Saturday, July 14, 2012
RIP Marion
Marion Cunningham has made her way to the great, wonderful, perfect kitchen in the sky to be with family and friends that got there before her. I love my life but the thought of that kitchen up there does keep the fear of death at bay for me. Marion was an internationally known chef and author having been friends with Julia Child and James Beard and was known and respected far and wide for her revamp of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. But she was also a local gal who lived in Walnut Creek and mentored lots of us budding chefs in the area in the 1980’s and 1990’s. I was fortunate enough to be one of them. When I bought my restaurant, Haute Stuff in downtown Martinez from Kate Miller and Jeff Jelton in the late 1980’s it was Marion Cunningham who gave me the nerve to branch out on my own. I had done my much anticipated week at Chez Panisse after graduating from the California Culinary academy in 1987. Having had that week on my dream list since it had opened in my teens, I was beyond excited and nervous to do it. It was not a good scene for me. I was relegated to a corner in the basement shelling beans and actually had my tool box lifted before being told that I was not a fit for the French place because I had not been to Europe and did not have any knowledge of that kind of cooking even though I had been cooking professionally for 13 years before graduating as a classically trained French chef from CCA. I was instructed to go next door the new American, down homey type restaurant where I would probably be a better fit. I was devastated for about 10 minutes until I went down the street and interviewed at said restaurant. It was Marion Cunningham’s along with others and she and I hit it off immediately. I hated to drive on freeways and over bridges and she said that she did as well but if you got drunk enough it was easy. Then she joked about overcoming alcoholism as well as phobias and that I could as well. I related to her deeply jokes aside and was grateful for her personal insights. She instructed me to “not let anything stop you dear, life is too short”. A year or so later I bought the restaurant I was working in, Haute Stuff, in Martinez. She came in and then her friends started coming in. She told me things I should and should not do. She told me I had talent and was a born cook. She brought the Contra Costa Old Guard Culinary Brigade in, Ken Wolf, Narsii David and Maggie Crumm, who were all equally supportive of our little venture in a refinery town and opened many doors for me that previously were shut tight to young women chefs at the time.
Years later I worked as a special events person for farmers markets and she was always the first to sit in the market and sign copies of her books when I asked her to. Anything to help the farmers markets succeed and linger. She was adamant about teaching people to cook and getting them to sit down together. In writing her Learning to Cook book, one of her last, she told me that she brought people into her house everyday to have them learn what a kitchen was , what a knife was and how to use it, how to work an oven, how to follow a recipe and how to sit down and eat with each other. She did it with patience and a single minded drive to get people back to the table together. She felt that it was going to save our species if we all ate at least one meal a day together. She was right about that and many other ideas and opinions she held.
Marion will be missed by the culinary community as a great contributor to the art but she will also be missed by me as a great gal that encouraged me when I was down and will always be listed fondly as one of the few amazing cooking mentors I have had in my life. Happy cooking doll and I vow to keep doing my best to get people to cook and eat at a table together. Carry on.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
another sunny day
So dry….going to have to water again. Although mercury is reading pretty low, it is alluring enough to want to be outside all day working in the yard or the school gardens with sun on your back and the earth in your hands. I do love the satisfaction of clipping things with sharp clippers. Trees that need pruning, roses that have succumbed finally to cold weather while fooling only myself that it is ok, clipping the dead frozen ugly detritus left hanging over tender new growth that you are not supposed to cut to protect said new growth but sometimes it just happens as I look incredulously on at my gloved hands in motion as my compost bin fills, again.
Our full moon has been pretty amazing this month leading me to believe that it has to be a good time to throw some more seeds in the ground and separate bulbs for late spring and summer blooms. Carrots, chard, kale, onions, broccoli raab, broccolini, cabbage, mustard greens, snow peas, sweet peas, lettuce, arugula, watermelon radishes, parsley along with other herbs and plants are thriving in the College Park and Diablo Day organic gardens. As I gaze hungrily upon the astounding hues of greens, blues, reds and gold contrasting with reddish brown compost and mulch in my gardens, it gives eye candy a newer, sexier meaning if you are into the dirt, food porn, garden thing. Toss in a heartbreakingly blue sky and you have a perfectly visceral kind of day where you feel your nerve endings singing joyfully….except for the fact that we have had a lot of them good days due to no rain which is not good. I was reading about uncontrollable floods and crazy rains in Texas this week. Isn’t that something that this past spring we were inundated with rain and snow and Texas was experiencing their worst drought in decades and now they are under the rain cloud and we just keep on partying under blue skies?
Usually when it is this chilly there is rain or some low, hazy clouds drearying up the place so all I want to do is be inside curled up with my cats reading and making soup. Because it is so cold I am still manically making soup…..everyday…I have the cleanest reefer this side of Hawaii where it is so warm they don’t want to make a lot of soup all the time there by cleaning out all the veggies from the reef. So far my favorites are extremely simple and so tasty I am left craving more. Once I get on a thing I stay there for awhile too. Anyone else do that? I am loving vegetables of the green and leafy varieties and am really just sort of simmering them with chicken or veg stock and cubed sweet potatoes. Everything chopped up, thrown in pot, covered with stock, simmer until softish, season with Braggs Amino Acids, done. Bizarre yet wonderful if you are of the hot/cold ilk is the soup poured over chopped fresh Napa cabbage, arugula and lettuce mix. Squeeze lemon juice over and drizzle with amazing olive oil. California hippy girl pho. Take it a step further and fry or poach an egg or two very soft and drop on top of all. When the yolk opens into the concoction it creates the magic sauce that yolks are well known for creating a slurper who does not give a shit if found with egg on her face.
Made some pretty incredible protein bars for a health fair this weekend. My son tasted them and very dead pan serious said “these cannot be good for you”. They are! Vegan and gluten free with brown rice syrup for the sweetener. Even my dad like them. Saying a lot. You can cut whatever size you want. They are really great for taking with you when you know you are not going to be able to eat at the right time before the growling, low blood sugar thing hits. Also better than any junk food for a snack. Just like those kale chips!! Peace and white light universally my friends.
2 cups sunflower butter or peanut butter or half and half, available at your health food store or Trader Joes
1 c. organic brown rice syrup (whole foods)
4 scoops Arbonne Vanilla all-vegan protein powder ( I used ½ vanilla and half chocolate protein powder and you can use any kind I just use Arbonne cause I like it and peddle it to knowing friends)
2 scoops Arbonne fiber booster (also can use any fiber powder you like)
4 cups organic brown rice crispy cereal
¾ cup good earth tea or any tea you like but I love the cinnamon taste here. Most importantly is to get that liquid in there. It could also be almond milk or whatever your imagination dreams up
Directions:
Mix cereal, protein & fiber.
Heat syrup, tea & nut butter until liquefied.
Pour over cereal mixture.
Turn out evenly into a 9X13 dish. Press it down evenly. I used a little baking roller to get it distributed evenly and flat.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour before cutting into squares. You can cut whatever size you like. I did one to two bite sized pieces. Keep airtight and refrigerated. Will last really well for a week or so then they tend to get a little dry but are still very tasty.
Our full moon has been pretty amazing this month leading me to believe that it has to be a good time to throw some more seeds in the ground and separate bulbs for late spring and summer blooms. Carrots, chard, kale, onions, broccoli raab, broccolini, cabbage, mustard greens, snow peas, sweet peas, lettuce, arugula, watermelon radishes, parsley along with other herbs and plants are thriving in the College Park and Diablo Day organic gardens. As I gaze hungrily upon the astounding hues of greens, blues, reds and gold contrasting with reddish brown compost and mulch in my gardens, it gives eye candy a newer, sexier meaning if you are into the dirt, food porn, garden thing. Toss in a heartbreakingly blue sky and you have a perfectly visceral kind of day where you feel your nerve endings singing joyfully….except for the fact that we have had a lot of them good days due to no rain which is not good. I was reading about uncontrollable floods and crazy rains in Texas this week. Isn’t that something that this past spring we were inundated with rain and snow and Texas was experiencing their worst drought in decades and now they are under the rain cloud and we just keep on partying under blue skies?
