By Julia Howard
This weekend, we honor the people who are no longer with us who have fought to keep our country free and safe. Food will be the centerpiece as we safely come together for family gatherings and parades or to visit cemeteries or memorials. Memorial Day invokes eating outdoors, grilling, and traditional summer recipes with a farmers’ market spin.
This week’s recipes:
Potato Salad with Pickled Cucumbers
Adapted from recipes by My Nourished Home and The Kitchn, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 8
Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
For the Onions and Mushrooms:
● 2 to 3 Tablespoons olive oil*
● 3 Tablespoons butter*
● 2 large sweet onions*
● 16 ounces mushrooms* (shiitake* and/or oyster*)
For the burgers:
● 2 pounds ground beef*
● 1/2 small onion*, finely chopped
● 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
● 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
● 1 teaspoon garlic powder
● Freshly ground black pepper
● 6 hamburger buns, split
Instructions
For the Onions and Mushrooms:
1. In a large saute pan, heat the oil and butter on medium-low. Peel and slice the onions into long, thin slices. Place the onions in the pan, add salt and pepper to taste, and carefully toss to coat all the onions in the oil and butter. Allow to caramelize, stirring occasionally for 20 to 30 minutes. They’ll turn a warm brown color.
2. Add the mushrooms to the onions, carefully toss to coat them with oil. Continue to cook on medium-low. The mushrooms will become soft and browned.
For the burgers:
3. Heat the grill. Heat an outdoor grill to high heat (about 450°F). On a charcoal grill, arrange the coals to create high heat and a low heat cooking zone (direct and indirect grilling). Meanwhile, prepare the burger patties.
4. Season the beef. Place the ground beef on a baking sheet and gently pat it into a log. Use your thumb to make a deep trough in the center. Sprinkle the onions evenly into the trough. Whisk the Worcestershire, tamari or soy sauce, and garlic powder together in a small bowl. Sprinkle this over the onions. Finish with a few grinds of fresh black pepper over everything.
5. Shape the patties. Pinch the ground beef closed around the onions. Divide the meat into 8 equal portions using a chef knife, a bench scraper, or your fingers. Use your hands to gently flatten each portion into a patty about 1-inch thick. Try not to compact or overwork the meat. Let the burgers sit at room temperature until the grill is ready, about 20 minutes.
6. Grill the burgers. Place the patties on the grill in a single layer. Cook until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until grill marks appear on the second side, about 2 minutes more. If using a charcoal grill, move the patties to a lower-heat (indirect) area of the grill. If using a gas grill, reduce the heat to medium. Grill 2 to 3 minutes more for medium-rare burgers, 3 to 4 minutes more for medium, or 5 to 6 minutes more for well-done burgers.
7. Assemble the burgers. Place a patty on each toasted bun and serve with toppings.
By Himanee Gupta-Carlson
A great perk of summer is eating outdoors. My husband and I do this as often as we can manage. About 7 p.m., he gathers up wood and gets a fire going in our old charcoal goal. As the wood burns down to coals, I prep. Then, we cook and eat slowly, sipping wine and beer, watching the sun set and sky darken to dusk.
What goes on the grill? Where does it come from?
Most of what we eat comes from the Saratoga Farmers’ Market or our farm. What goes on the grill depends on what’s in season.
The centerpiece of most of our meals is meat, farm-raised and brought to an ambient temperature, maybe brushed with a bit of Dancing Ewe Farm’s olive oil, maybe sprinkled with black pepper or garlic, maybe topped with finely chopped rosemary or sage.
The “maybes” are truly that. Options. The meats our farmers bring to market come from animals that feast on the flavorful bounty of outdoor pastures, and rarely require much to enhance their flavor. We rotate between chicken, goat, pork, fish, lamb, and beef.
With meat as the main course, vegetables in all shapes, textures, and tastes enhance the overall meal.
I plan a supper’s vegetables around three basic cooking styles: roasted, sautéed, and right on the grill. Roasted is usually a starch – such as hakurei turnips, trimmed, wrapped in foil and cooked until fork-soft and slightly caramelized. For sautéed, try a bunch of seasonal greens such as tatsoi, tossed into a frying pan or wok with olive oil, lemon juice, and maybe chopped onion, green garlic, or chive. Stir fry the greens for 2-4 minutes until they have wilted. Right on the grill is anything that likes a slight singe. For instance, zucchini, cooked until tender with a blackened patten from the grill.
Summer supper possibilities on the grill are endless. Try your own combinations and stop by the market to share your results.
On Wednesdays, locally raised meat and poultry may be found at Ramble Creek Farm, Slate River Farms, and Squashville Farm. On Saturdays, Elihu Farm, Lewis Waite Farm, Longlesson Farm, M&A Farm, and Ramble Creek Farm. Fish and seafood may be found at Pura Vida Fisheries. And, cured meats not for grilling may be found at Dancing Ewe Farm.
Recipe courtesy of Squashville Farm
Serves 2-4
This recipe is perfect for the grill or the oven.
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
By: Mariah Rankin
Summer is a time when we find ourselves enjoying the company of others while dining on the fresh and vibrant ingredients that the season brings. Nothing embodies this more than a barbeque, and here at the Saratoga Farmers Market, we have just what you need to “spice” yours up. Three of our vendors specialize in spices and marinades that will help you transform your summer meals.
Salads are a seasonal favorite, and Momma’s Secret Salad Dressings offers amazing gluten-free dressings made from all-natural ingredients. “Momma’s House Dressing” is a market favorite that also doubles as a marinade. It will add a special touch to any salad or meat. With just a small amount of their dressings, your food will explode with flavor. A portion of their proceeds is also donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Grilling is another summertime favorite, and Muddy Trail Jerky Co. offers 15 different spice mixes specifically for grilling that will leave your meat bursting with flavor. Their classic “Steak Seasoning” is a customer favorite that contains a delicious blend of onion, garlic, and a variety of herbs and peppers. Along with their other spice mixes, it will give any beef, lamb, pork, or poultry dish a flavorful kick.
Each week the owners of Saratoga Spicery look forward to hearing their customers share the unique ways they use their products. There are no set rules or guidelines on how to use their spice mixes, the options are limitless. These “spiceries” are unique because almost all of them can be turned into a delicious dip by combining two tablespoons to 4-parts sour cream and 1-part mayo or Greek yogurt. These tasty dips will be sure to please at any summer barbecue.
To learn more about these products and get some of your own for your next summer gathering, stop by our market on Saturdays.
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m.on Saturdays at High Rock Park. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and check us out on the FreshFoodNY app. E-mail friends@saratogafarmers.org for volunteer opportunities.
Adapted from the recipe by Milk Street Magazine, shared by Pattie Garrett of My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 4
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
Note: Janet Lampman of Lewis Waite Farm recommends giving the meat time to thaw completely. Before preparing the thawed steak, give it 30 minutes on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature. Then, dry it with a paper towel and then seasoning.
