Grapevine November 9 2008 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Chicken with Herbed Polenta

The market's winter season started on a rainy, windy Sunday five years ago. The first winter season was an experiment. Would people shop at an outdoor farmers market in the wind, rain or snow? The answer was a resounding yes. Over time, we became a year-round market and grew in size as well. There are more farmers and other food vendors coming to the market this Sunday than any market session, summer or winter, held from 2002 through 2005. Thank you all for your support.

Now that it's November, the weather makes life more interesting for farmers and market managers. I write the newsletter on the Thursday before the market. A lot can happen in 72 hours. We now use Twitter to send out news about the market. You can also follow our posts here. I also send tweets about market related news stories. You can follow the market tweets here or follow the market if you have a Twitter account. The market also has a page on Facebook and the latest news is posted there too.


In market news, Salvador Molly's had so much fun this summer that they've decided to come to the market in November too. Trust me, tamales really hit the spot on a cold day. Tastebud, Savory et Sweet and Sweet Briar Farm will be selling hot food too. (Savory et Sweet is out this week but back on November 23rd.) Ayers Creek Farm is back for the winter and Greenville Farms from Forest Grove joins the market this week.

See you on Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?

Apples and pears will be the dominant fruits at the market this weekend. Grapes should be in decent supply as well.

Winter squashes and root vegetables (beets, carrots, celeriac, parsnips, potatoes, radishes) will be plentiful this weekend. Greens (arugula, lettuce, collards, chard, kale, mizuna, spinach) will be readily available as well. You'll also find eggplant, cabbage, broccoli and celery this weekend. Check the availability list for the complete list of who's coming this weekend and what they expect to be selling.

IN
Ayers Creek Farm
Greenville Farms
Salubrious
Zbeanz

OUT
Greenleaf Farm
Linda Brand Crab
Savory et Sweet (back November 23)

Cooking Ideas - Chicken with Herbed Polenta

I was planning to use a braised bison ribs recipe from Zbeanz. In the process of moving my office, I managed to misplace the recipe. If I find it soon, I'll post it to our recipe box on Culinate.

In the meantime, here's a good alternate recipe. Ayers Creek Farm is back at the market with polenta. Teamed up with Kookoolan Farms chicken, this recipe from the Culinate recipe box will warm you up on a cold, rainy day. Enjoy!

Chicken with Herbed Polenta

Ingredients
1 cup polenta
4 cups water
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
¼ cup minced fresh herbs (see Note)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 fresh bay leaves or 4 dried leaves
1 large clove garlic, minced
⅓ cup white wine
½ cup mascarpone or sour cream, room temperature
4 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
Steps

1. Bring water to a boil and whisk in polenta in a thin stream. Add salt. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for one hour. Every 10 minutes, vigorously stir the polenta for one minute. Polenta is done when it is soft and creamy. To finish it, stir in the butter, herbs, and lemon juice and adjust seasoning to taste. Hold over low heat.
2. Meanwhile, lay out chicken thighs on a plate, pat dry with paper towels, and sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a 14-inch skillet to medium high. Add olive oil, then chicken and bay leaves. Cook chicken on one side about 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn and cook on other side until almost cooked through. Turn heat down if necessary to prevent scorching.
3. When the chicken is nearly done, turn heat to medium low, add garlic, and sauté until golden. Add white wine and scrape up the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet, turning the chicken pieces over in the sauce as you go. Reduce the wine until it is almost syrupy.
4. To serve: Top polenta with dollops of mascarpone and Parmesan and spoon any remaining pan juices over the chicken.

Note: Use any combination of Italian parsley, chervil, chives, tarragon, basil, thyme, and rosemary, using more of the milder herbs (parsley, chervil) and a conservative amount of the assertive ones (tarragon, rosemary).

You'll find a printable version of the recipe here.