Usually when it is this chilly there is rain or some low, hazy clouds drearying up the place so all I want to do is be inside curled up with my cats reading and making soup. Because it is so cold I am still manically making soup…..everyday…I have the cleanest reefer this side of Hawaii where it is so warm they don’t want to make a lot of soup all the time there by cleaning out all the veggies from the reef. So far my favorites are extremely simple and so tasty I am left craving more. Once I get on a thing I stay there for awhile too. Anyone else do that? I am loving vegetables of the green and leafy varieties and am really just sort of simmering them with chicken or veg stock and cubed sweet potatoes. Everything chopped up, thrown in pot, covered with stock, simmer until softish, season with Braggs Amino Acids, done. Bizarre yet wonderful if you are of the hot/cold ilk is the soup poured over chopped fresh Napa cabbage, arugula and lettuce mix. Squeeze lemon juice over and drizzle with amazing olive oil. California hippy girl pho. Take it a step further and fry or poach an egg or two very soft and drop on top of all. When the yolk opens into the concoction it creates the magic sauce that yolks are well known for creating a slurper who does not give a shit if found with egg on her face.
Made some pretty incredible protein bars for a health fair this weekend. My son tasted them and very dead pan serious said “these cannot be good for you”. They are! Vegan and gluten free with brown rice syrup for the sweetener. Even my dad like them. Saying a lot. You can cut whatever size you want. They are really great for taking with you when you know you are not going to be able to eat at the right time before the growling, low blood sugar thing hits. Also better than any junk food for a snack. Just like those kale chips!! Peace and white light universally my friends.
2 cups sunflower butter or peanut butter or half and half, available at your health food store or Trader Joes
1 c. organic brown rice syrup (whole foods)
4 scoops Arbonne Vanilla all-vegan protein powder ( I used ½ vanilla and half chocolate protein powder and you can use any kind I just use Arbonne cause I like it and peddle it to knowing friends)
2 scoops Arbonne fiber booster (also can use any fiber powder you like)
4 cups organic brown rice crispy cereal
¾ cup good earth tea or any tea you like but I love the cinnamon taste here. Most importantly is to get that liquid in there. It could also be almond milk or whatever your imagination dreams up
Directions:
Mix cereal, protein & fiber.
Heat syrup, tea & nut butter until liquefied.
Pour over cereal mixture.
Turn out evenly into a 9X13 dish. Press it down evenly. I used a little baking roller to get it distributed evenly and flat.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour before cutting into squares. You can cut whatever size you like. I did one to two bite sized pieces. Keep airtight and refrigerated. Will last really well for a week or so then they tend to get a little dry but are still very tasty.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Where did that come from??
Uncharacteristically quiet, after a month or more of holiday noise, the pounds have appeared in the form of a weird feeling padded middle ring around my waist and inner thighs with warmth retaining fat. How did that happen?? Wasn’t I paying close attention?? No, wait, that was November and now it is January. The month of atonement for food sins as it were. I may have gone a little over board here. We had a challenge at my gym, Step it up Studios in Pleasant Hill, to see who could do the most classes between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. It seemed like a good enough time to crank up the almost 54 year old metabolism so I jumped in with both feet. And won. I did almost 70 classes between those days. It was pretty crazy because I was hip deep into holiday catering too. Worked out though and I am sporting the new athletic shoes that were the prize to prove it. Not being content with the win I am still going to as many classes as I can and started going to a brand new strength training thing with a child teacher once a week. Being an already pretty in shape person who hikes the surrounding hills a lot I figured I got this. After the first half hour my lungs felt like they were coming out of my chest. It does pay to cross train. It also pays to clean out your system once in awhile. Holidays do something to my already wacked out mind and for some reason I feel it is ok to devour a lot of cookies and candy. And cheese and crackers. And wine, lots of wine, bubbly, red, white, whatever with maybe a martini or two just for the holidays thrown down the gullet. Maybe Baileys and coffee, but wait, I don’t drink coffee. Whatever….it’s the holidays.
Cleaning out to me means going paleo. No dairy, no sugar, no gluten. What do I eat then you may wonder if there is a you out there that is even reading this. I have a protein shake with water, protein powder, fruit of some kind, frozen spinach, a few almonds and blitz w/ ice. Tastes amazing and is a filler upper cause it is big. Works perfectly for a morning work out person or a morning donut and coffee on the way to work person because it will stay with you for a few hours. I eat a big salad with lemon juice and olive oil dressing and another protein shake for lunch along with some kale chips to take the snack edge off and act sort of like a crouton gluten thing without the bloat. That usually will last another few hours to get me through until 3 or 4. Then I have another big salad this time with garbanzo beans and avocado and cukes, whatever I have but with some protein on it, a huge portion of some kind of sautéed greens that I actually sort of steam in chicken or veg broth and then the broth from the greens. I always drink copious amounts of water but also that Good Earth tea. I’m addicted to it and drink it all day long. I hope no one tells me anything bad about it….If I feel I need anything else I have a Satsuma mandarin or some berries if they are good at the farmers market still which at this date they weirdly enough are. By getting all this in before 7 pm I always get clean and lose a few pounds to boot. I have been cleaning out for almost a week and not only am I human again but I actually have a small pimple on my chin…toxins leaving…aaahhhh. I will do this for 28 days to make my habit because I am a sugar junkie and need to retrain that beast every once in awhile and show her who is the boss of what…or who…or whatever.
Sounds fanatical you say but if you do a good organic shop at the farmers market and get some good organic broth and meats, best if it is wild caught fish or something pretty clean, organic chicken but the message is really that if you want to make a change in your life, cause this will change your life….you will feel better, look better and have better sex, is to make a plan and follow through with it. It is only 28 days or as long as it takes for you to gain control again. Did I mention that alcohol is not a really good thing to have for this month either?? Oh well just buck up and get off the nipple for a minute and it aint nearly as difficult as getting off the sugar. Actually the first time I did this a couple of years ago the hardest thing to back away from was cheese. I did lose a good 30 pounds though and have kept it at bay by pretty much trying to keep it at an 80 – 20 sort of thing. So 20 percent of the time I let the cheese, sugar and wine get in but I do feel it in my body when I succumb. I guess I just disconnected through December with my absolute drive and determination to get those shoes…..best that I get to using them now. Happy New Year.
Saturday January 7th there is going to be a health fair at my gym Step it up Studios, it is not my gym it is where I go to work out every damn day, and I will be doing cooking demo’s with the kale recipes below as well as a fun little protein bar I made. Lots of other vendors as well as some zumba and booty beat classes and weight training tours etc…
Step it up studios Health fair
2685 Pleasant Hill Road # b and c from 1 to 4 pm
925 348 1735 http://stepitupstudios.com/
Sautéed Kale
Separate and wash 1-2 bunches kale
1 T olive or coconut oil
¼ cup vegetable stock
3 cloves garlic - chopped
Slice kale into ½ inch pieces
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in sauté pan over medium heat and toss kale in pan. Sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Add vegetable stock and finish cooking until kale is limp but still colorful. Season with sea salt to taste. Drizzle rice vinegar over to taste if desired,
Kale Chips
Preheat oven to 300
Tear kale 1 bunch of any kind of kale into chip sized pieces, separating from the ribs as you go. Wash kale and spin dry in a salad spinner so that oil will adhere for even roasting. Toss with a small amount, 1 teaspoon or so, olive oil and season w/ sea salt. Place kale chips on parchment covered cookie sheets and bake for 12 to 17 minutes tossing chips ½ ways through to redistribute on baking tray. You can use any seasonings you like on the chips before baking as well as salt. Nutritional yeast is a great alternative to salt and adds a wonderful flavor as well as nutrients.
