Eat Local Challenge

Did you know it's Local Food Week in Cleveland?

 
Local Food Week is being put on by Local Food Cleveland, an action network for everyone who is passionate about growing a thriving local food economy and culture around Cleveland. It includes a lot of great events including farm tours, movies, potlucks and restaurant dinners just to name a few.

I try to support our local restaurants and farmers everyday. If you've been reading my blog from the beginning you probably know I buy most of my meat & produce from local farmers markets, auctions or directly from the farmers. What I can't get from farms, I buy from Heinen's, a local grocer that also happens to sell a lot of local products. Whether I'm in Cleveland or traveling for work, I always try to seek out restaurants with farm to table menus. One of the goals of my blog is to encourage all of you to do the same!

I encourage you all to take the Local Foods Week "Eat Local Challenge":

1. Eat at least one local meal each day of the week and post photos and recipes on Local Food Cleveland
2. Attend at least one Local Foods Week event
3. Support your local farmers markets, restaurants and retail shops

Looking for more ideas how you can participate in addition to these events? Mike over at Dad Cooks Dinner gave a bunch of suggestions of how he will be "competing" in the Eat Local Challenge.

How will you bring home the gold medal in the Eat Local Challenge?

Vegetarian "Spaghetti and Meatballs"

After being pretty burned out from cooking for the past 2 months, I am finally starting to get back into it again. I even hope to have a new post from Michael Symon's Live to Cook in the next couple of weeks. Just a hint but it involves a few pounds of pork belly.

What I'm about to write about might make it so Michael Symon never speaks to me again - a vegetarian dish! If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know I am a big supporter of local farmers and this is the second year we've belong to Plum Creek Farm's CSA. That means we have a fridge full of fresh veggies all summer long. Earlier this week, Michael Ruhlman, who describes himself as, "...someone who all but baths in animal protein and pork fat," created this simple - it took me less than 30 minutes to make - and satisfying recipe to take advantage of the garden's bounty - Vegetarian "Spaghetti and Meatballs."

As I was cooking dinner, my wife walked into the room and asked what I was making. I described the dish as Vegetarian "Spaghetti and Meatballs" with julienned zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots as "spaghetti noodles" and cherry tomatoes as "meatballs." She sighed and asked where the carb, protein and meat were. Fortunately we were both very pleasantly surprised how delicious this dish turned out. Check out Ruhlman's blog to see how he made it or read below to see how I adapted his recipe.

Photo courtesy of Donna Ruhlman via ruhlman.com

Vegetarian "Spaghetti and Meatballs”
Slightly Adapted from Ruhlman’s Recipe - http://ruhlman.com/2010/08/sauteed-zucchini.html

3 tablespoons butter (I would use less next time)
1 shallot
1/3 cup red onion
salt, to taste
6 garlic cloves
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
2 large carrots
Crushed red pepper, to taste
freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Tomatoes, preferably cherry tomatoes (“meatballs”)

Using a mandolin or good knife skills, julienne the zucchini, squash, and carrot.

Finely chop the onion, shallot, and garlic.

Melt half the butter in a skillet over medium heat. 

Add shallot, red onion, and garlic and salt and cook for a couple minutes until translucent,

Add the zucchini, squash, carrot, and additional butter. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper and saute until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. 

Plate the “spaghetti noodles” (squash & carrot mixture), grate Parmesan cheese over the top, and finish with the “meatballs” (cherry tomatoes or other tomatoes).

Enjoy!

Saturday is Opening Day!!!

No, not the Indians opening day, which I go to every year with my wife and a group of friends. Continuing the theme from my post yesterday about CSA's...Saturday is opening day for farmers market season! Say goodbye to imported fruits & vegetables from the Westside Market and grocery store, at least for the next 6-8 months.

The North Union Farmers Market (NUFM) at Shaker Square kicks off this Saturday, April 3, from 8am-12pm and the NUFM at Crocker Park starts next Saturday, April 10 from 9am-1pm. Both will continue to run every Saturday, rain or shine, until Winter.

Even though the bulk of produce grown in this area hasn't even been planted yet, there will still be plenty of great things to buy at the market. Are you planning to dye eggs for Easter? Why not buy the best eggs you'll ever taste from Plum Creek Farm? Planning to make lamb for Easter dinner? Check out The Great American Lamb Company. Get there early and you might even find some ramps or other foraged goodies! Some other examples of things you'll be able to find are locally grown spring greens, lettuce, mushrooms, maple syrup, apples and grassfed beef, heritage pork, & poultry.



Details from the North Union Farmer's Market e-newsletter (join their newsletter here):

Saturday, April 3, 8am to Noon on Historic Shaker Square 

Featuring:

 Annual Blessing of the Market

 Sheep Shearing 

 Live Alpacas from Alpaca Meadows

 

Chef at the Market Brian Doyle from Danny's Organic Marketplace (I will have some more exciting news from Brian soon)

Life Music from 3 Sheets to the Wind brought to you by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture

Free $100 Market Basket Raffle

Live Capoeira Demonstrations

And, of course, the finest local fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, baked goods and more!  The market will have an abundance of EGGS for your Easter holiday, spring greens, lettuce, mushrooms, maple syrup, apples and grassfed beef, heritage pork, poultry, lamb...all from your friendly local farmers!

 

Plus, spring flowers!