a taste of summer

Summer is starting and with it the wonder of our Garden State is obvious once again.  On my most recent shopping trip to the Collingswood Farmers’ Market I found first corn, first eggplant, loads of beans and peas, greens, spring cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli, beets, and all variety of summer squash!  It has begun!  My favorite eating time of the year.

Dinner was a joy to prepare and a delicious taste of summer.

On my plate was a fresh and tender salad of oak leaf lettuce, English cucumbers, and red and yellow grape tomatoes tossed with a light vinaigrette.  A melange of summer squash, spring onion, sweet white corn, and tomatoes with a mixture of melted favorite cheeses.  And a bison petit tender sliced into medallions with fried maitake mushrooms.

This whole meal took about 30 minutes to prepare.  Great for easy summer dining!

Bison Petit Tender Medallions with Maitake Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1 bison petit tender (about 1 lb.)
salt
butter (for the pan)
maitake mushrooms

Directions:

1. Thaw the bison petit tender.  Set the meat on a paper towel and let it dry for 15 or so minutes. 
2. While the bison meat is drying shred and fry the maitake mushrooms in butter.  I used maitake mushrooms but any mushroom you like will do.  I prefer maitake in this recipe because the small pieces of the mushroom fry up crisp and give a nice mushroom/onion taste and feel to the dish.
   

   

   
3. Slice the whole piece of meat into 1/2 inch thick medallions
   

   
4. Lightly salt and let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Melt butter in a large frying pan
6. Place medallions in the frying pan.  Fry each piece for 2 minutes.  Flip and fry one minute more.  Remember bison can easily overcook so watch your time and look at your meat in the pan.
   

   
7. Add the mushrooms to the cooked medallions and serve.

   (I have researched cooking with grass fed/pasture raised meats.  I have found that butter is the preferred “oil” for such meats.  I’ve tried oil and butter.  I much prefer butter).

   

A taste of summer and lovely easy meals to come.  

Where to purchase these ingredients at the Collingswood Farmers’ Market:

Grape tomatoes (yellow and red) – Fruitwood Farm
Corn – A. T. Buzby Farm
Zucchini and patty pan squash – Muth Organic Farm
English cucumbers – Muth Organic Farm
Maitake mushrooms – Davidson’s Exotic Mushrooms
Oak leaf lettuce – Savoie Organic Farm
Cheddar cheese and butter – Hillacres Pride
Bison Petit Tender – Buck Wild Bison