text:
Cooking From The Farmer's Markets . . . what's on your table these days?
- Breadcrumbs Aug 3, 2011 06:14 AM
This is an exciting time at the farmer's markets where I live (in Southern Ontario, Canada). Luscious stone fruits and a wide variety of vegetables are in abundance. We also have our own, small herb and vegetable garden that has now started to yield super-sweet, juicy tomatoes, zucchini flowers, garlic scapes and, lots of lovely herbs.
Fresh from the vine or ground, this produce is the inspiration for most of our meals at this time of year and I imagine many other hounds are doing the same thing.
I thought it might be fun to start a thread to post an account of what's on our plates these days. Where do you live and what's fresh these days at your market? What wonderful meals are you creating with the season's best? Are you using family recipes, creating your own dishes, delving into seasonal cookbooks? I'll post my dishes here and I'm hoping others will join me in sharing meals, favourite cookbooks, recipes and stories.
FYI, here's a link to a thread on Seasonal Cookbooks if you're looking for some inspiration:
So, what are you cooking from the farmer's markets?
Grilled Chicken Wings
It was extremely exciting to learn that a local organic poultry farmer joined the small farmer's market in my area this year. We've been enjoying his wonderful, plump, juicy whole chickens ever since. Last Friday was the first time he brought chicken wings and I just had to have some. These lovely little morsels had "grill me" written all over them!! I've had a Jill Dupleix recipe (yes, she IS the one who brought us those wonderful Crash Hot Potatoes!!) for Chili-lime Chicken Wings earmarked for some time so it was the first dish that came to mind when I brought my wings home since Jill had indicated the wings could be done in the oven or, on the grill. The wings marinate overnight in a chili-lime, garlic mixture before hitting the grill. They are served w an outstanding Chili-lime sauce drizzled over top. These flavours appeal to us in any event but I have to say, these were simply the best chicken wings we've ever had . . . so flavourful with a wonderful tangy heat from the sauce. Outstanding!
I found the recipe online for those of you that might be interested in this dish but, don't have Jill's cookbook – "Very Simple Food" (which I'd highly recommend btw!):
re: Breadcrumbs
Thank you for posting this. I have wings in the freezer I'd like to use up and this sounds great!
The flavors sound great for a Summer evening and I love the overnight marinating.
re: rabaja
I hope you enjoy it rabaja, do let us know!! btw, it goes really well w sangria!!!
I use this recipe:
re: Breadcrumbs
I am drooling already. I am always looking for good app recipes and have limes to use up, so this is a perfect excuse to make these! I wish we had a good poultry farmer at our local markets. We had a couple of pork farmers at our local farmer's market last week and I got some amazing sausage. If pigs had wings, I'd try this recipe on those!! lol
re: Scirocco
Oh enjoy Scirocco, pls let us know how you like them! I wish we were having them again today!! They really are delicious.
Potato Salad
I'm guessing most of us have our own favourite potato salad recipe and I'm no different. Mine is a pretty standard mayo-based recipe but what really makes it special are the potatoes. On Saturday we stopped in at a local farm market and they had the most beautiful, tiny potatoes I've ever seen. Both blue and white new potatoes ranged from the size of a pea to the size of a grape tomato. They were so fresh and young you could rub the peel off w a brush of a finger. They were begging to be made into potato salad and that's just what happened. This farm also sells just hatched eggs so a few of those were tossed into this salad as well. Perfect w the wings I mentioned up-thread . . . so summery!
re: Breadcrumbs
I made my favorite potato salad this week. Lovely little fingerling potatoes, fresh farm eggs, cucumber, radishes, chives, parsley, oregano, basil, a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and creme fraiche. Yes, just a small amount of creme fraiche.
Also made an heirloom tomato gazpacho. I don't blend mine. Just mix finely chopped vege's - red pepper, serrano, cucumber and red onion- with different colored chopped heirloom tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice. Add some red wine vinegar, great olive oil * and a little sea salt and pepper. Let chill overnight in refrig - mmmm.....
Next up - Black bean and corn salad. The corn is being harvested in Minnesota! That's all I'll eat the next three weeks.
* Twice a year, at our Mill City Farmer's Market, we have access to cold pressed, organic, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil straight from the source. Valli dell'Etna, located on the northern slopes of Mt Etna. I love their Etna Dario, which uses the Brandofino olive. It's a smooth, buttery, beautiful olive oil. Their next visit is first Saturday in September. My calendar is marked.
re: rp1760
All your meals sound wonderful rp and I especially love the idea of adding a little creme fraiche to potato salad. I've added sour cream in the past but this would be nicer.
I can imagine how much you're looking forward to that olive oil, very exciting!!
Pantelleria Potato Salad
I know, I know, I'm on a bit of a "potato salad" binge here but with some of those lovely, tiny potatoes I mentioned up-thread on hand, I wanted to try another dish that would let them really stand out. Thanks to a quick EYB (Eat Your Books) search, I found this recipe in Faith Willinger's book "Red White & Greens". I'd been searching for a mayonnaise free potato salad recipe and this one immediately caught my attention because it called for tomatoes which I can pick fresh from my garden and, red onions which are also fresh and in season now. I didn't follow this recipe to the letter as my potatoes didn't need peeling or chopping and, I used grape tomatoes vs juiced, seeded tomatoes. Faith serves her salad at room temp whereas I served ours warm and boy was it delicious w our grilled steaks. The red wine vinaigrette and capers paired perfectly w these lovely little potatoes and the sweetness of the-just picked tomatoes. I'll definitely be making this dish again and again, everyone loved it!
I should note that this was the first time I've used this cookbook and based on the success of this dish, I'm looking forward to trying more recipes. I'd love to hear if anyone else has some favourites.
re: Breadcrumbs
Coincidently, tonight I'm making Vincenzo's Summer Vegetable Ciambotto from the Red, White and Greens book with veggies from my local farmers' market: Potatoes, eggplant, parsley, peppers...
My favorite potato salad is mayo-less so I'll have to check out the Pantelleria.
Wait till you taste her Toquato's Thick Grilled Eggplant... it's been one of the few ways I cook eggplant since I first made it in '96.
re: Breadcrumbs
We made the Ciambotta last night and thought it was very good. It's much less soupy than others of that ilk that I have had, but very flavorful. I think it's because there's just 2 chopped tomatoes rather than a tin of them. Let it cool a bit before eating, especially if the weather is hot where you are. We added freshly ground Romano over top to each serving.
Also, read her header notes to learn the "real" meaning of Ciambotta. She's a hoot.
re: Gio
Gio I had to let you know that I pulled Red, White & Greens again to look at that Eggplant recipe and aside from it sounding wonderful, I also discovered a coincidence.
Not sure if you recall that this dish gets its name from the vendor at the Santo Spirito farmer's market in Florence. When I read that my jaw dropped. This market is one we've frequented regularly as we rent a villa a short walk away. I couldn't help but think I may have purchased Torquato's eggplants on one of our visits to the market!! Such a small world isn't it? mr bc took lots of photos so at some point he's going to look through them to see if we have a photo w this vendor in it! Thanks for pointing me to this recipe Gio, it brought back lots of wonderful memories of Florence!
re: Breadcrumbs
Oh what a happy memory! Vincenzo figures mightily as Senora Willinger perambulates though Italy. As does Torquato. And Massimo.
For the past few weeks, my "farmer's market" has been my own backyard: eggplant and tomato tian; eggplant tapenade; tomato soup; homemade ketchup; green beans with roasted red peppers; habenoros and bhut jolokia chutney; pesto (only purchased ingredient was walnuts); brinjal biryani; fried zuchinni blossoms. All that and I'm still handing out homegrown veggies to friends and neighbors, and all from a tiny backyard plot.
re: pine time
pine time I'm wishing I was your neighbour!! If you have a moment, could you tell me more about your bhut jolokia chutney?
Not exactly cooking, but Italian salads with our homegrown tomatoes. Either Insalata Caprese or something my wife calls Italian Tomato Salad. The former one, if it is not familiar to one, is alternating layers of sliced tomato and sliced fresh mozzarella topped with "basilico tagliato a brandelli" (basil sliced to shreds, I do not use French culinary terms...ugh) and drizzled extra virgin olive oil. The latter one is diced tomato with diced raw onion bathed in oil and a little red wine vinegar, the juice being sopped up with Italian bread.
Buon appetito e mangia bene!
re: ChiliDude
I think this one is the boom just droped copies off at our farmers market.
re: don515
That sounds great don. I tend to like my corn w just butter and salt but after trying a COTM recipe for something a little more exotic, I'm ready to try other variations. Thanks for sharing!
re: Breadcrumbs
Not a problem wait on a review!
re: don515
one of our favorite local restaurants does this every summer (except they rub it on the cob and serve it whole) for only $2 an ear!! SO SO SO good. I am usually just a simple seasoning girl with my corn, but this prep is amazing.
re: ChiliDude
Buon appetito to you as well ChiliDude, both salads sound scrumptious! Caprese is one of my favourites and I haven't tried the second one but I'll most certainly do so! Thanks.
I love it now. Fresh local corn was available Monday at the farmers market plus I got some fresh peaches that were fabulous.
Last weekend I made cheddar dill scones using fresh dillweed from the garden. I think this recipe would have been better as biscuits, not scones.
Planning a cherry tomato salad for company with the vinaigrette specified but also making Green Goddess dressing with herbs from my garden.
Made Texas celery seed dressing last week because it is so good on leftover cold green beans.
Made my first summer rolls using Maine shrimp. The lady has a cute, new refrigerated van to carry her wares.
Bought fingerling potatoes but not sure how I'm going to prepare them.
Planning zucchini potato gratin and zucchini everything now that my garden is in full swing.
Tonight, a veggie stir fry with the last of the sugar snap peas, an Asian green, and a leaf radish.
Have made beet and beet green gratin.
Planning a single jar of dilly beans.
Have a grilled zucchini, red onion, and portabello salad to try.
Had to freeze some broccoli surplus but have a broccoli quiche in mind.
DIL is planning the first of many batches of zucchini relish.
Time for another batch of Zuni Cafe zucchini pickles for the frig. I like the pickles on my burger with a bit of ketchup.
Thinking about dill pesto.
I have lots of recipes I've printed off the internet. I have two garden cookbooks from the 80s but the recipes are somewhat ordinary. Still make good references, though.
re: dfrostnh
Corn! With heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, evoo, and basil. Had this for supper three times in the past week!
re: Tonality666
wish I had staggered the planting of my corn...it's all gone already.
re: Tonality666
Tonality I love your idea of adding corn to this mix, that dish sounds de-lish!
re: dfrostnh
Thanks for mentioning that Zuni recipe dfrostnh, it sounds like something we'd like so I'll definitely check it out! All your meals sound terrific. I'm with you on the peaches, they are absolutely fabulous this year it seems. So sweet and juicy!
re: dfrostnh
When I eat my first fingerlings of the year I just steam them and eat them with salt and pepper, maybe a smidge of butter to experience their true wonderfulness.
Dill pesto seems too dilly to me, personally, but I am not a big dill lover.
We are in corn mode: grilled, steamed, raw in salads with black eyed peas.
cilantro pesto, basil pesto, arugula and plum and /or apricot salad.
Steamed green beans with chopped hard boiled egg, sweet onion and tomatoes.
re: dfrostnh
Would you mind sharing a recipe for your zucchini potato gratin, please?
re: sweetTooth
Sure sweetTooth. I had to find my recipe to make it yesterday. It's simply called Summer Squash Gratin and depends on 1/4 C fresh oregano for flavor. I used Swiss cheese but it is better with Gruyere.
re: dfrostnh
Thanks so much! It was a good reminder to *search* Heidi's blog for recipes. I forget sometimes how many she has posted over the years and tend to remember only about 5 most recent.
It was raining and a little cooler here yesterday (Boston) and was perfect weather for eggplant rollatini. Breaded and baked strips of eggplant stuffed with basil and cheeses topped with fresh tomato sauce. Served with arugula salad.
Tonight is charred corn tacos with zucchini-radish slaw with a tomato arugula salad and black beans.
I have a ton of basil right now and will make pesto and freeze.
re: jules127
jules those tacos sound wonderful! I can't wait for our eggplant to start making an appearance at the market, it's one of my favourites!
