you can't always get what you want

Off to the market I go,checking to make sure i have my "green" bag from the co-op, doing my thing to slow the amount of plastic trash floating around the planet. I have a plan, a vision, something in mind for dinner, i can see it now, all coming together on one glorious plate, the flavors melting together in my mouth, the colors, a painting on the plate, the smiles of my guest(s), it all seems so right.

However when i get the store, my trusty butcher, my friendly meat dealer has not provided me with the cut of meat my heart desires, woe is me as my hopes are dashed and i have to plan on the fly, improvise, adapt, overcome, hell, it works for the Marines, why not me? Looking at the meat department shelves through tear stained eyes I survey the landscape and spy some Top Round roasts, not only on sale, but in my size range for two people. Elbowing my way past a little old man with similar intent , I make for my prize and go to return the baby spinach i had picked up to go with my now defunked plan of mustard/marjoram/panko crusted pork tenderloin.

Have no fear, before i departed i dusted off the gentlemen and helped him reach a smaller top round on one of the upper shelves, chivalry is not dead, but meat before honor i always say, OK, so I have never said that, but it fits and i will continue to say it from now on when circumstances fit.

With roast in hand, some Brussels sprouts, a sweet potato, bag of popcorn and some hood ice cream sandwich's i got out of the store before i caused any more disturbances. My point is ,( you were wondering), no matter how well you plan or how well your grocer is stocked ,things do not always go as planned and you need to be flexible. It happens all the time, more often with fish, as i go to the market and the fish i desired is just not up to snuff, or not there at all, but it can happen with meat or veggies, hell, even condiments. I do not always go with a plan, or a menu in my head, sometimes i just go and see what catches my eyes or stirs my hunger.

Farmers markets are the best place to browse, let the market and season dictate your dinner plans, this is the best time of year as new things arrive every week. New colors, new textures, new flavors to combine in a new way.

The aforementioned roast was 2.2 lbs, just right for two over eaters ,with a small chance of leftovers for a sandwich the next day. I liberally salted and peppered the meat and rolled in chopped thyme, rosemary and oregano, (provided by the little greenhouse, so loving tended to by JM, that lives right outside the kitchen door). A dash of garlic, onion powder and some Olive Oil finished the prep on the mighty beast, it was still early afternoon, so covered into the fridge it went.

The Sprouts and sweet potato were clean, trimmed and chopped accordingly, seasoned with whole garlic cloves, cumin, ground coriander, S/P+ O.O.,(olive oil) and some crushed red pepper flakes.

A quick easy set up and my work was done for the afternoon, so i settled into a Orioles/Blue Jays game and some cracker jack, (Baltimore won in a walk off 12/10 in the 11th). Really i was only in the kitchen for 15 minutes, tops. Cooking was also a breeze, 15 minutes at 475 degrees, giving the roast a five minute head start, I did not want the garlic to burn in the sprout mix, then turning it all down to 350* for 35 minutes, taking out the roast and letting it rest for 10 minutes while the sweets/sprouts finished up. I had some mushrooms running around in the crisper so those ending up in a saute pan, with some O.O. splash of red wine and some demi glaze that has been in the freezer for the past 9 months, all packaged up in little zip lock bags, portioned for quick sauce use.

Just another one of those things that is great to have on hand, takes little effort to make and stores well. If you make one good size batch of demi glaze a year you have happy sauces all year long. It is easy to make and if you need help, just ask me, or look it up, or wait long enough and keep following along, i am getting low and will have to make a new batch in the upcoming months, so I will be happy to walk you down the garden path.

Something else to keep in mind and is often overlooked is letting you meat rest, all meat needs to rest after cooking, I go with about 5 minutes per pound, just cover it with tin foil to keep it warm and let nature do the rest(ing). Even meat that appears overcooked can even out in the resting time and become a nice juicy dinner.

A simple plating and nice salad rounded out the dinner, sadly it was so good all hopes of leftovers were dashed upon the rock as JM and I cleared our plates like Olympic hurdlers, better luck next time. I like having leftover and the challenge of making them into something, but I am fine with starting fresh every night and tonight is movie night, so we are headed to Tio Mateo's Mexican Grill for shrimp tacos. They make the best Diablo sauce, dark, scorched and spicy, I highly recommend them if you are in the East Greenwich RI area. They also house some of my Black and White photos so I hold a soft spot in my stomach for them, Matt and his wife, whose name i can never remember,( and have met to many times to ask politely), do a great job, good prices and really fresh ingredients. Sadly they recently took Horchata, ( a Mexican drink made of rice milk, cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg), off the menu, due to lack of interest on the part of New Englander's to try something new, (my words, not theirs, so don't chastise them if you see them, send all complaints to my complaint department). I will answer all your complaints and comments in due time, well comments will get a quicker response than complaints. But some feed back would be nice. Enjoy the day whatever it brings, and if you can,, eat it!