On a day off from work I always like to make sure that I cook something a little bit special, something that I can pour my hours of freedom into. Waking up this Thursday morning I had only one thing on my mind: the Mahon Point Farmers Market. I would start my day with a coffee and plan my dinner as I took in the food buzz. Stopping in the bookstore in the shopping centre itself I looked at the shelves with the idea that maybe I’d pick up a new cookbook and cook something from that. As I stood there looking at the mostly familiar bookshop collection, I came to the quick realisation that what I was doing was nonsensical. Less than fifty meters away was a bustling market of the finest and freshest local produce. Couldn’t I just rustle up something of my own accord? I’d be a fool not to make the most of what was right in front of me and so I got up, got out and got thinking…
There is great importance in going to your local market every once in a while, just for the sake of reminding yourself of what exactly you can obtain that has been grown and produced in your own area. Wandering around, I could see all kinds of meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables, all locally produced and some incorporated into international dishes: pizza with Gubeen sausage, tarts made with local apples, and so on. As I began picking up bits and pieces, it soon became apparent the direction in which my meal was going: hearty family style. One pot, one purpose, several delicious components!
Farmer’s Market Summer Roast
Serves 4
8 Gubbeen sausages (4 Cumberland, 4 Sun-dried tomato and basil)
6 Woodside Farm bacon rashers
3 red onions
3 sweet potatoes
4 baby potatoes
5 carrots
Broad beans (as many as you have the patience to deshell)
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
150ml red wine
1 tbsp dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Preheat oven to 210 celcius.
- Prepare vegeatables: peel and quarter onions, wash and cut potatoes into chunks. Peel and chop carrots.
- Arrange vegeatables on a large roasting tin with sausages and bacon.
- Pour over wine, vinegar and honey.
- Season with salt and pepper and toss with parsley.
- Toss everything in the tray and put straight in the oven for 40-50 minutes.
- In the meantime, de-shell the beans by simply breaking the pod open with your hands and dislodging the beans. These can be added to the dish two minutes before removing from the oven.
- Serve straight from the dish onto warm plates.
Dirty Whites 