Turkey Wing As Big As My Head, and a Recap of the Week

One full week down!  I'm feeling pretty successful.  I cheated a little, but I feel okay about it, and I tried some new things.  Dinner last night was grilled turkey wings.  Nothing fancy... I can't say that I can tell the difference between a local turkey wing and a store bought one specifically, except the ones from the farmer's market were huge!  No real recipe, I just seasoned them with salt, onion powder, and garlic powder and grilled them up!  The side dish was pretty impressive, though:

Grilled Winter Vegetables

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (this was not local, but I have several in my pantry and I need to eat them up before they go bad.)
• 2 medium turnips, ends chopped off and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
• Mixed mushrooms, ends cut off and washed (I was my mushrooms.  Some people think that's bad.  Do what you want.)
• 1Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
• 1 large clove minced garlic
• Kosher Salt
• Smoked Paprika
• Cayenne Pepper
• Olive Oil

Place sweet potatoes in a small pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil and cook until they just start to soften.  The point here is just to get them started cooking, since they need a lot less time than the rest of your vegetables on the grill.  Once they're slightly softer, drain the water and transfer the potato slices to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, onion, garlic, salt, paprika, and pepper.  I used just a sprinkle of both the paprika and pepper, but if you want these spicier you could certainly add more.  Slowly, whisk in olive oil to combine.

Mix turnips, potatoes, and mushrooms in a large bowl.  Pour olive oil mixture over the vegetables and stir to coat them.  Grill on medium high heat until mushrooms and sweet potatoes are cooked through and turnips are crispy.

I actually thought this preparation of  turnips (which I have also never had before this week) was much better than the apple preparation from Wednesday.  The crispness and slight spiciness paired well with the smoother sweet potatoes. And I love mushrooms regardless.  I also only lost TWO turnip slices to the grill - which is really good for me.  I love grilling vegetables, but really suck at keeping them on top of the grill as opposed to down below the heating elements.  I need one of these or something to that effect.

Overall, though, I feel this was a successful first week.  Here is my recap:

Things I used that weren't local, but that I already had in my house (so I don't think they should count against me...):

• Olive Oil
• Brandy
• Wine
• Tomato Paste
• Flour
• Spices
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Fresh Ginger
• Boxed pasta
• Raspberry Blush Vinegar
• Dijon Mustard

Things I had to buy that were not grown locally:

• Shallots (from my local co-op)
• Garlic (from my local co-op)
• Apples
• Lemon
• Shrimp

Things I tried, that I have never eaten before, and would not have eaten had it not been for this challege:

• Herring
• Turnips
• Elk ring bologna

The first list looks pretty reasonable to me.  There are things that I simply cannot get in WI, and that I know I can't live without.  I'm sure I can get the second list down a lot as soon as things start growing again... and the third list is only going to continue to grow!