Saratoga Farmers' Market

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garlic

Summer Squash Pasta Bake

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Recipe by the Smitten Kitchen, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 4 large portions

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

Photo by Pattie Garrett

● 8 ounces pasta*, use your favorite
● 1 Tablespoon olive oil
● 1 pound summer squash*, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
● salt and pepper
● pinches of red pepper to taste
● Juice of half a lemon
● 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter*
● 5 scallions*, sliced thin and white parts and green tops in separate piles
● 2 cloves garlic*, minced
● 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
● 1½ cups milk*
● 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
● ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley*, divided
● 1 Tablespoon finely chopped mixed herbs* of choice (thyme, oregano, mint, basil)
● salt and pepper to taste
● ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan (or similar hard rind)* cheese, divided
● 4 ounces of mozzarella* cut into small cubes

Instructions
1. Cook the pasta in a 3-quart oven-safe deep skillet. Otherwise use a large pot. Cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Prepare the squash by heating the skillet used for the pasta on high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and allow to heat until very hot. Add squash and season with salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Let it sear underneath, unmoved until golden brown. Continue to saute until browned. Transfer to a bowl and squeeze lemon juice over the cooked squash. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
4. To make the sauce, heat the now empty skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter. Add scallion white parts and garlic and let sizzle for 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour and stir until all has been dampened and absorbed. Add milk in very small splashes. Stir the entire time. Make sure each splash has been fully mixed into the butter/onion mixture. Scrape the bottom of the pan and all-around before adding the next splash of milk. Repeat until all the milk is added then add the lemon zest, salt, pepper to taste. Let the mixture simmer together for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. The sauce will thicken. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in half the parsley, all the herbs, and reserved scallion greens.
5. With the skillet off the heat, add the drained pasta, summer squash, ½ cup Parmesan and all of the mozzarella. Stir to combine. If the skillet is oven proofed, bake it the skillet. Otherwise, transfer to a 2 to 3-quart ovenproof baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until edges are golden brown. Sprinkle with reserved parsley and serve hot.

Steak or Lamb Kebabs with Summer Vegetables

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Adapted from the recipe by Cooking Classy
Servings: 5
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: 3 hours

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

Marinade
● 1/4 cup olive oil
● 1/4 cup soy sauce
● 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
● 1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
● 2 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
● 1 tbsp honey*
● 2 tsp Dijon
● 1 tbsp garlic*, pressed or minced
● 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Kebabs
● 1 3/4 lbs steak* or lamb*, cut into 1 1/4 inch pieces
● 8 oz mushrooms* of choice, halved (unless small, keep whole)
● 3 bell peppers* (1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow) cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
● 1 large onion* diced into chunks (about 1 1/4-inch)
● 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing grill grates
● Salt and freshly ground black pepper
● 10 wooden skewer sticks soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Instructions
1. For the marinade: In a mixing bowl whisk together all marinade ingredients.
2. For the kebabs: place steak or lamb into a gallon size resealable bag. Pour marinade over the meat then seal bag while pressing out excess air and message marinade over the meat. Transfer to refrigerator and allow to marinate 3 – 6 hours.
3. Preheat a grill over medium-high heat to about 425 degrees (partway through preheating clean grill grates if they aren’t already clean).
4. With veggies on a cutting board, drizzle with oil and lightly toss to coat (don’t toss the onion so that it will stay in chunks for when you thread onto the skewers).
5. Sprinkle veggies evenly with salt and pepper. To assemble kebabs layer meat and veggies onto kebabs in the desired order.
6. Brush grill grates lightly with oil. Place kebabs on grill and grill until center of the meat registers about 140 – 145 degrees for medium doneness, turning kebabs occasionally, about 8 – 9 minutes. Serve warm.

Farm to Pantry: Making meals with ingredients on hand

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By Julia Howard

Pleasant Valley Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Our responsibility, by direction, is to stay at home and only head out for essentials when absolutely necessary. As we settle in safely for the weeks to come, many are looking to foods that store well, foods that are easy to prepare, and, most importantly, foods that are available right now.

While food bloggers hail smart and savvy ‘pantry meals’ that utilize canned goods, rice, and beans, the farmers’ market offers an expanded palette of foods that are easy to store and last longer than most produce found at grocery stores.

Vegetables like onions, garlic, potatoes, and carrots are often at the core of savory, hearty meals. They are durable and have a good shelf life, and these vegetables work well in diverse meals depending on preparation methods and seasonings. Please note that garlic is currently unavailable at market.

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Milk, butter, cheese, and eggs are staples that most of us keep in constant rotation in the refrigerator. These binding ingredients are often what pulls the meal together. Milk may be used to create a creamy finish to soups and sauces like a classic roux – which is made from butter, flour, and milk. Eggs can be used to create satisfying omelettes and frittatas with endless possibilities for fillings. Cheese is essential for homemade pizza, quesadillas, baked ziti, and numerous other dishes.

