East Indian Cauliflower Soup, Gobi Ka Shorva

Cauliflower is just beginning to arrive in our farmer’s market. For this recipe, you can use either white or yellow cauliflower, but the purple will be a strange color when mixed with the colorful turmeric spice. This is a deeply satisfying vegetable soup, which I found in a little Indian book about spices by the Indian food expert, Madhur Jaffrey. I used my food processor, with the plunger off, to pureed the soup before adding the cream. (I asked Santa for a hand held immersion blender so that my creamed soup making will be less messy going forward.) This soup is especially beautiful and delicious with the cilantro mint chutney swirled in as a garnish but equally delicious without it. If you want to increase the heat/spice, you can add Rooster Sauce, Sriracha hot chili sauce.

Cauliflower Soup with Coriander

Gobi Ka Shorva

From Madhur Jaffrey’s Spice Kitchen

This soup maybe made ahead and reheated but do so over low heat. If you boil the soup after adding the cream it will curdle.

INGREDIENTS

to serve 4-6

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 med onions peeled and chopped

1” piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into fine slivers

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp turmeric

1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

½ lb potatoes (2 med) peeled, and cut into ½ inch dice

½ lb ( 2 heaping cups) cauliflower flowerets

7 cups (1 qt+3 cups) chicken broth

salt to taste

1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil over fairly high heat in a large stock pot. When hot, put in the onions, ginger and garlic. Stir fry for about 4 minutes or until the onions are soft and starting to brown.
2. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne. Stir once and add the potatoes, cauliflower and chicken stock.
3. Stir and bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
4. Put batches of the soup in the blender. Do not over fill the blender, (only fill to 1/3) because the top will pop off due to the heat of the soup.

Return the soup to the stock pot and add the cream. Reheat gently.

Serve with Cilantro Mint Chutney see recipe below, stir a spoonful of chutney into soup right before serving, or with chopped fresh cilantro on top. Makes ½ cup.

1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves

½ cup packed fresh mint leaves

2 Tbsp minced onion

a pinch of salt

¾ tsp sugar

1 ½ tsp fresh lime juice

3 Tbsp plain yogurt

Process all the ingredients in a blender or food processor, until smooth. Scrap down the sides halfway. Can be refrigerated for a day.

Polish Wild Mushrooms and Barley Soup

It’s definitely soup making and eating weather. It dipped down to the 20’s last night, so I’m sure the local citrus farmers are nervous. We had lots of frost this morning which lead me to finding a heart warming and satisfying soup. I’m trying to eat down the cupboards and freezer this winter break, so when I found a bag of Polish dried wild mushrooms I knew what to make. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can follow the usual soup making steps: sweat the aromatic vegetables in oil (celery. Carrots, onions, garlic), add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the broth is a rich dark brown and the mushrooms and other vegetables are soft, about 1 1/2 hours.

Pressure Cooker Barley and Mushroom Soup

From Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure

18 minutes at high pressure

This is a hearty soup with both fresh and dried mushrooms. My version was very deep and rich, almost beefy, because I used imported Polish borowik dried mushrooms, that were a gift from my adopted Polish family in Chicago. You can also used dried shiitaki or Porcini.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp minced fresh garlic

2 cups coarsely chopped onions

OR thinly sliced cleaned leeks, white and light green parts

6 cups boiling water, home made vegetable or chicken stock

½ cup pearl barley

½ lb fresh mushrooms, sliced or quartered (Cremini brown are a good choice)

generous ½ cup (1/2 oz) sliced or chopped dried mushrooms

soak the mushrooms for 15-20, save the soaking liquid

2 lrg carrots, peeled and diced

2 lrg celery ribs, diced

2 large bay leaves

1 ½ Tbsp dried dill, or 3 Tbsp fresh dill

salt and pepper to taste

optional: 2 Tbsp of dry sherry

garnish with fresh dill

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in the pressure cooker. Saute the onions or leeks, and garlic for about 1 min. Stir constantly.

Add the stock and all the other ingredients.

Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure and cook for 18 minutes. Allow the pressure to drop on its own.