Having fun with summer bounty here in SoCal. Recipes from cookbooks, internet, cooking shows, or just using what needs to be used up. On our table this past few weeks -
Corn - puddings and spoonbreads, griddle cakes (thanks for the Jack Bishop book rec, Breadcrumbs! These were a hit with guests), succotash
zuchhini - pancakes, pasta, rice gratin
heirloom spinach - quesadillas
green/yellow wax beans - sabji with roti, salad with corn and basil, salade nicoise without tuna
poblano/pasilla/ancho chiles - pureed for enchilada suizas sauce, in corn pudding, rajas tacos coming up soon
bell peppers - paneer jalfrezi with roti, roasted in sandwiches with pesto, in pastas
eggplant - sadly not much of this from organic/sustainable stands this season. A pretty good Eggplant Deva knock off (a la Bombay Cafe) last night. A fairly meh gratin with tomatoes on a bed of onion jam. Bunch more oil would've fixed it imo.
Summer fruit - Arugula salads with these and pistachios and goat cheese. Peach Kuchen.
Other - soup a pistou. Cucumber-mint-lime agua fresca from simplyrecipes.com
re: sweetTooth
Oh my goodness, what a wonderful and delicious-sounding assortment of dishes sweetTooth! I love Peach Kuchen!! If I have time, I'm hoping to make a peach and creme fraiche pie today. We'll see though as I have a ton of stuff to do!
I'll have to check out that agua fresca recipe too! So glad to hear the Bishop book worked out for you, thanks for letting me know.
re: Breadcrumbs
Aww, thanks Breadcrumbs! When I have such fabulous inspiration and tips from these boards and great local produce from the markets, there's no excuse for blah food.
re: sweetTooth
SweetTooth, you know Bombay Cafe has a cookbook if you want the real recipe.
re: dkennedy
Hah! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks for the tip, dkennedy!
One of my favorite things to make in the summer is ratatouille! I add lots of garlic and basil, and just have it on its own or on crusty bread or even some pasta. Add a hotter pepper for a fun kick too!
With similar ingredients, you can make what the Catalans call an "escalivada". Pretty much you char summer vegetables on the grill, take off the blackened skins, cut into strips, and serve together with a dressing of olive oil and salt... a lunch staple for me too :)
Prime season here in Milwaukee. Picked up a ton of big sun-ripened tomatoes, peppers, cukes and onions and made a giant batch of gazpacho, which has been a perfect lazy dinner during the steamy weather we've had.
I also tried these charred corn tacos from Smitten Kitchen the other week. DELICIOUS.
re: mse924
Those tacos look great mse, thanks for sharing!
one of the organic stands at my local farmers market sells "hurt" tomatoes for $2/pound -- perfect for roasted tomato and fennel (onion and garlic) soup.
after roasting the veggies, add stock (whatever you have), a sprig of rosemary, a parm rind and let simmer for 15-30 minutes.
i let it cool before removing the rosemary and parm rind and pureeing. serve hot, chilled or at room temp. freezes well.
re: wonderwoman
Your soup sounds amazing wonderwoman, I love roasted fennel and imagine the garlic would be fabulous in the dish. Yum!
Green beans are plump and crisp right now. They are perfect for pickling and I just put up a batch of dills last night with plans to try a spicy batch once my habaneros come in. Cucumbers are also everywhere, so I have steady supply of fresh kimchi and pickles to last me the next few months.
Summer squash is coming in strong, making them perfect for stuffing with lamb and serving with a yogurt sauce. Simply peeled into strips, they are also a perfect salad with the mint that is sprouting up in the garden. The young chard that I am starting to see at the markets also looks perfect for stuffing, much like grape leaves, but I have yet to try. I am more excited for tomatoes and peppers to come in. Once they do, I will be sitting pretty on tons ratatouille with lemon thyme from the garden, not to mention pickled peppers stuffed with breadcrumbs and cheese.
re: JungMann
JungMann I really like your idea of stuffing the summer squash. For some reason I've only ever stuffed zucchini but I think this would be terrific. Thanks for the idea. I also though your idea of stuffing pickled peppers was really creative. Are the peppers sweet or hot?
re: Breadcrumbs
The stuffed peppers I had were hot Italian cherry peppers. My friend's parents brought the recipe with them from Sicily and I can't get enough.
Yesterday from our local farmers' market we bought: Cavolo nero, courgettes, green beans and wax beans, corn, cucumbers, caulifower. Plus, 2 luciously thick fillets of fresh caught local stripped bass which I made last night with a recipe from Eat Right, Eat Well The Italian Way by Edward Giobbi.
The fillets were roasted over potatoes, with a sauce made from a combination of tomatoes, capers, dried black olives, onions & garlic, oregano and hot red pepper flakes, S & P. Absolutely the best dish I've had in a long time. The kitchen smelled like Summer in Messina... served with broccoli tossed with a freshly grated Romano dressing...and grilled corn o/t cob with melted butter, lots of FGBpepper and a drizzle of fresh lime juice.
re: shaebones
I'm away from my book right now but I found this similar - actually quite like - recipe. Apparently it's a favorite Messina dish as is mentioned in the book. There are a few variations from the Giobbi recipe and I'll note them after the link:
While the potatoes are cooking, pre-heat the oven to 450F.
The fish is Not cooked separately, everything is roasted in a baking pan together. I used a pyrex baking dish about 9"x12". This is for 2 bass fillets about 1 1/2" thick. Ours weighed about 1 1/2 lbs.
Use 6 Tblsp EVOO
Use 1 medium onion
Canned whole tomatoes are OK
Add the chopped parsley when you add the oregano
Book says 12 pitted dried black olives
Add the chopped olives with the oregano & parsley
Add tomatoes last and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every now and then
Include crushed red pepper flakes to taste
> cook the potatoes as this recipe says.
> make the sauce
> when sauce is cooked put 1/2 the sauce on bottom of baking pan
>place the potatoes in one layer on sauce
>I seasoned the potatoes with a bit of S & P
>place the fillets on top of the potatoes
>ladle the rest of the sauce over the fish
Bake for 20 minutes till fish is done.
20 minutes was perfect for us. The fish was moist, juicy, pure white opalescent, flaked beautifully.. And... absolutely insanely delicious. Buon Appetito...!
re: shaebones
Two ingredients are missing from the list above.
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tblsp capers, rinsed
>cook onions, garlic, wine then add .tomatoes, oregano, parsley, capers, S&P together and cook.
>then continue as I wrote to compose the sauce, potatoes and fish in the roasting pan.
Happy fishing...
I like to take small, yellow, crookneck squash, slice in half lengthwise, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook on the grill. Like corn done on the grill also. Pull the husks back, remove the silks, put husks back in place and grill.
Got some lovely tiny little apricots.
Apricot Galette:
Apricot Chutney:
re: Matahari22
Any tricks to taking the pits out of the apricots Matahari. It seems like such a fussy task though I would dearly love to eat your Galette and chutney!!
re: Breadcrumbs
No tricks, just me with a knife, and patience, standing there peeling and slicing. If I would have thought about it, I would have gotten more of the lovely huge peaches, instead of the little apricots. Good thing it's just me, I don't have to make too much to satisfy much appetite.
I may see if my step granfather has any of his tiny plums yet. Again, patience is required, but they are oh so yummy, so it's worth it. :)
re: Matahari22
Thank-you Matahari . . . I wish I was your neighbour!!! ; - )
Last night we grilled thick slices of eggplant, brushed with olive oil and finished with coarse salt and chiffonade of mint and basil, served with a platter of cukes and tomatoes alonside simply steamed roma beans.
The farmers' markets are stuffed with all kinds of produce here in Boston right now. It's a wonderful time to just make a good, hearty, vegetable soup. I made one a few nights ago with green beans, cranberry beans, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, garlic, and fresh herbs (already had some celery and onion on hand.) I used my homemade chicken stock and flavored the soup more with some diced pancetta browned in olive oil, a couple of the parmigiano reggiano rinds I keep in the freezer, a splash of red wine, and the juice of 1 lemon. Simple and absolutely delicious.
Next--pesto! I've got a bunch of gorgeous-looking basil in the fridge. I've also got more of those wonderful cranberry beans, so I think I'll pick up some more corn and make a succotash with some diced farmers' market bacon, sauteed onion, and fresh thyme.
A mid-week stop at a farm stand yielded a huge bunch of swiss chard. I reserved the stems to roast w some cauliflower today (Gio's wonderful idea for chard w the wide, white stems!) The leaves were sliced and added to Black-Eyed Peas w Trinidadian Seasonings, a COTM dish I'd made the night prior. I served this over brown rice I'd prepared in the rice cooker w some grilled Bajan Chicken alongside. We loved the chard in the pea mixture as their bitterness was a nice contrast to the rich, stew-like flavours of the dish.
re: Breadcrumbs
Could you be more specific about the "Trinidadian seasonings?" This dish sounds promising and I am always looking for new ways to cook leafy greens!
re: Lady_Tenar
Absolutely LT, the seasonings are: thyme, paprika, chili flakes, allspice, mustard and salt.
Here's a link to my COTM post which will give you a good idea how this all comes together if you'd like to take a look:
re: Lady_Tenar
Would you consider stuff like basil and parsley to be usable as leafy greens? If not, why not? In many E/SE Asian-type influenced dishes I do I use them as such. It is not an entirely strange notion, even for Western folks - after all, tabbouleh, to name one dish not too far removed from Western sensibilities, uses parsley - fistfuls of it - as the "leafy greens" base. Then there are some Western-type herb salads made with armloads of leafy herbs...
We were delighted to get a big bunch of zucchini flowers at the farmer's market yesterday so last night I put them to good use. To start I made fried zucchini flowers and for our main course
I made Pennette con Fiori di Zucchine from Trattoria Cooking by Biba Caggiano. (p. 112 )
This was a wonderful, summery dish that came together fairly quickly after the zucchini flowers were cleaned, had their pistils removed and sliced lengthways into quarters. Instead of using zucchini, I sliced some summer squash which was in abundance at our farmer's market this week. I also used bacon instead of pancetta since I thought the smoky flavour would be nice w the other ingredients. Since bacon tends to be fattier than pancetta, I also omitted the ¼ cup of olive oil. I would say that the flavour of the zucchini flowers was lost in this dish. Not sure if the smokiness of the bacon contributed to this issue however since the other flavours were so pleasing, I didn't feel the zucchini flowers added anything other than visual appeal so they weren't really worth the effort that went in to preparing them. That said, this was a rich and delicious wine-friendly meal that I'll happily make again.
re: Breadcrumbs
I love Biba's cooking and her cookbooks. That dish looks so yummy. My step mom just gave me more squash, and a tomato. I may try something like this tomorrow. I even have some bacon to try. I love summer. :) So many garden delights.
re: Matahari22
I completely agree w you on Biba Matahari, she's wonderful. I hope you enjoy your rendition of this dish, do let us know what you make. It truly is a wonderful time of the year.
re: Breadcrumbs
I have Biba on as one of the pages I like on FB. She often posts food pictures at one or two in the morning, I assume when the restaurant closes. Makes my stomach growl every time she posts something. :)
re: Matahari22
Oh how wonderful Matahari, I'm not a FB member but can still check out her page. Thanks for pointing this out!!
re: Matahari22
I tried to find her page on FB, but couldn't turn anything to do with cooking up. Any clues on how to find her page?
re: Breadcrumbs
I'm curious as to what you mean by "cleaning" the zucchini flowers and why you remove the pistils. I check for insects (found a live bee on time) and rinse them but aside from that I use everything.
re: escondido123
Sure escondido. I first learned to prepare these while on a vacation at an Agro-tourismo in Tuscany. I give the flowers a quick dip in some clean water then set them out on a towel to dry off. I remove the tiny, prickly leaves at the base of the flower. I don't imagine these would harm you but I prefer not to have them attached so I can ensure there won't be any textural issues - also, I sometimes find these leaves can be wilted so removing them improves the appearance of the dish as well. As for the pistil, I asked the same question you did....I was told that it ensures there aren't any bugs lurking inside the blossom. Evidently, ants are the biggest culprit as they like to burrow inside the opening of the pistil. After hearing this, I simply didn't want to take any chances so I always remove them.
Hope this helps.
re: Breadcrumbs
Interesting, I was wondering about the recommendation to remove the pistil too. In the end, I did not remove it. If there were ants, I guess they added protein to the dish.
re: Breadcrumbs
I'm fine with the way I do it, but thanks for your experience.
• Tomato soup - with fresh ripe tomatoes.
• Insalata Caprese - with Heirlooms (coming in now) & freshly made mozzarella.
• Fingerlings - of different varieties, fresh from the ground, simply boiled; or w/ cabbage/sauerkraut & freshly made kielbasa etc.
• Baby squash & zucchini - real teeny ones, of appealing colors and shapes & textures; just simply sauteed whole.
• (Spinach - from earlier in the season - "winter type", with stout short stems and thicker leaves, sweet; blanched in oiled hot water & drizzled with a suitable sauce like oyster sauce or ponzu then with a little pepper.)
• Baby kale & collards - simply sauteed, or blanched & treated as done above with the spinach; or in soups.
• Italian flat beans - young/small ones; sauteed; or "stir-fried" with sauteed onions & fresh tomatoes & basil --> gives a nice slightly soupy/sauced mix.
• Green & Wax beans - simple (HOT) stir-fry w/ garlic. (Ditto new, fresh, sugar snap peas from earlier in the season, but w/ olive oil, flor de sal, and no garlic.)
• Basil (Western/Italian) - Pesto; stir-fries w/ other stuff (used as a leafy veggie).
• Basil (Thai) - from own garden - in soups, stir fries w/ e.g. pork or chicken & Chinese black bean paste; with phở, etc; luxury of fresh, crisp, stuff vs. stuff from Texas etc flown in in other seasons.
• Small orange sweet peppers - of unknown name, grown by one particular farmer at my local market, perfect for stuffing with a fish paste (chả cá) preparation to make Yong Tau Foo (as one of several stuffed items).
• Etc.
• Dislike corn. Always find it interesting, this obsession with it by so many others.
• Not keen on fresh berries etc; never cared much for the boxes of squishy raspberries, strawberries etc; nor for pies etc made from berries thereof.
There is a great deal of veggies etc that I get year-round from groceries (Western-type and "Asian"/Chinese/Japanese) which are of good quality nowadays (and perfectly fine), not significantly different in taste from stuff at farmer's markets "in season". In fact, I often bypass the farmer's market for certain kinds of stuff and just head over to the appropriate grocery.
From the farmers' market: small fingerlings, lovely baby beets, onions. Transformed into a delicous and quite satisfying salad. Roasted the beets, steamed the potatoes, thinly sliced the onion. Vinaigrette of: olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, parsley, Dijon, S & P. Everything carefully mixed together and served at room temp.
Recipe from Edward Giobbi's Eat Right Eat Well (second ed.) page 413 if anyone's interested.
re: Gio
From the same market, both wax beans and green beans. Used the wax variety for a COTM recipe called Bengali-Style Green Beans. Here's a link to my report:
I'll use the green beans within a few days. Also got a really beautiful bunch of Tuscan kale: cavolo nero. These will be cooked tonight....kale, garlic, raisins,,,
Got some squash (green and yellow), basil and tomatoes and made a casserole by layering slices of all with breadcrumbs, seasoning and butter and baking covered for about 45 min. Tonight the rest of the basil is for Ina Garten;s French potato salad..
Ok, at the farmer's market here in Portland Maine, I got the most luscious Heirloom tomatoes yesterday. Its a unique type that has been named "Immigrant's Daughter" by Freedom Farm where they are grown here (a long story about how they got the seeds, but in short, from the elderly daughter of an Italian immigrant who passed the seeds on to this farm to ensure this particular tomato would be propagated after she passed on). They were so good that I just sliced them and served them as a side dish for grilled salmon, on a bed of baby arugula (also from the farmer's market), drizzled with my best olive oil a bit of coarse salt. I have also been getting golden beets which I roast and then toss with goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. Another farmer's market treat--baby artichokes. Yes, here in Maine people have learned how to grow them and they are are delicious.
I found some okra and threw it on the grill after brushing with olive oil. grilled for ten minutes, turning once and then sprinkled with smoky salt. Three okra haters were wowed.
I love this time of year!
I bought bulk seconds from a producer at a local market-- 75 lbs! Made marinara.
Herbs de Provence succotash with corn, limas, bell peppers, baby artichokes and onions, cooked in evoo and butter and finished with a splash of chicken stock (vs. creme to be a bit healthier)
Warm Potato Salad
I was looking for a quick, no-mayo potato salad that called for grainy mustard and a quick EYB search landed me on this recipe from Nigella Express (by Nigella Lawson) that fit the bill on all counts. This is the first time I've cooked from this book and if today's dish was any indication of the other recipes, I'll have to give this book a closer look.
The light dressing of white wine vinegar (I used riesling vinegar) and garlic olive oil really allowed the fresh baby new potatoes to shine. We loved the subtle pop/crunch that mustard seeds add and, this salad turned out to be a perfect match for our toasted ham, swiss and heirloom tomato sandwiches on rye. The salad was great warm and at room temp (when we went back for seconds!)
re: Breadcrumbs
Your potato salad reminds me of the first time I ate potato salad with no-mayo, in Germany many years ago. As I've not eaten Mayo in a decade or more, it is the type of potato salad I will make; as well as cole slaw now - thrown together with olive oil and vinegar, not mayo. (I still eyeball the tubs of potato salad w/mayo at Costco, but have succumbed only a few times.)
I notice that in TGIF (restaurant), they are now serving cole slaw with balsamic, and in another restaurant, Sweetwater Tavern, they are serving cole slaw using a yogurt with herbs. These do/would take a bit of getting used to as the normal fare in anyone's home kitchen, but I favor no mayo.
A reminder: I'm going to have to add some grainy mustard to get some popping-fresh action. Thanks for the pictures. Nice.
mm this week has been great so far:
Corn chowder
Corn Pudding
Ratatouille (more like a summer veggie stew with cherry tomatoes)
Summer squash casserole
zucchini frittatas
Cucumber raita
I need more meals in a day to eat everything I want to make!!
My new favorite summer farmer's market dish is this roasted corn chowder. I never thought a vegan chowder could be this good, but it really is! Here's a picture, too: http://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2011...
Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder
4 large ears corn on the cob, shucked and silk removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, minced
1 medium red onion, minced
1 1/4 cups diced celery
1 tablespoon non-hydrogenated margarine, such and Earth Balance or Smart Balance
2 1/2 tablespoons flour (all purpose or white whole wheat
)1 3/4 pound Yukon gold potatoes, diced small
4 cups chicken-style vegetable broth
4 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (or regular if you're not vegan)
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Black pepper to taste
Pinch smoked paprika (or substitute regular paprika)
4-5 dashes of Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
If broiling the corn, heat the broiler to high. Place the corn on a baking sheet and broil, turning as necessary, until lightly charred on all sides. If grilling, grill the corn until lightly charred. Cut the kernels from the cobs and set aside.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large heavy pot. Add the onion, garlic, hot pepper and celery, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add the Earth Balance and stir until melted. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
Add the roasted corn, potatoes, stock, almond milk, Worcestershire sauce, sherry, bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper, paprika and Tabasco. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Remove about 1 1/2 cups of the soup and puree in a food processor or blender. Stir the puree back into the pot. Add the parsley and lemon juice and serve, adding freshly ground black pepper to each bowl.
Rigatoni Rigoletto
Fresh borlotti beans and basil were the inspiration for this dish from 1,000 Italian Recipes by the yet-to-disappoint Michele Scicolone. Evidently this pasta is named after Rigoletto from Verdi's opera as this dish originates in Mantua, the setting for this tale.
Once your beans have cooked, this meal comes together in no time which was definitely a plus since we were quite hungry after a long day of errands. The farm market we visited today had the last of their peas available so I decided to add those to this dish for a bit of colour and, to add a sweet, nutty flavour. The tomato flavour in the sauce comes from mixing tomato paste w water and once this sauce simmers w the meat and other ingredients the sauce reduces, intensifying and homogenizing all the flavours. Though this cooked for such a short time, the deep flavours were reminiscent of a long simmering Tuscan ragu. Just a lovely meal where the finishing touch of chopped basil brightens the dish and reminds you its still SUMMER!!!!
re: Breadcrumbs
Looking at these even at 6:30am, they make my mouth water. I've not seen fresh green beans, nor any kind of beans at the markets here in Shenandoa Valley, near Winchester, VA - nor even PEAS! I just put borlotti are on my list of seeds to order for next year.
Growing in my garden, Swiss Chard, Cucumbers, Bush Beans, Squash of many varieties, Basil, Black Krim, Red Siberian, Roma, and Brandywine tomatoes, Marconi, Jalapeno, and Hungarian peppers, Carrots, Beets, Parsley, Sorrel, and Onions. I have been making, Minestrone, Braised Chard, Tomato sandwhiches, Cucumber and Tomato salads, Pickled you name it, Squash cakes, Squash Breads, Frittata, tonight it will be Gazpacho with grilled Shrimp.
re: Breadcrumbs
This is my first garden, my experiment year. I did about 90% seeds, purchased eggplant, celery, and some romaine. The rest was all heirloom seeds. So fun and thrilling to watch it all come together. My favorite things are the lemon cucumbers and the Black Krim tomatoes. Those tomatoes are like eating a fine piece of meat.
re: JEN10
Wow, congratulations Jen, what a fabulous success for your first experiment! Clearly you have a green thumb! I have to say, of all the fresh summer produce, by far and away, what I most look forward to are the tomatoes. Yours look spectacular! I've never heard of lemon cucumbers. Is their name reflective of their flavour or colour?
re: Breadcrumbs
Hi Breadcrumbs,
Thank you, I am grateful to have the built in green thumb. Although I think some of it is luck, weather, and a sence of humor (I talk to the plants). The lemon cucumbers are yellow, shaped like a lemon, and they do have a different flavor. They have done relly well here and I had so many I made some pickled ones sliced thick and added some Jalapeno's to the mix. We shall see, again this is all new to me. I find it theraputic and it gets me back in touch with Mother Nature.
re: JEN10
Thanks so much for sharing Jen, the cucumbers sound lovely and I'll have to keep my eyes out for the seeds when I'm ordering next year. I love the idea of pickling them w some jalapeno....yum!! I couldn't agree more. Cooking and gardening are so therapeutic and it's nice to know that you've created something (w a little help from mother nature of course w the gardening!!) ; - )
re: Rella
I live in Boulder County Co, we have had a nice hot summer with above avg. temps. I have had to use a nasty smelling natural (some sort of urine) spray to keep the cottontail's out of the garden. The Robin's did a great job with any of the other creatures that were around. Yesterday I found a praying mantid so I guess Mother Nature is doing her job.
My four year old told the farmer today that "beans with coats" are really good. And they have sausage.
Shells are just awesome. We usually shell them as a family at the table. They need so little even though I give them full treatment. I adore the fact that my kids will eat plain boiled lima beans tossed with a little salted butter. Yeah!
Also terrific right now, finishing our lamb most as lamb burgers, diving peppers and eggplant, and tomatoes, finally, TOMATOES. My favorite is a clear tomato consumme maybe by cooking the chopped tomatoes for five minutes and then straining in a chinois.
Well, it's that time of year again so I'm bumping this thread to pick up where I left off last year. We cooked some delicious dishes together last year so I do hope folks will join me again this year!
A couple of weeks ago I picked up a new book called The Farm by Ian Knauer. So far I've made 4 dishes from the book and they've all been great. I've posted info about Mustard-Garlic Chicken Paillards with Spring Peas and Lemon, Asparagus, the Baby Potato Roast and the Rhubarb-Sour Cream Crostata in another thread and will add a link below in case folks are interested. Yesterday I made the Honey Jalapeno Chicken Tenders and they were outstanding - the perfect combo of sweet/hot flavours with a kiss of smokiness from the grill.
From a great little Canadian cookbook called Niagara cooks I did a riff on a recipe for Asparagus with a pea puree dip. I grilled my asparagus and infused the sweet, fresh-tasting pea puree with some wasabi. We served this as a starter and there wasn't a leftover in sight!!
Carrying on the theme of starters, from Michele Scicolone's wonderful book "The Antipasto Table" I made some marinated mushrooms that were among the best we've had at home thus far.
The Bulgur Salad With Cucumbers, Radishes, and Green Onions - Eating Local: 150 Recipes from the Farm to Your Table by Janet Fletcher and Sur La Table p. 70
Bulgur is the perfect weeknight side dish since it cooks in an instant! This is the perfect salad to host the best from your garden. I did find the dill to be a little over-powering but I was alone in my view, everyone else loved it. I'd definitely make this again.
So, what are you cooking?
