I think it was Roger who mentioned the promotion of “ugly” vegetables and fruits in French grocery stores at a third of the price of “pretty” or regulation vegetables and fruits. I thought about this again after another dismal and disappointing visit to the weekly Farmers’ Market and comparison shopping for organic local vegetables in the supermarket. I think I begin to see the light.
The Farmers’ Market, maybe a half dozen tables with a handful of each variety of vegetables or fruit, looks like the aftermath of a holocaust, 10-20 years later when things are starting to grow again. In this case, local organic means scarce, ugly and therefore outrageously expensive. That can’t be right! And it’s not.
Many of the same farms that sell local, organic vegetables and fruits in the market, also sell to the supermarkets and while the produce is a bit more expensive than the non organic, there is a lot of variety and appearance counts. So, I think I will either buy in the supermarket or go directly to each farm for variety if nothing else.
Uninspired, I didn’t know what I was going to cook today so I just added things to a pot until I had something. My husband had bought some Italian sausage links on sale, God knows where, that I used along with some lean ground beef.
Sauteing vegetables in olive oil is always a good beginning.
Random Ragout
1 lb bulk hot Italian sausage
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large purple onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 each orange and green bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cans cannelini beans, drained
1 can yellow hominy, drained
Brown the sausage and beef together in a skillet, drain and set aside.
Saute the onion, garlic and bell peppers in the olive oil until the onion is soft. Add the reserved ground meat, grape tomatoes, oregano, basil, bay leaf, diced tomatoes, broth, cumin, salt and pepper, then bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the beans and hominy and continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
Ha ha – c’est moche! No not really 🙂
Roger is correct, ugly is the new beautiful. In Europe the supermarkets have tried to banish the ugly veggies in favour of the perfect and often bland varieties – especially tomatoes. You are correct too with regard to some organics in supermarkets. I do know of at least one organic company who’s tomatoes are sold at half the price in supermarkets as they are at farmers’ markets. However, the vegetables in supermarkets do not come in to the warehouse on Monday and go on sale on Tuesday. The time difference can be unbelievably long (more than year), so I recommend growing your own or buying direct from a farmer.
Your ragout looks excellent and on face value I’d buy those sausages 😉
Random but sounds effing delicious!! 🙂
Thank you. I can always count on you 🙂
I love that campaign, glad you mentioned it. This looks great too.
Me too Greg. And thank you.
IT must be so very different shoping in the states compared to Sens.. c
It certainly is c. Like a foreign country 🙂
I understand that feeling.. c
Oh my. We’re totally blessed with incredible markets all over the place. Sorry that hasn’t turned out to be the case where you are. 🙁
You’re lucky. Washington, D.C., where our son lives, also has good markets. Bummer, but I’ll always have Sens.
Play it, Sam!
😀
I agreed with Roger and you. This actually looks like something I make on many weeknights. The light in your photos is just gorgeous. Yum!
Thank you Amanda 🙂
Those sausages look good….the very bright super veg look as though they might be irradiated…I still believe in “ugly” veg:)
Thank you Roger. Ugly vegetables do not pretty food pictures make. Alone, taken by a good, professional photographer, they can be art.
Miam !