Saratoga Apple, photo by Pattie Garrett

Shelf-stable vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, and turnips can last for several weeks when kept in a cool, dry place. These vegetables can be the main stars of any meal, soup, or salad, and they are high in nutritional value. Even fruits like apples can keep for 2-3 weeks. Having a variety of these long-lasting fruits and vegetables inspires cooking that’s creative, comforting, and simple.

Meat and poultry are necessities for most, and they can be bought directly from farmers. Ground beef, whole chickens, and steaks and roasts can be kept frozen and thawed under refrigeration once you are ready to prepare them. Leftovers from a large roast or a whole roasted chicken may be used in a variety of dishes and soups as well.

While shopping at the farmers’ market, please remember to follow universal precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19. Please try to send one member of the household to shop and give 6’ space while shopping. Only touch products that you commit to buy and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after shopping.

If you plan to shop for something specific, please check our website and social media pages for updates. These are changeable times and we are working to keep you up to date with vendor and product availability each week.

 

This week’s recipe: Pantry Pot Pie

Roast Chicken

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Adapted from the recipe by Ina Garten, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Makes 8 servings

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market
● 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken*
● Kosher salt
● Freshly ground black pepper
● 1 large bunch fresh thyme*
● 1 lemon, halved
● 1 head garlic*, cut in half crosswise
● 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter*, melted

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.
3. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
4. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve.

Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

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Recipe by Friends of the Market, adapted by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 2

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts*
  • 1 sweet potato*, cleaned, peeled,and diced
  • 1 garlic clove*, unpeeled
  • pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup maple syrup*

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Place the butter into a roasting pan and melt in the oven. When butter is melted, swirl to coat the bottom of the pan and place the chicken, potatoes, and garlic clove into the pan. Sprinkle with pepper, turn the chicken, potatoes, and garlic to coat with butter.
  3. Bake in the preheated about 40 minutes, basting 3 times with pan drippings. Brush maple syrup over the chicken and spoon pan drippings over the potatoes.
  4. Return to the oven and bake until the chicken and potatoes are tender and browned about 20 more minutes.
  5. To serve, squeeze the garlic from the baked cloves and spread the soft garlic over the chicken. Pour pan juices over the chicken and potatoes.

Notes:

The original recipe calls for 6 Yukon gold potatoes and 6 chicken leg quarters, split into drumsticks and thighs. Also the recipe calls for much more garlic cloves.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 501 Fat: 26 g Saturated fat: 15 g Carbohydrates: 40 g Sugar: 29 g (25 added) Sodium: 468 mg Fiber: 2 g Protein: 27 g Cholesterol: 144 mg

Longtime Garlic Grower Finds a New Home at Farmers’ Market

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Photo provided by Saratoga Garlic Co.

Bill Higgins began growing garlic in 1998 on farmland in Northumberland, a community between Schuylerville and Saratoga. He sold the garlic to a food distributor at the Chelsea Market in Manhattan, and over time, began consulting with chefs to create a line of prepared products.

Over the years, his enterprise Saratoga Garlic Co. expanded, supplying grocery stores, restaurants, and wholesalers with sauces and pickled products.

The business kept growing, and then last fall Higgins went small. He applied to become a new vendor with the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, joining the market’s cadre of local farmers, home producers, and artisans.

Photo provided by Saratoga Garlic Co.

Now, Higgins spends Saturday mornings at the market’s winter location in the Wilton Mall, offering samples of their garlic products, greeting new customers, and reconnecting with friends.

Their experience is helping them understand better what their customers like. It also captures the community feeling that the Saratoga Farmers’ Market creates.

“We wanted a more direct connection and additional insight to what our end consumer is looking for,” says Max Higgins, who coordinates sales for Saratoga Garlic and is Bill Higgins’s son.

So far, the experience has been great. “Everyone at the market has been very welcoming and we’ve really enjoyed the positive atmosphere each Saturday,” Max Higgins says.

On top of that, they have discovered that old friends from elementary and high school days are market regulars, as well. And, says Max Higgins, “the live music is great.”

Saratoga Garlic Co., photo by Pattie Garrett

Saratoga Garlic Co.’s signature product is aioli, a garlic sauce with a mayonnaise base. The company offers five varieties, along with a pickled garlic product. The sauces can be used to season dishes, as a spread on crackers or bread, or as a condiment to such things as steaks, pork or goat, chops, or fish.

Bill Higgins worked with a number of chefs to perfect his recipes over the years. He and his family still grow their own garlic, which is German white, a porcelain variety known for big bulbs, a robust flavor, and high tolerance to his sandy soil. The family also occasionally grows dill for their pickled products and has discussed the prospect of trying out such items as saffron, which flavors one of their aioli sauces.

This week’s recipe: BLT Burritos with Sambal Aioli