Most people we know have busy lives but love what creates the busyness. There’s a small, consistent agony in that since we’re loathe to give up any of the myriad components of our full, fast, crammed, beautiful lives. Rosemont is in business to support home cooking, but don’t let it be a drag! Every once in a while, you’re entitled to let someone else help out a bit.
Can it be us?
Our kitchen’s selection of prepared foods is getting ever more varied and delicious, and many of those quart- and pint-sized containers go a long way toward completing dinner plans or even just being dinner. A lasagne or quiche, along with a bag of locally grown salad greens, makes a delicious, homey meal for two or three people, for less money than the usual take-out grind that uses ingredients from don’t-wanna-know-where. Fish cakes or falafel from our freezer just ask you to heat up an oiled pan. Miyake sushi and a quart of soup don’t even ask that. And the one appliance you’ll need for upcoming football games is not in your kitchen. Just turn on the TV and open up some of our special Patriots snacks, handily designated in all our stores with fun little football-shaped tags!
And then sometimes you just need to get out of the house.
New Dinner Series Rosemont Market Productions is launching a reinvigorated slate of events this winter, with weekly dinners in our kitchen and plenty of special events. Last weekend’s sold-out Pizza Night was incredible, a celebration of communal goodwill and, of course, amazing pizza. For all our events, we smoosh the bakers’ tables together and everyone gathers ’round. You’re getting delicious food, but the even more lasting sustenance of deep connections with neighbors. It’s somehow a lot harder to get that at the corner pizzeria.
This Saturday, and every third Saturday of the month, come for Meet Your Maker. MYM is an evening with a producer friend of ours: a farmer, brewer, cheesemaker, winemaker or other artisan. There’s the same casual, convivial atmosphere as at our other events, but it gets closer to a full restaurant experience: The food is more complex, and comes paired with specific beverages.
This Saturday we’ll be joined by our friends at Urban Farm Fermentory. Founder Eli Cayer and colleagues will start with flights of ciders, meads and kombuchas, then we’ll get into the four-course meal with pairings. The world of fermentation is endlessly fascinating, and one of the best ways to work local produce into your diet 12 months a year. Full menu and tickets are available here.
To keep abreast of all our events, check out the ol’ FaceTome or our website, or look for our snazzy new in-store posters!
Artwork courtesy of www.pingree.house.gov/foodwaste
Full Circle Every once in a while a bit of food squeaks past the finish line, so you throw it out. But here at Rosemont, we aim for zero waste. What started as a sound business model — a kitchen/bakery that uses the local produce, meat and fish we don’t sell in the first couple of days they’re on the retail shelf — now forms one of the pillars of our commitment to long-term sustainability and environmental consciousness.
Along with the essential large-scale composting work done by our partners at Garbage to Garden, that allows us to have simply no food to throw in the trash. And when our kitchen needs produce that our stores can’t supply, we try to buy veggie seconds (“ugly” fruit and vegetables that are perfectly fresh and delicious but not pretty enough for retail) from our farm partners. By butchering our own whole animals, our meat departments have become expert utilizers of less popular cuts, and are thrilled to offer plenty of suggestions for how you can cook and enjoy them at home.
The poster to the right paints a grim picture of food waste nationally, but at this point there’s just no excuse for that. Through conscious daily purchasing, composting and cooperation, Rosemont has developed a process for using everything we buy. We’re guessing you employ many of the same procedures in your own homes, and maybe even have other tricks too. Please let us know if you have ideas for how we can do better.
ROSEMONT RECIPE
BUTTER-FRIED PARSNIPS
Serves 4-6 as an appetizer or snack
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 15 minutes
6 large parsnips
½ cup flour
1 tsp salt
⅛tsp cayenne pepper
⅛ tsp nutmeg
1 stick of unsalted butter
2-3 Tbs honey
3 sprigs thyme, stripped from stem
coarse sea salt
Bring large pot of water to a boil. Peel parsnips and slice into ½-inch-thick slabs. Add parsnips to boiling water and simmer for about 5 minutes, until just slightly tender. Strain and allow to cool slightly.
Mix together flour, salt, cayenne pepper and nutmeg.
Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add parsnips to seasoned flour and toss to coat well. When butter begins to slightly bubble, add parsnips.
Cook parsnips for about 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and crisped. Drain on a paper towel and transfer to plates or a platter. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with thyme and coarse sea salt.