CHEF'S CHOICE
To market, to market
by: Sarah Fritschner
Local meats and ready-to-eat Marksbury Farm Market products
Brian McConnell was a 16-year-old living nearly at the top of the world when he joined Britain�s Royal Navy. A native of Scotland, McConnell became a career Navy cook.
Later as a resident of central Kentucky, he met fellow Scotsman Richard McAlister, an Inter-County Energy member from Lancaster, one of four partners who started a new meat processing plant and a retail butcher shop and market in northern Garrard County. McConnell began cooking food for the market�s customers in late 2010.
Marksbury Farm Market buys livestock from more than 40 Kentucky farm families to process at the plant, including chicken, beef, lamb, and pork, all raised on grass without antibiotics. The meat is sold to restaurants in Louisville and Lexington and in the Marksbury retail store.
McConnell�s job is to create different ready-to-eat products for the retail market.
He might create British meat pies or the French potted meat called rillettes, or an ethnic dish like lamb rogan josh, chicken korma, moussaka, and Indonesian satays.
McConnell�s favorite thing to cook is curry. �You can make so many different flavors in curry,� he says.
The Marksbury Farm Market retail store is located at 73 Fisher Ford Road, off KY 34 between U.S. 27 and Old Bridge Golf Course, about 10 miles from Lancaster. It is open Tuesday-Saturday,
10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more info, call (859) 754-4224 or go to www.marksburyfarm.com.
Chicken Creole
3 1⁄2 lb (pasture-raised) chicken
3 Tbsp creole seasoning
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 large bunches green onions, whites and greens chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 C dry white wine (can substitute chicken broth)
4 whole tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
1 C chicken stock (make by simmering chicken back, neck, and wing tips, if desired)
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oven to 400�. Cut the chicken into breast halves, wings, thighs, and drumsticks and sprinkle with creole seasoning. Roast for 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, pull the chicken meat from the bones (add the bones in the pot to simmer for chicken broth).
Heat oil in a wide, heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they just begin to brown. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the white wine or broth and stir to loosen any brown bits. Boil rapidly for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add pulled chicken and simmer for 5 more minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice. Serves 6.
READER RECIPE
Vegetarian Chili
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 (14 1⁄2-oz) cans Mexican-style tomatoes, undrained
15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15-oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
11-oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 C instant brown rice, uncooked
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 1⁄2 cups water
Shredded low-fat cheddar cheese,optional
Add olive oil to a three-quart saucepan and saut� green pepper, onion, and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, corn, rice, chili powder, and water. Stir to mix, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. To serve, top with cheese if desired. Serves 6.
Submitted by MARY THOMPSON, Brodhead, a Jackson Energy Cooperative member, who says: �I moved here from Rhode Island and brought this original recipe with me. There�s nothing like this satisfying and nourishing dish on a cold winter night.�
Sarah Fritschner coordinates Louisville Farm to Table, a program bringing more Kentucky-grown food into local homes, restaurants, and institutions.
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