Eat Local!

September is 'Eat Local' month at our local Willy Street Co-op. As I was making the meal below I realized it contained all local ingredients (or at the very least, local vendors). It made me feel happy, because that is what we do. Whenever possible, we try to support local farmers and vendors. Our meal contained beans from our garden, tomato sauce from tomatoes and onions grown by our CSA, brats from Willy Street (labeled essentially local), and gluten free pasta from our local pasta maker, RP's Pasta. The meal was simple and delicious! I truly believe it is because all the ingredients were fresh and local. 

Over the years I have stopped following recipes. I love looking at them for ideas, but I rarely make them. Instead, I love taking what is seasonally and/or locally available and making simple meals. If something contains a long list of ingredients, I skip it. I truly believe that less is more and love tasting each ingredient that goes into a meal. 

For the tomato sauce I simply sautéed a small diced onion until soft and added in about 4 cups diced tomatoes, a little garlic salt and a small amount of red pepper flakes. I cooked this down until it was thickened. It intensifies the tomato flavor, and you do not need to add tomato paste to thicken it.

If your are following a gluten-free diet (and still eat other grains) and live in Madison, this pasta is amazing! A little spendy, but it is a "treat".

As the summer bounty is finishing up here in Madison, our family is enjoying the last tastes of summer. This is a great time for people to try eating locally more, even if it is just challenging yourself and your family for one week. You will be amazed at what you can find locally and how tasty fresh food is when it has not traveled 1000+ miles.

Eat Local!