The Houndstooth Gourmet

Don’t you just love asparagus season? I confess that I buy asparagus year round-I love it. But the purple-tipped local asparagus at the farmers markets is really special, and I wanted to make a recipe to showcase them.

For DC Foodies, I created a Mother’s Day brunch menu, incuding this frittata, a warm spinach salad and rosemary potatoes. It was easy and so delicious. Frank gave the frittata two thumbs up when I made this meal for dinner recently.

 Go check it out here!

Tags: asparagus, ham, brunch, spinach, breakfast, DC Foodies entry, potatoes, salad, cheese, eggs by Ramona
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The Alexandria City market was full of vendors and patrons on Saturday morning (Flickr photo set here). When the weather warms, this market really comes alive and I can say, it’s growing on me. Yes, corn and tomatoes are not in season here. Oranges? Never. But they are at the market, and folks love them. Heck, I regret not picking up a bunch of Silver Queen corn from South Carolina. At least I can ask the market vendor directly about where it comes from, and how fresh it is.

Maybe it’s all those dogs around the perimeter of the market, or parents bringing their small kids. It’s a great example to set. Or, the man playing children’s songs on his saxophone. Like a Pied Piper, they are drawn to him.

Where the Alexandria market shines is the vendors who make or raise their own products. There are bakers, canned goods, local honey, jams, and sauces.

Babe in the Woods carries humanly raised heritage pork, and their prices are quite good.

Emine (EM-in-ay), a delightful woman with a large straw hat, has a stand towards the back of the market. She hand makes baklava of all varieties. From sweet to savory, and traditional to imaginative and delicious.

I picked up two pieces from Emine yesterday-an apricot filled, and a curried cabbage with jasmine rice and raisins. Both were terrific, with a slight edge going to the cabbage stuffed baklava. I’m a sucker for a savory breakfast!

Frank picked up a ham, cheese and green onion biscuit from Maribeth’s Bakery. If you find yourself at the Alexandria market, head over to the technicolor umbrellas and tye-dyed shirts. That’s Maribeth’s and she makes delectable breads, scones and biscuits. Real suthun’ biscuits.

I also bought a package of cooked country ham from Calhoun’s Country Hams. This ham was sliced thin-almost shaved. I used it in a salad with endive, shaved Parmesan, pears, and toasted walnuts with evoo and fresh cracked black pepper. This dish was inspired by Patrick O’Connell, at the Inn At Little Washington. His recipe ran in the Washington Post a couple of weeks ago. Here’s the link.

Give it a try-the combination of flavors and textures is terrific.

Until the next At The Market, eat and buy local when you can.

Tags: Alexandria, farmers markets by Ramona
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I visited Let’s Meat on the Avenue one week after the new butcher shop opened.  Arriving a bit later than planned on a Saturday morning, I found Zena, who works at the butchery, busy behind the counter serving customers who filled the small storefront space formerly occupied by Cheesetique. “We  ran out of products the first Saturday we were open, and had to close early” Zena wrote to me in an email. “We plan to increase our inventory so this doesn’t happen next weekend”, she continued.

Said crowds were keeping owner Steve Gatwick busy behind the scenes, cutting meats and restocking the large deli case in front. Gatwick, currently a Del Ray resident, came to the States by way of Australia and Great Britain. Gatward hopes to make his European-style butcher shop the neighborhood place to go for hormone and chemical free meat, cut to order. By the way, if you don’t see what you want in Gatward’s counter-just ask and he’ll see what he can do for you.

Among the products that Gatward carries are cuts of lamb and beef, chicken, nitrate free bacon, Wurst and Amish sausages. Large smoked dog bones sitting on a table in the front window seemed to mesmerize dogs and owners alike. Condiment, rubs and sauces are also sold.

On my visit, I picked up a couple of Amish sausages. I cooked a sage sausage as soon as we got home. Frank and I enjoyed it with yam hash browns and a farm fresh poached egg. Country sausage was milder and made even more delicious when I drizzled a little maple syrup over it. I would recomment both, and further endorse the Amish sausage with this photo:

If you would like to see how this dish is made, see my blog on Don Rockwell here.

Let’s Meat on the Avenue opens at 8 on Saturdays to catch the farmers market crowd just steps away. Be sure to go early to get the best selection-Gatward’s store is very popular already.

Let’s Meat on the Avenue
2403 Mount Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301

Tags: butcher, Alexandria by Ramona
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This week, Frank and I attended a Farm To Fork dinner held at Vermillion. Vermillion is part of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, who has joined with Fresh Farm Markets to do dining events focused on local foods and providers (written about previously on The Houndstooth Gourmet). Each dinner brings farmers and diners together for an opportunity to learn about the farmers, their food, and their work.

For a detailed account of our wonderful dinner, go to Don Rockwell and read my blog.

Tags: restaurant, Alexandria by Ramona
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I’m just doing another blog on Don Rockwell for the week.

I’ve been asked to blog on a local food board, similar to eGullet food blogs for those of you who follow eGullet. Don Rockwell is a collection of almost 3000 members who meet virtually and in person, and gather over food, discuss restaurants, share cooking techniques, give advice and talk about anything you can think of when it comes to food and things related to food, in the Washington DC region and beyond.

If you’ve never checked it out, go over to http://www.donrockwell.com. To follow my blog and get techniques and recipes for the food you see pictured on The Houndstooth Gourmet, such as Banana and Sour Cherry Bread above, click here.

 We’ll be returning to our normal programming next week!

Tags: Uncategorized by Ramona
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