Fresh Kale Salad w/ Pomegranate Arils
1 large bunch kale of any kind, sliced and washed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 to 2 lemons
½ cup arils
1 Fuyu persimmon, sliced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
Sea salt and pepper to taste or Braggs Amino Acids to taste
Toss kale, arils, persimmon and green onions in a large salad bowl. Drizzle on lemon juice, zest and olive oil and toss well. Season w/ Braggs or salt. Let sit a few minutes to gently “cook” the kale for a few minutes or up to an hour before serving.
Cleaning out to me means going paleo. No dairy, no sugar, no gluten. What do I eat then you may wonder if there is a you out there that is even reading this. I have a protein shake with water, protein powder, fruit of some kind, frozen spinach, a few almonds and blitz w/ ice. Tastes amazing and is a filler upper cause it is big. Works perfectly for a morning work out person or a morning donut and coffee on the way to work person because it will stay with you for a few hours. I eat a big salad with lemon juice and olive oil dressing and another protein shake for lunch along with some kale chips to take the snack edge off and act sort of like a crouton gluten thing without the bloat. That usually will last another few hours to get me through until 3 or 4. Then I have another big salad this time with garbanzo beans and avocado and cukes, whatever I have but with some protein on it, a huge portion of some kind of sautéed greens that I actually sort of steam in chicken or veg broth and then the broth from the greens. I always drink copious amounts of water but also that Good Earth tea. I’m addicted to it and drink it all day long. I hope no one tells me anything bad about it….If I feel I need anything else I have a Satsuma mandarin or some berries if they are good at the farmers market still which at this date they weirdly enough are. By getting all this in before 7 pm I always get clean and lose a few pounds to boot. I have been cleaning out for almost a week and not only am I human again but I actually have a small pimple on my chin…toxins leaving…aaahhhh. I will do this for 28 days to make my habit because I am a sugar junkie and need to retrain that beast every once in awhile and show her who is the boss of what…or who…or whatever.
Sounds fanatical you say but if you do a good organic shop at the farmers market and get some good organic broth and meats, best if it is wild caught fish or something pretty clean, organic chicken but the message is really that if you want to make a change in your life, cause this will change your life….you will feel better, look better and have better sex, is to make a plan and follow through with it. It is only 28 days or as long as it takes for you to gain control again. Did I mention that alcohol is not a really good thing to have for this month either?? Oh well just buck up and get off the nipple for a minute and it aint nearly as difficult as getting off the sugar. Actually the first time I did this a couple of years ago the hardest thing to back away from was cheese. I did lose a good 30 pounds though and have kept it at bay by pretty much trying to keep it at an 80 – 20 sort of thing. So 20 percent of the time I let the cheese, sugar and wine get in but I do feel it in my body when I succumb. I guess I just disconnected through December with my absolute drive and determination to get those shoes…..best that I get to using them now. Happy New Year.
Saturday January 7th there is going to be a health fair at my gym Step it up Studios, it is not my gym it is where I go to work out every damn day, and I will be doing cooking demo’s with the kale recipes below as well as a fun little protein bar I made. Lots of other vendors as well as some zumba and booty beat classes and weight training tours etc…
Step it up studios Health fair
2685 Pleasant Hill Road # b and c from 1 to 4 pm
925 348 1735 http://stepitupstudios.com/
Sautéed Kale
Separate and wash 1-2 bunches kale
1 T olive or coconut oil
¼ cup vegetable stock
3 cloves garlic - chopped
Slice kale into ½ inch pieces
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in sauté pan over medium heat and toss kale in pan. Sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Add vegetable stock and finish cooking until kale is limp but still colorful. Season with sea salt to taste. Drizzle rice vinegar over to taste if desired,
Kale Chips
Preheat oven to 300
Tear kale 1 bunch of any kind of kale into chip sized pieces, separating from the ribs as you go. Wash kale and spin dry in a salad spinner so that oil will adhere for even roasting. Toss with a small amount, 1 teaspoon or so, olive oil and season w/ sea salt. Place kale chips on parchment covered cookie sheets and bake for 12 to 17 minutes tossing chips ½ ways through to redistribute on baking tray. You can use any seasonings you like on the chips before baking as well as salt. Nutritional yeast is a great alternative to salt and adds a wonderful flavor as well as nutrients.
Fresh Kale Salad w/ Pomegranate Arils
1 large bunch kale of any kind, sliced and washed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 to 2 lemons
½ cup arils
1 Fuyu persimmon, sliced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
Sea salt and pepper to taste or Braggs Amino Acids to taste
Toss kale, arils, persimmon and green onions in a large salad bowl. Drizzle on lemon juice, zest and olive oil and toss well. Season w/ Braggs or salt. Let sit a few minutes to gently “cook” the kale for a few minutes or up to an hour before serving.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Hot off the presses the 2012 Farmers Market Lovers Calendar has arrived on newsstands everywhere. Well almost everywhere. I mean at least they are on the worldwide web at www.lesleystilesfoods.com. Once again Dave’s amazing watercolors of seasonal fruits and vegetables found at farmers markets and a few mouthwatering, provocative recipes for each month.
Locally they can be found at ORCHARD NURSERY & FLORIST 4010 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette, CA 94549 (925) 284-4474 www.orchardnursery.com
At Orinda Books 276 Village Square , Orinda, CA 94563 Store (925) 254-7606 ... www.orindabooks.com
The Gardener 1836 Fourth Street, Berkeley, California 94710
510.548.4545 | Fax 510.548.6357 berkeley@thegardener.com
Also at Mrs. Dalloway’s in Berkeley and Across the Way (Ace Hardware Moraga)
You can also find us bundled up selling them Saturdays at the Diablo Valley Farmers Market in the Kaiser Shadelands parking lot from 9or 10 am to 1 in Walnut Creek and at the Moraga Farmers Market on Sundays in the Moraga Commons parking lot from 9 or 10 to 1. If you are local, I will deliver in time for Christmas. Just e-mail me at lesleystiles@comcast.net.
They make a great hostess gift for holiday parties under $20 and are great for the fruit and veggie farmers’ market gourmet cookin, art lovin peoples in your family.
Depending on your frame of mind, holiday season can either be a warm glow, uncontrolled baking and hugging time of the year or an overwhelming, anxiety producing, grumpy and depressing time of year. Pondering the frame of mind thing, perhaps the concept of “I’m the boss of me” and can decide how you want to navigate the tunnel of December. Two items of interest loom large in the 99%’s minds. Most notable, the expense and pressure of gift giving as well as taking the time to take care of ourselves while taking care of everyone else’s incredibly pressing needs at the same time.
Excellent strategies for maintaining a smile on your face and a strong, clear grip on your happy place this month are many and varied. Large quantities of the latest and greatest expensive gifts take a back seat in our family while the concept of community and generosity loom large. Having a family where the number 30 would be the quantity of my immediate family, brothers, sisters, in-laws, nephews, we only grow boys round here, and parents, we came up long ago with a fabulous plan for gifts. We go the old secret Santa route. You set the limit on price amongst yourselves. What evolved from this initial money saving strategy is what it is really all about, family and friends sharing quality time with each other. Our clan is so big that it takes hours to complete the process and by that end time we have had an amazing cooperative (key strategy word) dinner and an evening filled with love and laughs. No pressure, unless my rule about not bringing cheap wine counts.
If one polled all friends that gift each other during the holiday season the answer would be the same from dang near all. Don’t do it! I know everyone can’t make jam to give out to friends and teachers but everyone can come up with a card that wishes happy holidays to all and a nice line about how your family is giving to the community this year. This could be in the form of volunteering at the food bank, Monument Crisis Nursery, Christmas for Everyone, or sorting items at your church or school. It does not have to cost money, only a bit of your time. Crazy side effect of the give back: it is relaxing.
