For week #9 of the 2011-2012 Dark Days Eat Local Challenge, I made a crown roast of lamb to practice for Easter. As I’ve mentioned, we take turns with holidays and Easter is Mom’s (the vegetarian). If I can pull this off, we’re having this for Easter. If I can’t, we’re going with the old stand-by.

So, here I am, practicing for Easter. I made some roasted root vegetables to go with it, though I doubt I’ll be able to get those in the first week of April.

I followed a combination of directions from Steve (best butcher) and some online sources. I rubbed my herb and oil mix all over the 4-lb roast and set the roast, bones down, in about 1/2″ water in a roasting dish. I roasted it at 400°F for seven minutes then lowered the heat to 350° for 23 minutes. I flipped the roast onto a rack in the dish and let it go at 350° for another 10 minutes. As you can see, it’s medium rare.

Since I’m the only medium rare in a family of well dones, I’m going to need to let it go a bit longer on the big day.

Sources:

• crown lamb, prepared by Steve at Butcher’s Best Market (lamb from Cabbage Hill Farm in Mount Kisco, NY). It came with cute little booties to put over the bones, but I thought that might be over-doing it.
• garlic, thyme, oregano, and rosemary from here
• sweet potato and onions from Sport Hill Farm
• parsnips from manheim Farm, Whately, MA (via Holbrook Farm)
• red wine: Woodridge Red from Miranda Vineyard (paired perfectly!)
• olive oil, salt, pepper: not local

This was a surprisingly simple meal. Any ideas for accompaniments that will be available in the spring? Otherwise it’s going to be lamb and ramps.

In my family, we take turns with holidays. Mine is Thanksgiving. Christmas belongs to my sister (she has children).

Our tradition includes the seven fish on Christmas Eve and multiple courses of our favorites on Christmas Day. Those courses are: the antipasto of Italian cheeses and cold cut meats, the primo course of fresh ravioli and “red gravy” with meatballs, sausage, and pork bracciole, the segundo course which is always a pork roast with roasted root vegetables, and dolce (dessert) with homemade cookies, homemade cheese cake, and ice cream.

My sister isn’t into local food like I am but we began a new tradition last year where I bring all the local ingredients for the segundo course and she cooks it while I play sous chef.

With the flurry of kitchen activity, I forgot to take out the camera, but the neat thing about a tradition is that you can point to last year’s picture and it’s nearly identical.

The pork was absolutely delicious—moist and succulent. Kudos to the folks at Cabbage Hill Farm and a special thanks to Steve, literally the best butcher.

Sources (this year’s)

• pork roast from Butcher’s Best Market (from a Berkshire pig from Cabbage Hill Farm in Mount Kisco, NY)
• white potatoes from Maple Bank Farm
• sweet potatoes and onions from Sport Hill Farm
• carrots from Riverbank Farm
• garlic, thyme, parsley, rosemary from my own garden
• apple sauce made from Macouns we picked this Fall at Averill Farm

The wine was a Cabernet Franc from Sharpe Hill Vineyard (a family favorite and another tradition).

My contribution to dessert included vanilla, raspberry, and campfire ice cream from Ferris Acres Creamery.

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This is my week #5 meal for the 2011-2012 Dark Days Eat Local Challenge.

Note: These challenge posts will be recapped with the other Mid-Atlantic region participants every two weeks, over at Not Dabbling In Normal by Emily of Tanglewood Farm.

For week #4 of the 2011-2012 Dark Days Eat Local Challenge, I made turkey bone vegetable soup.

Over the past year, I’ve learned about the nutritional value of bone broths, with their chondroitin, glucosamine, and collagen. So I made a stock from the remains of my Thanksgiving turkey. The stock can be used for a soup base, for braising vegetables, or just about any other recipe that would be happy with a poultry-based stock.

I put the bones in my big stock pot, filled the water to the rivets and added salt and two tablespoons of vinegar. They say to let the bones simmer for up to 72 hours. This time, I made it to 46. I strained out the bones and skimmed off the fat and was left with a luxurious stock.

I cut up some fresh vegetables and simmered them in the stock until they were fork tender to make the soup.

You just can’t beat the flavor from a home made bone broth. Seriously.

Sources

• turkey from Quattro Game Farm
• carrots and celeriac from Riverbank Farm
• parsnips from Migliorelli Farm
• onions from Holbrook Farm
• potatoes from Sport Hill Farm
• spinach from Fort Hill Farm
• garlic, parsley from my own garden
• vinegar, salt: not local

Note: These challenge posts will be recapped with the other Mid-Atlantic region participants every two weeks, over at Not Dabbling In Normal by Emily of Tanglewood Farm.