The Houndstooth Gourmet

 

Saturday morning was a wet mess, with near constant rain, sometimes driving and hard. I was determined to get my lazy ass to the markets, particularly in light of Saturday being the official opening day for the Del Ray market. Unfortunately, Frank and I decided to pass Del Ray and head to Courthouse because Del Ray’s corner parking lot was woefully underpopulated with vendors. Maybe it was the rain, or perhaps some didn’t get the memo, but we decided for the first time in a very long time, we would make our way to the Courthouse market instead, and I’m glad we did.

At Courthouse, white tents were huddled together in solidarity against the conspiring elements. Packed into the relatively small footprint of the market macadam, we found a surprisingly light atmosphere where vendors exuded enthusiasm in hopes that it would catch on and draw patron to booth-and it did. The mushroom lady was hawking her morels like there was no tomorrow, giving copious advice on taste, preparation and cooking methods. “Buy the cream from him”, she said pointing to Blue Ridge Dairy, two stalls away. “I always finish the dish with his cream”, she added, as I wondered if she would be going home with some free cream at the end of the morning. “Ah, maybe we should have gotten the cream too”, I said to Frank about our purchase from Blue Ridge Dairy at the Alexandria market not even an hour earlier. We had already bought Greek yogurt and fresh mozzarella from Blue Ridge, and decided to stay on budge. Although you can’t swing a long-tailed cat without hitting an ATM machine, I would finish my morel dish with the half and half already in my fridge at home.

Not that we didn’t do our part to stimulate the local economy vis a vis the markets this weekend. After a soggy start on Saturday, we decided to go to the Dupont market on Sunday, a glorious Easter Sunday, where I knew a spit-roasted lamb was being served by Zatinya (as part the the Chef at Market series) around 11 a.m. I was not dissappointed. Generous portions of sliced lamb was finished with chunky salt and finished with drizzled olive oil and offered to patrons as they walked the market (and then clamoured back for more). The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth-tender, and I believe it is available all week as a special at Zatinya. For those of you who work in the area, treat yourself to a lamb sandwich even if you have to take it back and eat it at your desk. You will not be dissappointed!

Now, to update you on what’s new at the markets, aside from my perennial favorites such as Calhoun’s Country Ham and anything dairy from Blue Ridge Dairy and Keswick Creamery, that is.

Ramps (aka: wild leeks) are plentiful and run about $4-$5 a bunch. I bought 2 bunches from Bigg Riggs (W. VA) at the Alexandria market. Each generous bunch had about 2 dozens ramps. Buy them sooner rather than later, as their strength really intensifies as they grow larger, and you WILL have the odor eminating from your pores when they do.  The mushroom ladies at Courthouse and Dupont had morels, both large and small, for $20 a box. Ouch, I know, but I splurge once or twice in season. Plus I was excited to get home and make my Braise Chicken Thighs in a White Wine and Morel Cream Sauce (I’m excited to add here that this recipe has been selected to be include in Patricia O’Neil’s next cookbook, Tables Across America). Asparagus should be at the markets in a week or two. I did spy bundles of asparagus at the Old Town market, but was as wary of them as I was the strawberries. Not. Local.

Sunshine or rain, I enjoyed the markets this weekend. So, until the next At The Market, eat and buy local when you can.

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Tags: Washington, Alexandria, farmers markets //