Dark Days Challenge Week One – Dinner and Lunch

Sunday night I kicked off the Dark Days Challenge by cooking an almost completely locally sourced dinner, and then Monday had a lovely lunch of leftovers to make it a “twofer”.

My rules are in my previous post. This meal came from within a 100 mile radius, since my CSA sources are about 80-90 miles away in Amish country. We pick up our CSA about 8 miles from our property so that is the distance I traveled to get most of my dinner. A few things came from my trip Christmas shopping to Frederick and Thurmont, and from a visit with friends to the Dupont Circle Farmer’s market. I stocked up on local items while on these two trips so have lots in the larder and freezer for future meals.

Sunday Menu
Green Salad
Turkey Breast w/chutney
Sweet Potato Galette
Pumpkin Ice Cream

The wine was local as well. Black Ankle vineyards is my favorite Maryland winery, and this Gruner Veltliner is a perfect match for turkey.

The salad:
2 heads Baby Flashy Troutsback Lettuce – organic – Friends Road Organics – CSA
1 shaved carrot – organic – Elm Tree Organics – CSA
Six cherry tomatoes from my garden
(bag ripened from the final culling of the vines prior to frost)
1 Black Radish, peeled, sliced – organic – The Farm at Sunnyside (Dupont Circle Market)
Cremini and Button Mushrooms – organic – The Mushroom Stand (Dupont Circle Market)
Peach Vinaigrette – Catoctin Mountain Orchards Thurmont MD
Pistachios – the only non-local item on the salad

The galette:

Recipe Sweet Potato Galette

2 Beauregard Sweet Potatoes – organic – Eagle View Acres – CSA
1 large bunch spinach – organic – Farmdale Organics – CSA
1 head tatsoi – organic – Hillside Organics – CSA
1 package Firefly Farms Black and Blue Goat Cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste
Turkey Stock, homemade from Maple Lawn Farms fresh turkey, using neck, gizzards, heart and liver
1 TBSP butter – South Mountain Creamery

I cooked down a large quantity of greens (spinach and tatsoi) in skillet using a splash of organic extra virgin olive oil (not local, I wish we could grow olives here) and a quarter cup of my homemade turkey stock. Set them aside and prepared skillet for creating the galette. Dropped a tablespoon of butter in the skillet, let it melt, and added first layer of thinly sliced sweet potatoes, topped with greens and cheese, then repeated three times, and seasoned with salt and pepper. I made sure to press down the final layer just before putting it in the oven, and added a tiny bit more of my stock to keep it moist.

Baked in a 350 degree oven in the skillet for about 45 minutes. I use convection bake for this to speed up the baking and keep the bottom from browning before the potatoes are done. A bit messy to plate but definitely good. Next time I would use the other cheese from Firefly which is a creamier blue. This one got a wee bit chewy.

Reheated the turkey breast in the oven with a drizzle of turkey stock. Turkey breast was leftovers from our Thanksgiving all natural fresh turkey from Maple Lawn Farms in Maryland, made Friday. Veggies and stock for the turkey all local, veggies from CSA (carrots, onions, celery) and stock made in advance from the innards.

Served it with a side of the last of the wild blueberry chutney a friend brought home after her summer in Maine. I give them all tomatoes in the summer and they exchange things, like milk from their cows, and others have eggs from their chickens.

Dessert was pumpkin ice cream from South Mountain Creamery.

Monday was beautiful here, so we decided to eat out on the patio. I made a salad with leftovers of the turkey and pretty much the same other items, like carrots, mushrooms, and served it with cheese from Bowling Green Farm and an apple from Quaker Valley Farms (Dupont Circle Mkt). I did add dried cranberries from our organic supermarket. They are not local obviously. The vinaigrette was Catoctin Mountain Orchards Blackberry Splash. Cider from Black Rock Orchards in Lineboro MD.

It wasn’t hard to do most of this in November. February is going to be difficult I imagine.