Friday, May 22, 2009

To Market, To Market

Another breakfast post- of sorts, anyway- since I went to a nearby Farmer's Market on Sunday and loaded up on some interesting things. There was a joint selling various bird-related products, so I got some of their pheasant sausage and a variety of eggs: pheasant, wild turkey, and chicken.




















The floor is the nicest part of our kitchen.

The sausage, honestly, wasn't that great. Somewhat oddly spiced- sort of Indian, sort of Italian- and too lean, it had trouble figuring out what it was. But the leftovers were not the worst companion a feta omelet made with turkey and pheasant eggs ever had. There was also some bitter greens pesto from the very last of the overwintered plants: curly endive and treviso. Their replacements are coming in strong, and I needed the bed space for cucurbits, nightshades, and basil.





















The same stand also had ground pheasant, and nearby someone was selling ground pasture-raised veal. Since the sausage had been a letdown, a night or two later I figured I'd make my own. So I combined the two meats and spiced them up with garlic, fresh herbs, wine, vinegar, pimentón, and cumin to make a sorta chorizo mixture, then formed it around wooden skewers. A bag of beautiful fat shiitake also got skewered, and marinated in some soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, red wine, and agave nectar, and grilled alongside.




















I shaped the brochettes into squared-off logs so they would sit nice and flat on the grill for easier cooking. We made rice. I picked and spun a salad- the buttery lettuces are rushing in to replace the early arugula- and we got out a pot of good brown mustard. Out on the porch, breathing the breeze, savoring the flavor, sipping rosé, we reveled in the bounty of our region. Our Farmer's Market opens next week.

6 comments:

Zoomie said...

Isn't it great, just savoring both the food and the weather? The best part about spring is the savoring.

Jen said...

For me, mushrooms have been the highlight of our farmers market lately - there are some folks that are growing really ecstacy-inducing varieties, and I don't mean in that hippie-dippy Carlos Castaneda way, but purely on the tongue.

The Spiteful Chef said...

Where in the fuck did you find pheasant eggs?? Honestly, your life is an enigma. And your floor is lovely, so good work on that. Lean sausage is a bitch, I've made some on accident before and felt simultaneously self-congratulatory for making low-fat sausage and kinda pissed off that it wasn't quite JUICY enough.

michael, claudia and sierra said...

low fat sausage mostly isn't quite worth it.
kind of like grilled boneless chicken breast.

beautiful food. wild turkey eggs... so how were those?

Denise | Chez Danisse said...

Lovely floor + eggs photograph. I've never heard of anyone eating pheasant or wild turkey eggs, but why not...why have I only eaten chicken, duck, and quail? I guess I've never really thought about it much. How were they?

peter said...

Zoomie: It's true; it all seems new.

Jen: I know- there's nothing quite so profound.

Kristie: Well, at the farmers' market.

Claudia: They were good- larger than chicken, but not so different in flavor.

Denise: I hadn't either. The size differences are nice, because it allows for customizing things; one pheasant egg is a good kid size, while 2 turkey eggs make a good adult-size hangover helper breakfast omelet.