Last Saturday South Fork had a great time at the Franklin Farmer’s Market grilling and sampling meats and vegetables from local farms. We had 35-day dry-aged sirloin tip steaks from Bear Creek Farm, Italian sausages & grass-fed flat iron steaks from Peaceful Pastures, Waygu beef from The Fly Farm and ground grass-fed lamb and beef from Tavalin Tales Farm. Delvin Farms and Colbert Farms provided delicious summer squash, zucchini, eggplant, candy onions, cucumbers, and green & red cabbages. And we also featured Basil Infused Olive Oil & Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar from market sponsor Herban Market, which really complimented the grilled summer veggies.

As the Summer goes along feel free to add bell peppers, okra, and even tomatoes, also use fresh lemon juice in place of the vinegar if you’d like.

 

 

 

 

Grilled Summer Farmer’s Market Vegetables

2 summer squash
2 zucchini
2 ears of corn, shucked
1 eggplant
1 green or red cabbage
1 tbl Canola oil
Salt
Black pepper
1 tbl Olive oil
2 tsp Red wine vinegar

Fire up the grill to high heat. Cut the squash and zucchini in half, slice the eggplant into finger-width rounds and cut the cabbage into 1/6s or 1/8s depending on how large it is (be sure to keep the core intact to hold the cabbage together). Lay all of the veggies on a sheet pan, drizzle the oil over and season with salt and pepper, and lightly toss them together. When the grill is hot carefully place the vegetables on the grill cut side down and close the lid. Grill for 1 minute then turn over and close the lid and grill for 1-2 minutes more (the eggplant may take a little longer to get cooked through). Remove the squash, zucchini, corn, and eggplant to a platter and turn the cabbage over again and turn the grill down to medium, don’t worry if the parts of the cabbage are starting to char, that’s where the flavor will develop. Continue grilling the cabbage turning often until it begins to wilt somewhat, 4-6 minutes, then it’s ready. Add the cabbage to the veggie platter and re-season with a little more salt and pepper, then drizzle the olive oil and the red wine vinegar over everything.

That’s it, enjoy!
Michael R Martin
South Fork Catering Co.

Summer Cucumber Salad

One of my favorite Summer vegetables are cucumbers and they are so simple to transform into a delicious salad that serves well as a quick lunch or a great side dish for anything off the grill.

Right now in the Franklin Farmer’s Market, there are cucumbers all over the place, from English to Garden varieties, large and small, thick or thin-skinned, there are plenty of choices. Now is the perfect time to enjoy them at their peak, as the Summer grows on sometimes the cucumbers have a tendency to become bitter. When you try this recipe make sure your cucumbers are nice and cold when you start, and if not using right away hold in the fridge until serving, either way, make this at the last possible moment for the best result, that’s the main reason to keep it simple here. Also, a nice dollop of yogurt or ricotta would do well on top, as well as some fresh dill or mint if you have a few sprigs on hand.

Serves 4-6

2 large Garden cucumbers (Organic from Delvin Farms)
1 small red onion with the green tops
1 small clove of garlic, finely grated (a Microplane works well for this)
2 tsp White balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Sugar
1 tbl Olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Peel the cucumbers but leave a few green strips of skin, then slice as thin as possible and reserve in a mixing bowl. Cut the tops off the red onion and set aside. Half the onion and slice as thin as possible, as well as a few of the green onion tops and add them to the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the cucumbers on onions and toss thoroughly.  Divide into little chilled bowls and serve. Enjoy!

Michael R Martin
South Fork Catering Co.

Roasted Beef Top Round with Market Vegetables & Rosemary
Serves 6-8

This week the Franklin Farmer’s Market is full of the freshest Spring vegetables! I saw carrots, English peas, tons of kale of all varieties, new onions both white & red, little potatoes, new garlic, so many delicious vegetables! For this simple yet flavorful recipe, I am using a beautiful beef top round from Bear Creek Farm and little potatoes, garlic and onions from Evans Produce and carrots and herbs from Rose Creek Farms. A little horseradish stirred in the cooking juices would be a great way to add even more flavor and is perfect with the roast beef.

For the beef-

1 4-5lb top round beef roast
1 tbl kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
fresh rosemary
2 tbls olive oil

For the vegetables-

1 bunch of spring carrots, washed, unpeeled (you might need to cut some larger ones in half)
3 lbs golden potatoes, cut in half
1 bunch spring onions, cut in half
1 head of new garlic, top cut off
1 tbl olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat the oven to 350F. Cover the bottom of a roasting pan with one sheet of parchment paper. Lay the top round on the paper in the roasting pan fat side up, and season both sides with salt and pepper. Lay the rosemary and thyme sprigs and the sliced garlic on top and drizzle over the olive oil. Take another sheet of parchment paper and cover the beef roast and kind of tuck it around the edges like a little package.

Place the beef in the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 135F for medium rare to medium

While the beef is roasting toss the vegetables with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast on a baking sheet pan for about 20-25 minutes or until the veggies take on some color and become tender. When the roast is ready, remove the parchment paper and let the roast for 10 minutes before carving. Remove everything to a large serving platter and carefully pour the roasting juices that have collected in the bottom of the pan over the beef and vegetables, and squeeze the head of garlic over the vegetables and lightly toss. Carve thin slices of the beef and share the vegetables.

Enjoy!

Chef Michael R Martin
South Fork Catering, Co