Posted by Neil Brody Miller on March 7, 2010
I don’t often cook fancy when I am home by myself. By the time I’ve prepped, cooked, eaten and cleaned up I figure it’s as economical to eat out as to prepare a meal. I recently picked up a bunch of foodstuffs at local farmers markets, however, and have been putting together a meal in my head that would feature these ingredients. I also know from experience that cooking, like any learned skill, is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition. So the time had come, I decided, to get out the pots and see if my cooking chops were still up to par.
Actually, I didn’t get all that ambitious, as this was a two pot dinner with only a handful of ingredients. But the ingredients were so good that I had to write about the meal, and post a short photoessay.
The menu consisted of braised, pasture-raised lamb shanks from Meadowood Farms in Cazenovia, which I purchased last Saturday at the “Fourth Saturday” farmers market at Circa Restaurant, served on a bed of French lentils that I purchased in bulk from Lombardi’s Fruit and Imports, a Syracuse institution and one of my favorite specialty food shops. Additional ingredients included organic dried sage from Fresh Herbs of Fabius; organic carrots, New York State onions, and anise purchased at P&C Market; locally grown garlic from Muriel Barrows of Morrisville and an inexpensive New York State red wine, the 2006 Motley Cru, a blend of Syrah, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot from Brooklyn Oenology, a winery on the North Fork of Long Island.
The preparation was very simple, a fine dice and quick sauté of some carrot, onion, and anise bulb for the French lentils, then chicken stock, two bay leaves, salt and pepper, and a slow boil for about 45 minutes. In the mean time, I browned the lamb shanks, did a rough chop and quick sauté of the carrot, onion, anise and crushed garlic, and then put the shanks back in the pot, along with the sage, thyme, bay leaf, red wine and a bit of water, and braised them on low heat for about 90 minutes.
The lentils came out al dente, well seasoned and very flavorful. The lamb shanks, however, were clearly the stars of the meal. By the time I removed them from the pot they were falling of the bone, and had taken on a gorgeous shellacked mahogany color. The meat was moist and fork tender, with a mild gaminess that paired well with the natural sweetness of the carrots, anise and lentils, and the aromas of thyme and sage.
As good as everything looked and tasted, it wasn’t restaurant quality. Close, but it needed something to deepen the flavors and add a bit more complexity. I probably should have added tomato paste when sautéing the vegetables, and some beef or veal stock to the braising liquid to offset the acidity of the red wine. Still, it was very tasty, and I’m reasonably satisfied that my cooking skills are in good order. At the very least, I had no problem cleaning the plate, and I won’t have any problem polishing off the other shank for dinner tomorrow night.
All told, I spent around $30.00 on the meal, including the wine for the braising liquid and a glass of the 2006 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre, a very tasty, highly rated Italian red wine that is widely available in the Syracuse area. So the meal wasn’t cheap, but at $6.00/lb., or around $4.50 per shank, the lamb shanks, which were large and meaty, were very reasonably priced. We’re extremely fortunate to have so many dedicated local farmers like Marc Schappell and Bee Tolman of Meadowood Farms, who raise grass-fed livestock and are committed to sustainable agriculture, and we should take every opportunity to support them, and let them know how much we appreciate their efforts.
Posted by Neil Brody Miller on February 19, 2010
A week rarely goes by without my discovering a wonderful new restaurant, unusual shop, or noteworthy food producer in the greater Syracuse area. Such discoveries always come as a welcome surprise, despite the fact that I moved to Central New York knowing that it offered a wealth of local resources and attractions. Yet, even as each new experience deepens my appreciation of how good we have it up here, it also reminds me of what really is at the heart of the region’s high quality of life: the dedicated individuals whose family farms produce the great local produce, and whose independently-owned eateries, cafes and businesses bake the breads, roast the coffee beans, create the eclectic menus, and source the wonderful array of goods we all enjoy.
Occasionally, however, all these feelings come together in a single, memorable experience that really brings home to me the meaning and value of community. That may sound corny or contrived, but by my best calculations, I have since I left home at age 17 lived in 7 states, moved 20 times, held down 14 different jobs and taught at 10 different colleges or unversities, and made, lost, and renewed more close friendships than I care to remember. So, while community has always been important to me as an ideal, it is only in the last year or so that it has begun to have any real, tangible meaning.
The Poolville Community Center, Poolville, NY
Which brings me to the Second Saturday Farmer’s Market, which I visited last weekend, and to the remarkable community of dedicated, artisanal farmers and food producers and socially conscious consumers who made the experience so memorable. As the name suggests, the farmer’s market meets the second Saturday of each month at the Poolville Community Center, in Poolville, NY.
The story of my visit began a week earlier, when I chanced to meet Debby Zahn, a member of Things From Here, a group of Poolville-area community activists who organized the Second Saturday Farmer’s Market, while dining at Circa. Circa is the dining spot of choice for many of western Madison County’s progressive farmers and food producers, whose seasonally available foodstuffs regularly show up on Circa’s menu. Before meeting Debby, I had already met Renata Nollen, the owner of Dutch Girl Cheese, and her husband at Circa, and enjoyed several soups and dishes that featured the extraordinary mushrooms grown by Owen Tallman of Hantana Mushroom Farm, both of whom have booths at the Second Saturday market. Debby’s good nature and enthusiasm for local farm products were immediately apparent, and I quickly made plans to drive out to Poolville that weekend.
Debby Zahn of Things From Here, organizers of the Second Saturday Farmer's Market
Even by rural, Central New York standards, Poolville is an out-of-the-way spot on the map. After printing out directions from New Woodstock to Poolville, which I regrettably left at home, and referring repeatedly to Google Maps on my iPhone, I still managed to get thoroughly lost, and had to stop several times to ask for directions. For anyone interested in making the drive, especially during the winter, staying on a major road like Route 20 or programming your GPS navigator are worth the added distance or effort, as I spent close to 45 minutes wandering around between Georgetown and Lebanon before finally finding my way to Hamilton, and from there on to Poolville.
My cursing and exasperation notwithstanding, the trip was worth the effort. By the time I arrived, the market was already in full swing, with a healthy crowd of 30-40 shoppers chatting with the vendors, sampling and purchasing the available products, and enjoying cake and Chenango Coffee Roasters coffee at the Dump Run Cafe.
Owen Tallman of Hantana Mushroom Farm, displaying his fabulous elm oyster mushrooms.
Here’s the list of participating farmers and food producers, and the products they offered:
Drover Hill Farm, Earlville, NY: pasture raised Scottish Highland and Angus beef.
Dutch Girl Cheese, Leonardsville, NY: aged raw milk cheeses.
Evans’ Farmhouse Creamery, Norwich, NY: milk, butter, yogurt, creme fraiche and cheese
Full Quiver Farm, McDonough, NY: home baked breads.
G and M Farms, Morrisville, NY: salsas, dried beans, and organic winter vegetables
Jewett’s Cheese House, Earlville, NY: aged New York State Cheddar and Krugerrand Farm’s aged goats’ milk cheese.
Johnson’s Honey Bees, Eaton, NY: honey
Maple Avenue Farm, Earlville, NY: Black Angus, “sun fed beef.”
Maple Hill Farm, Hamilton, NY: farm raised, spring lamb.
Mizrahi Manor Farm, Norwich, NY: sprouts, eggs and homemade jams and jellies.
Quarry Brook Farm, Sherburne, NY: grass fed and finished pork, beef and chicken and eggs.
Slickepott, Delhi, NY: all natural chocolate fudge sauce.
Of these producers, several for me really stood out and are worth describing in more detail. First, the meat providers – Drover Hill, Maple Ave., Maple Hill, and Quarry Brook farms – are already quite well known for their high quality meats and sustainable farming practices, and all I can add is that their reputations are well deserved. As anyone who has watched the documentary film Food, Inc., or read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma can attest, raising livestock is among the most energy-intensive, commercialized areas of the U.S. industrial food chain, and we are especially lucky to have as many farmers as we do who are committed to providing us with pasture-raised, grass-fed, humanely-slaughtered, and locally-butchered meat.
Terri Jewett Larkin of Jewett's Cheese House, with her killer aged, New York State Cheddars
Because I am prone to moments of profound stupidity, I drove out to Poolville with no cash, and only one personal check. So I passed on these producers, with whom I was already familiar, as well as on Dutch Girl Cheese and Hantana Mushroom Farm, and spent my time speaking with and sampling the products of new vendors. Of these, Jewett’s Cheese House in Earlville really stood out, with 10- and 12-year old aged New York State Cheddars that were spectacularly good. Terri Jewett Larkin, one of the proprietors, told me that their business had been around since the 1970s, that the NYS Cheddars were made specifically for them by upstate NY farmers using locally sourced milk, and that they have even older cheeses at their shop. I found the 10-year old Cheddar to be particularly outstanding, with a rich, full flavor, a nice balance of sharpness and creaminess, and a firm yet crumbly texture. At $21.99/pound, it blew away many of the tasteless European imports featured at Wegman’s, and I couldn’t help but purchase a 1/2 pound chunk.
A happy family raises happy cows: Evans' Farmhouse Creamery
Evans’ Farmhouse Creamery are highly regarded for their terrific dairy products, including their Evans’ Farmhouse and Siggi’s brand Icelandic-style Skyr yogurts, and rightly so, as everthing I sampled was delicious and well worth seeking out. My favorite new vendors, however, were undoubtedly Robin and Nathan Mizrahi of Mizrahi Manor Farm in Norwich, NY. Although they only had samples of their sprouts left by the time I made it to their table – which were delicious – I was extremely taken with this young couple’s enthusiasm and commitment to organic, sustainable farming. A visit to their website reveals that they grow a broad selection of fruits and vegetables, produce honey and maple syrup, and raise cattle, turkeys, chickens, hens, and eggs. A full share of their 2010 CSA, which provides 16 weeks of farm fresh produce, is only $200.00, which may be the best CSA value in Central New York.
Robin and Nathan Mizrahi of Mizrahi Manor Farm
The Second Saturday Farmer’s Market meets next on Saturday, March 13th, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. The Poolville Community Center is located in the center of Poolville, which is about 6 miles south of Hamilton, NY. I’d provide directions if I didn’t think I would get readers lost, so you are better off using MapQuest, Google Maps, or GPS navigation to find your way to the Community Center. It will be well worth the trip.