Farmer's Market Cooking

I got Deborah Madison's Local Flavors: cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets out of the library last week. It came in handy when I found some peas and pea shoots at the Green City Market. I modified her recipe for pea & spinach soup with coconut milk by using pea shoots instead of spinach, spicing it up a bit (she uses only onion, salt, pepper, curry powder), and adding more of the fresh herbs available at the market (she just uses a bit of cilantro).

The basic recipe for pea & pea shoot soup with coconut milk:
- saute one chopped onion and a clove of garlic in 2T. butter with 2 T. uncooked basmati rice
[variations: a tsp. of grated ginger
or better: 2 T. home-made curry paste, made by pureeing garlic, cilantro, basil, galangal and lemon grass with a little vegetable oil]
- if you haven't used your own curry paste, add a T. or two of curry powder & saute
- cover with a cup of chicken stock and simmer for about 10 minutes
- add a cup of peas & one bunch of pea shoots and more stock (2-3 cups), cook until peas are tender (3-5 minutes)
- puree some or all of the soup in a blender along with: 4-6 sprigs of fresh cilantro, 2-3 clusters of fresh basil leaves, and maybe a mint sprig or two
- return to pot, add a can of coconut milk, and heat through
- add salt or fish sauce to taste
- serve garnished with chopped fresh herbs

For desert: blueberry peach pie (Cook's Illustrated peach pie recipe, with some blueberries tossed in)

Does anyone else have a recent dish from their farmer's market treasures?

Here's what I did last week with peas/pea shoots:

Shell peas (keep daughter from eating too much of her handiwork). The peas come from Nicholl's Farm. I highly endorse this product.

Slice 1/2 onion

Pick away stemmy parts from pea shoots. Wash pea shoots. The shoots come from Sandhill Organics. Note, Sandhill sells their peas only via CSA.

Set pasta to boil. I used small shells, ideal for picking up the peas.

Rendered bacon pieces in a skillet. When fat became sufficient, saute the onion (I used a keeper, but I should have used a fresh spring onion!). Turn off heat. Right before the pasta is ready, I add the shelled peas and the pea shoots, no heat.

Add the pasta to the skillet with a laddle full of pasta water. Turn the heat back up and cook out some of the water.

Serve with grated cheese and a heavy dash of black pepper.

I'll note that the kidz would have liked their bacon crisper. If you do too, start the bacon rendering before you start the pasta water. Guanciale, especially heirloom, in strips, would be great too.

The peas and pea shoots I found were both from Growing Home. The spouse kindly volunteered to shell the peas, thank goodness.

I've also used boiled some of the fresh peas, then sauteed them with parsley and chunks of ham, added heavy cream, and then combined the sauce with cooked egg noodles from Rise 'n Roll. A little salt & pepper, some grated parmesan on top, and there you have it. [/url]

Last night my SO and I made what I thought was the perfect spring meal with farmers market ingredients: crepes filled with butter poached morels, topped with a pea sauce made of pureed Nichols Farm English peas, french shallots including a bit of the green part, light chicken stock and a bit of cream. You may be wondering where at the farmers market I was able to find morels this late in the season: I was fortunate enough to be in Seattle yesterday, where at Pike Street Market I found the best morels I've seen all year at a fraction of midwest prices. Yesterday's peas were addictively sweet - it was hard to get enough home for the sauce as I kept snacking on them while they sat on my office desk all day.

A light California Pinot Noir and a view of the fireworks from a far-enough-away-to-avoid-the-chaos terrace were perfect accompaniments.

thought this might be of interest for this thread. i'm currently in portland oregon working and enjoying the local food scene (huge thanks extramsg, my stays here are all the richer for your guidence). they have a couple very respectable farmers mkts (the one @ portland state university is my favorite) so every sat i go and just buy what screams @ me and take back to the restaurant and decide what i'll do w/it, "jazzfood" style, which to me means "solid technique coupled w/tasteful improvisational ablitiy". like music, which is what i really do.

i make a single tasting plate w/all the components, print the menu and sell as the chef's farmers mkt special that evening. basically just buying the best of the nw bounty, which can be stunning and playing w/it back @ vinotopia. i'm @ a point in my career where i don't really get to cook much anymore, but this stuff just inspires me and it's like my toy, the best part of my wk when i'm here. my staff stays out of my way and i just amuse myself and my bouche. i sold 16. every wk is different. this was last sat.

