spring

Pizza That’s All About Spring

May 10, 2023 By marketeditor

By Himanee Gupta

A few weeks ago, an e-mail from The New York Times’ Cooking newsletter was headlined, “The best pizza topping is salad.” It featured a recipe for a simple green and white pizza made with either homemade or store-bought dough, mozzarella cheese, and that early spring favorite – pea shoots.

It looked delicious, and it affirmed the fact that a little imagination and a trip to the Wednesday or Saturday Saratoga Farmers’ Markets could produce a pizza topped with salads even better than that.

Burger’s Market Garden, photo by Graciela Colston (herbs)

I spent the winter baking bread made from a sourdough starter I had procured from a farm in the Adirondacks last fall. At this time of year, I start hungering for homemade pizza, so I decided to turn some of my starter into pizza dough and to top the pizza with the early greens and dainty fresh vegetables that are starting to show up at the market in farmers’ stalls.

For that pizza, I began by pre-heating a cast-iron skillet in my oven to 500F degrees. A pizza stone will work just as well. While the oven heated, I stretched the dough I had prepared earlier onto a piece of parchment paper, and then let my imagination go.

Leaning Birch, photo by Graciela Colston

I started with a brushing of olive oil, and then a layer of chopped green garlic from my farm Squash Villa. Over that came a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese and then a salad mix from the Gomez Veggie Ville that included baby kale and spinach leaves. I had a jar of pickled vegetables from Puckers Gourmet Pickles that included some bell pepper slices so I fished those out and added them on along with some sautéed oyster mushrooms from The Mushroom Shop, LLC and sliced radishes from Lovin’ Mama Farm. I added another layer of mozzarella cheese, and then some topped arugula, and a bit of parmesan cheese on top. I then slid the pizza, parchment, and all, into the hot pan and let it bake for about 12 minutes.

The Mushroom Shop, photo by Graciela Colston

The result was a pizza that tasted like spring: crisp, nutty, mildly spicy, fresh, good, and green.

Spring in Saratoga is about those words – fresh, good, and green. At farmers’ markets, we bask in that freshness with an abundance of small seasonal wonders. If you’re looking for peppers, tomatoes, sweet onions, or zucchini, wait a bit longer. But now is the perfect time to create your own salad-topped pizzas with the types of produce that are in season from now through late May such as ramps, green garlic, and chives. Blend these aromatic alliums with roasted carrots, beets, radishes, and Hakurei turnips and spread them over a simple store-bought or homemade pizza dough. For an added boost of flavor, roll the dough through a mix of perennial herbs like sage, thyme, oregano, and rosemary whose first sprigs are now being clipped and brought to market from overwintered plants. And try a sprinkling of lemony sorrel or nutty arugula on top.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Pork Roast with Apples and Onions

April 7, 2023 By marketeditor

Adapted from the recipe by Ree Drummond

Makes: 8 servings

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 pork shoulder roast*
salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups apple cider*
1 cup beef stock
3 whole apples*, cored and cut into wedges
A bundle of fresh rosemary or thyme
3 medium onions*, sliced
1 whole bay leaf

Directions

Saute onions until brown and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over high heat. Salt and pepper pork roast, then sear on all sides to give it some color. Reduce heat to low. Add apple cider, apple slices, onions, rosemary or thyme, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. Alternatively, you may place in a 300-degree oven if you prefer.
When the roast is done, remove the roast, apples, and onions to a platter. Raise heat to medium-high and boil liquid, reducing it until thick and rich.
Spoon thick sauce over the roast, then cut the roast into slices. Serve with apples and onions.

