Plan a Green City Market Mother's Day Weekend Outing Saturday, May 9

Share:    Looking for the perfect Mother's Day weekend outing? Look no further than Green City Market. Spend a beautiful morning and afternoon strolling through Lincoln Park and enjoy purchasing delicious,  sustainable foods from Green City Market farmers and vendors (7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday and Saturday in Lincoln Park between Clark and Stockton Drive at approximately 1817 N. Clark.  Start your Saturday at 9 a.m. listening to mbria  music by Matthew Shelton, then catch Food Network stars The Hardy Boy's Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh cooking demo at 10:30 a.m., have lunch and checkout the Edible Garden.  Don't forget to pick up goods for your Mother's Day meal.  Looking for the perfect gift? No kitchen should be without the Green City Market Cookbook. Grab a copy and some flowers. Mom will be thrilled. The Green City Market Cookbook is a collection of recipes gathered from our entire community of customers, volunteers, farmers and Chicago chefs. Each recipe was carefully selected by a team of culinary professionals and features the main crops of each season, and the story behind the recipe from each contributor. The culinary talent of The Green City community is what makes our book unique. It's like a giant recipe swap where professional chefs, customers, and farmers exchange their favorite things to cook with the best ingredients from each season. GCM Cookbook is available at the market as well as on the Green City Market websitehttp://www.greencitymarket.org. The cost is $24.95. Books also will be available for purchase at the Green City Market annual barbecue event, Thursday, July 16.    What's in it? • Over 90 seasonal recipes based on ingredients from the market. • Appetizers, entrees, soups and desserts for each season. • Over 100 delicious photos of the completed dishes and their key ingredient so you know what to look for at the market. • Each recipe features a short story submitted by the recipe's author about why the recipe is special to them.

Roast Leg of Lamb in Garlic-Mint Marinade with Pea Shoot Salad from The Green City Market Cookbook   My mother, Helen, roasted a leg of lamb some Sundays for supper following church. She always put so much care and attention into her cooking that she didn't even realize how detailed her effort was. For example, she would squeeze a lemon over the lamb and then make small incisions in the meat and insert slivers of garlic. Under the leg of lamb, she would place small new potatoes, onions, and more garlic for added flavor. Finally, she made a great pan jus with the delicious lamb drippings. Our family is Armenian, so lamb is a major part of our culture, heritage, and life! -Carrie Nahabedian, chef/owner, Naha and Brindille; Green City Market board member Prep time: 25 minutes Standing time: 30 minutes Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes Makes 8 servings For the Lamb: 1 (4-5-lb) whole bone-in leg of lamb Kosher salt, as needed Freshly ground black pepper, as needed 1 cup packed fresh mint leaves, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 24 medium-sized firm new red potatoes, halved (if the potatoes are small, use more and leave them whole) ¼  cup olive oil, divided 4 sprigs fresh thyme (optional) 1 head garlic, separated into cloves ⅓ cup white or red wine For the Pea Shoot Salad: 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons sherry wine vinegar 3 ounces (about 4 cups) fresh pea shoots Shaved radishes (optional) To make the Lamb: 1. Butterfly the lamb and remove the bone, excess fat, heavy silverskin, and tendons. Sprinkle the inside and outside of the lamb generously with salt and black pepper. Rub the mint and garlic over the inside and outside of the lamb. Roll the lamb up and tie with kitchen string. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. 2. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 3. In a large, shallow roasting pan, place the potatoes. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Toss well. Place the thyme sprigs (if using) over the potatoes. Add the garlic to the pan. Place the lamb over the potatoes and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over lamb. Roast until nicely browned, about 15 minutes. 4. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue roasting for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes (depending on the size of the lamb), until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat registers 130°F. Remove from the oven. 5. While the lamb is roasting, test the potatoes by piercing them with a fork. When they are tender, transfer them to a bowl and keep warm. 6. Transfer the lamb to a platter, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes before carving. 7. Place the pan full of drippings over 1 or 2 burners on the stovetop. Add the wine and cook over medium-high heat, scraping the drippings from bottom of pan. Add a splash of water, if needed, and bring to a boil. Stir in any juices from the lamb platter. Remove from the heat but keep warm for serving. To make the Pea Shoot Salad: 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar. Add the pea shoots and radishes (if using) and toss well. To serve: 1. Carve the lamb into slices and serve with the warm potatoes and pan juices. Garnish with the salad. Reprinted with permission from The Green City Market Cookbook, Agate Publishing, 2014.