Viktualienmarkt

Greetings from Munich! I have found my personal idea of Heaven, I believe. There is a market in the center of Munich, full of stalls selling all things culinary - like, the end-all be-all of farmers' markets everywhere. There are fresh fruits and vegetables, more cheeses than I could possibly name in one afternoon, and all sorts of meats, both fresh and cured. There are full stalls of prepared delicacies, seasoned olives, hand-packed spices, and even hand-made crafts as well. I thought I would dedicate this post to images of this market, since it was just so amazing. I only wish I could have taken more advantage of everything it had to offer, but alas, I couldn't bring any of the offerings with me, as they would spoil!

Impressed?! Because I sure am! :)

Defrosting Done Right

When I go grocery shopping, I usually buy more cuts of meat than I can use before they would go bad in the fridge. For that reason, I freeze some of them right off the bat so that they are preserved until I'm ready to use them. You can freeze any type of meat, even fish and seafood (just not live stuff like clams and mussels). The key to defrosting, however, is doing it gradually, in the fridge, a day or two before you plan on using it.

from Flickr - by Mrs. Huvie

I know, there's a defrost button on your microwave, and it's really easy to just pop that chicken breast in there and let it "defrost." However, even on the defrost setting, the microwave will start to cook whatever you had previously frozen...assuring an uneven cook when you actually go to use it in a recipe. The outside will be cooked, the inside will be raw, and then, by the time you are done with your dish, the outside is chewy and overcooked, even if the middle ends up being perfect.

from Flickr - by storyofmylife

If you are in a pinch, and you totally forgot to pull your meat out of the freezer in good time to defrost, soak it in some luke warm water (in it's container or wrapping)...or leave it out on the counter for a few hours before cooking. But whatever you do, don't defrost with your microwave. I mean, you want evenly cooked meat, right?

The Resting Period

In your culinary travels, I'm sure you will come across recipes that you find interesting, recipes that call for large cuts of meat that are sliced after the cooking process. This doesn't always mean that you have to cook the meat for longer, to cook it through...because essentially, that idea will leave you with some overcooked pieces, and some undercooked pieces.

Medium Rare

The key to cooking a large piece of meat is the resting period. I will use last night's dinner as an example, since that's what inspired me to write this post in the first place. I made a beef tenderloin recipe from Gordon Ramsay's In The Heat of the Kitchen. My piece of beef weighed about a pound. I put it in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, basting every 7 minutes or so, but when I took it out, it was still pretty soft, rather than springy, which is what I was looking for. I left it in for another 5 minutes and then removed it from the oven.

Now, if I had cut into it right then and there, the middle would have still been bloody. But, I left the meat to REST for 5 minutes, allowing the heat to move through the meat and continue cooking. Now, when I cut into the meat, it was PERFECT. Pink in the middle, not overcooked on the outside - and it was delicious! I mean, seriously delicious!

Medium

It is best not to cut into a piece of meat until you are ready to start serving. Each time you pierce the outer layer, you lose valuable juices and flavors. One trick I learned, thanks to a very cool apron that I bought for my friend for Christmas is this; If you take your hand and touch your thumb to your pointer finger, and then press on the pad of your hand, you will have the feeling of a piece of meat cooked rare. Going down the line, middle finger to thumb should feel like medium rare, ring finger to thumb should feel like medium, and pinky to thumb should feel like well-done (that's too done, if you ask me!). I thought that was a brilliant little tidbit and I have carried it with me. It's easy to remember, that's for sure!

A Trip to the Winter Farmer's Market

Today, we took a trip to a Winter Farmer's Market that I heard about through DailyCandy. It's in Somerville, located at 191 Highland Avenue, in the Arts at the Armory building.

As we walked into the building, we noticed the interesting architecture of the place. It's a very cool building. Once we entered the large auditorium, we witnessed all the people milling around the booths stacked high with freshly baked breads, locally grown root vegetables, and farm-raised meats and seafood.



We stopped at Hi-Rise Bread Company (Cambridge, MA), a local bakery that I know from the summer farmer's market at Dewey Square, in Downtown Boston. I didn't buy anything today, but they had some delicious-looking freshly baked breads for sale! I've purchased bread from them in the past, and been totally satisfied every time!

Moving on through the room, we came across Winter Moon Farm (Hadley, MA), and my goodness, these root vegetables were HUGE! I purchased two giant parsnips, as well as some obese beets, both red and golden. I also picked up a watermelon radish, something you don't see very often, but they are so pretty and delicious, I couldn't help myself. I also noticed their sizable carrots and turnips. I will definitely be looking for their booth in future Saturday shopping trips!



In the corner of the room were a few wineries. Among them, we found Turtle Creek (Lincoln, MA). The three lovely gentleman manning the table offered us a taste of their Riesling, which was delicious. The flavors were wonderfully balanced, yet sweet. This winery has 3 acres of land where they grow their fruit, along with outsourcing from California and New York's Finger Lakes. They assured us that even though some grapes may come from non-local sources, they follow the entire process to ensure sustainable methods. I'm looking forward to taking a visit to their winery in the summer months for a tour and tasting.

We finally stopped to talk with Austin Brothers Valley Farm (Belchertown, MA). They had some lovely cuts of meat, and very reasonable prices, and I will definitely be frequenting their booth in the future. They offered a nice variety to choose from, and I will make them my first stop once I make my new shopping list.



There was a second floor to this extravaganza so we ventured up the stairs to find three more vendors. One of these was a seafood vendor. All they had left when we arrived were some beautiful Day Scallops, but the list of originally stocked items was extensive. Hopefully I can get there earlier in the day next time.

All in all, I think I got a great deal on some abnormally large beets, parsnips and radishes. I'm looking forward to my next shopping list, knowing that this exists. I will certainly stop here before the grocery store, because locally-grown meats and produce always taste better. I thought I was out of luck until the springtime, when farmer's markets reopen, but it looks like I was mistaken. What a great find!!!

The Somerville Winter Farmer's Market runs on Saturdays through March 26th, from 10am - 2pm. Some of the booths even accept credit and debit cards!