Here's the link to the other dishes I mentioned. FYI, you'll need to scroll down to see all of them:
re: Breadcrumbs
Honey, jalapeno chicken tenders sounds amazing.. would it be too much for you to post recipe?
re: drewb123
Here you go drew:
re: Breadcrumbs
re: Breadcrumbs
I was all set to ask you about the bulgur salad recipe but found it easily on the SLT website. Have all the ingredients on hand so this on the dinner menu tonight.
re: Breadcrumbs
Reporting in on the bulghur salad which, in my case, turned into a faro salad because that's what I had, it turned out. I also ended up subbing basil for the parseley. It was a great salad and very sturdy so that leftovers held up well and only tasted better over time. Def. a keeper!
re: Breadcrumbs
Your bulgar salad reminded me that I'm all set to try my hand at quinoa to replace bulgar use in salads.
Just wondering if anyone has tried this replacement, just as a matter of course when one sees 'bulgar,' then quinoa in a substitute in 'most' recipes.
re: Rella
For cooking I think you'd be fine substituting one for the other Rella. The only thing I think you'd need to watch out for is the water to grain ratio. In my experience the coarser ground bulgur calls for a higher ratio of water than quinoa or more finely ground bulgur would.
I haven't baked with quinoa so I don't know how that would translate.
re: Breadcrumbs
Water to grain seems to be a real problem until one experiments for almost every brand/type/coarseness - I finally did find a mom-and-pop, Turkish I believe, market that offered different coarseness with some ratio and times on their labels.
As far as that problem is concerned, I'm going to use the rice cooker and experiement with one brand I have a lot of.
I was just wondering about the taste of say a tabulleh recipe - one that was made with bulgar and the standard ingredients, vs. the same tabulleh recipe made with quinoa instead. I guess it's like perhaps, would one use the same recipe of (bulgar) tabulleh recipe made with rice instead of bulgar - would they compute to a copacetic - agreeable - taste.
Will have to find out.
Spicy Garlic and Smoked Paprika Roasted Shrimp – p. 160
It's a bit too early for garlic yet but green garlic is abundant at the market so I thought I'd make use of a mix of regular and green garlic in this dish. I first roasted shrimp during the Melissa Clark COTM and was immediately hooked on this method for its simplicity, speed to the table and for the delicious extra-sweet results. This was a terrific dish with lots of flavour from the smoked paprika. Dinner was on the table within 30 mins of taking the shrimp out of the fridge! What more can you ask for. 2nd dish I've made from this book and this is the best of the two.
re: Breadcrumbs
This is very inspiring Breadcrumbs! I have a bad habit of overbuying at farmer's market; poor impluse control when faced with beautiful produce!! I'll have to keep checking this board for ideas..
re: rstuart
Thanks rstuart, Like you, i'm inspired to see what folks make with all the wonderful things at their markets. My weakness is fresh basil, I cant seem to "just walk away"
Thanks for the bump, Breadcrumbs. Our farmer's market (central Indiana) is starting to come alive with produce (after a few weeks of bedding plants). I've purchased wonderful beets the past couple of weeks--pickled them with onions (and used some leftover liquid from canning to make a couple of red beet eggs, the eggs also from the market.). Some interesting lettuces, too, which made foundations for wonderful salads. I'm probably going to buy some more beets because I have a recipe for roasted beets with Moroccan spices that sounds good, although the weather has been too miserably hot for me to turn on the oven.
Your pictures are wonderful!
re: nofunlatte
Thanks so much nofunlatte and it was nice to read about your farmers market. It will likely be a few weeks yet until we get beets but I'm intrigued by your red beet eggs. Would you mind sharing what you did?
re: Breadcrumbs
Actually, I had leftover pickling liquid, which I put in a jar and placed a couple of (peeled) hardboiled eggs in. Leave it for a day or two and the eggs become a beautiful pink. The whites toughen up a bit and you get a nice, vinegary egg.
re: nofunlatte
Great idea nofunlatte and what a fun "right-from-the-fridge" snack for summertime.
re: nofunlatte
I adore beets in every way and am always looking for new ways to serve them. Last night I made a beet lasagna w bechamel and garlic scape pesto. What are you going to do w the Moroccan spiced beets?
re: jules127
Dice them and put them into a salad. I just have to wait for the weather to cool down a little, because they roast at 400°F for 1-2 hours!
Sunday we went to our local FM and came home with beautiful strawberries, beets, torpedo onions, zucchini, plums and apricots.
Most of the fruit we ate out of hand, and the squash we grilled. I hope to make a gratin this week with caramelized onions and thinly sliced summer squash. That dish really says summer to me, especially with some marjoram and chèvre tucked in.
I'm going back this morning for more apricots, specifically, and hopefully some nice chard and lettuces.
I really cannot wait for tomatoes. We planted ten plants ourselves this year, but I don't anticipate them coming in for at least three more weeks.
My motivation for the apricots is partially for fruit to make in a crostata for a party this weekend, but mostly for the pits. I've been hoarding the pits all season this year to stock up my noyeaux supply. They make such delicious ice cream and cookies to go with the stone fruit all summer long.
My husband took a handful of apricots to work yesterday and did not come home with the pits for me! Shocking, I thought I had trained him better.
re: rabaja
After Googling "noyaux" I found the following recipe by Judy Rogers of Zuni Cafe fame...
I had no idea pits from stone fruit can be used. I actually thought they were toxic. Another reason to love the Home Cooking board, Thanks, Rabaja.
re: Gio
They are toxic, but only in large quantities. You wouldn't ingest enough just having a dessert made from them. Some people do snack on them for medicinal reasons as well, but not me.
I only save the apricot pits, although the same flavor is in all stone fruit, to some degree. It is actually also found in apple seeds, if you wanted to nibble on those, you'd taste it.
I don't bother drying the noyaux out in the oven. I like the clean, untoasted flavor, and you don't really need to. Just line up your pits on a towel, on a hard surface, cover with the other half of your towel (pieces of shell are likely to fly) and tap with a hammer to access inner seed. It's softer, and more pale.
I take my accumulated noyaux and process them in a food processor, sometimes with sugar, before steeping them in cream or incorporating them into cookie doughs.
I throw the pits into the freezer whole and remove the noyaux when I have time. It's like having money in your freezer, or what's that saying?
re: Gio
Amaretto liqueur is flavored with apricot kernels (not with almonds), and likewise amaretti di Saronno cookies are made from apricot kernels.
I had an apricot upside-down cake with noyaux ice cream at a local restaurant recently, and the ice cream had a subtle flavor that was a perfect complement to the fruit.
You can actually buy bags of noyaux via mail order; they are sold to people who want to take them for the naturally occurring laetrile, which is believed by some to fight cancer.
re: rabaja
What an incredible bounty rabaja and fascinating to learn about noyeaux.
re: monavano
Omg mona, I wish I was having dinner at your place. Your menu sounds ridiculously good!
re: dianne0712
Mmm, sounds delicious dianne. Funny I was looking at an apple/kohlrabi slaw!
It's been a good week.
Monday night, we ate lamb chops that I bought from the farmer's market seared on the stove with fresh thyme (also from the market) in olive oil (also from the market). Tuesday, I had Stuffed Shells with a marinara sauce made from scratch from tomatoes, basil, and thyme from the market. The garlic bread also came from a bread vendor at the market. I'm having the leftovers from that tonight.
I've also enjoyed lots of fresh strawberries, blueberries, golden raspberries and raspberries with my morning cereal and pluots and pixie tangerines with my lunch. My girlfriend made some pesto last night from basil bought at the market which I haven't had a chance to try yet. I made 2 lbs of hamburger patties from organic ground beef sold by the dairy farmer with fresh diced onions, garlic, serrano peppers and herbs (parsley, thyme) all bought from the market mixed in.
I'm making guacamole from avocados from the market maybe tomorrow night. I also bought a lot of tomatilloes that I'm either going to use to make a salsa or a chicken tomatillo soup. I haven't decide yet. I also bought a big bag of rainer cherries that I'm going to make cocktail cherries out of and a basket of ollalieberries that I haven't decided what to do with yet.
re: bg90027
Quite the haul you've gotten from the market! Where are you? To have good tomatoes and cherries at the same time, lucky duck.
And tomatillos! My plant is tiny and I doubt I'll find any in my Northern California markets for a good four weeks!
re: rabaja
I'm in L.A. and know that I'm very lucky. This was the first week that they've had tomatillos so hopefully you'll have some soon too.
re: bg90027
bg your market meals made me hungry! The LA Farmers Market is incredible, we'd arranged a private tour of the city on a recent visit to LA and actually bailed once we hit the market as we got so excited about all the amazing things on offer there. I also picked up a copy of their cookbook which is wonderful.
re: rabaja
We have tomatillos here in DC/NoVA. I plucked three big ones off my deck plant, then purchased a basket at the FM to have enough to make salsa. Love those things.
I have made grilled lamb kebabs with Turkish spices from lamb meat purchased at the farmer's market, as well as a roasted cockerel (high heat with just salt and pepper--no butter or oil--the flavor is fabulous!) And a beer-can chicken from a Cornish Cross hen also purchased at the same stand as the cockerel. The Cornish Cross is less flavorful than the young rooster, but orders of magnitude better than supermarket meat (and it's free range). I figured it would be a good match for the spice rub.
re: nofunlatte
Very interesting nofunlatte. Do you use a mini- can for the hens or sub something else? I love this idea.
re: Breadcrumbs
The Cornish Cross was about 3.5 lbs, so I used a regular can. I must admit that I love beer can chicken both for the flavor and the technique!
re: nofunlatte
oh wow, not the Cornish hen that I'd imagined then nofunlatte. We love the beer can chicken technique too. mr bc did 2 last weekend and they were outstanding.
re: Breadcrumbs
Ha! The Cornish Cross (or Cornish X) is your standard broiler meat chicken, not the Cornish game hen. But IIRC, this same farmer also has started selling Cornish game hens, so I might have to try them!
re: nofunlatte
all the while keeping an eye out for teeny-tiny beer cans!! ; - )
re: JeremyEG
Will you pre-cook the favas Jeremy? Do you leave them whole?
re: Breadcrumbs
Yes, I precooked them and pureed them with the fresh ricotta and finished with lemon zest. I made the ravioli and tossed them in a sauce of butter and fresh sage. My wife suggested using a few leaves of local sorrel as well which was funky and really did the trick. It was a great meal!
re: JeremyEG
Sounds like a wonderful dish Jeremy and your wife's suggestion of sorrel is inspired. Love it.
In the last several days, I made black bean salad with an ear of corn, hot peppers, sweet onions and cilantro, all from a FM. Got a basket of radish pods which I used in salad and then pickled the rest. Lots of squash - sauteed pattypans with fresh garlic and herbs and a big romesque zucchini cut into spears and grilled with more garlic and cherry tomatoes. Lots and lots of green beans...mainly steamed until tender-crisp and tossed with oil and tarragon. Such a fun time of year!
re: Breadcrumbs
Rhaphanus sativus var. caudatus
One of the stalls in a nearby Saturday FM here just began to sell them this year. She sells a small plastic pack of them (maybe around 50 pods) ranging from maybe a couple inches in length to 5 inches or so, largely smaller lengths - for $2.50. Considering how "abundantly" these pods are supposed to be produced and the ease of growing them, I'd say she's making a killing.
Pattypans are usually available a little later on at stalls around here too.
re: huiray
Fascinating huiray. Thanks so much. I'll have to keep an eye out for them.
re: Breadcrumbs
I'd never seen radish pods before I bought these. I think they'd be good in a stir fry or roasted briefly. My sister in law recognized them from her own radish plants but had never tried eating them before.
There is one woman who brings these less common things to market and I make it a point to buy her wares. Last year, she had edamame on stalks and she has pawpaws, briefly, when they are in season.
made a sensational salad last weekend with radishes, small Japanese turnips, celery, spring onions, parsley in a lime-y blue cheese dressing. Then on Tuesday night I sauteed the greens from the turnips and radishes with fresh garlic for a side to go with our Scallops with pistou crust.
re: ChefJune
ChefJune your dressing has intrigued me, would you mind sharing more about it?
Pasta with Garlic-Scape Pesto – p. 52 – The Farm
Another hit from this book! We can't seem to get enough of garlic scapes when they're available and though I have a favourite GS Pesto recipe, I was keen to try this version since it called for pistachios instead of the usual pine nuts. We thoroughly enjoyed this version and in fact, we preferred the pistachios, which imparted more of a nutty flavour to the dish and somehow made it seem heartier. Fresh pod peas, sugar snap peas and cremini also went into the dish.
Pasta with Radishes and Blue Cheese – The Farm – p. 54
This most unusual combination of ingredients is what attracted me to this dish. Radishes, their greens, onion, garlic and bacon are combined with crumbled blue cheese and toasted breadcrumbs to form a sauce for spaghetti. Although I selected a mild Danish blue and used half the quantity suggested, unfortunately we found that the blue cheese simply overpowered all the other ingredients and ruined this meal for us. That said, I'm still intrigued enough to give this another shot and will taste as I go while adding blue cheese in small amounts.
