Saratoga Farmers' Market

tomatoes

Instant Pot Bolognese

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Recipe by Healthy Gourmet Kitchen
Makes: 8 servings
Total time: 30 min

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 1 lb. ground meat of choice (beef*, lamb*, pork*, turkey, or plant-based)
● 1 package Healthy Gourmet Kitchen Bolognese meal starter kit*
● 1 onion diced*
● 2 lb. tomatoes* OR 1, 28 oz. can whole or diced plum tomatoes
● 1 cup white wine
● 1 cup milk*
● 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter*
● 12 ounces penne pasta

Directions
1. Turn Instant Pot to saute medium. Add butter and allow it to melt slightly. Add chopped onion and saute for 3-5 minutes. Add ground meat and break it up so that it crumbles. Continue to saute until the meat is brown.
2. After meat is browned, add white wine and the Healthy Gourmet Kitchen Bolognese meal starter pack on top of the meat.
3. Add milk and tomatoes. If you are using fresh, whole tomatoes, squish them or chop them up. Add pasta and push so that it is submerged under the liquid.
4. Secure the lid on the Instant pot and close the vent. Press manual for 4 minutes.
5. When the cooking time is complete, allow 5 minutes to pass for natural release, then move the vent to remove the rest of the steam. Remove the lid, top with grated cheese, and enjoy!

Grilled Lamb Chops

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Recipe by American Lamb, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 4

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

Marinade:
● 3 Tablespoons olive oil
● 4 garlic cloves, chopped
● 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary*, minced
● 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano, minced
● zest from 1 lemon
● ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
● ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
● 2 pounds lamb chops* (4 chops)
● 1 pound cherry tomatoes*, on vine or skewered
● 1 teaspoon plus 1 Tablespoon olive oil

For the salad:
● 5 ounces baby arugula*
● 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
● 4 ounces feta cheese, cut into small cubes

Instructions
1. For marinade: Combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, oregano, zest, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Season the chops with salt. Place the chops in a shallow dish. Rub the marinade into the chops to coat evenly on all sides. Cover loosely and marinade at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Rub the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of oil and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt.

3. Allow the excess marinade to drip off the chops and place on a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place the tomatoes around the perimeter of the pan. Cover and cook, turning the chops once until nicely charred on both sides and it reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees. Cook the tomatoes until blistered and lightly charred.

4. Transfer the grilled chops and tomatoes to a large platter and cover loosely with foil to rest.

5. For the salad: In a large bowl, toss the arugula with remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil, vinegar, and salt. Mound the salad in the center of a serving platter and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Arrange the chops and tomatoes on the salad. Serve immediately.

Note:
The original recipe grills the lamb chops on a gas grill.

Farmers’ Market Vegetable Tian

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Adapted from the recipe on www.theblondcook.com
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
● 1 tablespoon olive oil
● 2 large yellow onions*, cut in half and sliced
● 2 garlic cloves*, minced
● 1 medium eggplant, thinly sliced
● 2 medium-size potatoes*, unpeeled and thinly sliced
● 3 medium tomatoes*, thinly sliced
● 1 cup semi-soft artisan cheese*, shredded (anything that melts well)
● 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme*
● Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil in a skillet. Spread the onion and garlic mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish.
  3. Evenly arrange the vegetable slices vertically and tightly in the casserole dish, alternating vegetables.
  4. Sprinkle with desired amount of salt, pepper and fresh thyme.
  5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove aluminum foil. Sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional 15 minutes (uncovered), or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Three Sisters Chili

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Recipe courtesy of Squashville Farm
Serves: 4

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 1 onion*, peeled and diced
● 1 tablespoon olive oil*
● 1 lb ground venison or beef*
● 3 cloves garlic*, minced
● 2 tsp chili powder
● 1 tsp cumin
● ½ tsp dried oregano
● 1 ear corn*
● 1 carnival squash*, seeded and cut into one-inch pieces
● 1 green pepper*, seeded and diced
● 3-4 fresh tomatoes*, cut into chunks
● 3 cups vegetable broth
● 8 oz dried red beans
● salt and pepper to taste
● Optional garnishes: fresh chopped cilantro*, toast pumpkin seeds, cheddar cheese*, plain yogurt*

Preparation

  1. Wash and soak dry beans for 30 minutes. Rinse and place in 1 cup of water until ready to use.
  2. Remove kernels from corn cob.
  3. Heat oil in a pot, and add onions and a pinch of salt. Saute until onions are translucent.
  4. Add ground meat and brown.
  5. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.
  6. Add squash, corn, and green pepper. Stir in broth, beans with water, and tomatoes. Simmer until squash is soft and ingredients have combined to create a thick, chunky soup.

    Note: This chili tastes better if it is refrigerated overnight and reheated the next day.

Touch, don’t squeeze: Checking produce for ripeness

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Halls Pond Farm, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Early September is a time of abundance at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market: Summer squashes, tomatoes, and eggplants are plentiful. Fruits such as peaches, plums, cantaloupes, and watermelons are just coming in. The harder shelled delicata, acorn, and spaghetti squashes are making their first appearances, giving market goers much to choose.

With the choices come questions of sweetness and ripeness: Which tomato is sweetest? Will that watermelon be red and juicy when cut, or green and bitter?

There are no easy answers, as one only knows the true taste of such items when they’ve been cut open. And many traditional methods of testing summer produce for ripeness like knocking on melons or squeezing tomatoes are unreliable and potentially damaging.

However, there are a few tricks to determining ripeness.

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

“Color, feel, and smell,” says Paul Moyer, of Old World Farm, which brings nearly 50 varieties of tomatoes to market. Moyer picks up a tomato and holds it, “like you would hold a baby or a fragile item that might easily break.” He recommends looking for uniformity in color, touching it very gently for firmness, and smelling it at the base. Similar principles apply to eggplants.

Soft skinned zucchini and summer squash should be firm but not hard and unblemished. They will spoil quickly so are best used soon after purchase. Harder skinned winter squashes, however, will continue to ripen after harvest and often gain sweetness with time.

Farmers harvest some fruits before they reach full ripeness such as peaches or plums to avoid spoilage. They might be rock hard at market but will soften within a few days if kept in a bowl on a counter away from the sun.

Burger’s Marketgarden, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

That practice differs, however, for melons, which will remain ripe if picked ripe but will be hard and bitter if harvested too soon, says Ryan Holub, of Scotch Ridge Trees & Berries. Scotch Ridge sells berries in the summer and fall, and seedlings for backyard gardens in spring. Among its offerings this year were watermelon plants, which are producing melons now.

“If it twists off the stem easily, it’s ready,” Holub says, adding that a melon picked too soon has little chance of ripening once off the vine.

Tomato Panzanella

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By Abra Berens, Ruffage

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

● 4 ears corn (2 cups) fresh kernels*
● ¼ cup olive oil*
● Salt and freshly ground pepper
● ½ loaf crusty bread*
● 2 Tablespoons butter*
● 1 quart cherry tomatoes* halved, or 3 to 4 slicing tomatoes, diced, or use both
● 1 cucumber* cut into half-moons
● 2 cups fresh herbs* (basil, parsley, mint, chives, mint, thyme, rosemary) stemmed, leaves left whole

Instructions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the corn with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and grind of pepper. Spread the corn on a baking sheet and bake until cooked through about 12 to 15 minutes.

Cut or tear the bread into pieces and toss with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. On another baking pan, spread the bread and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Toss the hot bread with the butter so it melts and coats the bread.

Toss the bread with the corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and salt and pepper. Add a splash of vinegar if needed.

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett