Rosemary Fest!

I love going to the Dekalb Farmer's Market -- I just wish it was closer to my house! I was able to justify going there recently because it was close enough to the Carlos Museum at Emory University (a great field trip when studying Ancients). As we pulled into the parking lot, I rolled down the windows so we could inhale the scents -- exotic spices seem to emanate from the building!

After lunching on samplings from various culture's cuisines, the serious shopping started. I find my weakness is in the dry spices section... and the produce... including fresh herbs. Shopping at a farmer's market is kind of like Forest Gump's box of chocolates: you never know what you're going to get. But I almost always come away with fresh herbs (and very little idea of what I'm going to do with them).

Here's what I did with some of the fresh rosemary that I bought:

First, the pork chops. I'd bought a whole pork tenderloin (I'm talking the huge one now, the one that could be a lethal weapon if you can heft it) at Sam's and sliced part of it as chops. I seasoned some with just kosher salt and coarse-ground pepper, belted each with a slice of quality bacon, tucked in a rosemary sprig, and added a toothpick for security -- then double-bagged and froze them. These can be grilled, but they are also good cooked in a skillet with a little olive oil, like this:

I also wedged some new potatoes and shook them in a ziploc bag with a little olive oil, kosher salt, coarse ground pepper, and chopped fresh rosemary. You can also add pressed or minced garlic (I forgot). Shake well, then spread on an oiled jelly-roll pan and roast at 400 degrees for about 40-45 minutes, stirring at least once:

I was on a roll, so I opened a small can of mandarin oranges and mixed in a little chopped rosemary, as well:

This was later added to mixed greens and topped with craisins, toasted sliced almonds, and Ken's Steakhouse Sweet Vidalia Onion Dressing:

This meal seemed fancy without being fussy -- and it was good! Hope your family will enjoy it, too!




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I linked up over at Eat at Home's Ingredient Spotlight: Fresh Herbs!