Grilled Filet Mignon with Summer Herb Sauce – The Farm – p. 122
Delicious. The light, fresh-tasting and somewhat tangy herb sauce is a perfect partner for the rich, smoky flavours of the grilled filets. I've made something similar from an old Gourmet recipe on Epi but this seemed to trump that dish and I'll definitely make this again. This would be perfect with a whole grilled tenderloin as you could slice it and serve it buffet style with the sauce on the side or, drizzled atop – hot or, at room temperature. Perfect summer food. Love that sauce!!
re: Breadcrumbs
making udon noodles with chicken (not farmers market)
farmers market items going into the udon stir fry = squash, cherry tomotoes, home made peanut sauce, some sweet pea shoots and serrano peppers, The sugar snap peas were done for the season - sigh really wanted something with crunch but the only peppers in yet were the hot.
Fava-Bean Crostini – Gourmet Italian – p. 18
I picked this book up at Costco yesterday. A newish publication from the folks who are now depriving us of Gourmet Magazine. The photos of this antipasti had us salivating and since I just happened to have fresh favas from the market, we felt the stars were aligned! This truly is outstanding. Our beans were so fresh they didn't need their skins removed. We especially enjoyed the peppery flavour of the arugula that's mixed in w the beans, lemon, Parmesan seasoning and evoo. I wish we had more favas!
re: Breadcrumbs
Better get more quickly! That season always seems to go by so fast!
re: Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs.. I know that you're in the GTA.. just curious about what market you found favas at??
re: rstuart
Sorry to be slow responding rstuart, I've been away from CH for about a week....terrible when work and life gets in the way of my hobbies!!! ; - )
I found the favas at the St Lawrence Market. Picked some more up this Saturday too. I'm heading to one of my favourite markets in Bowmanville today so I'll let you know if they have them as well. Not sure which end of the city you're in though.
re: Breadcrumbs
I know the feeling bc! I am in downtown TO and generally hit the farmers market at Nathan Phillips.. should maybe try St. Lawrence some lunch hour..
Last night I made a stir fry with beef, romesco beans, a hot pepper, and some basil. Also, fried rice with carrots, green onions, and more peppers. Blue berries, peaches, and vanilla yogurt for dessert. So enjoyable to use so much FM stuff, all but the beef and rice were from the market or from my deck (peppers and basil).
I also made the bulgur, cucumber, radish, and green onion salad but it is for a luncheon today so I've only tasted it briefly. So far, so good.
re: Breadcrumbs
Wish I could send you some peaches, Breadcrumbs! We harvested over 10 lbs. from our tiny peach tree. After many plain peaches, then pie, then cobbler, then chutney, I've finally jammed the last few.
Last night we made our first ratatouille of the summer, to go with lamb chops on the grill.
I used torpedo onion, Italian eggplant, yellow and red peppers and yellow cherry tomatoes, all from our Marin FM. Picked our own Basil from the garden, and I am thrilled to not have to buy basil or cilantro for the summer.
Found the first good heirlooms yesterday, and got them for $1 each, which I thought was a good deal compared to WF's price for their previously REFRIGERATED heirlooms. Makes me so mad when you get them home and they are mealy.
We also found gorgeous blackberries, apricots and strawberries!
re: rabaja
I had to Google torpedo onions rabaja, I don't think I'd seen that term before though I know I've seen the onions at my market. Thanks for teaching me something new!!
I recently learned my stupid-market also refrigerates their tomatoes. I tend to only buy the grape of cherry tomatoes there as they seem to have better flavour. Recently I was having the same textural issue you were and when I enquired, I was told they've started refrigerating them. Yuk!
I made pork tenderloin in a pan sauce served over butternut squash and cheese(s) polenta last night. Amazing, but even better was braised red Russian kale on the side. I made it with bacon lardons, chicken stock and a little vinegar (similar to how I braise collards) and wow!
I've had regular curly kale and flat leafs like lacinato, but I think the red Russian is my favorite.
re: nofunlatte
nofunlatte, I do hope you enjoy the book as much as I am and also hope you've had a break w that steamy weather. I understand we're to get a little reprieve today but then back to scorching temps again for the remainder of the week. Thank goodness for AC so I can cook in comfort. My heart goes out to all those folks without power and with terrible storm damage in the US this weekend. There's really been some unprecedented weather.
re: monavano
Details, please, on the soup! Sounds like a perfect dinner for a scorching day.
re: monavano
Ditto on the soup mona....it sounds so wonderful.
Oh, dear, sad news--my favorite peach vendor reports a 95% crop loss this year. The unseasonably warm March temperatures, followed by a series of frosts (late ones) have ruined the peach crop. I fear for the local apple crop as well. How devastating this must be for local farmers.
I guess no peach salsa and vanilla-almond-peach jam this year. Peaches are one of those fruits I find taste best when they don't travel far.
re: nofunlatte
That's what I was told also at my local farmer's market (in toronto). Not sure where you are.. guess I'll just be eating peaches this year if I'm lucky.. not making any jam!
re: rstuart
Indiana ( northern half). Nope, no peach jam here either! I did buy some peaches ( they didn't have many for sale)--most bruised on the way home, so I ate one over the sink and pureed the rest for a cocktail ingredient.
re: nofunlatte
It's a bit early for our peaches (I'd expect them later in July).. but it sounds like we shouldn't expect much for them or apples :(
re: rstuart
nofunlatte & rstuart, I just posted the same thing about peaches up-thread. I'm hearing the prospect of having a good season is bleak. Same issue w apples it seems. Very sad indeed.
re: Breadcrumbs
On the plus side, there is next year to look foward to. We had an unimpressive stone fruit season in Southern Califonia last year but it is spectacular this year.
Farmers market pork chop grilled with bok choy from my CSA. It was my first time grilling bok choy.
I made a grilling sauce for the bok choy from sweet chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, soy sauce and sesame oil. I thought the sauce was a little too sweet and could have used some more heat.
I chopped up the leftover bok choy and poured the rest of the sauce over it so I'll see how I like it cold.
I liked the taste and texture of the grilled bok choy. This was a big one. I am going to try it with baby ones next time.
re: Hecetamom
D'you think you would need "heat" with the bok choy? Just wondering if you've tried bok choy (or other Chinese greens) simply stir-fried/blanched/whatever, perhaps in a "Cantonese" style, and without chile?
re: Hecetamom
I love the idea of grilling bok choy Hecetamom. i tend to find the sweetness from the caramelization of the natural sugars of veggies on the grill is often enough - maybe you could even omit the sweet chili sauce and/or honey all together next time .... that might just do the trick. Sounds delicious!
re: JerryMe
Still have to wait for Ontario cherries Jerry but the ones we've been getting from the US have been outstanding this year. Like you, we have a tough time keeping them in our house as the get gobbled up like potato chips once they're washed!!! Looking forward to hearing about that pie if you get a chance to make it.
re: Breadcrumbs
Saw sour cherries at the farmer's market today (Metro Hall in Toronto).. I didn't buy any (I had my arms full of strawberries for jamming this week-end), but I am regretting it! I would have liked to have tried a small batch of jam..
re: rstuart
I haven't made it to that market yet this year rstuart but must go....I love sour cherries!
re: Breadcrumbs
It's many of the same vendors as at the Nathan Phillips Square Breadcrumbs.. but a few more. I was able to buy pickled turnips, which I adore. The vendors that I saw with sour cherries also sell at the NP Square market. Just not sure how long the season is.. know that it's short!
re: rstuart
oh I love pickled turnips as well rstuart. Thanks for this post, I hope I'll be able to get there this week. I'd love to get some of those sour cherries as well.
re: Breadcrumbs
The same vendor also had pickled cauliflower! I'll look for sour cherries this week at the NP square market..
re: rstuart
Hi BC.. alas, no sour cherries this week; one vendor I spoke to told me that it was a very brief season this year! However, there were currants (red and black), and the first peaches of the season.. I bought some. Can't wait to try them...
re: rstuart
I saw the vendors setting up as I was heading to a mtg today, unfortunately I didnt get a chance to stop by on my way back. We got our first clingstone peaches last weekend and they were terrific. I hope yours are too!
We're loving keeping it simple, but we take home a huge haul every week, so much so that I started blogging about it!
Today's lunch: heirloom tomatoes with nothing but a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, rustic bread with good butter, cold lobster claws leftover from a weekend splurge buy at Costco. Squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese and fresh rosemary last night; kale/rainbow carrot slaw and fresh cabbage cole slaw for July 4 sides are planned, along with 2 different kinds of homemade peach ice cream: Peach Buttermilk, and Peach Cobbler. We raided the seconds bin and got 5.5 pounds of peaches for $4. Score! Scrambled eggs with purslane on the docket for tomorrow's breakfast, and multiple unknown French melons have been gracing our breakfast table the past few days as well...
I LOVE the farmer's market!!
Morels, peas, basil, green garlic all fresh from the market were the inspiration for a pasta dish that I made with a wonderful spinach Foglie D'ulivo Agli imported from Italy. I'd never used this type of pasta before and we loved its shape and texture. It was the perfect partner for our lovely vegetables.
I also made a tasty fava bean spread using a recipe from the wonderful Smith and Hawken Gardner's Community Cookbook. What made this recipe special was the use of basil which really enhanced the fresh flavours of the favas. Well worth the effort of peeling all those beans!
mr bc grilled a Tomahawk steak (this cut was a first for us) - this cut makes for a dramatic presentation and feeds a small army!!
re: Breadcrumbs
Oh BC, what are you doing to me? The wonderful Smith and Hawken Gardner's Community Cookbook just made its way onto my shelf. After reading the reviews online, coupled with your characterizing it as wonderful, I knew I had to have it. Snagged a copy used for .22 cents, but where to put it????? Your chop above, btw, looks delectable.
re: dkennedy
I just got one for .76 thanks to the both of you! Excited to look through it, as I've really enjoyed their gardening books. Oh, how I wish their stores were still around, now that we have a house and yard to play with.
re: rabaja
I wish I'd had an opportunity to visit their stores rabaja. This book is a treasure, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
re: dkennedy
Thanks so much dk and I think you'll really enjoy the book. There's such a variety of recipes, they work and produce results that have always exceeded our expectations. Love the tips, quotes and notes throughout the book as well. This is one of those cookbooks that was thoughtfully compiled. No flash, no glossy photos but lots of wonderful recipes that inspire you to cook.
re: Breadcrumbs
bc, where did you find morels at a market in the gta? or was it the bowmanville one you went to?
re: equalibra
I was wondering that too. Morel season was non existent this year where I live, which totally bummed me out. I make a sort of rite of passage dish each Spring with morels and ramps, and had to make do with other mushrooms and dried.
It wasn't the same :*(
re: equalibra
I purchased them at the north market of the St Lawrence Market last weekend equalibra and monavano. I was thrilled to see them and even more so to see they were in great condition. Often I find they can get soggy very quickly. These were still very firm and they cooked up beautifully.
Wow! I want to have you all over for a really big garden cookout!
re: pikawicca
Mmmm that sounds fabulous pikawicca. I can't wait for our corn . . . its one of my summer favourites! Love the corn/poblano combo w lime vinaigrette, I'm a bit of a lime addict so this really appeals.
re: nofunlatte
Now that sounds delectable!! Makes me think of Greek-style yogurt with honey drizzled on top :)
re: kubasd
I found some farmers market honey selling on the farm I go to, this year. Even got some with honey-comb (i'm not sure why, though, except my mother used to love it). I ordered and picked up yesterday enough to last me through the winter.
There's nothing like honey from a big farm where no pesticides are allowed. It is probably clover honey like my dad used to keep.
At one particular local farmers market I went to for a few years, the person selling them had her name on them, and when one starting talking about the honey, I found that she bought the honey from a neighboring state. It was always sitting out in the hot sun - not that that is a real problem; doesn't honey last forever? My honey supplier at my request had a bag full of 'jarred' honey that I requested instead of plastic ones. Sooo nice.
