Summer Cauliflower in all its glorious colors:
Unlike the purple green beans, purple cauliflower retains its color when cooked. But one must be careful as it will share its pigment with anything it touches.
We, surprisingly as it wasn’t planned, had a completely local dinner last night:
Grilled veal chops, the veal from a farm about 45 minutes north of me.
Tiny Steamed Japanese turnips with their greens, from Migliorelli farm just up the road.
Cauliflower Salad with yogurt. The cauliflower was grown at Mead Farm, about 15 miles north, purchased at the Rhinebeck Farmers Market and it was dressed with Sheep’s Milk Yogurt from Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, about 40 minutes north, in Old Chatham (of course). Although I have often made a traditional Italian style cauliflower salad with olive oil, I wanted something lighter with the veal, the yogurt was wonderful, and the purple cauliflower dyed everything a light pink.
The vegetables were all from Dutchess County, the yogurt and meat were from neighboring Columbia County. This is about as local as I get, and the food is all wonderful.
People tell me that grass-fed meat is an acquired taste but I am quite happy with it. I certainly love the quality of the veal and lamb I have been getting, the taste is wonderful and I don’t have to worry about all the issues surrounding the commercial production of lamb and veal. I like the beef also. But some people have told me the lamb is too strong, and they don’t like the flavor of the beef. I don’t know why it came so easily to me. I remember when G and I were in Spain and at a local restaurant that specialized in grilled meats. We both loved the steaks. Perhaps this was because G spent his early childhood in Europe and I had that early exposure to grass feed beef when we lived in Spain. Perhaps it is because my father usually ordered our meat, lamb, beef, and veal from local farmers and ranchers, ranchers who often range-fed their animals.
We recently had wonderful braised goat at Cafe Tamayo in Kingston. The goat was acquired from a farm in Saugerties. The restaurant buys it directly from the farm. I am not sure G is so fond of goat that he would want a whole or half goat, but there is a butcher shop near by that specializes in local range-fed meats so perhaps they can acquire it. Or I could try the local Mexican markets.