Congratulations to Chattanooga Market. A couple of months ago, American Farmland Trust began a contest asking people to vote on their favorite markets around the country. Results were recently released, and Chattanooga Market came in eighth out of the Top 20 large markets (56 or more vendors) in the country. First was the city of Rochester (N.Y.) Public Market.
"What it means to us is that Chattanoogans are supporting local agriculture, and so people are getting the fact that we are giving back to our community, and it comes full circle," said market spokeswomen Melissa Siragusa. "We're supporting our farmers and making it possible for them to grow their crops, as well as our egg vendor to bring fresh disease-free eggs to market. And so next year, we're hoping to be able to support and attract more farmers."
I hope they will. For a complete list of winning markets, log onto http://action.farmland.org and click on the America's Favorite Markets link.
IN RESPONSE to the search by "Longtime Reader" for fresh, wild-caught shrimp, "Deb" of Ringgold, Ga., wrote in saying that she's bought it at Fresh Market. "They've been frozen, but still good."
Vanda Ingham wrote in to tell "Longtime Reader" that Bi-Lo has shrimp from South Carolina that is wild-caught. "They come frozen in 1-pound bags and are wonderful," she wrote.
Reader Mickye Genter sent an e-mail regarding compound butters, more commonly known as flavored butters. She keeps a tub of her favorite in the refrigerator for all kinds of uses and offered the following suggestion for corn on the cob.
"Land O'Lakes has a new butter mixed with olive oil and butter mixed with canola oil. Both are good; the olive oil has more flavor. I use this and add sage, parsley, rosemary, paprika, garlic and whatever I have available. I take the corn and pull down the shucks to remove the silks. Then I pull the shucks back over the corn and place in cold water for about an hour. When [it's] ready to place on grill, I put herb butter on the corn, pull the shucks back over the cobs and grill. Delicious! The water helps to steam the corn, with the flavor of the butter.
"You can also fix the same way in a microwave oven. Make sure shucks are wet. Butter the corn, and wrap in microwave plastic wrap. Cook about 3 minutes, then turn over and cook 3 minutes more. The flavor of the corn is very good, and you can use whatever herbs you like. This is my favorite way to fix corn on the cob."
I'll be giving this method a try.
I'm always looking for ways to use less-expensive cuts of meat, such as chicken thighs. Here's a simple recipe that's something a little different to serve for dinner. I found it in Fine Cooking's "Fresh and Quick," a great magazine-style cookbook that has some really good simple recipes from appetizers to desserts.
Grilled Rosemary Chicken With Sweet-and-Sour Orange Sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for the grill
1 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup rice vinegar
In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of rosemary with the brown sugar, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Put the chicken thighs in a shallow pan, drizzle with the oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with rosemary mixture. In a small saucepan, warm the marmalade and remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary over low heat until just warm. Set aside in a warm spot.
Prepare grill and heat to medium-high. Clean the grate then lubricate it with an oil-soaked paper towel. Put chicken on the grate and grill until one side has dark grill marks - 5-6 minutes for large thighs, 4-5 minutes for medium to small thighs. Turn and continue grilling until well marked on other side. Transfer thighs to a platter and let rest 4-5 minutes. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature with individual bowls of warm marmalade dipping sauce.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6285.