Remove the lid and discard the bay leaves. Taste and adjust the seasonings. I added about 2 Tbsp of dry sherry to bring out the mushroom’s earthy flavors. This soup will thicken up as it sits due to the barley. Thin as desired. Garnish with fresh dill. Great with open faced cheese toast.

Holiday baking is all about sugar cookies, frosting, sprinkles and 4 year olds!

Last night my friend Ainsley and I made Alton Brown’s sugar cookies, complete with Royal Icing frosting and lots of colored sugar and sprinkles. It was Ainsley’s first cookie cutter experience and she proved to be a natural pastry chef.

I also made some miniature bee sugar cookies. Instead of icing, on these I used an egg white wash and sprinkled on jimmies and colored sugar before baking. Alton’s advice of using powdered sugar instead of flour for rolling out the dough was fantastic and these buttery little bees were delicious. My nickname is ‘the busy bee’ so I couldn’t resist this new cute cookie cutter (although I have about 30 or more other shapes). I’m still buzzing around in the kitchen making the winter soups and even candied orange and grapefruit peel, so watch for more postings while I’m on winter break from my regular classroom and culinary duties.
Stay well, eat well and bee well!

Sugar Cookies
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown Makes about 3 dozen-2 1/2 inch
Ingredients
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
Directions
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine.
Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar.
Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill.
Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time.
Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired.
Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Christmas cookies made from local pistachios, yummy!

I am very luck to have friends, the Orandi family, farming pistachios locally. My freezer had a large container of shelled unsalted pistachios that I saved for Christmas baking. The vibrant green natural color of the nuts, especially when chopped or ground, makes them prefect for the season. The Pistachio Icebox Cookies are a recipe my Mom has been making for several years. I really like ‘icebox’ dough because I can make the dough one evening and bake them the next day. The Brownie Thins with Pistachios, are from Bon Appetit’s Andrew Schloss of Homemade in a Hurry. These are very chocolaty and makes 24 cookies. They would be great alongside premium vanilla ice cream for a quick beautiful holiday dinner party dessert.
Happy holidays from the Seasonal Table ‘chef Debb’!

PISTACHIO ICEBOX COOKIES

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
2 cups AP flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup ground shelled pistachio nuts
optional: 2-3 drop green food coloring
1 egg white beaten
1/4 cup + chocolate jimmies

DIRECTIONS
Cream together butter, sugar, egg and extracts.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, then add to butter, sugar mixture.
Take out 1 cup of dough and add nuts and green coloring; mix well. Form into 11-12” long roll. The roll should be the same length as the rectangle or butter dough that will cover it. Wrap this in waxed paper.
Roll out the remaining dough to form a 11-12”x4-1/2” rectangle; Wrap in wax paper and chill in the frig, with roll about 1 hour.
Encase the pistachio green roll with the uncolored rectangle. Carefully mold the dough, covering green completely. Wrap roll and refrigerate overnight or freeze.
To bake: Brush outside of roll with beaten egg white and roll in “jimmies”. The easiest way to do this is placing the Jimmies on a wax paper sheet, rolling and gently pressing them into the sides of the egg washed roll.
Cut into 1/8-1/4” thick slices and place 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheets on parchment paper cookies sheets. Bake in 375F oven 8-10 minutes.

Asian Style Grass Fed Short Ribs

As we approach the big poultry day, Thanksgiving, I find myself making more beef and other non poultry protein based stews and braises. So I was happy to see the newlywed Springville Ranch vendors back at our farmers market on Saturday. I bought 3 pound of their very meaty short ribs, then found some lovely baby bok choy from Mee Vang. These two ingredients and conversations with my son who recently visited South Korea, inspired me to make this dish. I used my Fagor pressure cooker to cut time but not flavor, but you can also braise the ribs in a Dutch oven, but start early in the afternoon, because they’ll need to braise for 3 hours!

Korean-Asian Style Short Ribs

INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds beef short ribs
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 (5-inch) stalk lemongrass, halved and smashed
1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
1-2 keffer lime leaves (if you have one handy)
¼ tsp sesame oil
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 cups water
2 shallots, peeled and sliced thin
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Serve over Jasmine Rice
Garnish with finely grated orange peel, toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onion tops

DIRECTIONS:
Marinade the short ribs for 2+ hrs with the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, lemongrass, keefer lime, sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar, water, green onion bottoms, crushed red pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the orange juice.
If using the pressure cooker, remove the ribs and brown on all sides in 1-2 Tbsp of peanut oil in batches. Place the ribs and the marinade back in the pressure cooker; cover and lock according to directions. When pressure is up, reduce flame to maintain steady pressure, and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let pressure drop on its own. Remove the ribs/bones and strain the liquid. Proceed to making the sauce and oven roasting the ribs.

