Local, East Coast Style

The very first time I waxed poetic about eating locally, I got a response along the lines of: "You're so lucky you can do that. You live in California." It was the middle of winter, and I'm sure the person who said that pictured idyllic gardens and 70-degree days.

I had to admit Southern California offered some damn good produce, but luck? Was that really the deciding factor?

That was over a year ago, and I admit I didn't have an answer. That was before I participated in One Local Summer and kept watch over east coast participation; and before I read about Joel Salatin and his amazing Virginia farm in the Omnivore's Dilemma.

A year later, armed with a bit more knowledge and a lot more determination, I finally had the opportunity to prove that luck had nothing to do with local. My extended East Coast Thanksgiving trip last week culminated in a meal so delicious, so hearty, and so entirely local it made me the envious one.

The meal started two days before Thanksgiving, when I flew into JFK with three priorities: seeing a good friend, seeing a good band, and hitting up the Union Square Greenmarket. (I would soon be heading to New Jersey for Thanksgiving and had promised to make the vegetable dishes). Two reusable bags full of butternut squash, brussels sprouts, heirloom carrots, garlic, herbs, and onions later, I stumbled on the biggest discovery of my year: locally grown and milled grains. OMG, FLOUR!, I exclaimed as I rushed toward the stall, leaving a somewhat bewildered friend to hurry along behind me. Yes, I got that excited about flour. And polenta. Both were produced by Wild Hive Farm in Clinton Corners, NY. "Small batch milling from our micro mill," the packages explained. I was ecstatic--this was the first time I had come across local grains, and they were grains milled just nine miles from where they were grown! Eating on the east coast was starting to look good.

With a bag of polenta and a bag of organic stone ground hard red spring wheat (recommended for baking bread) stashed in my suitcase, I came to Virginia three days later, not done with my local explorations. (Meanwhile, on Thanksgiving, the local brussels sprouts, squash, and carrots were the talk of the table).

Sunday morning, I dragged a second friend to a second market: the Fresh Farm Market at Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. Let me just say, east coast local naysayers, that the produce offerings looked straight out of San Diego--including fresh tomatoes, greens, and herbs. These made possible by many growers who turned to greenhouses when the summer reached its end. I was tempted by every stall, but the biggest surprise of the market (for a San Diego locavore, at least) was the meat: lamb, whole chickens, fresh Chesapeake crab. I was in carnivore heaven. And then I spied the pastured pork.

Pastured meat is the term used for meat that has been raised by traditional, non-industrial methods, an unfortunate rarity in our modern food system. Pastured animals are allowed to roam free on open land, are fed a grass-based diet, and are raised without hormones, antibiotics, or feed additives. The best explanation I've found for the differences in industrial and pastured meat is Jay Porter's at the Linkery; another excellent explanation of the benefits of pastured meat can be found at Sustainable Table. Anyone looking for local pastured meat, as well as eggs and dairy, should check out the Eat Wild website.

The pastured meat I found was from David Ober and Sheila Goodman at Cedarbrook Farm in West Virginia. Their offerings at the Dupont Market made me wish I was staying in Virginia for longer--many of the cuts available were roasts that allowed for upwards of 16 hours slow cooking time. Just imagining the taste of a 24-hour spice-rubbed shoulder roast made my mouth water. (David had recipes available at his booth, which didn't help curb my salivation). Alas, as I had a mere 24 hours left in my trip, I settled for bone-in loin slices and seasoned sausage. I was not disappointed.

I came home to my parent's house with an arsenal of local goods: pastured pork chops and sausage; apples and pears from Quaker Valley Orchards in Biglerville, PA; German butterball potatoes, onions, leeks, and spinach. My only regret was not having enough cash on me to bring home one of the amazing array of goat cheeses that I sampled. Oh, and also forgetting to return to the crab cake booth and bring home fresh Chesapeake crab cakes (sorry Mom!). Spreading my array on the counter, I added the leftover garlic, shallots, rosemary, and sage from the Union Square Greenmarket, and cracked open the bag of polenta. I had a plan, and dinner would be ready in 2 hours.

Polenta, Pear, and Sausage Stuffing (inspiration/adapted from here and here )

For Polenta
1 cup cornmeal
4 cups water
salt, to taste
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. parsley

For Stuffing
1 pound sausage
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 leek, white part only, sliced thin
2 bosc pears, peeled, cored, and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tbsp fresh sage, dieced fine
3/4 cup white wine

Make polenta (I rely on the America's Test Kitchen technique) by bringing water and salt to boil, slowly whisking in polenta, turning heat down to low and cooking for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure polenta does not burn.
remove from heat and stir in 1 Tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. sage, 1 tsp. rosemary, plus salt and pepper to taste.
spread in 9x13 dish and chill in fridge for at least 15 minutes, until cool.

While polenta is cooling, brown sausage over medium heat. remove and set aside
in same pot, drain sausage grease. add 1 tbsp. butter, saute onions and leeks until translucent, about 10 minutes
add garlic, saute 30 seconds until fragrant
add pears and sage. saute 5 minutes
add white wine and bring to boil. turn heat to medium-low and cook until liquid is reduced to almost gone
add sausage back to skillet and stir to combine.

remove skillet from heat and set aside

turn polenta out onto cutting board.
divide into thirds, mash one third with a fork and stir into sausage mixture
slice remaining 2/3 into 1/2 inch squares. toss with 1 tbsp. melted butter
broil squares for 3-5 minutes, until slightly firm.

mix polenta squares with sausage mixture and bake in 9x13 casserole for 20 minutes, covered. remove foil, cook for 10 more minutes, uncovered.

Skillet Pork Chops
I turn to the masters for my meat recipes: America's Test Kitchen. Unfortunately, their recipes are closely guarded by a subscription-based website (including the recipe I used for Skillet-Barbequed Pork Chops. Fortunately (ahem), lots of other sites seem to defy their copyrights, and post their reliable recipes. Here's a recap of the Skillet-Barbequed Pork Chop recipe I followed for the pork, although I omitted the sauce and just used the brine and the rub--the flavor of the pastured pork was so amazing that it required no sauce.

Smashed Potatoes
An old standby from my One Local Summer meals--recipe here.

Sauteed Spinach with Caramelized Onions
1/2 onion, sliced
1 tsp plus 1 tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves
1/2 pound spinach
arugula for plating (optional)


In small saucepan, heat 1 tsp. oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, 30-45 minutes, until onions are wilted and brown,and slightly sweet.

5 minutes before serving, heat remaining Tbsp. of oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sautee for 30 seconds. Add spinach and cook for 3 minutes, until all spinach is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, plate spinach atop bed of arugula, and top with caramelized onions.



Note: I desperately want to post photos of this meal, but my computer seems to not be recognizing my camera's memory card right now...photos hopefully to follow!