Back to topic: this morning's breakfast: Kirkland greek-style yogurt, thawed Maine blueberries purchased from Costco; and FARM HONEY!
re: monavano
mona that sounds great. Can you say more about that yogurt feta sauce...I love the idea and can imagine how great it would be w the lamb.
re: Breadcrumbs
Hmm... it was off the cuff. I placed feta, sour cream and plain kefir in the food processor. That's about it! I'd been looking to use up my kefir and this worked out really nicely. It looks so pretty drizzled over the food.
re: monavano
thanks mona, sounds great. I'll have to give that a try next time we grill lamb as these are ingredients we always have on hand. Thanks for the inspiration.
re: monavano
corn salsa! Do tell! I hate raw tomatoes so I'm always looking for subs.
I'm reveling in all the stone fruits now at my farmers' market here in the SF Bay Area Area, and while I've been mostly eating it as is, I've also baked a couple of things combining it with almonds, which go so well with stone fruits.
On the left, a cherry almond bundt cake (recipe here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8567...), and on the right, a nectarine and cherry galette (details here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8567...).
re: Caitlin McGrath
Was at the Ferry Plaza FM a few weeks ago and sampled 8 different varieties of nectarines. All were wonderful. Unfortunately, although my FM here in the Midwest is wonderful, no one grows nectarines. Great peaches, yes.
re: pikawicca
I have been wondering if the markets at the SF ferry is open only growing season in the U.S. or do they bring it in from all-over-the-world as other grocers do all-year-round.
re: pikawicca
Is it open all year? What do they sell in the winter?
re: Rella
Even here in my Indiana community we have a year-round farmers' market. In addition to honey maple syrup, goat cheese, cow's milk cheese, beef, pork, chicken, bread, and artisinal processed foods, we have stored produce, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and apples, as well as an array of produce grown in green and hoop houses. Not the variety of summer, but the major source of my family's cold weather eating.
re: pikawicca
That's what we had on our farm when I was growing up in southern Ohio, so cold in Winter.
Just am wondering if at the ferry that is what they have in the Winter.
I lived in San Francisco, itself, not the outskirts, in the 70's for a number of years and worked in SF coming in on the ferry in the 80's. I guess I just missed the Ferry Building farmers' market, if one existed then.
I do recall the longest buffet dinner I've 'ever seen' in my life at the Ferry Building. Geez, I think I can remember prime rib for 2 courses, plus that long buffet - Mon Dieu - what was that?
re: Rella
I live across the bay from the Ferry Plaza market, but we have the same year-round markets, and some of the same vendors. In the winter, our markets have potatoes< sweet potatoes, apples, pears - storage crops - as well as all manner of heartier greens, basically anything you might think of as autumn harvest such as chard, kale, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, and other cruciferous veggies< etc., is grown year round in temperate Northern California. There is also citrus, plus nuts, breads, preserves, local honey, fresh pasta, etc. Our growing seasons are long, and of course spring comes earlier. By March, we have asparagus (lasts through May) and strawberries (they don"t get really good for a bit, though, but they last through October). Zucchini comes in late spring. There are summer/autumn-only things, of course: stone fruits, tomatoes, eggplants. Despite having had a year-round market an easy walk from home, the produce and long growing seasons were among the things I missed most from CA when I lived on the east coast. We're spoiled.
re: Caitlin McGrath
Just to think when I lived in SF and then again across the bay (Marin County), I had no thoughts of growing seasons and what produce could be found there.
I recall one season (winter, I guess,) where it rained in Marin County 40 inches and I think 40 days straight). (Don't quote me, I might be thinking of Noah's flood ;-)) And I cannot recall when I lived in San Francisco wearing anything but mostly winter clothing.
I did live on the west coast (California and Washington) and Hawaii 30 years. Produce wasn't in my thoughts. However, now they are, and .... it's just not fair!
re: Caitlin McGrath
Caitlin, your photos are drool-inducing. I love your nectarine/cherry combo in the galette. I'm doing a rhubarb raspberry today as I have the last of the rhubarb to use up. I'll definitely keep this combo in mind for when our stone fruits become more plentiful. Very early in the season here at the moment though I did get some clingstone peaches yesterday.
It's so exciting going to the market now as there's so much to choose from...all the lovely fresh produce that's in its prime!! Happy to report that our Niagara area farmers were at the market this week and apparently the peaches are just fine this year!! Too early for freestone but clingstones are now making their first appearance and they're as sweet and juicy as ever. Sadly some of the other stone fruits didn't fare as well during the mild March weather. I was told that there won't be any apricots this year and some of the plum crop was impacted.
I picked up some local maple syrup last weekend and we made a wonderful Maple Buttermilk Grilled Chicken (recipe pasted below in case anyone's interested). I warmed some additional syrup and tossed some finely chopped Thai bird chilis in then we drizzled this atop the finished chx. Yum!!
The cauliflower was roasted (just tossed in some olive oil along w some fennel seeds, salt and pepper). I finished this w a drizzle of lemon-infused olive oil and a dusting of fennel pollen and we enjoyed this as part of an antipasti spread which included some wonderful Montforte cheeses and salumi (and a negroni or two!!)
New baby potatoes are now making an appearance along with haricot vert. A quick EYB search landed me on a recipe from one of my favourite Italian cookbooks, Stir. The Pasta with Potatoes and Pesto turned out to be the perfect choice to highlight the fresh flavours and textures of these ingredients. The fact that it used up a bunch of basil was an added bonus (since I can't seem to walk away from fresh basil at the market whether or not I need it!!) This seemed like such an unusual pasta when I first read through the recipe but it really blew us away with how delicious it was. Somehow the sauce had a texture and richness that reminded us a bit of a carbonara. We'll definitely have this again as it was wonderful.
mr bc grilled a tri-tip yesterday. This was a first for us cooking this cut of meat which seems to be more popular in the US than it has been here. I went w a recipe from Epi that had us marinate the meat in a wine/soy mixture (to which I added lots of fresh garlic) prior to grilling. We absolutely loved this dish. I'm sorry mr bc didn't get any photos of the sliced meat as it was perfectly cooked and I was surprised at how tender it was. This would be a great company dish as you could serve it hot off the grill or sliced at room temp.
Today I have to find something to do with a heaping pile of peas that just aren't as sweet as they were a couple of weeks ago. A soup would be an obvious choice but its pretty darn hot out there so I'll have to take a look around for other options. . . .
Here's the chx recipe: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/ma...
re: Breadcrumbs
Pea purée? :-) ;-P
Your food looks fantastic.
re: huiray
thanks huiray! Love the pea purée...I thought of TC as soon as I saw your post!!
re: Breadcrumbs
gorgeous as always Breadcrumbs! I wish that I had a BBQ, but I live in a tiny condo with no balcony or outdoor space. It is supposed to cool down in the GTA as of tomorrow...
re: rstuart
Thanks so much rstuart. FYI, I've been pretty pleased w the charring I get on my panini press and when it's cold out, I do "grill" on that. Things like bruschetta toasts, fish, boneless chicken (nothing too fat) seem to turn out really well. Not sure if that may be an option for you it's a pretty good alternative IMHO. We were outside grilling tonight and mr bc felt it was hotter than it was during the day...let's see what tomorrow brings!
re: Breadcrumbs
I do love my george foreman grill.. it's just not the same though!! Better than nothing though, that's for sure. I used it mostly to grill veggies and chicken breasts..
re: Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs! Are you in Niagara too? I'm so excited. I always love your posts. I'm in Thorold.
re: dianne0712
dianne thanks so much for your kind post. I'm in the Toronto area however we're fortunate that some of the Niagara farms make the trip down here through the summer months so we too can enjoy your bounty. I was speaking w a Jordan vendor on Friday though and learned we'll only have 2 more weeks of Niagara produce since everything is much earlier this year. Needless to say that prompted me to over-buy this week and it looks like I'll be spending holiday Monday in the kitchen to ensure nothing goes to waste!
One dish we look forward to each year is a chicken w peaches and jalapeno dish. Its actually an Epi recipe I first prepared in Niagara in a house we'd rented one late summer weekend. I cancelled dinner reservations that night as I couldn't resist all the wonderful produce we picked up so we decided to dine al fresco at the rental. It was a perfect summer night and every time I make this dish we're reminded of that lovely evening.
Here's the recipe in case anyone is interested. It seems like an unlikely combination of ingredients but somehow everything comes together beautifully. Truth be told I do prefer Serrano peppers over the jalapenos but the dish is good regardless of which are available.
re: Breadcrumbs
Yum..that looks great Breadcrumbs! My favourite peach vendor told me that next week would probably be their last for the year..
re: rstuart
So sad isn't it? I'm loving the peaches...they seem sweeter than ever this year! I also picked up some Concord grapes that I had to finally put away because we were gobbling them up like candy!! If those grapes are any indication, I'll bet it's been a terrific year for wine in Ontario!
re: nofunlatte
Mmm, I'll have to look in my ME books for that bean recipe nfl, it sounds wonderful and would be perfect w your fresh lamb!
re: Logrus9
I love lentil soup Logrus9, let us know how you enjoyed it!
So I ended up blanching my not-so-sweet peas and freezing them to be used for soup at a later date. I didn't have the heart to toss them and was uninspired by recipes I found that were spring-focussed and really needed sweeter peas. I had some lovely haricot vert that I tossed w some local wild mushrooms (not picked by me!!), balsamic vinegar, evoo, S&P then roasted for about 8 mins (I also tossed in some freshly micro-planed parmesan for the last few mins of roasting). They were wonderful and as a result we didn't have the leftovers I'd hoped for! I'll have to do this again soon, it may just be my favourite preparation method yet for these beans.
I also had some kohlrabi, a veggie I'd never cooked before. I ended up looking to Mario Batali for a recipe and went with his Kohlrabi al Forno....yes, another roasted recipe. In this case they were peeled (not an easy task!), sliced, tossed w garlic, evoo, sage, S&P and yes, parmesan ....notice a theme here??? Somehow I was expecting these to crisp up like roast potatoes but they didn't. They were tender and the edges charred nicely. The caramelization took on a subtle smoky flavour and the sweet smokiness was a nice contrast to the peppery, slightly bitter kohlrabi. These were nice hot out of the oven and, at room temp. 5 kohlrabi made 3 large baking sheets worth so we'll be eating these for a few days yet!!
Finally, more mushrooms were used as a topping for burgers. These were sauteed in some butter w some shallots, a little garlic, and some thyme. Burgers were made w local beef, topped w Montforte cheese and served with homemade oven roasted fries on the side (yes, that is parmesan you see crusted on there!!) Roasted garlic aioli on the burgers and for dipping the oven fries.
re: monavano
mona somehow I missed this last month but boy does your dish look fabulous. I love crab cakes and yours look exceptional.
Chickpeas with Swiss Chard – The River Café Cookbook - p. 172
I know there are a lot of folks on this board that have this book so I thought I better post this. I had a HUGE bunch of rainbow chard and this was such an appealing dish that I had to give it a try. This is one of the best chickpea dishes I've ever made. The flavours and textures were wonderful. I used blue carrots so my dish was jewel-toned deep purple vs the mélange of colours of the photo in the book. Definitely a meal unto itself and just as lovely at room temp as it was hot on the first night I served it. Terrific!
re: Breadcrumbs
Link to Chickpeas with Swiss Chard from River Café: http://letters.cookingisfun.ie/2011/0...
What a nice topic, Breadcrumbs! I was just thinking about starting something in a similar vein, and I got here and saw this. Perfect, thank you!
I have several clients that I cook for, not in their homes but as a delivery service. Nobody's picky, and one family is vegetarian, so I have been buying a TON of FM produce and goodies to put together large quantities of Summer-and-Family-Friendly-Foods. Combined with what I get from the CSA - food city, sweetheart. :) So, what have I been making? Let's see.
I've gotten gorgeous tomatoes and made several salsas and other sauces: salsas from mild to pretty hot, in different textures, etc. I've made green tomato chutney, and red tomato jam. Tomatillo salsa several times. Fried green tomatoes at home, to eat with shrimp, grits and bacon. Unfortunately for the clients, Fried green tomatoes don't travel well, so this is a home meal. I've made red and green tomato pies in several different versions, some w/ cheese or bacon; some not. A tomato salad I made from several different varieties from Romas to Early Girls to cherry and pear tomatoes, cut to size and marinated in a red-wine vinaigrette was well-received by everybody. Throw fresh tomato sauce in there, from a chunky raw sauce that's amaziing thrown over fresh pasta to a regular Sunday gravy, and I think that's about it. No, wait: I made sundried (actually oven-dried) and they're in oil in the fridge.
Stuffed zuchinni flowers (herbed goat cheese) that I lightly battered and deep-fried briefly, were delicious. Zucchini soup (cream of), with celery, onions, strong chicken stock was too rich. The recipe required only half a cup, which seemed okay, but as I said.....I'll prolly try that one again.
