Now We're Just Showing Off...

Menu: Cibola Farms Bison Hot Dogs wrapped in Torpedo onions and beet greens from Tree and Leaf Farm and topped with Fields of Grace Gouda and homemade Green Tomato Ketchup. Tomatoes on the side from Bull Run Mountain Farm (also the source of the green tomatoes) with Fields of Grace mozzarella. The buns are Homemade from Moutoux Orchard Whole Wheat Flour.

The hot dogs were excellent; the inch-plus wide links come fully cooked and had enough flavor that we did not feel like we were eating something meant for kids. I halved the torpedo onions and wrapped some of the larger shells around the dogs before putting them in the frying pan with a bit of water. They are good onions, but I undercooked them and had a hard time biting through the thick pieces.   The beet greens were intended to add a bit of astringency to the dish. The raw milk Gouda was perfect for this, I put it on at the end so it would melt just a touch. Fields of Grace’s Mozzarella is the pre-packaged low-moisture kind and I must confess a strong preference for the fresh variety. Still, F of G’s is far better than any store-bought version and I would love to try it on a pizza sometime.

For the buns I used a fairly straightforward recipe for an old issue of Cooking Light (I checked the site and can’t find it there, so no link) which i have used again and again with various flours in different proportions. This time I used 100% whole wheat flour from Moutoux. It was a little dense since it was all whole-wheat, but rose and baked well. It is a bit more coarse than, say, King Arthur’s w.w. flour. The only real quibble that I have with Moutoux is that the paper bags the flour comes in are a bit too thin! One more sharp turn on the way home and I might have floured the car. I will get their flour again, but will bring some appropriate plastic tub with me to put it in right away.

Now We're Just Showing Off...

The Menu:

• Hot Dogs:  Cibola Farms Bison Dogs
• Onions:  Tree and Leaf Farm torpedo Onions
• Cheese: Fields of Grace
• Buns: Homemade from Moutoux Whole Wheat Flour
• Tomatoes: Bull Run Mountain CSA
• Green Tomato Ketchup: Homemade from Bull Run CSA tomatoes

It’s Labor Day weekend.  The time we take off from work and cook meat over an open fire.  There’s no reason you can’t have an amazing locavore Labor Day!   I definitely think it would be overboard for most people to make their own hotdog buns from locally grown and milled flour, but it’s not a stretch to get locally, humanely raised hotdogs.  Labor Day weekend is the perfect time to share the joy of eating local.  People will be asking where you got the amazing burgers, and you can tell them with relish. (pun intended)

Almost all farmers markets have vendors that sell locally raised beef, chicken, lamb, and pork.  Cibola farms, who we used gives you the chance to try bison burgers – how awesome is that?  Needless to say you can also get just about any kind of cheese you’d like too. If your cookout is Sunday or Monday, there is plenty of time to head to the market!

What’s on your grill this weekend?