Lamb Burgers with Rhubarb Onion Sauce

The past few weeks I have been in discussion with the 61st Street Farmers Market. At first we were discussing the possibility of me being a vendor of some kind, but after long thought and putting together a business plan, I had to pass. An offer was then made to volunteer this summer and perhaps do a few cooking demos. I naturally jumped on the chance. The 61st Street Farmers market is located in  a food desert behind the University Of Chicago. Their mission is to make great , healthy locally sourced food available to people that have little means otherwise of obtaining this. To help this , they are local participants of the Wholesome Wave Program, which enables the Farmers Markets to accept Link Cards( a public aid) and provide great programs such as Double Value Coupons. All in all a fantastic organization in which I'm proud to volunteer for.

61st Street Farmers Market (local, sustainable food)

61st Street between Dorchester and Blackstone 

Every Saturday from May 15 to October 30, from 9am to 2pm  

 Rain or Shine

 LINK Accepted

Double Value LINK Program -  Double LINK purchases up to $25 per cardholder, per market day

fruit, vegetables, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, cheese, eggs, baked goods, prepared food, etc.

Chef Demos, Market School and Music every week!

 My first cooking demo will be Saturday May 22. In my excitement I'm brainstorming with what I can do that uses the great local products available and will be seasonal. At this time of year we are starting to see a lot rhubarb. So I was thinking Lamb Sliders with Rhubarb Onion Chutney as its easy for most home cooks, and accessible/affordable.I love Rhubarb  myself, but its a tough sell to family and Certain Someone. I want to find ways to use it  in savory applications , as opposed to a traditional Strawberry Rhubarb dessert. I had envisioned a chutney to go over a childhood favorite of mine, lamb burgers. However the Chutney morphed more into a sauce which was delicious, but not the original plan. Nevertheless its worth a post as I can see this on not only burgers, but chicken, pork , salmon or any other fatty type protein.

Lamb Burgers with Rhubarb Onion Sauce
3/4 to 1 lb Rhubarb
 1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 Cinnamon Stick
3 cloves
3/4 cup water

1 lb Ground Lamb
1tsp Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a saucepan heat the vegetable oil. Add the chopped onion. Turn down heat to medium and cook till translucent. and golden with minced garlic, Cinnamon stick, and cloves.Chop Rhubarb into small pieces and add . Add sugar and water and vinegar. Cook down on med/high heat until Rhubarb breaks down and mixture starts to bubble. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat.
This can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed jar for 2 weeks or so.

Mix Cumin, salt and pepper with ground Lamb and form patties. In a hot skillet cook until med  done.Serve with sauce on a bun.

Perfect Fried Green Tomatoes

A lot of folks are privileged to have gardens. I love reading my fellow bloggers talk about what they are producing in their gardens. I tried container gardens on my balcony but living in the city its very hard to control the squirrels and such.So I gave up. I have always loved the tartness and flavor of green tomatoes and tomatillos.Something about them just perks my insides up. I came across some some gorgeous green tomatoes at the meat whole seller I go to. They have a basic produce section that's very 'country' and basic. I grabbed a few and didn't think about them until a few days later. Usually I order green tomatoes out at restaurants like the defunct neighborhood Dixie Kitchen.I'm not a big fryer but this simple recipe yielded perfect green tomatoes.

Perfect Green Tomatoes
4 green tomatoes
1 cup buttermilk or
1 cup milk with a few tsp of vinegar
( allow to sit for 5 minutes or more)
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup corn meal
salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
vegetable oil

Prep your station with a dish of buttermilk, a dish of
beaten egg, and a dish of corn meal . Mix 1 tsp of cayenne
and salt in the corn meal. Slice green tomatoes into 1/2
inch rounds. Dip each slice first in buttermilk, then egg, then
dredge in cornmeal.
Heat approx 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a fry pan. Fry tomato
slices until golden and crispy on each side.Drain finished pieces
on paper towels. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.* Serve with
hot sauce.Optional
Printed Recipe Here