Banish the holiday binge victim living inside all of us with a strategy. That word again. Always take a food that you want to eat to a potluck or buffet party. Possibly a lusciously steaming pot of butternut squash soup, an amazing winter grain dish, seasonal roasted veggies or simply a big basket of Satsuma mandarins from the farmers market for people to grab. Flavored soda water is great to space out the wine creating an even happier person the next day. Eat something healthy and filling before you go if you are worried about party offerings and feel the power of preventing madness and anxiety and notice the sweet smile of satisfaction on your face knowing that you are indeed the boss of you.
As always, get out and walk or Zumba or Booty Boogie or Pilate or yoga or anything to get the heart pumping and blood flowing through your calm, beautiful, serene and peaceful body and mind. Let your love light shine out to everyone. Permeate those nooks and crannies with joy. Take an old person to lunch. Give the will work for food person a buck. Sing loud. Eat plenty of chocolate in nice forms. French kiss someone. Hug your teenager. Love you.
Peace
Butternut Squash and Herb Pasta
This is really quick and yummy pasta but you could also substitute quinoa, rice, faro or any other grain that you love. Feel free to add as many veggies as you like!
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
1 pound whole wheat or brown rice pasta
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Handful fresh chopped herbs such as parsley, oregano, basil
½ to ¾ cup vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup grated cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Toss squash with olive oil, salt and garlic and roast in a *400 oven for 20 minutes. Cook pasta in salted boiling water to al dente. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Toss cooked pasta, squash and stock in and mix until heated through. Add herbs and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cheese. Serves 4 to 6.
Persimmon Cookies
Fantastic for gift giving as they hold well layered w/ waxed paper or parchment in tins or plastic ware.
Makes 50 cookies
1 cup butter
¾ cup molasses sugar (from Trader Joes) or turbinado or brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
11/4 cup peeled and chopped persimmon (about 2 large or 3 small persimmons)
21/2 cups wheat flour
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons fresh ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped and toasted walnuts
1 cup raisins (the dried Thompson Seedless grapes from the Farmers’ Market are awesome)
Preheat oven to 350* and spray cookie sheets with canola oil or line with parchment paper.
Mix flour, salt, soda and spices together and set aside.
Combine butter and sugars and beat until smooth.
Add the egg and persimmon pulp and beat well.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.
Add the raisins and nuts and mix until incorporated.
Drop by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
These cookies are cake like and will seem too soft but pull them out anyway as they will be nice and moist.
As avocados are featured this month on the 2011 calendar here are a couple of tantalizing cheesecakes containing avocado in them.
Avocado cheesecake with Walnut Crust
3/4 cup shelled walnuts
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon crushed anise seeds
2T melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 fully ripened avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut in pieces
Heat oven to 350°F. In food processor, pulse walnuts until finely ground. Add graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar, anise seeds and salt; pulse just until combined. Add 2 tablespoons butter; pulse until ingredients are thoroughly combined and resemble wet sand. Press into bottom of an 8 1/2-inch springform pan. Bake 20 minutes; cool completely.
In measuring cup or small bowl, combine gelatin with 2 tablespoons water; let stand for 5 minutes. In saucepan, combine milk, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla and lemon zest; bring to boil. Add gelatin; simmer until gelatin has completely dissolved, about 1 minute. In food processor, combine avocados and cream cheese. Pour hot milk mixture into processor; process until very smooth. Pour into baked crust; cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set. Remove side of pan; cut cheesecake into 10 slices. Serve with raspberry sauce, if desired.
Avocado Cheesecake
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Put almonds into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter, and pulse until just blended. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Set aside.
16 ounces of cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 medium sized avocados
2 teaspoons of lime zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon rum
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a mixer combine cream cheese and sugar, and blend until smooth. Add eggs one at a time until they are incorporated into the batter.
Place avocados into a food processor, and pulse until they are smooth, add lime zest, lime juice, rum, and sour cream, and pulse until you have a uniform mixture, add the avocado mixture into the cream cheese, and mix well. Pour into spring form pan. Bake for 45 minutes, check to see if the cheesecake is set, it should still have a small jiggle in the middle when you bump the pan.
Remove from oven, and cool completely on a rack.
Locally they can be found at ORCHARD NURSERY & FLORIST 4010 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette, CA 94549 (925) 284-4474 www.orchardnursery.com
At Orinda Books 276 Village Square , Orinda, CA 94563 Store (925) 254-7606 ... www.orindabooks.com
The Gardener 1836 Fourth Street, Berkeley, California 94710
510.548.4545 | Fax 510.548.6357 berkeley@thegardener.com
Also at Mrs. Dalloway’s in Berkeley and Across the Way (Ace Hardware Moraga)
You can also find us bundled up selling them Saturdays at the Diablo Valley Farmers Market in the Kaiser Shadelands parking lot from 9or 10 am to 1 in Walnut Creek and at the Moraga Farmers Market on Sundays in the Moraga Commons parking lot from 9 or 10 to 1. If you are local, I will deliver in time for Christmas. Just e-mail me at lesleystiles@comcast.net.
They make a great hostess gift for holiday parties under $20 and are great for the fruit and veggie farmers’ market gourmet cookin, art lovin peoples in your family.
Depending on your frame of mind, holiday season can either be a warm glow, uncontrolled baking and hugging time of the year or an overwhelming, anxiety producing, grumpy and depressing time of year. Pondering the frame of mind thing, perhaps the concept of “I’m the boss of me” and can decide how you want to navigate the tunnel of December. Two items of interest loom large in the 99%’s minds. Most notable, the expense and pressure of gift giving as well as taking the time to take care of ourselves while taking care of everyone else’s incredibly pressing needs at the same time.
Excellent strategies for maintaining a smile on your face and a strong, clear grip on your happy place this month are many and varied. Large quantities of the latest and greatest expensive gifts take a back seat in our family while the concept of community and generosity loom large. Having a family where the number 30 would be the quantity of my immediate family, brothers, sisters, in-laws, nephews, we only grow boys round here, and parents, we came up long ago with a fabulous plan for gifts. We go the old secret Santa route. You set the limit on price amongst yourselves. What evolved from this initial money saving strategy is what it is really all about, family and friends sharing quality time with each other. Our clan is so big that it takes hours to complete the process and by that end time we have had an amazing cooperative (key strategy word) dinner and an evening filled with love and laughs. No pressure, unless my rule about not bringing cheap wine counts.
If one polled all friends that gift each other during the holiday season the answer would be the same from dang near all. Don’t do it! I know everyone can’t make jam to give out to friends and teachers but everyone can come up with a card that wishes happy holidays to all and a nice line about how your family is giving to the community this year. This could be in the form of volunteering at the food bank, Monument Crisis Nursery, Christmas for Everyone, or sorting items at your church or school. It does not have to cost money, only a bit of your time. Crazy side effect of the give back: it is relaxing.
Banish the holiday binge victim living inside all of us with a strategy. That word again. Always take a food that you want to eat to a potluck or buffet party. Possibly a lusciously steaming pot of butternut squash soup, an amazing winter grain dish, seasonal roasted veggies or simply a big basket of Satsuma mandarins from the farmers market for people to grab. Flavored soda water is great to space out the wine creating an even happier person the next day. Eat something healthy and filling before you go if you are worried about party offerings and feel the power of preventing madness and anxiety and notice the sweet smile of satisfaction on your face knowing that you are indeed the boss of you.
As always, get out and walk or Zumba or Booty Boogie or Pilate or yoga or anything to get the heart pumping and blood flowing through your calm, beautiful, serene and peaceful body and mind. Let your love light shine out to everyone. Permeate those nooks and crannies with joy. Take an old person to lunch. Give the will work for food person a buck. Sing loud. Eat plenty of chocolate in nice forms. French kiss someone. Hug your teenager. Love you.
