Hastings Outdoor Market Returns...Sort Of

The Hastings market had its first outdoor showing earlier this month. Despite the cool temperatures, the flowers were out in full force.

I had the chance to visit old favorites (Breezy Hill had my favorite Honey Crisps, Chutney Masala was out) and find some new favs. First up was Big Girl Baking, whose table was literally groaning under the variety of treats.

I am usually hesitant to buy baked goods at the market...unless I can sample first, and Big Girl was really generous on the samples. So of course I picked up a loaf of olive oil tea cake (after reading a lovely recipe in the New York Times for lemon olive oil cake, I actually went out and bought all the ingredients to make it, but had been too lazy to turn on the oven). Next up was Hudson Milk Company. I am usually a non-fat Greek Yogurt person, but their yogurt from Maple Hill Creamery has made me a convert. Their flavored, whole milk yogurts are just sweet enough and so much better than any run-of-the-mill grocery store variety. I bought the lemon, and it did not disappoint. And then how could I pass up the cute offerings from Honey Locust? I snagged a bunch of young carrots for $1.50 and scallions for $1.00.

The April market got me super excited for Hastings' official outdoor season, but sadly, it does not begin until the beginning of June! But the market continues to pop up monthly, with the next date slated for May 8.

Carrot Soup with Yogurt

Using the carrots from Honey Locust and the lemon cream yogurt from Maple Hill, I did a lazy riff on the recipe for Moroccan carrot soup that was published in the April issue of Bon Appétit. By lazy, I mean I used ground cumin (rather than cumin seeds) and lemon flavored yogurt (in place of yogurt and lemon juice). Luckily, it’s hard to screw up soup! This only made 1.5 cups of soup so, for a larger batch, adjust the recipe accordingly.

Ingredients 1 t. Butter 1 Large shallot, finely chopped 4 oz. Carrots, peeled, cut into thin coins 1.5 c. Chicken broth 1 t. Cumin 1 t. Honey .25 c. (Non-sweetened) Lemon yogurt Salt and pepper Method Melt butter in small saucepan, add shallot and sauté for two minutes Add carrots, cumin and broth; bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer until tender Add honey and then puree soup using immersion blender, or in batches in standard blender, until smooth Before serving, drizzle yogurt over the soup and sprinkle with additional cumin

Hastings on Hudson Indoor Market

Saturday morning. High winds. Torrential downpours. A sane person would stay in bed. I went to the Hastings on Hudson indoor farmers market.

The Hastings market, which has been running indoors the second Saturday of each month since January, is slated to move back outside next month. But I am pretty sure all of the vendors were happy to be inside the community center last weekend.

I had never been inside the community center before, and was impressed with the openness and light in the space. Like other indoor markets, the Hastings winter market is heavy on the prepared food and meats, but there were a number of produce vendors. The most popular was tucked into a corner. The farm, which I think is the same as the one I frequented at the Scarsdale market, had all bases covered -- from winter squash and sweet potatoes to greens and spring onions! After waiting patiently in line (the "stand" had a "single occupancy" set up, if you catch my drift), I snagged a several red onions, two sweet potatoes, and small bunch of cilantro. Next door was Red Jacket Orchards, the which I consider one of the more sophisticated farmers market vendors as it's a bigger operation than most. With no honey crisps available, I had to be satisfied with a bag of Fuji apples. Just before leaving, I spotted some blush pink breakfast radishes I had to have. I'm pretty sure they were from Honey Locust Farm, which has been profiled in Edible Manhattan, but I'm not really sure, as by this time I was getting hot and bothered (between the crowds and my non-breathable rain gear). So I picked up my radishes and a bag of chickweed, which I was told was good for my, verbatim, "female parts" (sold!) and especially nice in sandwiches. I have since learned chickweed in fact an edible weed that most people try to kill (except those who raise chickens or are in herbal medicine circles, apparently) but a few people pay to hunt it. Not sure what I'll do with it, especially given the concern over the nitrate levels, but you'll be the first to know. I'm thinking some kind of pesto that can possible double as a salve if I get bug bites...Seriously! Despite the rain, I was on the go most of the weekend, and did not cook much, so the only farmers market find I used was the cilantro on top a bowl of southwestern style chicken soup. But since the next market isn't until April 10, I have some time to use the rest.

Southwestern Style Chicken Soup

This is a great fridge-clean-out soup, especially when you have the less appetizing bits of leftover rotisserie chicken lingering on a shelf. It also freezes well (omit the garnishes).

Ingredients

1 T. Olive Oil

1 Medium Onion, peeled and diced

2 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced

2 Stalks Celery, diced

2 Carrots, peeled and diced

1 Zucchini or 1 Cup green beans, chopped

1 Red pepper, chopped

1 Yellow or orange pepper, chopped

1 Can Diced tomatoes

4 Cups Low sodium chicken broth

1 Cup Corn kernels

1 Cup Black beans

2 Cups Cooked chicken, shredded

1 Cup Cooked brown rice

Chili seasoning, salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Hot sauce, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, crushed corn chips, sour cream (for garnish)

Method

Heat olive oil over a medium flame, add onions and saute until translucent.

Add garlic, celery and carrot and saute for three minutes.

Add chili seasoning, salt, black pepper, raw red/yellow/orange peppers and zucchini, if using, saute for another five minutes.

Add broth and diced tomatoes, bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add green beans (if using), corn, black beans, cooked chicken and cooked rice and heat until warmed through.

Garnish with shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, crushed corn chips and/or a dollop of sour cream.