Simmering Stews, Hearty Soups and a Happy Halloween

Cauliflowers in color
by Pascale LeDraoulec

• Last Yoga this Season by Breathe    8:30 - 9:30
• Music by Matt Turk                     10:30 - 1:00
• Halloween Face Painting             10:30-1:30

Brrrr! This is the time of year when I start thinking about proteins and roasted vegetables. The smell of a simmering stew or an herb and garlic-studded rib-roast in the oven does wonders for my morale as the days get shorter and my ConEd bills get bigger.

Fortunately, Roaming Angus will be fully stocked this weekend with lots of beef – thick, juicy steaks, lean ground beef for Shepherd’s pies or homespun meat loaf, and thick as your thumb pork chops and ribs…Why not buy some beef for a hearty stew to serve on Halloween post trick or treating? They will also have a few whole chickens and some chicken parts. But you better get there early! Some have already been spoken for. If you are lucky enough to get a whole bird, try roasting it in a pan along with some of Madura’s white sweet potatoes! They’re kind of a cross between a parsnip and a yam. Delicious!

It would be nice to have something healthy at the ready to feed the kids before they dive into the Snickers and Butterfingers. I live in a small cul-de-sac so I always invite the neighborhood trick or treaters over on Halloween for market soup. I always make three kinds: carrot ginger, white bean, kale and sausage,  and a tomato-based fish chowder. This way there’s something for everyone. I serve up some Bread Alone sliced baguette and it’s always a hoot to watch the neighborhood file into my kitchen — in costume — with their bowls and spoons. I have a small house, so everyone ends up eating soup on my porch and front stoop.

Capt. Rick’s fish has been looking amazing this week. At the Irvington market yesterday, the last of the season, people were queuing up for his signature sweet and meaty scallops, for his hake fillets and lemon sole, all wild-caught right off the Hampton Bays. I bought some mussels to make pasta tonight. Lately my kids have been going nuts for the lemon sole. I don’t even have to hide it in a fish taco to make them eat it!

There are only four more outdoor markets left, so be sure to stop by on Saturday and do some shopping. When the temperature drops you’ll be glad to have a fridge full of heartwarming ingredients…

See you at the market!