It’s always fun when a friend asks me to cook with them. So I was happy to oblige when my friend Meg invited Ed and I to a “Sunday Supper” and said she had a recipe she wanted to try out.

I only had one small reservation. Meg is one of the best cooks I know so when she says she wants assistance with cooking, I suspect the recipe is going to be really difficult. After all, these are the folks who challenged me chase down ground up bug parts for a Gourmet Club dessert recipe. You can imagine my relief when I heard that we were braising short ribs and making spaetzle. Easy stuff compared to bug part cake.

The fun began with planning the dinner. Meg called me to ask me if I was going to the market on Saturday. This surprised me, considering where I work. Even if I weren’t the Foothill Farmers’ Market Association general manager, I would be at the market on Saturday. It is where I buy our food for the week. Anyway, after talking our grocery list over, it became clear that I could buy most of the ingredients at the market and I was especially happy to do this for Meg and her husband.

Meg is the quintessential big-box shopper. She buys in bulk and turns less expensive ingredients into wonderful things to eat. If she buys organic, the food is usually from out of the country. I have often wondered what would happen if she shopped farm fresh and this was my chance. What would happen if you took a really excellent cook and increased the quality of the ingredients? Does farm fresh make a difference when the talent of the cook is already so great? I was about to find out.

My shopping list initially included tomatoes and herbs. I told her I would be happy to bring anything I could from the market, so the list expanded. From short ribs from Flying Mule Farm to salt and pepper from Two Spicy Ladies, I was able to buy most of the ingredients for our dinner at market on Saturday morning. I discussed the tomatoes with Teri Ueki. The recipe called for pear tomatoes. Teri and I decided that they probably meant roma style tomatoes so I walked over to Francis at Twin Brooks and he pointed out a box of Viva Italias. This project quickly became a community project. I had farmers up and down the market helping me pick out what I needed.

And the result? An excellent meal that had the four of us almost inhaling our food. The aroma of the vinegar/wine sauce and the excellent short ribs was intoxicating. We sat down with bowls of herbed spaetzle and short ribs and all conversation stopped. We were too busy eating to talk. Among the four of us, that may be a first. Do I think that fresh ingredients elevated Meg’s already wonderful cooking? No doubt about it. Meg noticed a difference also. After our meal, Meg asked me for the location of the farmers’ market nearest to her house. Another convert to local food!

The actual meal preparation wasn’t difficult. We followed the directions as stated in the recipe. We changed a few things. We added more garlic and lots more herbs. We broiled the ribs instead of searing them in the Dutch oven. The broiling technique came from James Beard and I love it. It is simpler, less messy, and the resulting ribs are far less fatty. Making the spaetzle was a hoot. We had batter all over the stove. The key to spaetzle is using a colander or a slotted spoon with big enough holes to press the batter through. The mess occurs when you are trying out several tools to get the job done. We had a great laugh and did a few more dishes together.

Reach Carol Arnold at foothillfarmers

market@gmail.com.

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Braised Short Ribs

Editor’s Note: Farmers market vendors are listed next to ingredients, when applicable.

4 pounds beef short ribs, bone in (Flying Mule/Coffee Pot Ranch)

Salt and black pepper (Two Spicy Ladies)

3 Tablespoons olive oil (Calolea Olive Oil)

1 carrot, diced (Thao’s Farm)

1 stalk of celery, diced (Four Frog Farm)

1 medium onion, diced (Natural Trading Company)

6 cloves garlic, rough chopped (Ueki Gardens)

3/4 cup red wine

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

6 roma style tomatoes, seeded and quartered (Twin Brooks Farm)

2 cups chicken stock

3 small fresh thyme sprigs (Blossom Hill Farm)

3 small fresh rosemary sprigs (Pilz Produce at Hillcrest)

Trim the beef short ribs of any extra fat on the bone side. Season the ribs all over with salt and pepper.

Heat broiler to high. Place the ribs on a broiler pan or cookie sheet. Broil the ribs for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until well browned. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Place a heavy bottomed Dutch oven on the stove and add the oil. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic to the pan. Cook the vegetables and stir often until browned. Add the wine and vinegar to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan clean. Reduce the liquid by 1/3. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, thyme and rosemary to the pot. Add the ribs and bring the liquid to a boil. The liquid should cover the ribs. Add more chicken stock if you need additional liquid. Cover the pot and place in the oven. Cook the ribs until fork tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The kitchen fork should easily go into the ribs without any resistance. Remove the ribs from the pan. If serving the ribs that day, keep them warm.

Using a ladle or spoon, remove the clear fat on the surface of the sauce. Reduce the sauce a little until it becomes more flavorful and thick. It should be able to coat the back of a spoon. Add the ribs back to the pan.

Herbed Spaetzle

2 large eggs (Blossom Hill Farm)

3/4 to 1 cup milk

2 teaspoons fresh chives, finely chopped (Pilz Produce at Hillcrest)

2 teaspoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (Jim’s Produce)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped (Blossom Hill Farm)

Salt and pepper (Two Spicy Ladies)

2 cups all purpose flour, plus more if needed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling (Calolea Olive Oil)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, make the spaetzle batter.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, 3/4 cup milk and the herbs. Season the mixture with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Add the flour to the bowl and beat well until incorporated. If the batter is too wet, add more flour a tablespoon at a time. If too dry, add a little milk.

Working in batches, press the spaetzle batter through the holes of a colander over the pot of boiling water. The spaetzle should fall in the water. Use a large holed colander or a large holed slotted spoon for this step unless you have a spaetzle maker!

With a slotted spoon, scoop out the spaetzle when cooked (they will float) and transfer to a baking sheet. They will cook quickly so be prepared. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent them from sticking together. Repeat until you have used up all the batter. (You can refrigerate up to a day before serving.) Spaetzle should be cooled before proceeding to the next step.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the butter and a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add the spaetzle and cook until golden brown, about two minutes. Makes 4 servings.