Peace
Butternut Squash and Herb Pasta
This is really quick and yummy pasta but you could also substitute quinoa, rice, faro or any other grain that you love. Feel free to add as many veggies as you like!
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
1 pound whole wheat or brown rice pasta
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Handful fresh chopped herbs such as parsley, oregano, basil
½ to ¾ cup vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup grated cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Toss squash with olive oil, salt and garlic and roast in a *400 oven for 20 minutes. Cook pasta in salted boiling water to al dente. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Toss cooked pasta, squash and stock in and mix until heated through. Add herbs and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cheese. Serves 4 to 6.
Persimmon Cookies
Fantastic for gift giving as they hold well layered w/ waxed paper or parchment in tins or plastic ware.
Makes 50 cookies
1 cup butter
¾ cup molasses sugar (from Trader Joes) or turbinado or brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
11/4 cup peeled and chopped persimmon (about 2 large or 3 small persimmons)
21/2 cups wheat flour
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons fresh ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped and toasted walnuts
1 cup raisins (the dried Thompson Seedless grapes from the Farmers’ Market are awesome)
Preheat oven to 350* and spray cookie sheets with canola oil or line with parchment paper.
Mix flour, salt, soda and spices together and set aside.
Combine butter and sugars and beat until smooth.
Add the egg and persimmon pulp and beat well.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.
Add the raisins and nuts and mix until incorporated.
Drop by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
These cookies are cake like and will seem too soft but pull them out anyway as they will be nice and moist.
As avocados are featured this month on the 2011 calendar here are a couple of tantalizing cheesecakes containing avocado in them.
Avocado cheesecake with Walnut Crust
3/4 cup shelled walnuts
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon crushed anise seeds
2T melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 fully ripened avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut in pieces
Heat oven to 350°F. In food processor, pulse walnuts until finely ground. Add graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar, anise seeds and salt; pulse just until combined. Add 2 tablespoons butter; pulse until ingredients are thoroughly combined and resemble wet sand. Press into bottom of an 8 1/2-inch springform pan. Bake 20 minutes; cool completely.
In measuring cup or small bowl, combine gelatin with 2 tablespoons water; let stand for 5 minutes. In saucepan, combine milk, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla and lemon zest; bring to boil. Add gelatin; simmer until gelatin has completely dissolved, about 1 minute. In food processor, combine avocados and cream cheese. Pour hot milk mixture into processor; process until very smooth. Pour into baked crust; cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set. Remove side of pan; cut cheesecake into 10 slices. Serve with raspberry sauce, if desired.
Avocado Cheesecake
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Put almonds into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter, and pulse until just blended. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Set aside.
16 ounces of cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 medium sized avocados
2 teaspoons of lime zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon rum
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a mixer combine cream cheese and sugar, and blend until smooth. Add eggs one at a time until they are incorporated into the batter.
Place avocados into a food processor, and pulse until they are smooth, add lime zest, lime juice, rum, and sour cream, and pulse until you have a uniform mixture, add the avocado mixture into the cream cheese, and mix well. Pour into spring form pan. Bake for 45 minutes, check to see if the cheesecake is set, it should still have a small jiggle in the middle when you bump the pan.
Remove from oven, and cool completely on a rack.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
What??! Another Calendar??
Hot off the presses the 2011 Farmers Market Lovers Calendar has arrived on newsstands everywhere. Well almost everywhere. I mean at least they are on the worldwide web, 2 places! www.lesleystilesfoods.com and www.hardscratchpress.com. Once again Dave’s amazing watercolors of seasonal fruits and vegetables found at farmers markets and a few mouthwatering, provocative recipes for each month.
Locally they can be found at ORCHARD NURSERY & FLORIST 4010 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette, CA 94549 (925) 284-4474 www.orchardnursery.com
At Orinda Books 276 Village Square , Orinda, CA 94563 Store (925) 254-7606 ... www.orindabooks.com
The Gardener 1836 Fourth Street, Berkeley, California 94710
510.548.4545 | Fax 510.548.6357 berkeley@thegardener.com
You can also find us bundled up selling them Saturdays at the Diablo Valley Farmers Market in the Kaiser Shadelands parking lot from 9 to 1 in Walnut Creek and at the Moraga Farmers Market on Sundays in the Moraga Commons parking lot from 9 to 1.
They make a great hostess gift for holiday parties under $20 and are great for the fruit and veggie farmers’ market gourmet cookin, art lovin peoples in your family.
Shorter days and dropping mercury set the stage for stellar winter gardens and this year with our much extended warm autumn winter gardens should be better than ever. At all of our school gardens we had an amazing Community Service Day in Pleasant Hill in September with crews of tireless volunteers making light work of weeding, pruning, laying mulch, filling boxes with amendments’ and compost rendering these school gardens kid planting ready for year round crops. Broccoli, snow peas, cauliflower, chards, kales, peas, onions, garlic, carrots, beets, radishes, lettuces and greens, all student planted, tucked in for winter ready to lay some fresh vegetable goodness on us in a month or two. Already lettuce and arugula have made it into the salad bowl with abundant fresh herbs.
We harvested a bushel basket of potatoes from the College Park garden memorably scarlet, rose and purple and sautéed them with the onions we had planted last year. Special Ed students gingerly slicing them up to toss into a pan of sizzling olive oil instantly transporting teachers, aids and students to a cozy, heartwarming happy place just with the heady scent. If you have never tasted fresh dug potatoes, you ought to ford valley and stream to get you some. They are completely different from a store bought variety. Starches are almost non existent and even cooked well new potatoes have a crunch and snap to them with a clean finish reminiscent of water chestnuts.
Apples played a starring role in the Diablo Community Day School lunchroom this week. Comparative tastings prove to be a priceless tool illustrating to students different varieties of apples, all the same fruit, with amazingly varied flavors, textures, colors and names. We tasted them on Golden russet apples from 1750 eastern US as well as Dutch rooted apples from 1648 and pink tinged Grenadine among many others. Students’ rate whether they like, dislike or are ok with each apple and use these figures to determine percentages in their math classes. Tastings definitely do double duty for Stephanie and I cementing the true knowledge that we are both multi tasking control freaks and project this on all of our captive students by bribing them with food.
The Bridge Program at Loma Vista Adult Ed organic garden as well as Diablo Day School Organic Garden do not have the support of a traditional parent teacher club consequently leaving us without a steady budget for our nefarious activities in the gardens and kitchens at these school so we hosted a fundraiser dinner in conjunction with Slow Food Delta Diablo, sort of an underground thing which I am into these days, at Steph and John’s house the other night. We could fit 22 people and charged $50 a piece and it was sold out before we could even advertise it. I cooked for it and the girls all served and it was a blast. We sold lavender sachets that the students at College Park made from their own lavender plants as well as doggie treats that the students at The Bridge Program made. We almost made our budget for one of the schools so now we just need to get the dough for the other one going. Expect news of another dinner in January and a wine tasting event at Periscope Cellars in March.
Fuyu persimmons, apples, pomegranates, kale, chard, cauliflower, broc, carrots, beets, grapes, current crop nuts….just a few of the amazing items to be found at the winter farmers market currently. Get out and get some goodness flowing through your veins and opening your heart and mind to wonder and success, joy and passion. Support the farmers and maybe pick up one of those dang calendars.
Faro or Spelt as it is also known is the whole grain of the wheat berry. When cooked until soft it makes a great foil for salads or sides not to mention an awesomely nutritious vegetarian main dish. Mixed together with rice and quinoa, well draw your own conclusions when you taste the combo…you will not be disappointed!
Quinoa, Faro and Brown Rice Pilaf w/ Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables and Herbs
½ cup quinoa
½ cup brown rice
½ cup faro
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into medium sized cubes
2 carrots, chunked
2 golden beets, peeled and cubed
1 bunch cauliflower, broken into flowerets
1 bunch broccoli, broken into flowerets
1 bunch Swiss chard or kale, sliced thin
¼ cup of chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, tarragon, thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook quinoa, rice and faro separately as directed. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until slightly caramelized. Add in squash, carrots and beets, broccoli and cauliflower. Sauté for 4 minutes. Add broth and simmer covered for about 5 more minutes until vegetables are tender. Add grains, greens and herbs to vegetables and heat through. Season to taste. Serves 6.
This is so easy my son makes it regularly. It is so tummy warming that you will swoon and sigh heavily.
Cauliflower Soup
1 large head cauliflower, core removed and chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
½ cup ½ and ½ or unsweetened almond milk
½ teaspoon fresh curry powder or garam masala or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until slightly caramelized. Add cauliflower and sauté for a few more minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes until cauliflower is soft. Blend with an immersion blender or in a blender cup and add ½ and ½ or almond milk. Bring back to a simmer. Remove from heat and season with spices, salt and pepper.Makes 4 nice servings.
Alternatively add a large chopped yellow potato along with cauliflower and omit cream. Can be garnished with a nice grated cheese.
Locally they can be found at ORCHARD NURSERY & FLORIST 4010 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette, CA 94549 (925) 284-4474 www.orchardnursery.com
At Orinda Books 276 Village Square , Orinda, CA 94563 Store (925) 254-7606 ... www.orindabooks.com
The Gardener 1836 Fourth Street, Berkeley, California 94710
510.548.4545 | Fax 510.548.6357 berkeley@thegardener.com
You can also find us bundled up selling them Saturdays at the Diablo Valley Farmers Market in the Kaiser Shadelands parking lot from 9 to 1 in Walnut Creek and at the Moraga Farmers Market on Sundays in the Moraga Commons parking lot from 9 to 1.
They make a great hostess gift for holiday parties under $20 and are great for the fruit and veggie farmers’ market gourmet cookin, art lovin peoples in your family.
Shorter days and dropping mercury set the stage for stellar winter gardens and this year with our much extended warm autumn winter gardens should be better than ever. At all of our school gardens we had an amazing Community Service Day in Pleasant Hill in September with crews of tireless volunteers making light work of weeding, pruning, laying mulch, filling boxes with amendments’ and compost rendering these school gardens kid planting ready for year round crops. Broccoli, snow peas, cauliflower, chards, kales, peas, onions, garlic, carrots, beets, radishes, lettuces and greens, all student planted, tucked in for winter ready to lay some fresh vegetable goodness on us in a month or two. Already lettuce and arugula have made it into the salad bowl with abundant fresh herbs.
We harvested a bushel basket of potatoes from the College Park garden memorably scarlet, rose and purple and sautéed them with the onions we had planted last year. Special Ed students gingerly slicing them up to toss into a pan of sizzling olive oil instantly transporting teachers, aids and students to a cozy, heartwarming happy place just with the heady scent. If you have never tasted fresh dug potatoes, you ought to ford valley and stream to get you some. They are completely different from a store bought variety. Starches are almost non existent and even cooked well new potatoes have a crunch and snap to them with a clean finish reminiscent of water chestnuts.
Apples played a starring role in the Diablo Community Day School lunchroom this week. Comparative tastings prove to be a priceless tool illustrating to students different varieties of apples, all the same fruit, with amazingly varied flavors, textures, colors and names. We tasted them on Golden russet apples from 1750 eastern US as well as Dutch rooted apples from 1648 and pink tinged Grenadine among many others. Students’ rate whether they like, dislike or are ok with each apple and use these figures to determine percentages in their math classes. Tastings definitely do double duty for Stephanie and I cementing the true knowledge that we are both multi tasking control freaks and project this on all of our captive students by bribing them with food.
The Bridge Program at Loma Vista Adult Ed organic garden as well as Diablo Day School Organic Garden do not have the support of a traditional parent teacher club consequently leaving us without a steady budget for our nefarious activities in the gardens and kitchens at these school so we hosted a fundraiser dinner in conjunction with Slow Food Delta Diablo, sort of an underground thing which I am into these days, at Steph and John’s house the other night. We could fit 22 people and charged $50 a piece and it was sold out before we could even advertise it. I cooked for it and the girls all served and it was a blast. We sold lavender sachets that the students at College Park made from their own lavender plants as well as doggie treats that the students at The Bridge Program made. We almost made our budget for one of the schools so now we just need to get the dough for the other one going. Expect news of another dinner in January and a wine tasting event at Periscope Cellars in March.
Fuyu persimmons, apples, pomegranates, kale, chard, cauliflower, broc, carrots, beets, grapes, current crop nuts….just a few of the amazing items to be found at the winter farmers market currently. Get out and get some goodness flowing through your veins and opening your heart and mind to wonder and success, joy and passion. Support the farmers and maybe pick up one of those dang calendars.
Faro or Spelt as it is also known is the whole grain of the wheat berry. When cooked until soft it makes a great foil for salads or sides not to mention an awesomely nutritious vegetarian main dish. Mixed together with rice and quinoa, well draw your own conclusions when you taste the combo…you will not be disappointed!
Quinoa, Faro and Brown Rice Pilaf w/ Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables and Herbs
½ cup quinoa
½ cup brown rice
½ cup faro
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into medium sized cubes
2 carrots, chunked
2 golden beets, peeled and cubed
1 bunch cauliflower, broken into flowerets
1 bunch broccoli, broken into flowerets
1 bunch Swiss chard or kale, sliced thin
¼ cup of chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, tarragon, thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook quinoa, rice and faro separately as directed. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until slightly caramelized. Add in squash, carrots and beets, broccoli and cauliflower. Sauté for 4 minutes. Add broth and simmer covered for about 5 more minutes until vegetables are tender. Add grains, greens and herbs to vegetables and heat through. Season to taste. Serves 6.
This is so easy my son makes it regularly. It is so tummy warming that you will swoon and sigh heavily.
Cauliflower Soup
1 large head cauliflower, core removed and chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
½ cup ½ and ½ or unsweetened almond milk
½ teaspoon fresh curry powder or garam masala or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until slightly caramelized. Add cauliflower and sauté for a few more minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes until cauliflower is soft. Blend with an immersion blender or in a blender cup and add ½ and ½ or almond milk. Bring back to a simmer. Remove from heat and season with spices, salt and pepper.Makes 4 nice servings.
Alternatively add a large chopped yellow potato along with cauliflower and omit cream. Can be garnished with a nice grated cheese.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Jammin on my mind
Life is an amazing joyride and there are many things that I am eternally grateful for but I have to say that the sound of lids popping on newly crafted jars of jam is something that never fails to turn me on. Working the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market today netted me not only a fantastic day of rapture among dazzlingly blue skies of San Francisco amidst scads of enthusiastic holiday crowds of clever planners of the Labor Day pic nics and bar-b-quer’s, but it also crowned me the joyous receiver of masses of Knoll Farms Brown turkey figs not quite strong enough to endure another week of cold storage. Criminal to let even one of these savage, slippery, sensuous fruits go to waste, in my mind meant a full blown session of preserving summer in a jar. Having been the fortunate receiver of yet another farmers extra blackberries, my mind went to a sweet place of combining love with love and ending up with bejeweled jars, lids popping, on my counter. On yet another scorching summer evening as the sweat inched down my spine I was suddenly and profoundly filled with longing, my mind a swirl with ideas to incorporate this enticing concoction into all manner of dishes and treats for my loyal as well as savvy catering clients.
I had the good fortune to run into June Taylor, preserve queen of the East Bay, while she was procuring only the best figs for her jam from our stand. She truly inspired me to get jamming. No pectin in these jars either and they set up thanks to a divine recipe from Marie Simmons, critically acclaimed author of Fig Heaven, among many award winning cook books. Even non fig fanatics should own this book for the plethora of inspirational recipes containing the ancient internal blooming fruit.
