wheat flour can be used as an alternative to the almond meal. Increase the butter to 8 tablespoons (1 stick) and reduce the oats to 1 cup.