Market Interview: Sun Fed Beef

Because we are such avid devotees of Grazin Angus, we were devastated when they stopped coming to Friday's Union Square Greenmarket. (Even though they cut back for a good reason - the amazing Grazin Diner.) Yes, they are still in Union Square on Saturdays and yes, we still buy their product when we can. But we are often away on the weekends - and even when we're in town we try to avoid the Saturday market crowds. Anyway, that left us looking for another grass-fed beef source at the market and, thanks to Grazin, we have pretty high standards.

Luckily, Sun Fed Beef filled the Friday slot. We started out slowly with their grain-finished hanger, which was good enough to write about. Then, we branched out with their 100% grass-fed beef for Borscht and a T-bone for Valentine's day. We ran the gamut from low to high price points and from grain-finished to 100% grass-fed. And let us tell you, we weren't disappointed once. 

Not only do we love their product, but we really like the guys who man the Sun Fed stand. You can usually find young, good looking, smiley Alex working - always ready and eager to talk meat. He was an obvious choice for our interview and as luck would have it, farmers Harmon and Eve Anne were there for our meeting as well.

Sun Fed is the brand name of the beef sold and raised by Maple Avenue Farms. Maple Avenue is a third-generation farm that has been raising Black Angus beef in the Sangerfield River Valley of NY State since 1940! Originally they produced both dairy and beef but in the 70's - when the small dairy farm economy was destroyed - they consolidated. 

It's pretty amazing to see a third-generation beef farm that has always pastured it's beef - not to mention, one that has been selling at NYC Farmer's Markets since the 80's. But what's really unique about Sun Fed is that they offer both grain-finished and 100% grass-fed beef. While we prefer grass-fed, we understand that many people prefer grain-finished... and this beef is finished almost exclusively with Maple Avenue Farms' grain! What's cooler - the farm has only produced their grass-fed line for about 5 years... a result of high customer demand. What a great sign for the future!

If you'd like to hear full interviews with the wonderful people at Maple Avenue Farms, please listen below:

 

Recipe: Rustic Borscht

February is the most difficult culinary month of the year. All winter festivities have long since passed but still spring feels so far away. It's the time of year when we're desperate for warmer weather flavors and some bright colors on our plates, and when a gnawing craving for ramps, asparagus, and fiddle-head ferns becomes an everyday occurrence.

The other night we tried to think of some meals that might trick us into thinking spring was more within our reach, or at least bridge the long gap between now and then. After much deliberation we ended on borscht - and we knew it would deliver on the color front. We've been plating so much brown, red, and yellow lately, but borscht promises a shock of magenta, complemented by a dollop of bright white creme fraiche and a sprig of fresh, green parsley.

Borscht is often thought of as a heavy and thick soup. But it doesn’t have to be - and that wasn't at all what we were looking for. Inspired by an incredibly simple- and light-sounding borscht recipe on Food52, we left the large vegetable chunks swimming in the bright broth. We also threw in some Sun Fed cubed beef chunks for a more grassy and irony umami. Na zdorov'ya!

Rustic Borscht 
Adapted from Naked Beet's Dr. Zhivago Borscht

Note: The meat in this dish is totally optional. This would be a perfectly flavorful vegetarian soup as well!

 

+ 1 lb cubed beef

+ 8 cups of chicken stock or water

+ 2 tablespoons of olive oil or lard

+ 1 large onion, finely chopped

+ 1 bay leaf

+ 3 medium sized beets, cubed 1”

+ 3 medium sized carrots, cubed 1”

+ 3 medium potato (like Yukon gold), cubed 1”

+ salt

+ 1 tablespoon creme fraiche or sour cream (per bowl)

+ 1 sprig of parsley or dill

1. Pat the cubed beef dry, and salt heavily.

2. Place a large heavy pot or dutch oven on high heat. With the lard or oil, brown the beef in batches. Set aside.

3. Lower heat to medium-high and cook the onions. When they begin to soften and become translucent, add the beef back along with the stock or water and bay leaf.

4. Bring to boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover for 45 minutes.

5. After 45 minutes add beets. Bring to a boil again, and turn down to a simmer.

6. After another 15 minutes, add the carrots and potatoes. Let cook for another half hour, or until a fork goes through the potatoes.

7. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of parsley or dill in each bowl.

Serves 4-6