There were only about 10-12 vendors at the market yesterday, but what a welcome site it was.  Portland's first Saturday farmers market in turn also marks the first of my weekly "what I bought at the market and what I did with it" postings.  For the readers who are not familiar with my farmers market entries from last year, my objective is to illustrate simple meals and dishes that can be made from farmers market purchases.  You won't find trendy molecular gastronomy here, just simple and practical meals with local ingredients that don't require hours of preparation. 

FARMERS MARKET 5-2-09

What I bought:

• Eggs
• Spicy Jalapeno Chevre and Blueberry Chevre from Tourmaline Hill Farm
• Honey from Tom's Honey & More
• 2 trays of spinach seedlings

What I did with it:

• Spicy Potato Rosti - I shredded local potatoes, added chopped chorizo, a few eggs, salt, pepper and olive oil.  I baked it (covered) at 425 for 30 minutes.  Then I took the cover off and dropped dollops of the Spicy Jalapeno Chevre on top.  Another 10 minutes back in the oven softened the chevre and made the potatoes brown.  This was an excellent breakfast dish that we'll have for the next few days.  (See first 2 pix below)

Tonight we had pizzettes.  To make this a low-effort dinner, I used whole wheat pita pockets as the crust.  On the top of the pockets I spread the blueberry chevre, followed by sliced cooked chicken and chopped hazelnuts. The pizzettes went into a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes.  I took them out just to drizzle honey over the top, then I placed them under the broiler for a minute to get the tops golden brown.  Wow!  That was a healthy and inexpensive dinner (and lunch tomorrow) - 2 chicken breasts, 4 large whole wheat pita pockets, 2 oz. chopped hazelnuts, a 5 oz. tub of blueberry chevre, and a few tablespoons of honey.    

The first week back at the market - not exactly a bounty of food yet, but what I got was delicious and local. See you at the market!

 

Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com