Holidays at the Market

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

“I’ve always known inside that I’m Irish. Literally, I look like a leprechaun, there’s no denying it.”

Ben Hillis, who owns Puckers’ Gourmet Pickles with his wife Kelley, made this statement with a laugh. But Irish-ness runs deep through his veins, giving him a sense of identity that he associates with values of hard work, humility, taking care of family, and savoring lovingly home-cooked meals slowly at a common table.

“We’re the salt of the earth,” Hillis says. “No nobility here.”

That identity comes full force around St. Patrick’s Day as he prepares his corned beef and cabbage. The dish with which the holiday is often associated grew out of Irish and Jewish immigrants inter-mingling in Manhattan.

“Corned beef didn’t become a thing that was associated with Irish until the Irish came to America and found the beef brisket that was sold in delis,” Hillis said. “It was the closest thing to the salt pork they could find back home and afford.”

While cured corned beef can be purchased, Hillis prefers to prepare his own. He starts 11 days in advance by preparing a brine that he cooks over a low heat to meld its flavors together, and cools down overnight.

Then begins a 10-day curing, in which the brisket is placed in a giant brine-filled zip-locked bag, and cured for 10 days in the refrigerator.

On St. Patrick’s Day, Hillis begins cooking the meat “slow and low” on his stovetop, though he says using a slow cooker is acceptable. The beef simmers for several hours in the brine, additional liquid and a puree of such vegetables as cabbage, carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes. Hillis gauges its readiness on texture and “how good the house smells.”

Toward the end, he adds more root vegetables and cabbage, cooking them through but not to mush. He then puts down a bed of Puckers’ sauerkraut, tops it with meat, and nests the vegetables around it.

The result is meat, deeply flavored by the initial puree, another layer of soft but still crunchy vegetables, and a crisp dash of brightness from the sauerkraut.

“Eating is such a visceral experience,” Hillis says. “When you slow down, tend to your food, you enjoy it all the more.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market operates 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths building in the Saratoga Spa State Park through April. The market moves to High Rock Park in May.

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Corned Beef with Vegetables

Recipe by Ben Hillis

Ingredients
* Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• 3 quarts water
• 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into several pieces
• 2 1/2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 12 whole cloves
• 12 whole allspice berries
• 20 whole juniper berries
• 3 bay leaves, bruised
• 3/4 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon celery seed
• 1 – 4lbs trimmed beef brisket*
• 3 small onions, quartered*
• 4 large carrots, roughly chopped*
• 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped*
• 3lbs potatoes, cubed*
• 2 heads of cabbage, quartered*

Directions

1. Place the water into your largest stockpot, at least 3 quarts. Add the salt, sugar, and all of the spices.

2. Bring the brine to a boil. Then simmer until the salt and sugar have dissolved and your kitchen smells delicious. Refrigerator brine overnight.

3. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon Ziplock bag and add brine. Seal bag and place the bag inside of another container as to prevent possible leakage. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days. Each day make sure the brisket is covered by the brine.

4. On the 10th day, remove the brisket and rinse well under cold water. Place the brisket into a pot just large enough to hold the brisket and vegetables. Fill the pot so that the contents are well covered. Heat on high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 to 3 hours or until the corn beef is perfectly tender.

5. Add the vegetables approximately 45 mins before desired finish. If you prefer more tender vegetables, add them at the very beginning of the cooking process.

* I like to purée some of the the veggies and add it to the cooking liquid. Typically, before the cooking liquid is boiled, purée the celery, 1 carrot, a half of an onion, and half of a head of cabbage in a blender and add it to the boil for a deeper flavor. If you cannot fit all of the purée items in your blender, you may need to do it in more than one batch.

6. Remove the corned beef from the pot and allow the meat to rest for 3 minutes. Thinly slice the meat across the grain and serve with the vegetables. Enjoy!

By Julia Howard

What do the Saratoga Farmers’ Market and Valentine’s Day have in common?

Love. Love that is colorful, flavorful, sweet and savory, hearty and light, decadent, delightful and healthy.

This Saturday, we invite you to share the love and use the farmers’ market as your venue for creating the best valentines on the planet.

I did it myself last Saturday. I created a few valentines for a few of my loved ones – my mother, my partner Sean, and my 2-1/2 year old daughter Taiga.

My mother has everything she needs. But what does she want? Chocolate, for starters. I snagged a few milk chocolate heart-shaped stir sticks from Something’s Brewing, along with a ceramic ring holder from Zoe Burghard and a bottle of Northern Cross Vineyard’s Oak Marquette. Oak leaves from this vineyard help create the earthy taste of this red wine, a romantic twist that appeals to my mother’s artistic side.

Next up was Sean, the epitome of practicality. Give him a hammer and gloves and he’s happy. But he’s got a soft spot for infused spirits, and so I chose a maple moonshine from Springbrook Hollow Farm and Distillery. They use New York grains and Adirondack spring water to create their small batch spirits. To Sean’s valentine, I added a loaf of Murray Hollow Bake House bread and basil and garlic cheese curds from the Argyle Cheese Farmer. Practical, right?

And finally Taiga, the love of my life. I can’t shower her with enough gifts, so I had to practice self-restraint. I thought about a honey crisp apple from Saratoga Apple and a basket of cherry tomatoes from Shushan Valley Hydro Farm. Ultimately, I went with a flannel shirt from Feathered Antler that featured a moose hand-painted by artist and owner Gretchen Tisch. For Taiga, I also tucked in a jar of Slate Valley Farm’s beeswax based Sugar Maple lotion and an oatmeal raisin cookie from Rock Hill Bake House.

As market director, I often am too busy running the market to shop for myself, let alone others. But Valentine’s Day creates an excuse to indulge in some love. Shopping for others was a gift to myself. I invite you to give yourself that gift at our market every week.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths building in the Saratoga Spa State Park.

 

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Red Beet Chocolate Cake

Adapted from recipe by Rita~ on Food.com
16 servings

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• 1 ³⁄₄ cups unbleached flour, sifted
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
^{• 1}⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs*
• 1 cup coconut oil, melted (or substitute vegetable oil)
• 1 -1 ¹⁄₂ cup beet, pureed (3-4 medium beets, roasted, cooled, peeled)*
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (melt and cool the 4, 1oz squares of baking chocolate.)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions

1. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and roast at 375 degrees F for 45-60 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool, then peel and puree. Set aside

2. Preheat oven to 350 and grease 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.

3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside.

4. Combine sugar, eggs, and oil in a mixing bowl.

5. Beat with an electric mixer set at medium speed for 2 minutes.

6. Beat in the beets, cooled chocolate, and vanilla.

7. Gradually add dry ingredients, beating well after each addition.

8. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 25 minutes or until cake tests done.

9. Cool in pan on rack. If desired, cover and let stand overnight to improve flavor.

10. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for last-minute gifts or small items to tuck into stockings. Several Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendors have created special stocking stuffer items, such as the two-pack bon-bons from Bon Bon Brazil and the Bon Bon Mittens knitting kits from Blind Buck Farms. Also, consider the following items:

• The bright green cilantro pesto hummus from Freddy’s Rockin’ Hummus.
• Cheesy treats from Longview Farm such as their herbal cheese balls, Serendipity logs, goats milk fudge, and jars of caramel-like Cajeta.
• Baby bow-tied honey bears from Ballston Lake Apiaries.
• Mini maple syrup bottles from Slate Valley Farms.
• Essential oil infused room sprays and other products from Wash Green and Clean.
• Maple cream from Sheldon Farms.
• Apple chips and lemon verbena from Saratoga Apple.
• Cheese curds and Sweet Greeks from Argyle Farm.

Also, keep in mind fresh produce. Think tomatoes in hues of green, red, and yellow; red, purple, yellow and orange carrots bunched together; purple, red, yellow, and white russet potatoes bagged together; kale bouquets; and more.

And, if all else fails, Farmers’ Market tokens make a perfect gift.

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Latkes, Saratoga Farmers’ Market Style

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson
The Jewish festival Hanukkah begins this year on December 24, which also is the final shopping day before Christmas. Throughout this season, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market has invited shoppers to to get creative by giving longstanding traditions an innovative twist.

Now, as the countdown to both Christmas and Hanukkah come, we turned to our local latke making expert, Kelley Hillis, owner of Puckers Gourmet Pickles, for her best tips on making these savory fried potato cakes.

Hanukkah celebrates the reclamation of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem from the Greeks in the second century before the Christian era. With only a single cruse of olive oil, the Jewish army led by Judah the Maccabee kept the temple’s menorah lit for eight days. In honor of that oil, it is customary to dine through the eight days of Hanukkah on fried foods. Over time, latkes, which are of Eastern European origin and are made in a manner similar to pancakes, became a central item for at least the first night’s meal.

But, says Hillis, a one-time winner of a latke cook-off at the temple she attends, it is not just oil and potatoes that make the savory cakes special. “It’s also the toppings. Play with them, experiment, get creative.”

Walking around the market reveals a host of tempting toppers: Saratoga Apple’s applesauce, Laurie’s Jams, Argyle Farm’s Greek yogurts, Longview Farm’s soft cheeses, and Hillis’s own kraut, kimchi, and pak dong.

Hillis favors sweet potatoes as the base for her cakes but also will use Yukon golds for their soft yellow hue. Regardless of what type is used, fine shredding is essential. “Also, be sure to press out the excess liquid,” she says. “Otherwise, they won’t fry properly.” Hillis likes to flavor her latkes with green onion, a touch of garlic or garlic salt, as well as a “touch of cayenne” for some heat.

Hillis serves matzoh ball soup, a special Hanukkah beer, and doughnuts, also Hanukkah fare. She sometimes tops her latkes before serving them, matching colors and flavors of both the cakes and the toppings but also advocates giving guests choices.

“Create a toppings bar,” she says. “It’s all about having fun and being creative.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market will be open Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its usual location at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park.

Last Minute Potato Latkes

Recipe adapted from ‘Easy Potato Latkes’ recipe by Martha Stewart
Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• 1 yellow onion, grated or minced*
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten*
• ¼ cup matzo meal
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and grated *
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and grated*
• Oil for frying (peanut or vegetable oil)
• Select your topping(s): Sour cream, applesauce, kimchi, yogurt, jam*

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine onion, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Add eggs, and stir until incorporated. Add matzo meal, and stir until incorporated. Add potatoes, and toss until combined and evenly coated.

2. Fill a large skillet with about 1/2 inch oil. Place over medium heat until oil is almost smoking. (To test, drop a small bit of batter into the skillet; it should sizzle upon contact.)

3. Working in batches so as not to crowd skillet, carefully spoon about 2 tablespoons batter into oil for each latke. Lightly tamp down to flatten. Cook, turning once, until golden on each side, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to a paper-towel-lined wire rack to drain. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately with desired toppings.