Maybe it’s a subconscious recognition that it’s baseball season, or just appreciation for something that requires no preparation before tossing on the grill, but we’ve had hot dogs and cole slaw not once but twice this past week. The first was MeatCrafter’s Capital Half Smokes, from the Crystal Farms market, and a plain green slaw from a baby cabbage in our CSA bag. Then, I decided on all-American buffalo dogs for an anti-Bastille Day themed gathering at our house on Sunday. I always feel bad going a weekend without visiting one of the markets in our neighborhood, but when I have my mind set on something specific — buffalo and sour cherries, in this instance — I head straight to Dupont Circle’s FreshFarm Market. I actually could have obtained both at the Wednesday Upper King Street Market, but that would have required planning further in advance.
I made a discovery with the first batch of slaw that a creamy dressing is possible without the use of mayonnaise (which I hate). After tossing the cabbage with cider vinegar, I added a splash of buttermilk, a little salt and pepper, and voila! Creamy yet tangy and without the dreaded mayo-droop. Sunday I repeated the formula using a beautiful blue-purple cabbage and green peppers the boy selected at the market, served along side our Cibola Farms buffalo dogs and with a fresh cherry pie for dessert. I also pickled some of the cherries, using a French recipe from Chez Loulou, to accompany our cheeses. The cheese course was not exactly local, but we did enjoy a Virginia sparkling wine that could rival many of the true champagnes, from Thibaut-Janisson. Vive Virginia!
One Local Summer is an annual challenge in which people around the world join together for 13 weeks of seasonal eating, supporting local farmers and exploring their local foodsheds. Visit FarmtoPhilly on Tuesdays for the weekly round-up; here’s what my neighbors in the Southern region cooked up this week.
1 response so far ↓
1 Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener // Jul 15, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Colleen – thanks for putting me in this week’s round up. I really though I was too late.
Isn’t a good hot dog incredible? I refused to eat hot dogs for a while, until I found the ones from Harmany’s Highland cattle Fa. I wonder if Cibola’s buffalo dogs are fairly new. I don’t remember them…. but then again, it’s been more than 4 years since I was buying from them at the Falls Church market….