On Saturday we found a great cut of Tri Tip with some late summer farmers market vegetables and newly arrived green beans. As we walked through the market we realized we were witnessing the bittersweet departure of summer and the coming of fall. We picked up a handful of bumper crop green beans from Paradise Produce as well as some Patty Pan squash, purple potatoes, green beans,baby kale & frisee. Triple L Ranch had a beautiful cut of Tri-Tip beef and we grabbed that too. This recipe may seem a bit long but every step is pretty easy, and it captures the moment of the season perfectly with fresh farmers market vegetables paired with local beef.

Pan Seared Beef Tri Tip with Farmers Market Vegetables of Purple Potatoes, Green Beans, Squash and Bitter Greens with Honey – Cider Vinaigrette

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2lbs Tri-Tip beef
1/4 lb Green Beans, with tips trimmed
1/4 lb Patty Pan squash, cut into quarters
1lbs purple potatoes
4oz baby kale
4oz frisee
2 tbl grapeseed oil
2 tsp sea salt, plus a pinch or 2
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper, plus more for the greens

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season the Tri-Tip with 1 tsp sea salt, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper. Drizzle over 1 t/l grapeseed oil and rub the spices into the beef. Sear the Tri-tip in the cast iron skillet for 2-3 minutes until a nice crust forms. Turn the Tri-Tip over, add the potatoes and then put the skillet in the oven. Roast for 4-5 minutes or until an instal-read thermometer reads 150F. Remove the beef to a platter to rest, and return the skillet with the potatoes to the oven and continue to cook until cooked through, about 10 minutes, while you prepare the other vegetables. Bring a 3 quart pot of water to a boil, add 1 tsp sea salt and then the green beans, boil for 3 minutes. While the green beans are boiling heat a sauté pan over medium heat and when hot add 1 tbl of grapeseed oil and the squash and sauté for 2-3 minutes. When the green beans are tender remove with tongs and add them to the sauté pan with the squash. Season with a pinch of sea salt and cook for 2 minutes, allowing the veggies to brown a little. When cooked through remove to a platter and reserve. Add the potatoes to the platter when ready. While the beef is resting toss the baby kale and the frisee with the vinaigrette and a little sea salt and fresh pepper. Then add to the platter. After the beef has rested long enough to relax, remove to a cutting board and cut into 1/4 inch slices, then layout onto the platter, then serve warm. Enjoy!

For the vinaigrette-

1 tbl honey, from Johnson’s Honey Farm
1 tbl olive oil
1 tbl apple cider vinegar
pinch of sea salt
a few grinds of fresh black pepper

In a small Mason jar combine all of the ingredients, close the top and shake vigorously . This will keep covered in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Chef Michael Martin
South Fork Catering Co.

A few weeks ago we had the chance to cook up a Greek Summer Salad of local goodness at the Franklin Farmers Market for our monthly Chef Saturday. We featured eggplants, tomatoes, summer squash and cucumbers from Delvin Farms, Kirkview Farms and Bloomsbury Farms, plus goat cheese feta from Noble Springs. This recipe is a “snapshot” of summer so to speak, and captures the beautiful fresh flavors of the sun. It’s so simple you should try it this weekend!

Greek Summer Salad

Serves 4-6

1 large eggplant
2 cucumbers
2 summer squash
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 large red bell pepper
4oz. goat cheese feta
a few basil leaves
3 tbls virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Heat a large griddle pan or fire up the grill. Slice the eggplant into ½” rounds, season with a little salt and pepper and a little drizzle of the olive oil. Place them on the griddle or grill and cook for 2 minutes, then turn them over and cook for 2 more minutes or until the eggplant are slightly charred and soft in the middle. Set aside to cool. Peel the cucumber and slice in half and remove the seeds, then cut into strips and the dice cross-wise. Reserve to a large mixing bowl. Dice the squash, tomatoes and red bell pepper and add them to the bowl. Now dice the eggplant and add it to the bowl. Crumble the goat feta over the vegetables and then tear the basil leaves and add them, the remaining olive oil, the lemon juice to the bowl Season with a pinch of salt and the fresh ground pepper. Mix well and let sit for a few minutes to let the flavors develop. Serve as a side dish or as a flavorful base to grilled chicken or pork chops. We hope you agree this greek salad favorite reaches new heights with local farm ingredients. Enjoy!

Chef Michael R. Martin
South Fork Catering

Here’s a favorite honey balsamic grilled chicken recipe you can enjoy for years to come. When it’s too hot to heat up the kitchen in the dog days of Summer we fire up the grill, a lot! One of my favorite things to grill is locally raised organic chicken from West Wind Farms in Morgan County Tennessee. The flavor is pure, clean and delicious. We like to brine the whole bird for a few hours before cutting into serving pieces. The brining process keep the chicken tender and juicy, and helps to add a a bit of salt to bring out the flavor of this beautiful poultry. Chances are you can make the BBQ Glaze for items you already have in your pantry. It’s an easy sauce to make but so tasty on this grilled chicken. Give it a try anytime of year.

