Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A Local Valentine's Day Meal

{local ingredients: broccoli, wine, milk, bison steak, potatoes and butter}

I came out of my Eat Local Challenge slump this week. On Sunday I went to the Dupont Circle farmers' market looking for ingredients for our Valentine's Day dinner at home. Bless those dedicated farmers who were out in bitter cold winter winds selling their goods. I felt so bad that I bought more food than necessary! 

I decided on steak and mashed potatoes for dinner. I picked up some grass-fed bison ribeye steaks from Cibola Farms in Culpeper, VA. I also bought a 5-pound bag of potatoes at the market (thank goodness for winter storage). 

When you put the steaks together, they make a heart!

I had local broccoli from a previous trip to the farmers' market stored in the freezer to round off this nutritious meal. 

I have never bought anything from Cibola Farms and was pleased with the steaks. Bison steak is supposed to be healthier than cow in terms of higher protein and lower cholesterol. As you can see, I like my steak well-done (practically burnt) and my husband is a talented grill master who can cook a steak so that there is no pink but is still tender and moist. It was delicious!

Except for the salt, pepper, and seasonings, everything about this meal was locally sourced. We made the mashed potatoes with local butter from the Blue Ridge Dairy in VA and organic milk from a local dairy in PA (still fell within the 150 mile rules!)  I've mentioned before that the local butter has a sort of peppery taste (maybe grassy?) and the potatoes didn't need much more than salt. The wine came from the Narmada Winery in Rappahannock, VA.  The meal was good, but my dinner partner was the best part of the meal. :)

8 comments:

  1. I am trying to go local - at least state. Since we have Texas vodkas and wines I think I can do this. Except for coffee and tea and... It's work but I like the challenge. My husband wants us to only buy U.S. except for Irish Whiskey.

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  2. What a great idea! I like the two-steak heart. Hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day.

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  3. I've been following a few people's attempts to eat locally during winter and I have to say I feel greatful for our climate which allows a wide range of fresh veg to be grown during the cooler months. Really impressed with your effort. I'd never thought about eating bison - I'm wondering now if the milk is used for things like mozarella in the same way buffalo milk is?

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  4. @c.Joy--That's great! I bet in TX you can find great sources of local meats and local produce all year long. I wouldn't worry about coffee, salt, seasonings, etc. Even hundreds of years ago those things were imported! I love your husband's idea ;)

    @SageButterfly--oh, thanks! I hope you had a nice Valentine's Day too.

    @Liz--thanks! I'm going to try to keep this up even after winter is over because it's going to be SO much easier when summer veggies come in season!

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  5. I'm always so impressed with your meals on this challenge. A wonderful Valentine's dinner, all local. Bravo! Looks delicious!

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  6. Yummy, yummy. There's a place nearby here that sells bison...it's delicious! And I love that the steaks were in the shape of a heart - noticed that right away.

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  7. We always try to eat locally but our Valentines meal came courtesy of Marks and Spencers. We were away at the time and it was very good even down to the wine and chocolates.

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  8. Angela, I love the look of those steaks!

    I just want to thank you again for the Versatile Blogger award and to let you know that I have finally followed all the rules in today's post at http://enclosuretakerefuge.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/having-many-aspects-uses-or-abilities/
    Best regards, Cindy

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