Chef’s Farmers Market Special

Grape Tomato with Thai Pesto

Porcini Mushroom, Organic Fava Beans, Red Kohlrabi and Bacon

Sweet and Sour Walla Walla Onion Relish with Raisins, Toasted Pinenuts and Balsamic

Grilled Garlic Shoots with Romenesco Zucchini and Organic Shiso

Venison Pate with Sundried Cherries and Hazelnuts

Grilled Giant (two fists big) Netart Bay Oyster with Chive Beurre Blanc

Braised Organic Swiss Chard and Kale Nero

Smoked Ivory Salmon (an albino wild king, very rare, 1 out of 10,000 w/extra omega 3, much more moist and fatty, unreal)

Rainer Cherries

Roasted Organic Apricot drizzled with Sea Salt, Honey and Bee Pollen

Where are you working (which restaurant)?

check out cinetopiatheaters.com. click on restaurant. that will give you the low down. it's pretty outrageous. nothing else like it that i'm aware of.

jazzfood wrote:
Chef’s Farmers Market Special

Grape Tomato with Thai Pesto

Porcini Mushroom, Organic Fava Beans, Red Kohlrabi and Bacon

Sweet and Sour Walla Walla Onion Relish with Raisins, Toasted Pinenuts and Balsamic

Grilled Garlic Shoots with Romenesco Zucchini and Organic Shiso

Venison Pate with Sundried Cherries and Hazelnuts

Grilled Giant (two fists big) Netart Bay Oyster with Chive Beurre Blanc

Braised Organic Swiss Chard and Kale Nero

Smoked Ivory Salmon (an albino wild king, very rare, 1 out of 10,000 w/extra omega 3, much more moist and fatty, unreal)

Rainer Cherries

Roasted Organic Apricot drizzled with Sea Salt, Honey and Bee Pollen

Damn I want that. And I ate a lot today.

-ramon

come out to portland and i'll hook you up. i'll be here another couple wks. also can watch ratatouile on the best high def in the country. i did.

tonites specials:

Caramelized Organic Purple Cauliflower with Braised Fennel

Organic Arugula with Early Girl Tomatoes and Nectarines

Sautéed Morels with Shallots and Baby Garlic Shoots

Caramelized Onion and Gorgonzola Tarte

Venison Pate with Sun Dried Cherries and Local Hazelnuts

Organic Crimson Lady Peaches and Organic Blackberries

Grilled Giant (two fists) Netart Bay Oyster
(farmed this morning) with Lemon-Chive Beurre Blanc

Grilled Sudan Farms Grass Fed Lamb Rib
with Orange-Ginger Teriyaki

Organic Baby Red Creamers and Fingerling Potato Salad
with Crisp Prosiutto and Dill

Smoked Ivory King Salmon (very rare 1 in 10,000)

Tease!

what's the matter? you coveting my baby red creamers?

last wkend here.


Tempura Shi Meji Mushroom Drizzled with Truffle Oil

Organic Siletz Heirloom Tomato and Yellow Baby Teardrop Tomato
drizzled with Herb Oil and Red Sea Salt

Organic Arugala with Roasted Beets and Fresh Farmers Sheep Cheese

Pear, Onion and Gorgonzola Tarte

Grilled Organic Zuchinni, Yellow Squash and Roasted Red Pepper
with Spearmint

Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy and Organic Swiss Chard
with Fresh Picked White Garlic and Ginger

Basil Bread Twist with Duck Rillettes

Organic “Cheddar” (Yellow) Cauliflower and Romesco Cauliflower Salad

Grilled Giant Netart Bay Oyster with Bagna Caude

Braised Baby Artichoke Diavlo
with Caramelized Walla Walla Sweet Onion

Organic Mt Hood and Rainier Cherries with Sweet Sue Peaches