Carrot/orange/ginger soup went over nicely. I was just experimenting, so I'm glad that worked out. I'm going to try a cold carrot/tomato soup next.
Cucumber soup is a standard around here. So good in the dog days.
Gazpacho as well. Ratatouille, and Cajun stuffed eggplant. Yum. Also, eggplant parmigian, and fried eggplant sticks w/ a buttermilk ranch dressing that cuts the calorie-bomb factor for those a tiny, tiny bit, but I feel virtuous from doing that tiny tiny thing.
Marinated olive/celery salad for mufulattas.
Grilled onions. Baked onions that tasted like French onion soup - killer. Griddle-seared Spring and green onions for tacos. Onions of some kind in pretty much everything.
Pickled string beans; French-fried green beans, slow-cooked green beans w/ ham and new potatoes, another fave that keeps the kitchen cool.
Kale chips were icky. Flop city. Did not inflict them on anybody else. The rest of the kale was delicious when I stewed it slowly with several other greens and bacon and onion. Even the kids liked them. I branched out and made my own hot pickled vinegar, easy as hell, and a hit w/ the parents; I'm thinking the kids didn't get that stuff.
Potato salad. Stuffed potatoes. Baked potatoes w/ toppings. Potato soup, hot w/ garnishes, and refined as vichyssoise.
Good topic; good times.
re: mamachef
mamachef... very inspiring!
re: rstuart
Thank you, rstuart!! Also very necessary!! My main proteins aren't exactly earthshaking - nobody's getting 5-mushroom 5-cheese lasagna here. I do lots of sliced, marinated steak; herbed roast chicken; brined fried chicken, pork loin/tenderloin. They taste great, but if they had the time and the inclination, it's nothing they couldn't do at home. So, the sides and garnishes have to be really special, and Summer's the easiest time to show off. :) And the packaging, lots of Mason and Ball jars, (but of course not all) are great for portion control, delivery, washing and returning.
re: mamachef
Wow! I love your stuff. Can I come live with you? LOL!
How do you make grilled onions that taste like onion soup?
I'm at the beach this week. I can't stop eating fresh-off-the-boat shrimp, local corn and tomatoes, and peaches. If only there was a decent bakery nearby - would love a good baguette.
I have some catching up to do on this thread...looking forward to reading the recent posts!!
Yesterday's trip to the market left me giddy as the first zucchini blossoms were available this season! Of course that meant fiore di zucca fritti were on the menu and I'm delighted to report they did not disappoint.
I also picked up some beautiful rainbow chard which will make its way on to tonight's menu. Last night we were keen to enjoy the lovely variety of mushrooms I'd picked up so I made the following dish:
Spaghetti with Mushrooms, Garlic and Parsley – Lidia's Italian American Kitchen - p. 107
This simple recipe exceeded our expectations in profiling the wonderful, earthy flavours of fresh mushrooms. Though Lidia calls for sage, I have an abundance of basil at the moment (a very happy problem indeed!) so I used that instead. What I especially loved is how quickly this all comes together. I added some minced baby red onion along w the garlic since it was also a market purchase. Just a lovely summer meal. I'll definitely make this again.
re: David11238
Farmer market goat cheese ice cream with roasted cherries!
re: don515
Roasted cherries!!! oh yum don. How were they?
re: David11238
I've never heard of that squash either David. Would love to hear how it all turned out.
I found this if folks are interested:
Business travel took me away from the kitchen this week but mr bc hit the market for me so I'll be in good stead for the week ahead. Prior to my departure, we did grill some amazing lamb chops and served them alongside:
Braised Swiss Chard and Cannellini Beans – Lidia's Italy - p. 175
Fresh chard was the inspiration for the dish and I'll definitely re-visit as this week, fresh cannellini beans made their first appearance at the market. Even w canned beans, this dish was a huge hit. As usual, Lidia has you "toast" the tomato paste and chilis in the pan prior to incorporating them w the other ingredients. Each time I do this I think I should try to do this all the time and somehow I forget but I do think the step is worthwhile and deepens the flavours. Such a versatile dish. Great served hot as a main course or, side dish. At room temp it made for a lovely antipasti and leftovers were terrific for weekday lunches. I made a double batch and will do so again.
Oh goodness - this time of year I cook from my farmers market scores several times weekly for the most part.
Spaghetti with Pesto (basil)
Lemon-Pepper Catfish with Green Beans & Creamy Smashed Potatoes (green beans & baby new potatoes)
Summer Squash Frittata (mixed baby summer squash)
Eggplant Parmagian ("Rosa Bianca" eggplants, heirloom tomatoes)
BLT Sandwiches (heirloom tomatoes)
And of course green salads (baby lettuce mixes)
re: Bacardi1
Bacardi all your dishes sound wonderful and thanks for adding the variety of eggplants...I love discovering new produce and I'd never heard of these before.
re: Breadcrumbs
"Rosa Bianca" is one of my favorite eggplants! (It's also easy to grow, & one of the varieties I try to have in my own garden.) It's an Italian globe-type eggplant; just a little bit smaller than the usual black varieties, but with a lovely violet-&-white-striped skin. The skin (which turns dark during cooking) is very tender & there is never any need whatsoever to peel it - regardless of what a recipe may tell you. I've also NEVER come across one that's in the least bit bitter, so there's also no need whatsoever to go through the usual ridiculous "salting" procedure prior to use. Altogether a very nice eggplant variety.
re: Bacardi1
Here, try these. :-)
re: Ruthie789
Ruthie you've made me crave a crumble! I haven't made one this year as yet but we love them and you've inspired me!!
all very inspiring! I made zucchini and yellow squash risotto, topped with chevre .. also from the farmers' market.
Pasta with Tromboncino Zucchini, Beet Greens and Ricotta with Candy Cane Beet Chips on the side, fresh melons for breakfast all week... I love Summer!
re: thursday
oh my goodness thursday...I read this on my way into work this morning and I was craving this meal! Do you grow melons or buy them at your markets? Not something I see much of here other than watermelons.
re: Breadcrumbs
We buy our melons at the markets - I'm in LA, so we get hot soil out here, which equals a huge variety of small melons. I actually hate watermelon, regular honeydew, and regular cantaloupe (the stuff you get on the side at restaurants), but have fallen in love with all the lesser known varietals, most of which the names I don't know, though Charlynn (spelled a bunch of different ways) and Charentais I've started to recognize. I've seen a few at WF as well.
I should have a post up with the pasta recipe in the next couple of days. It really was fantastic!
re: thursday
Mmm Thursday thanks for letting me live vicariously! I love all melons but Honeydew so I'd be like a kid in a candy store at your market! Looking forward to hearing about your pasta. I'm here to post about one we tried last night
I can't go to the market without picking up a cauliflower and it seems mr bc has the same issue. He brought a HUGE cauliflower home and was craving antipasti...his favourite way to eat cauliflower is roasted until almost charred. This time around I tossed the raw veggie w fresh minced garlic, fennel seeds, salt, pepper and a little evoo. So delicious! We eat it like candy!
In addition, I made these dishes:
Caramelized tomato bruschetta – Sunset Edible Garden Cookbook – p. 184
This is a newer cookbook on my shelf and the recipes I've seen thus far look wonderful, I've flagged a lot of recipes. I made a variation of this dish, electing to roast the tomatoes in the oven vs charring atop the charcoal grill since it was raining the day we were craving this. If the dish suffered in any way, we didn't know it. The basil-infused fresh ricotta proved to be the perfect foundation for these super-sweet, caramelized gems. We had a little leftover and enjoyed them just as much the following evening. Wonderful summery dish.
Orecchiette with Fennel Sausage and Swiss Chard – Mozza – p. 180
Another stellar dish from this book and we loved the bonus chard leftover for another purpose. The recipe has you prepare a chard stew of sorts (to which I also added some chopped fennel) ¼ cup is used in this recipe and the remainder is saved for another purpose. In my case I stirred it into steamed rice for a risotto-like side dish another evening. The fennel sausage and Aleppo pepper worked beautifully together and there was just enough chard in this dish to give it a little bite. The hint of bitterness was a nice contrast to the richer flavours of the oil and cheese. Fennel pollen and toasted breadcrumbs on top took this from great to amazing.
I;m so happy because I love skate fish and here, in the Philly Mainline area, it is so hard to find. I got some at the Wayne Farmer's Market yesterday. Cooked it up this way: Heated a bit of butter and olive oil in the pan. Seasoned some rice flour with salt and pepper and thyme. Dredged the skate in it. Cooked it in the pan for a few minutes and it was divine!
re: jarona
Sounds lovely jarona. I've only prepared skate once and it was quite gelatinous. Undoubtedly due to over cooking on my part I imagine. Your post makes me want to give this another shot.
We shopped at a new-to-us farm market on Saturday and were treated to freshly baked breads made from wheat and grains grown at the farm. Local eggs, beautiful "bushes" of fragrant basil that will be made into compound butters today. The surprise of the trip was to see acorn squash on the stand already. I honestly can't recall ever seeing it this early.
Intermittent thunderstorms dampened our plans to grill yesterday but the huge bunch of leeks (first of the season) were calling to us so I decided to make this pasta dish:
Fettuccine with Leeks, Peas & Cream – The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles by Cooks Illustrated – p. 166
The first leeks of the season deserved a place of honour on the menu tonight and since the rain nixed our plans to grill, I opted to make this dish. Prep couldn't be simpler – just slice the leeks thinly and mice some onions & shallots. I also added some fresh garlic. After that, the dish comes together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. I used plain fettuccine though I can imagine the recommended beet version would be nice as well and, would enhance the visual appeal of the otherwise white dish. What the plate lacked in colour it more than made up for in flavour. This was a wonderful way to profile the leeks. Delicious, easy dish.
re: monavano
Not weird! I love this fresh corn quiche (very easy to riff on): http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
re: monavano
Oh that has me salivating mona! Is that spinach you have in there as well? Stunning photography too. Beautiful.
re: monavano
That looks amazing. My wife and I were just talking about using corn kernels in something soft and savory. Maybe grits or polenta or an awesome frittata with local eggs. Thanks for the post!
re: JeremyEG
Polenta with corn sounds excellent. I'm finding ways to eat the corn OFF the cob due to recent dental work. I really miss digging in with my chompers!
re: monavano
Every year I go through the rigmarole of buying a half-dozen ears of fresh corn, intending to try to use it - and almost every year I toss the bag of them out after a couple weeks or so when they have started rotting while hanging from the doorknob of the door to my basement.
re: monavano
Oh... I'm very jealous. I just got my first cobs of corn from a farmer's market in Ottawa when I was visiting my mother.. and they were terrible! Neither of us could finish them...
Most of my vegetables come from the farmers' market, especially in the summer, and one of the local weekly markets just relocated to few blocks from my home, so I am feeling very spoiled! Beyond the day-to-day cooking, I made a cake recently with vegetables from the farmers' market. Shredded beets, carrots, and zucchini in a bundt cake made with browned butter, ground hazelnuts, a good amount of vanilla and some ground cardamom, with a vanilla-browned butter glaze. I was really happy with how it came out: sweet and earthy from the veggies, nutty and rich from the hazelnuts and browned butter, a bit of je ne sais quoi from the cardamom.
re: Caitlin McGrath
Oh wow! I would love that recipe!! I love veggies in cakes - it allows me to eat extra slices guilt-free... =)
re: thursday
Ha, yes, we can pretend it's healthful - another serving of veggies! This cake is also nice in that it is not heavy or dense, as carrot cakes can be; it's got a light crumb.
Here is my recipe. I can buy a finely ground hazelnut meal at my local market, but if you grind them yourself, you might want to go with the weight in nuts and throw the granulated sugar in so it's easier to grind them fine without making butter.
Beet, Carrot, and Zucchini Bundt Cake with Hazelnuts and Vanilla-Brown Butter Glaze
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter
2 cups (8.5 ounces) all-purpose or whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup (2.3 ounces) very finely ground hazelnuts
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup (about 4.5 ounces) coarsely grated beets
1 cup (about 5 ounces) coarsely grated carrots
1 cup (about 4 ounces) coarsely grated zucchini
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, then let it cook until it's golden brown, scraping up the solids so they don't stick to the bottom or burn. Pour the browned butter in a heatproof mixing bowl and set aside. Whisk the flour, hazelnuts, baking powder and soda, salt, and cardamom in another bowl. When the butter has cooled for a few minutes, whisk in both sugars, then the eggs and vanilla. Stir in half the dry ingredients, followed by the buttermilk, then the rest of the dry ingredients. Fold in the grated vegetables. Grease and flour a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan (I generally use Baker's Joy or another brand of baking spray, and am a recent convert to Wilton Cake Release for bundt pans), pour the batter in, and smooth the top. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for 10-15 minutes, then invert on a rack and cool completely.
