So, we went to the Farmers' Market at the Firehouse in the Strip District (http://www.slowfoodpgh.com/farmers.html)and we got a little carried away. Between the goodies we got there and the vegetables we got from our crop share through Kretschmann Farm (http://www.kretschmannfarm.com/) - which is awesome, by the way - we made some wonderful meals.
One of the vendors at the market had rabbit. We had never had rabbit, and we were feeling adventuresome, so we bought a whole, quartered rabbit. It came frozen. My husband was expecting (and hoping) for dark, gamey meat. To our surprise, it looked very white. We decided to do some research, and found out that rabbit is an all white meat that’s lower in cholesterol than chicken or turkey (164 mg of cholesterol in rabbit vs. 220 mg in chicken), has just 795 calories per pound (chicken has 810 calories per pound), and has the highest percentage of protein and the lowest percentage of fat of any meat. In short, meat doesn’t get any healthier. We found a recipe in "The Silver Spoon" for stewed rabbit with some tomatoes and white wine. We browned the rabbit in some oil first, then added the liquid and spices like you would do with chicken. We served it with some bread from Mediterra (also purchased at the market - by far the best bread in the 'burgh), and it was fabulous.
We served the rabbit with a roasted beet salad with olive croutons. The beets and greens were from Kretschmann Farm, and the cheese was purchased from the market. The beets were amazing - simply roasted, cooled, and tossed with the other ingredients. So good! The croutons were made using the olive bread from Mediterra (again, from the market) and were the perfect compliment to the salad. This recipe was definitely a keeper!
With Saturday dinner under our belt, we began planning our Sunday meal. We have yet to master a whole roasted chicken. We bought a whole chicken at the market from Liberty Farms. It was definitely more expensive than any chicken I've ever bought (it was around $20 for a 6-7 lb chicken) but it was so worth it. The chicken are free range, organic chicken. That translated into a more flavorful chicken with lots of natural juices to make some sauce to serve the chicken with. It was juicy, tender, and delicious. By the way, pan juice into sauce was the key to making this chicken wonderful. (Sidenote: we also purchased some fresh chicken livers - one of my husband's favorite snacks. I floured and fried them, and he raved so much that I had to taste them. They were by far the most edible livers I have ever tried. That is a compliment coming from me. The typical strong, harsh flavor was a mild, slight hint. Also, the texture was smoother than any others I have had. If you are a chicken liver lover, try these!)
We served the chicken with a lemon kale soup. The kale was again from our crop share. This soup was amazing - bursting with fresh, lemon flavor that played so well off of the kale and sausage - which we bought at Parma - so good. The recipe was included in the weekly email I receive from Kretchmann farm, so I don't know where it originated. But, it was so good, I feel compelled to share:
Lemon Kale Soup: Cut up half pound sausage links into rounds. Saute in olive oil in pot adding 1 c. chopped onion near the end. Add 5 c. water, 2 c. broth, and 1 c. wine and bring to boil. Add half cup quinoa or brown rice, 1 bunch chopped kale, one third c. lemon juice 1 tbs. lemon zest and 1 c. precooked chick peas and pepper to taste. Simmer 30 min until quinoa is cooked.
We also had some Greek lemon potatoes on the side. The potatoes were part of our crop share as well, and they were so tender and new that the skin brushed off with our fingers - no need for a peeler!
We were so happy to have shared so much time together in the kitchen and to make a whole weekend of dinners from food grown locally and fairly. Make a point to check out your local market - who knows what you'll find and what meal it may translate into!