Pasta with Spring Vegetables

June 15, 2021 By marketeditor

Adapted from the recipe by The Food Lab, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● Kosher salt
● 8 ounces asparagus, ends trimmed and cut on a bias into 2 inch segments
● 1 medium zucchini*, split lengthwise and cut into ¼ inch half moons
● 1 cup sugar snap peas*, remove the stem end and strings
● 1 cup broccoli rabe*, cut into ½ inch pieces
● 1 cup cherry tomatoes*, split in half
● ¼ cup olive oil*
● 2 spring garlic*, minced or grated on a Microplane
● 1 spring onion*, diced
● pinch of red pepper flakes
● 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter*
● 1 pound twisted or tubular pasta (reserve ½ cup of the cooking water)
● ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley*
● 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest and 1 Tablespoon juice
● 1 ounce Parmesan cheese*, grated plus more for serving
● freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Using a fine-mesh strainer, transfer to colander and run under cold water to chill. Repeat with the zucchini, peas, and broccoli. Combine all the blanched vegetables in a large bowl, add the tomatoes and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion, cooking until gently sizzling. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until garlic is pale golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the pepper flakes and toss until fragrant about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Set aside.
3. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water and return the pasta to the pot. Set over medium-low heat.
4. Add the vegetables, garlic/onion sauce, and half of the reserved pasta water. Stir until the sauce comes together and coats the pasta. Add more pasta water until desired consistency is reached. Stir in parsley, lemon zest and juice, and cheese. Season with pepper. Top with extra cheese.

Notes: The original recipe calls for summer squash (yellow), shelled fava beans, and frozen peas. Use your favorite in-season vegetables.

Kentucky Kiss Cocktail

June 8, 2021 By marketeditor

Recipe by Colleen Graham, The Spruce Eats
Prep time: 3 mins
Yield: 1 cocktail

Kentucky Kiss Cocktail, photo by Madison Jackson

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 2 large fresh strawberries*, sliced
● 1/2 ounce lemon juice
● 1/2 ounce maple syrup*
● 2 ounces bourbon whiskey*
● 1 splash club soda
● A fresh strawberry*, for garnish

Instructions
1. Gather the ingredients. In an old-fashioned glass, add the strawberries, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Muddle well, until the berries are mashed.
2. Add the bourbon and fill the glass with ice. Stir well.
3. Add a splash of club soda.
4. Garnish with a strawberry. Serve and enjoy.

Ginger Sesame Salmon Salad

May 31, 2021 By marketeditor

Recipe courtesy of Leaning Birch Farm

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
For the salmon:
● 1 lb salmon fillet*
● 5 oz bag “Zesty Mix” salad greens* (Leaning Birch Farm)
● large handful pea shoots* (Leaning Birch Farm)
● A small handful of micro cilantro* (Leaning Birch Farm)
● 2 tbsp neutral flavor high smoke point cooking oil
● Fine sea salt

For the dressing:
● 2 oz soy sauce
● 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
● juice from 2 lemons
● 2 tsp local honey*
● 1 tsp hoisin sauce (optional)
● 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated or finely minced
● 3 cloves garlic, crushed, grated or minced

Instructions
1. Add all ingredients for the dressing to a tall, slender jar or measuring cup. If available, use an immersion blender until well emulsified. Otherwise, mix vigorously with a fork. Set aside.
2. Pat salmon fillet dry with paper towels. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. We prefer a well-seasoned cast iron or carbon steel pan, otherwise use a nonstick pan. Add the 2 tbsp of neutral cooking oil to the heated pan. Generously salt both sides of the salmon. Once oil is shimmering and rippling, add salmon fillet to the pan, skin side down, and do not disturb. Cook 8-10 minutes on the skin side, or until bottom 1/3 of its thickness begins to lighten and turn opaque and brown, crisp edges appear.
3. While fish is cooking, add the Zesty Mix and pea shoots to a large mixing bowl. Add roughly 2/3 of the salad dressing and toss well to evenly coat.
4. When salmon has finished cooking on the skin side, give the pan a subtle but affirmative shake to see if the fish frees from the pan. If so, slide a very thin fish spatula under and flip the fish to its other side. If not, first gently lift the corners and edges from the pan with the spatula, and then flip. Cook 5 minutes longer on medium-high. Remove from heat and allow to rest in pan for 5 minutes.
5. Serve salad into large dinner bowls. Once salmon has cooled somewhat but while still warm, transfer to a cutting board and cut into two equal portions, skin side up. We found a very sharp bread knife to work very well for this. Top each salad bowl with salmon, and pour evenly over both servings the remaining third of dressing. Garnish salmon with a generous pinch of micro cilantro. Serve immediately.

Prepare for Memorial Day at the farmers’ Market

May 24, 2021 By marketeditor

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.