Kristie also had a boatload of dry farmed Early Girl tomatoes to unload so tomato sauce is next utilizing fresh velvety chartreuse basil as well as celery, onions, thyme and oregano from my garden. Pickles are also on the agenda in the very near future.
Even though it has been a cool summer or maybe because of it, I have an incredible amount of luscious vegetables smiling at me all day long from my rich dirt. Our College Park High School Organic garden is a bit of an end of summer mess but beneath the sunflower and hollyhock jungles one will stumble upon elongated, smooth, perfect Japanese eggplants, pumpkins, 3 or 4 different kinds of tomatoes, strawberries, loads of figs, basil, amaranth, potatoes, literally bushes of thyme and tarragon, squash, apples and more all started from seeds in our greenhouse by the special day students we are fortunate to be able to name ourselves helpers to at the school.
On September 25 from 9 am until whenever we are having Pleasant Hill Community Service Day and College Park’s garden is on the list of projects. We will be weeding, taking down some of the flower jungles, replanting our strawberry beds, laying mulch in pathways and topping off other beds with compost and just generally getting our garden ready for the kids to get the winter garden in. If you want to help or just come down and revel in the joy of the scene, do it! Let me now if you want to come or if you need more info about the eventful day.
As the weather shifts and the air gets that quality to it that literally makes love to your skin as you move through it, allow yourself to be mindful of all our blessings of Northern California produce at our many farmers markets and gardens everywhere and take a flying leap into the realm of home preservation to discover the sound of that popping lid and then you tell me it don’t get you just a bit sexy and riled up.
As always I must mention taking a hike in the hills surrounding us. Last week we spotted a mountain lion on the Pine Tree trail in Briones. Amazing. We have seen owls, hawks, tarantulas, great blue herons and on just about every hike this summer our adrenalin level has been greatly elevated by sighting, hearing or sensing a rattlesnake. All just in Briones, just in our back yards and available to everyone that gets out there, taking a look and reveling in the season change.
And for Gods sake get some figs down yer gullet!
Marie Simmons Fresh Fig, Lemon and Strawberry Jam
(I used blackberries in place of the strawberries)
1 ½ pounds ripe figs, any variety, stems trimmed and cut into ½ inch pieces
2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ lemon, cut lengthwise, quartered, seeds and white pithy center removed, cut crosswise into thin slices
In a large, heavy non-reactive skillet, combine figs, strawberries, sugar, lemons and lemon juice. Mash fruit with a potato masher. Let stand for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring fruit mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring often. Lower heat to medium low and gently boil jam, stirring often to prevent scorching, until thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes. About halfway through the cooking time, use a large metal spoon to skim off any white foam that has accumulated on the surface.
Ladle hot jam through a wide mouthed funnel into 6 sterilized half pint jars. Process in a water bath 10 minutes or simply cover with lids and screws and keep refrigerated.
I had the good fortune to run into June Taylor, preserve queen of the East Bay, while she was procuring only the best figs for her jam from our stand. She truly inspired me to get jamming. No pectin in these jars either and they set up thanks to a divine recipe from Marie Simmons, critically acclaimed author of Fig Heaven, among many award winning cook books. Even non fig fanatics should own this book for the plethora of inspirational recipes containing the ancient internal blooming fruit.
Kristie also had a boatload of dry farmed Early Girl tomatoes to unload so tomato sauce is next utilizing fresh velvety chartreuse basil as well as celery, onions, thyme and oregano from my garden. Pickles are also on the agenda in the very near future.
Even though it has been a cool summer or maybe because of it, I have an incredible amount of luscious vegetables smiling at me all day long from my rich dirt. Our College Park High School Organic garden is a bit of an end of summer mess but beneath the sunflower and hollyhock jungles one will stumble upon elongated, smooth, perfect Japanese eggplants, pumpkins, 3 or 4 different kinds of tomatoes, strawberries, loads of figs, basil, amaranth, potatoes, literally bushes of thyme and tarragon, squash, apples and more all started from seeds in our greenhouse by the special day students we are fortunate to be able to name ourselves helpers to at the school.
On September 25 from 9 am until whenever we are having Pleasant Hill Community Service Day and College Park’s garden is on the list of projects. We will be weeding, taking down some of the flower jungles, replanting our strawberry beds, laying mulch in pathways and topping off other beds with compost and just generally getting our garden ready for the kids to get the winter garden in. If you want to help or just come down and revel in the joy of the scene, do it! Let me now if you want to come or if you need more info about the eventful day.
As the weather shifts and the air gets that quality to it that literally makes love to your skin as you move through it, allow yourself to be mindful of all our blessings of Northern California produce at our many farmers markets and gardens everywhere and take a flying leap into the realm of home preservation to discover the sound of that popping lid and then you tell me it don’t get you just a bit sexy and riled up.
As always I must mention taking a hike in the hills surrounding us. Last week we spotted a mountain lion on the Pine Tree trail in Briones. Amazing. We have seen owls, hawks, tarantulas, great blue herons and on just about every hike this summer our adrenalin level has been greatly elevated by sighting, hearing or sensing a rattlesnake. All just in Briones, just in our back yards and available to everyone that gets out there, taking a look and reveling in the season change.
And for Gods sake get some figs down yer gullet!
Marie Simmons Fresh Fig, Lemon and Strawberry Jam
(I used blackberries in place of the strawberries)
1 ½ pounds ripe figs, any variety, stems trimmed and cut into ½ inch pieces
2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ lemon, cut lengthwise, quartered, seeds and white pithy center removed, cut crosswise into thin slices
In a large, heavy non-reactive skillet, combine figs, strawberries, sugar, lemons and lemon juice. Mash fruit with a potato masher. Let stand for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring fruit mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring often. Lower heat to medium low and gently boil jam, stirring often to prevent scorching, until thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes. About halfway through the cooking time, use a large metal spoon to skim off any white foam that has accumulated on the surface.
Ladle hot jam through a wide mouthed funnel into 6 sterilized half pint jars. Process in a water bath 10 minutes or simply cover with lids and screws and keep refrigerated.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
An evening at the Underground Farmers Market
S F Forage keeps popping up in my consciousness or e-mail box, quite predictably peaking my curiosity, so when I got the secret e-mail regarding the date and location of the “underground” farmers market I could not resist the pull, but I did. Then my friend Gigi called and said she was going to the East Bay one, they also have it in S F, so I went. Very interesting indeed. Having been a part of helping organize above ground farmers markets for a long time I wanted to know what the difference was, plus it stirred my competitive ire. When I asked the folks at Forage SF, via their website, what the difference was, it really was only differentiated by the permit processes that choke a good deal of crazy inventive and mega talented chefs, bakers and food producers. To sell at a regular farmers market you need proof of a permitted commercial kitchen to produce your food in according to all health codes. You also have to follow a whole host of sometimes ridiculous rules. This can be not only intimidating but expensive as well and incredibly inconvenient to boot. At the underground market you do not go through this process. As I was explaining this to my Dad, he voiced the thought we all had upon first hearing of this which is, in a word, yuk.