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
Toasted, husked, chopped hazelnuts to garnish if you like
When the cake has cooled, make the glaze. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and let it cook until golden brown. Whisk the butter, milk, vanilla, and salt into the powdered sugar. Put the cake on a plate and spoon the glaze over the top. Sprinkle with hazelnuts if you like. Allow the glaze to set before serving.
This keeps well on the counter, and stays moist for days.
re: Caitlin McGrath
What a lovely cake Caitlin and, like thursday, I love veggie-based cakes. Yours sounds just delicious and I especially love the cardamom in there.
Yellow corn not peaches and cream. We just had some for supper. It was sweet and delicious! I started to eat the yellow corn again after someone talked about it on TV citing it was sweeter and it is.
We took an extra-long weekend and made great use of the bounty from the market. Some of the dishes on our table over the past week include: bruschetta, roasted cauliflower antipasti, tzatziki with grilled pita, roasted potato poutine with an onion gravy and fresh cheese curds, beer can chicken, potato and egg salad, a quinoa salad that I've reviewed here:
and this dish:
Grilled Zucchini with Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette – The Farm - p. 131
I can't believe we took a vacation from this cookbook because my first return visit was such a huge success that it made the remaining dishes we had tonight pale in comparison. I simply love this book and it will now be my first stop when looking for recipes to use seasonal ingredients this summer & autumn. Neither component to this dish is earth-shatteringly unique on its own but somehow the combination is just fabulous. The surprising element in the vinaigrette is the use of lime juice and it worked beautifully with the tomatoes and onions adding a salsa-like flavour to a dish that otherwise was reminiscent of Italian dishes we've enjoyed.
re: Breadcrumbs
Wow, the grilled zucchini looks fabulous... I think that cookbook is waiting for me now at the library; time to pick it up!
My friend had lots of extra figs on her tree so I asked my tomatoes guy at the FM if he would like to sell them and split the profit. He said figs weren't on his approved list so couldn't do it or he could lose his license. So at least here in Escondido CA they do keep track of who sells what.
Picked up some beautiful zucchini, summer squash and red peppers from the Farmers' Market for Martha Rose Shulman's summer squash gratin.. from the NYT "recipes for health" series.
Tomatoes, mushrooms, peaches, cucumbers, onions and peppers are all in abundance now and inspiring our menus. Recent hi-lights include: Sauteed Mushrooms with Garlic and Tomatoes to accompany a grilled steak along w some grilled panini that we'd spread w a basil-garlic compound butter, a peaches & cream crostata and a quinoa salad.
re: Bacardi1
Sounds intriguing. Some details, please?
re: huiray
Bacardi1 Szechuan-Style Braised Eggplant
1 medium to large globe eggplant, or several (3-4) Asian-type eggplants
2 tablespoons of Chinese salted fermented black beans, soaked in hot water to cover for around 20 minutes
1 tablespoon (or to taste) Chili-Garlic sauce (the Huy Fong "rooster" brand is my favorite)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Approx. 2" piece of fresh ginger, peeled if desired, & minced or grated (these days I rarely bother to peel it, & it doesn't seem to make any difference!)
4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled & minced or grated
1/4-1/2 pound ground meat (beef, pork, chicken, or turkey)
1-2 stalks Bok Chow, sliced (optional - but I like the green & the additional texture)
2 teaspoons Szechuan Peppercorns (optional), ground in a mortar & pestle
Peanut or vegetable oil
Wok or large skillet with a cover
White, brown, or Jasmine rice for serving
For either eggplant varieties – don't peel. For globe eggplant, slice into approximately 1-1/2" thick slices, then cut the slices into quarters. Make 2 cuts not quite all the way through from the edge to the center on each quarter. This will allow the eggplant pieces to cook quickly & evenly, as well as help them to absorb more of the sauce. For Asian eggplants, trim ends, slice in half horizontally, then quarter lengthwise & slice in half horizontally again, ending up with "batons".
Drain the soaked fermented black beans & using a fork, mash with the minced garlic to a rough paste. Add the chili paste, sugar, soy sauce, & ¼ cup cold water. Stir.
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a wok or large skillet until hot, but not smoking. Add ground meat & stir fry for about 2-3 minutes or until no longer pink. Add minced ginger & continue stir frying for another minute. Add eggplant pieces & continue stir frying for another approx. 4-5 minutes. Add in the Bok Choy, sauce mixture, & Szechuan pepper (if using) & stir thoroughly until well mixed.
Add approx. ¼ cup or so of water over all, turn the heat down to low/medium low, cover, & allow to cook for another 5 minutes or until the eggplant pieces are tender to your preference. Serve hot over rice.
Note: For vegetarians, simply leave out the ground meat – it will still be a wonderfully delicious spicy dish.
re: Bacardi1
Thanks! Sounds good.
I've been making fresh chia seed jam using various greenmarket fruits- strawberries, blueberries, apricots- really any fruit will work. The recipe is incredibly simple: 1 cup of chopped fruit, 2 tbs of chia seeds, water, and sweetener to taste. It's the kind of recipe that feels like summer- easy and light.
Photos are here: http://healthypantz.com/2012/06/21/gr...
Not a ton of time for cooking over the weekend but I did manage to make use of some wonderful farmer's market finds. In addition to Ina's always delicious Roasted Eggplant Spread (I'll paste the recipe link below) I also made this:
Roast Chicken with Potatoes – Rao's Cookbook – p. 82
Quick, Simple & Delicious…what more could you ask for! A large chicken (mine was 6.5 lbs) is dressed with lemon juice, S&P and fresh rosemary. Lemon rinds and more sprigs of rosemary are placed inside the bird and I also added some garlic cloves. Potatoes are quartered then tossed in evoo, S&P (yup, I added some garlic too!). The book has you roast at 450 but I can't stand the smoking that typically occurs at this heat so I compromised and went w 375. Our chicken was tender, moist and delicious. The taters were perfectly crisp and exceptionally flavourful. We loved this dish and will use this method again. I'd baste half way through next time.
Here's the link for the Eggplant Spread recipe:
Last night I needed something quick, plus I needed to use a pint of beautiful fresh tiny organic baby okra from the farmers market before they were past their prime.
So I cut up some boneless skinless chicken thighs into bite-size pieces & sauteed them in some extra-virgin olive oil along with one large Jalapeno pepper. Added them to a pot of Zatarain's low-sodium "Jambalaya" mix. About 5 minutes before done, added in my pint of trimmed cute little baby okra. Turned out spicy & delicious; served with a big green salad & a warmed fresh French baguette.
Grilled barese sausage with a tossed salad of mixed greens and sweet millions tomatoes. A variation on the rhubarb crostada recipe from the terrific cookbook "The Farm" - with big thanks to meatn3 for the idea of doing a peaches & cream version...this may be our favourite!!
Simplest recipe in the world, but my absolute favorite thing to eat... Caprese salad. I cut some amazingly wonderful tomatoes from my garden, really fresh mozzarella, and I made some basil oil with a super fruity olive oil. A sprinkle of sea salt and I had dinner last night, lunch today, and probably lunch tomorrow. When you have ingredients that good, you can't go wrong.
re: kubasd
stunning kubasd, one of my favourites too.
Last week after a visit to a market in DC, I made this dinner. Turkey burgers (homemade but not local), local smoked mozzarella, tomatoes and an olive oil bun (brioche-like).
Lentil and Beet Salad with Scallions and Basil – Salads: Beyond the Bowl – p. 107
Some lovely little golden beets were the inspiration for this dish. I made a couple of changes. My beet greens weren't salad worthy so they were omitted and given our love of garlic, I added some crushed garlic to the salad dressing. In terms of the prep, I opted not to add the basil to the dressing itself and instead, just tossed it in prior to serving. The tanginess of the lemon-scallion vinaigrette contrasted nicely with the sweet earthy flavours of the beets. Loved the textures of this dish as well. I can imagine how lovely this would look with purple beets too. Salad keeps well and on night two we tossed in some feta which was lovely. I'll definitely make this again.
re: Ruthie789
I pickled some beets yesterday and am in the process of pickling zucchini spears today.
re: nofunlatte
Beets are so easy to do, are the zucchini like pickles?
re: Ruthie789
I cut the zucchini into spears and cover with an herb/spice flavored pickling liquid. Never made them before, but when I try them in a few weeks, I'll report back Ruthie789. FYI, the recipe is from Put 'Em Up, by sherry Brooks Vinton.
re: nofunlatte
Thank you nofunlatte! I am looking to put up jars of something else besides beets. Not sure what I want to do..
Cooked some local green beans with butter and walnut oil and garnished them with toasted walnuts. The beans are getting a little mature, so I'll braise them with tomatoes and herbs later today. Takes about 90 minutes to cook.
Just about to make a tomato salad with today's juicy harvest. Yesterday I picked up some potatoes from my favourite farm stand. Here's what I made:
Grilled Smashed Potatoes – Emeril At The Grill – p. 20
With some beautiful blue and yellow fingerlings in mind, I went in search of a grilling recipe and and EYB search landed me on this dish. This was the first use of this recipe and book and I'm happy to report that this recipe is a keeper! The potatoes crisped up nicely on the grill and the smoky, herby flavour paired perfectly with the grilled NY strip steaks. Very easy to execute. Potatoes are boiled til fork tender then smashed and brushed w an evoo/garlic mix (to which I added some crushed garlic). Potatoes are finished over the coals then seasoned.
The only problem w this dish was we wished there were more!! Highly recommend!
Here's a link to the recipe in case you don't own this book:
re: Breadcrumbs
Looks like a grilled version of Crash-Hot Potatoes, and sounds delicious. (If you're not familiar with CHP, see this thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/742088).
re: Caitlin McGrath
Caitlin you're right! I don't know why I didn't make the connection as we love CHP's!! These didn't get as quite crispy as Jill Dupleix's recipe but they were just as delicious! They come together so quickly and the smoky flavour from the grill seems to make them a big hit w guy-diners. We had some last week and I served some chipotle aioli alongside....mmm!
I made this dish last night and it's a favourite here at this time of year. It's an unusual way to profile peaches and also makes use of other produce available at this time of year. I've pasted the recipe here in case anyone is interested:
Chicken with Peaches and Jalapenos – Epicurious
I've been making this recipe for years. What initially seems like a bit of an unlikely combination of ingredients actually comes together to produce a fresh-tasting, flavourful dish that screams summer time! This comes together in no time and smells wonderful as it roasts away in the oven. I use whatever peppers I have on hand – Serranos are our favourite but any hot pepper will do and we often toss in some sweet bell pepper as well. Lemons or limes work well and I usually spritz w a little more juice prior to serving. I serve this over steamed brown or white basmati rice which does a great job of soaking up the delicious sauce this dish produces.
I've been negligent in posting to this thread and as I prepared this meal last weekend, I couldn't help but think of the dish as the perfect pasta dish to make use of fall's bounty. Here's what I made:
Ziti with Calabrian Sausage and Vegetable Sauce – The Southern Italian Farmer's Table by Matthew Scialabba & Melissa Pellgerino – p. 250
If I had to re-name this dish I'd call it "Clean-out-the-Crisper Pasta" – I plugged the ingredients that were in my crisper into the EYB search box and up popped this recipe! Onions, Bell Pepper, Zucchini and Eggplant are combined w sweet Italian sausage and some tomatoes then everything simmers away to make a luscious, fresh-tasting ragu. We served ours atop some whole-wheat ziti and it made for a filling and delicious meal. I'll definitely make this again. First recipe I've made from this book as well. I hope others follow suit: quick, easy and tasty!
ps. I had a heck of a time finding this thread by searching by title. I turned to the Site Talk forum for help and learned there's currently an issue w CH's Search functionality. I ended up having to use a Google search to get here!!
re: Breadcrumbs
BC, I"ve been meaning to post too.. I made a wheat berry salad with local tomatoes and cukes from Martha Rose Shulman's Recipes for Health, and ate it with local corn on the cob. Alas, no pictures, but very good!
re: rstuart
Oh that salad sounds wonderful rstuart....I'm sad our farmer's market days are numbered!
re: Breadcrumbs
I know!!! Only a few more weeks, and I will miss two because I'll be out of the country..

subset: commoncrawl