Since the post about indian food is still in the “technical difficulties” stage, and beet soup post has disappeared into the ether (where did it go?), I will write up the first day of the farmers market season.  Farmers market!  Best produce in town!  Cheaper too!  I bought 10lbs of apples for $4, some rabe, some turnips w/greens attached, some oyster mushrooms (in hopes they were as good as the ones bought for a couple dinners ago–which also got lost in the technical difficulties, but you don’t want to read about that dinner anyway).  Oh and two humongous leeks for $1.50 (why are leeks always cheap at the farmers market but frighteningly expensive in stores?  I almost refused to buy them until the vendor listed various ways leeks could be used which did not involve soup).

So this week I did not actually make dinner.  It was a friend’s birthday, so I went to his house instead.  Others had made burgers, sausages, falafels, chips and dip, so I made the salad.  I looked at my ingredients, debated what I could do with them, and decided “anything goes in a salad!”

  • A huge head of cauliflower (actually bought at a supermarket rather bargainously, there were none at the farmers market)
  • The rabe
  • The pink eggs
  • Walnuts, dried currants, and dried cranberries
  • And a salad dressing of lemon, tahini, olive oil, salt, cribbed from a few weeks ago

I steamed the rabe and cauliflower–the rabe doesn’t take much at all! and the cauliflower was barely cooked.  Chopped and into the salad bowl followed by “what do I have in my closet that might work with this”, hence the walnuts and dried berries.  Then I got the idea for the eggs!  If I don’t use the pink eggs now, who will I show them off to (besides my awesome blog readers)?  And deciding I wanted more complicated than just oil and vinegar, I went and made that dressing, which was good because my lemon had been sitting for a while and it would be sad if I didn’t use it.

I have to say I felt awkward bringing an unusual salad to a party.  The people who like salads loved it–I didn’t expect it would be that well loved!  The rabe was somewhat bitter, but I put in enough dried berries and cauliflower that it was balanced out.  The dressing also added a good flavor.

However, I’d say more people skipped it and went straight to the burgers, than actually ate it.

2 Responses to “First day of farmers market?”

  1. 4:56 pm, 20 April, 2009 р.
    Steel Phoenix says:

    Uses for leeks that don’t involve soup? Only one comes to mind.

    “anything goes in salad!” uhh…I think that’s soup actually. I don’t know why people insist on calling things with no vegetables in them salads.

    Good choice with the pink egg salad. A good potluck salad needs a centerpiece.

  2. 6:55 pm, 24 April, 2009 р.
    stanza says:

    Oh gosh I should have thought of that use for a leek.

    My roommates are going to think I’m weird as I’m spinning a leek all over the house singing gibberish.