Grilled Pasture Raised Organic Chicken with Honey-Balsamic BBQ Glaze

For the brine-
2 gallons of water
1/2 cup of kosher salt

Mix the water and salt together until dissolved in a larger container. Add the chicken and let brine for at least 4 hours.

For the chicken-
1 whole organic chicken, 2-3 pounds
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

What a nice looking bird from West Winds Farm

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels and set aside on a cutting board. Time the wing tips at the second joint, and set aside Remove the breasts by running the knife down the center great bone inch side until you cut through at the wing joint. Set aside with the wings. Separate the the thigh quarters and then cut the leg away cutting through at the little fat line that runs between the thigh and leg. Set aside with the the wings and breasts. Season the chicken with the oil and all of the spices listed above. Cover and let come to room temp for 15 minutes. Now fire up the grill and bring to 450F degrees. When the grill is hot grill the chicken skin side up for about 5 minutes. Tuns the chicken over to grill skin side down for another 5 minutes. At this point you might need to turn down the grill to a more medium heat, and then turn the chicken over agin to skin side up. Using a small soon begin to drizzle the BBQ Glaze over each piece of chicken. Close the grill for a minute and then repeat. Turn the chicken =n over and add more glaze, you will be skin side down now. Close the grill again for a minute to give the BBQ Glaze a chance to work its way into the chicken and slightly begin to caramelize, take care not to burn the skin, a little char is ok but be careful. Using an insta-read thermometer check that the temperature has reached 165f degrees (food safety first!). Remove the grilled chicken to a serving platter and drizzle the remaining BBQ Glaze over the chicken. Let rest a few minutes and serve! Enjoy!

For the Honey Balsamic BBQ Glaze

This sauce couldn’t be easier, basically it’s equal parts local honey, balsamic vinegar and yellow mustard. If you need more then simple scale it up to suit your needs!

1/4 cup local honey, we use Johnson’s Honey Farm
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Will keep refrigerated for up to 1 month.

Chef Michael R. Martin
South Fork Catering Co.

With our farmers market full of fresh summer vegetables, bursting with flavor, give this delicious charred summer salad recipe of okra, tomatoes, corn and candied onions a try!

Seasonal cooking is not only healthy it’s fun! A Bounty of Healthy Eating awaits you at the Franklin Farmers Market.

Growing up in Tennessee summer vegetables played a major part of our nightly dinners, especially okra, corn, tomatoes and onions. My parents always had a garden while I was growing up, and we had onions in the ground and tomatoes on the vine. I remember one summer they grew a whole bunch of corn as well. In this recipe I used beautiful okra and little tomatoes from Bloomsbury Farm, the corn was “Super Sweet” from Conry Farms in Morrison, TN and Candy Onions form Kirkview Farms. I picked the fresh basil from our herb garden.

Charred Summer Salad with Okra, Corn, Tomato & Candy Onion

This summer salad is the perfect base for grilled chicken or pork chops.

Serves 4-6

1 pint okra, split lengthwise

4 ears sweet summer corn, shucked and silks removed

1 pint little tomatoes like cherry or pear, split in half

2 Candy Onions, cut into quarters

2 tbls olive oil

1 tbl red wine vinegar (I also love Sherry vinegar!)

sea salt and fresh black pepper

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (fresh mint works well too)

Heat a 10 inch cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Season the split okra with a little salt and set aside to draw out moisture while you cook the corn. Break the ears of corn in half and place them in the hot iron skillet. Sear on all sides turning often until blistered, about 4-5 minutes. Set aside. Blot the okra with a paper towel to remove the water that has come to the surface. When dry add them to the skillet cut side down, and blister 3-4 minutes. Tun over and continue to roast for 1-2 minutes further. When dry roasted set aside (the okra should be quite dry and a bit crispy, even a little burnt). Place the Candy onions cut side down in the skillet and roast until almost black. Then turn to roast the other sides until almost black. When well blistered remove to a plate to cool. Place the split tomatoes and charred okra in a large shallow bowl. Add the olive oil red wine vinegar and little salt. Toss well together and set aside while you cut the corn and onions. Place a clean dish towel on a cutting board and put the charred cron on the dish towel. Using a sharp knife, trim the kernels off the corm. When all of the corn has been cut gather the corn in the towel and pour into the bowl with the okra and tomatoes. When the onions a cool enough to handle trim the root end off and then slice the onions crosswise into 1/8 inch slices. Add the cut onions to the bowl and then tear the basil leaves into small pieces and add to the vegetables. Toss everything together and add a little salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Keeps well for 24 hours.

Enjoy!

—
Chef Michael R Martin
South Fork Catering Co.