At the last minute we were given the location, an auto dealer parking yard at Broadway and 24th in Oakland. Intriguing. When we rounded the corner off Broadway we were greeted with a long line outside of a gate. On the inside of the gate were several hundred people milling about and probably about 50 vendors peddling their wares. After scouting a parking spot, we waited in a pretty swift moving queue and paid two bucks at the gate to get in. Scents wafting about our heads kept us in that line salivating, anticipating gastronomies’ delights. First we encountered these amazing vegan chocolate and lavender cupcakes and truffles, beautifully and professionally decorated. Meringue sandwich cookies, chocolate chip cookies, handmade breads, caramel and fluer de sel ice cream, basil ice cream, more luscious cupcakes, enough sweet stuff to make you feel high just looking. I succumbed to a delightfully tiny coconut and vanilla bean cupcake. My eyes blurred and I had to stop Gigi and Kelly to make them take a bit. Amazingly and surprisingly it tasted as good as it looked. Most baked goods, in my opinion, do not and are not worth the calories. We tasted kombucha, a fermented drink with intestinal healing qualities that we quickly realized we would need if we tasted too much more. Heirloom tomatoes layered in a Chinese take out container with hand made fresh ricotta, basil sprouts and olive oil topped with a crack of black pepper was the best savory food to my palate although there was a really nice lentil and lentil sprout dish that was a close second. Things I did not taste but can only imagine were really good were the macaroni and cheese with homemade hotdogs, sharp cheddar and salty potato chips sprinkled on top. These guys had a long line as did the jerk chicken people, the slider people and the ever present pulled pork people. All organic, hormone free, fresh made buns, fresh made mustard and ketchup etcetera. We tasted a tamale with black beans and quinoa that was great and there was even a stand selling raclette melted under an ingenious machine imported from Switzerland gooed over the top of garlic and olive oil roasted Yellow Finn potatoes and cornichons. Also present at many booths were the jams and jellies representing peak season in California. One fascinating to observe hippy guy was concocting these cones made of flax seed and spices with yummy salads and pastes inside drizzled with his special tamarind sauce. I did not see anything yucky, nefarious doings or anything dirty or not at the temperature it should be at. Plus there was really good beer on tap.
Live music was setting up to play when we finally left after 8 pm. They were going to 10 pm and the party was getting started.
I did not see anywhere any fresh produce though. Apparently there was an earlier market that was all produce and this was the all food one. Vendors are strictly screened and pay fifty bucks a pop to appear in the underground market. They all said that it was indeed a circuit and they knew all the vitals well ahead and that there was always a line around the block at all the markets. It was a fun experience and I will go again when a certain secret e-mail drops almost as if by a Hogwarts owl into my box.
Some summer recipes…..
Fresh Corn and Tomato Risotto
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped fine
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups Aborio rice
1 cup white wine
7 to eight cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups fresh corn cut off the cob
1 cup chopped fresh heirloom tomatoes, your choice
½ bunch chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Manchego cheese for grating on top
In a medium saucepan, heat the stock. Heat olive oil in a wide heavy pan. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes and add the rice. Sauté the rice until opaque in color. Add the wine and let simmer for a minute. Add the stock a ½ cup at a time allowing it to absorb after each addition stirring constantly. The rice will become creamy. Taste occasionally to check for tenderness. Add tomatoes and basil and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cheese. Serve at once.
Serves 4 to 6.
Grilled Peaches w/ Fresh Mozzarella and Balsamic
3 pounds fresh peaches, peeled and halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh mozzarella
½ cup basil leaves
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Toss the peaches in olive oil and set on a hot grill. Mark and heat through. Remove from grill and set aside. On a platter alternate slices of peach w/ slices of mozzarella and basil leaves. Drizzle w/ balsamic and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Serves 4.
Eggplant, Summer Squash and Heirloom Tomato Tian
4 Japanese eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise and grilled
4 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise and grilled
4 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced crosswise
1 pound chevre, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
On 4 separate plates, arrange a slice of tomato. Follow with a slice of squash and then a slice of eggplant. Sprinkle with a bit of rosemary and add a slice of chevre. Repeat w/ remaining slices of vegetables and cheese. Sprinkle w/ olive oil and vinegar and season w/ salt. Serves 4.
At the last minute we were given the location, an auto dealer parking yard at Broadway and 24th in Oakland. Intriguing. When we rounded the corner off Broadway we were greeted with a long line outside of a gate. On the inside of the gate were several hundred people milling about and probably about 50 vendors peddling their wares. After scouting a parking spot, we waited in a pretty swift moving queue and paid two bucks at the gate to get in. Scents wafting about our heads kept us in that line salivating, anticipating gastronomies’ delights. First we encountered these amazing vegan chocolate and lavender cupcakes and truffles, beautifully and professionally decorated. Meringue sandwich cookies, chocolate chip cookies, handmade breads, caramel and fluer de sel ice cream, basil ice cream, more luscious cupcakes, enough sweet stuff to make you feel high just looking. I succumbed to a delightfully tiny coconut and vanilla bean cupcake. My eyes blurred and I had to stop Gigi and Kelly to make them take a bit. Amazingly and surprisingly it tasted as good as it looked. Most baked goods, in my opinion, do not and are not worth the calories. We tasted kombucha, a fermented drink with intestinal healing qualities that we quickly realized we would need if we tasted too much more. Heirloom tomatoes layered in a Chinese take out container with hand made fresh ricotta, basil sprouts and olive oil topped with a crack of black pepper was the best savory food to my palate although there was a really nice lentil and lentil sprout dish that was a close second. Things I did not taste but can only imagine were really good were the macaroni and cheese with homemade hotdogs, sharp cheddar and salty potato chips sprinkled on top. These guys had a long line as did the jerk chicken people, the slider people and the ever present pulled pork people. All organic, hormone free, fresh made buns, fresh made mustard and ketchup etcetera. We tasted a tamale with black beans and quinoa that was great and there was even a stand selling raclette melted under an ingenious machine imported from Switzerland gooed over the top of garlic and olive oil roasted Yellow Finn potatoes and cornichons. Also present at many booths were the jams and jellies representing peak season in California. One fascinating to observe hippy guy was concocting these cones made of flax seed and spices with yummy salads and pastes inside drizzled with his special tamarind sauce. I did not see anything yucky, nefarious doings or anything dirty or not at the temperature it should be at. Plus there was really good beer on tap.
Live music was setting up to play when we finally left after 8 pm. They were going to 10 pm and the party was getting started.
I did not see anywhere any fresh produce though. Apparently there was an earlier market that was all produce and this was the all food one. Vendors are strictly screened and pay fifty bucks a pop to appear in the underground market. They all said that it was indeed a circuit and they knew all the vitals well ahead and that there was always a line around the block at all the markets. It was a fun experience and I will go again when a certain secret e-mail drops almost as if by a Hogwarts owl into my box.
Some summer recipes…..
Fresh Corn and Tomato Risotto
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped fine
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups Aborio rice
1 cup white wine
7 to eight cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups fresh corn cut off the cob
1 cup chopped fresh heirloom tomatoes, your choice
½ bunch chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Manchego cheese for grating on top
In a medium saucepan, heat the stock. Heat olive oil in a wide heavy pan. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes and add the rice. Sauté the rice until opaque in color. Add the wine and let simmer for a minute. Add the stock a ½ cup at a time allowing it to absorb after each addition stirring constantly. The rice will become creamy. Taste occasionally to check for tenderness. Add tomatoes and basil and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cheese. Serve at once.
Serves 4 to 6.
Grilled Peaches w/ Fresh Mozzarella and Balsamic
3 pounds fresh peaches, peeled and halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh mozzarella
½ cup basil leaves
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Toss the peaches in olive oil and set on a hot grill. Mark and heat through. Remove from grill and set aside. On a platter alternate slices of peach w/ slices of mozzarella and basil leaves. Drizzle w/ balsamic and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Serves 4.
Eggplant, Summer Squash and Heirloom Tomato Tian
4 Japanese eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise and grilled
4 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise and grilled
4 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced crosswise
1 pound chevre, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
On 4 separate plates, arrange a slice of tomato. Follow with a slice of squash and then a slice of eggplant. Sprinkle with a bit of rosemary and add a slice of chevre. Repeat w/ remaining slices of vegetables and cheese. Sprinkle w/ olive oil and vinegar and season w/ salt. Serves 4.
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