Beef Heart

Kind of like Braveheart, but not exactly. Last week at the Northside Farmer's Market I purchased a beef heart from a vendor selling meat from their grassfed cattle. Back when I was first studying human anatomy and physiology, I dissected a cow heart. I remember thinking, "wow, this is a lot of meat! People should eat these." So when I saw it on their product this, I decided to give it a try. It's sitting in my freezer, waiting for inspiration and the right occasion. Cooking websites and cookbooks are not exactly overflowing with recipes for beef heart. But I've found a couple and all call for long, slow cooking. Doesn't seem so appealing in these warm summer days, but maybe I'll roll out the ol' crockpot, especially now that I got my new AC hooked up. Any of you ever eaten beef heart?

Recent cooking pleasantries

Here's a few recent cooking successes:
~ Red lentil dahl with fried ramps. Those of you who shop at Farmer's Markets might have been cooking with ramps of late. They're the shoots of young garlic plants and they have a lovely, mild flavor. I've always wondered what to do with them, but I found a great use for them here, frying them 'til crispy in olive oil, and then adding them to the dahl when it was almost done.

~ Asparagus and eggs. This is a fairly traditional combo and so easy to make! This time I just chopped fresh asparagus into inch-sized chunks, briefly sauteed in olive oil and butter, then cracked a couple of eggs on top to cook. I intended to cook them just til the whites were set, but I got caught up in a phone convo and they ended up going til the yolks were firm. Still delicious, especially with a little parmesan sprinkled on top.

~ Ice tea. I'm a huge fan, especially of the Arnold Palmer (half iced-tea, half lemonade). This summer, I'm making big pitchers of sun tea with Trader Joe's decaf Irish Breakfast. I let it steep all day, then add the juice of a lemon or two and a bunch of sugar dissolved in hot water. If I'm really ambitious, I trundle down to the back yard and pick some fresh mint and add that. Deeee-licious!!

I'm headed to a clothing swap on Sunday (ever been to one of those? It's where a bunch of women - or men - get together and bring all the clothes they want to get rid of. You get to go through all the stuff and pick out what you'd like. New clothes for free! And recycling!). Anyway, we're all bringing snacks and I'm considering what to bring. Any tips? Needs to be easy 'cuz I'm all busy this weekend getting ready for my trip. There are still tons of strawberries at the local markets - maybe berries and cream?

Farmer's Market Haul

The crowds at Madison's fabulous Farmer's Market tend to keep me away, but today's gorgeous sunshine and the prospect of several parties got me hiking up to the capitol this morning. It was, indeed, crowded but I came away with a lovely haul:

~ spinach
~ green onions
~ asparagus
~ strawberries
~ sesame whole wheat bread

Plus, there's a new fancy cheese shop on the square and I had to stop in to sample the wares (http://www.fromagination.com/). We all know what happens when one "samples." I ended up with a piece of beautifully stinky French brie, some local Gouda with fenugreek (really nutty and unique) and a baguette all, for $17.20. Bit steep! But that will be my contribution to this afternoon's gathering. I had promised to bring a fruit salad to brunch tomorrow, but I think I will make a lovely spinach salad with strawberries and walnuts, instead.

I rounded out the journey with a stop at Cafe Soleil, L'Etoile's streetside cafe. There, I indulged in a citrus black iced tea and an epi roll to sustain me on the walk home.

Go food!