Farmer's Market Meal - 1st Week, May 15

I love the Farmer's Market. Not just like it a lot, or enjoy it, but I LOVE it. Our local little market is on Thursdays and they are usually the highlight of my week. I love talking to people, seeing all of the produce, thinking about meals, eating my favorite foods, enjoying the weather. The last market of the year makes me want to cry and the first market makes me so excited I bounce out of bed without hitting snooze - impressive for a mother of 3.

I like to make up new recipes and tweak existing recipes. I play my own version of the Food Network show Chopped, but without the insane ingredients.

The first week is a little tough since May in Wisconsin is rarely conducive to growing much produce. Especially this May! And the first week of Market was freezing and rainy, but darn it, I'd waited 6 months for this day! Many vendors decided they wouldn't even break even if they came, so it was a small market. Tom Murphy, who had organized the Market at Greenway Station from the beginning, decided to take a well-earned retirement and has turned his table over to his grandson. Tom's wife also has decided to cut back on her baking, so the bars, cookies, and little breads are only available at the larger markets. I'm sad about this, but we've got a new bakery this summer and they also have lovely selections of goods. Cheryl Heck has now taken over organizing the Market and there are many new vendors as well as most of the reliable standbys.

I was able to get asparagus, morel mushrooms, butter, and maple syrup at the first week of Market. This gave me the idea for a couple of recipes, but of course I didn't think to take pictures when I made them.

Morels with Asparagus and Orzo

2 T Butter
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb asparagus with ends snapped off and cut into bite sized pieces
morels - as many as you can get! - soaked to get the dirt out and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup orzo

Cook orzo according to package directions. You can do more or less orzo depending on your taste or if you're trying to stretch out the meal.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the minced garlic. (I like to use a fine hole grater to shred the garlic since my knife skills are awful.) Let it get a little soft, but watch so the garlic doesn't burn. Add the asparagus and saute until starting to get bright green. Then add the morels and cook them all together until they reach the texture you like. There may be a lot of liquid left as the mushrooms cook down and you can either drain it or keep it as sort of a sauce when you add the cooked orzo.

This would have been good with some Parmesan-style cheese shredded on top, but I didn't have any. It was pretty delicious without it, if you ask me!


Maple Rhubarb Sauce for Waffles

2 cups of rhubarb - chopped
1/4 cup maple syrup
1-3 T water
Pinch of salt

Combine the rhubarb, maple syrup, and salt into a medium sauce pan and watch carefully as you bring it to a boil, then turn down to simmer, simmer often. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, if needed. Simmer until the rhubarb begins to break down. You can add more maple syrup to taste.

The Waffles (adapted from King Arthur Flour's Maple-Bacon Yeast Waffles recipe)

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
• 6 tablespoons melted butter or canola oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon maple flavor, optional, for enhanced maple taste
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1) Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, leaving room for expansion. Stir to combine; the mixture won't be perfectly smooth.

2) Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour; the mixture will begin to bubble. You can cook the waffles at this point, or refrigerate the batter overnight to cook waffles the next day.

3) Preheat your waffle iron, and spray it with non-stick vegetable oil spray.

4) Pour 2/3 to 3/4 cup batter (or the amount recommended by the manufacturer) onto the center of the iron. Close the lid, and bake for the recommended amount of time, until the waffle is golden brown.

5) Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200°F oven while you cook the remaining waffles. Serve with butter and Maple Rhubarb sauce.