On Saturday the Green City Market held one of it’s few winter indoor farmers markets. The theme for this one was Snout-to-Tail and featured a number of local meat producers
I should have bought some Elk because I’m definitely starting to suffer from a little bit of the wintertime blues. Usually I can hold off the winter blues until February, but alas. and harumph.
So a little farmers market was just what I needed. As you can imagine, this being Chicago in the winter, there isn’t much variety to the veggies available this time of year. Tons of root veggies
There were a few farmers selling packaged salsas and jams and preserves and other tasty canned goodies that I thought about doing for myself this past fall but didn’t. I bought some butternut squash, onions and some lovely, lovely mushrooms from these folks
This table had a little crowd patiently waiting to purchase their shooms and when it was finally my turn I said, “Just some mushrooms, please.”
The guy looked at me for a beat and asked, “Just some mushrooms?”
Too which I replied, “Um….yes?”
He bent down and whispered to the box of mushrooms I’d selected, “She didn’t mean it guys.”
I tried to back track and reword my request to something more flattering to the mushrooms (?), but I couldn’t come up with anything and instead stage-whispered to the mushrooms myself, “I’m sure you’re delicious.”
I then glanced around a bit self-consciously, stuffed the mushrooms in my bag and skedaddled. I’m not sure that mushrooms have feelings, but mushroom growers sure do. Sorry mushroom dude.
I knew just what I wanted to make with my purchases…Baked mushroom risotto with carmelized onions! (drool).
These little beaut’s became this completely delicious and comforting dish:
When my sister and I were growing up our family had a pretty standard rotation of Sunday night dinners. One of which (and one of my favorites) was Chicken n’ rice. Chicken baked in wild rice and cream of mushroom soup. This tasted SO MUCH like that only w/o the icky cream of mushroom soup! Win!
