Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Doris Market, Fort Lauderdale, for Yummy Meatballs and Handmade Pasta

I'm fast becoming a fan of Doris Market for Italian specialty items, meat, and fresh food.

In the prepared foods display, the meatballs are big, have just the right of meatiness, nicely seasoned and flavorful.

I hate rolling meat between my hands, so buying handmade when it's this good is a plus.

When it comes to Fort Lauderdale things-to-do and places to eat, if your hotel room has a microwave, you can do worse than pick up some prepared food from the Doris Market case to enjoy a nice meal ensuite.

I also tried the handmade pasta in one of the cooler cases, and I will never want to go back to the dry kind. It melts in my mouth with a creamy delicious taste.

In the meat department,I found a meat loaf package with ground veal, ground pork and ground beef that I can use for my own meat loaf recipe. I got mine decades ago when I used to type recipes from Miss Josephine Vasto, a prolific provider of delicious homemade foods at the Albany Times-Union back in the day.

Miss Vasto was a type of ethnic lady we don't see much anymore: unmarried herself but she doted on cooking for her nieces and nephews.

I also found some rosemary-cheese sausage on sale that looks good. Possible recipes include grilling this with peppers and onions and eating on a savory baguette or enjoying with more of that handmade pasta.

I would have expected to pay $10-$20 more for the same amount of meat products and other food where I usually shop, The Fresh Market, so I was pleasantly surprised by the check out price.

Fresh herbs were $1.50, same price as the farmer's market across the street. I rarely see fresh bay leaves or sage, so I was happy to snap up these. If you have recently moved to South Florida, add "find a farmer's market" for local produce to your list of Fort Lauderdale things-to-do.

In summary, if you live in Broward County and there's a Doris Market near you, I recommend the meatballs and fresh pasta.