If NOT using a pressure cooker: Preheat oven to 350 ˚F. Using a Dutch oven, submerged the ribs in the marinade liquid. Bake the short ribs, covered, for about 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bones. Remove the short ribs from the braising liquid and cover to keep warm.

Finishing the sauce and ribs:
Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
Strain liquids through a fine-meshed strainer, discarding the solids.
Drain the fat off of the cooking liquid and discard.
Place the remaining braising juices in a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup of the hoisin sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the liquid until only about 3/4 cups remain.
Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of orange juice and the lemon juice.

Return the short ribs and the reduced sauce to Dutch oven, or roasting pan, coating the short ribs well with the sauce. Bake for 10 minutes, until the short ribs are heated through and slightly glazed.

Serve hot over jasmine rice, garnished with orange zest, toasted sesame seeds, and green onion tops. Stir fried baby bok choy with garlic is a great side, the bitterness off sets the sweet caramel spicy ribs.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Yes, a cake with cranberries! If you’re in your 50’s, you probably remember pineapple upside down cake, well this is similar but better. In my Seasonal Table class, we're using Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food, as our textbook and this is were I found this fun recipe for evryone's upcoming favorite foodie holiday. It can be served as a dessert with whipped cream or as a brunch coffee cake. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks to Mary Jo and Rick for the lovely fresh Oregon cranberries. Yes, they were grown in Oregon!

Alice Water’s Cranberry Cake
This can be made in a cast iron pan, so that you assemble it in the pan and put it right into the oven to bake. Or if you don’t have a cast iron pan, follow the directions using a heavy 9” cake pan.
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 ¾ cups fresh cranberries
• ¼ cups fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup milk at room temperature
whipped cream (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Melt the butter and brown sugar in an 8-10 inch cast iron pan or heavy-duty cake pan. Cook until the butter melts and starts to bubble. Remove the heat and allow to cool.
3. Heat together in a small pan, the cranberries and orange juice until the berries start to pop. Spread the cranberries in pan on top of the melted butter and sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. In a mixing bowl, cream the remaining 1/2 cup butter with the sugar.
6. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix well.
8. Add the milk alternately with the dry ingredients, folding well after each addition.
9. In a small mixing bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites to soft peaks.
10. Fold the whites into the cake batter.
11. Spread the batter over the fruit in the cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.
12. Remove the cake from the oven and run a small knife around the edges.
13. Let sit for 15 minutes.
14. Invert the cake onto a serving platter and let it sit another 5 minutes, then remove the pan.
15. Serve slices of cake topped with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

Sweet Potatoes Are Amazing!

This recipe is so fantastic, that everyone, even VEGANS, will love it. Don’t try it with store bought sweet potatoes from the grocery store in the spring because the sugars will have turned to starch. Get them now when they have just been harvested and are at their peak of flavor. I’ll be serving this at a dinner I'm cooking as part of a board donation to Arts Visalia, and my focus is “the local harvest and bounty of the fall season". This will be the first course after a trio of Mediterranean dips with pita bread. (These recipes and photos :-) will be posted after the event, Nov 20, 2009.)

Caribbean Sweet Potato Coconut Soup
From Moosewood Daily Specials

Serve 4-6, yields 8 cups

INGREDIENTS

2 cups chopped onions
2/3 cup chopped celery
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp grated or finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp curry powder
¼ tsp fresh grated nutmeg
2 bay leaves
½ tsp salt
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or water
4 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
½ tsp freshly grated lemon or orange peel
2 Tbsp dark rum
1 cup pineapple or orange juice
1 ¾ cups coconut milk (14 oz can)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice, or to taste

chopped cilantro for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large soup pot, sauté the onions and celery with the oil until the onions are translucent. Then cover the pot and sweat the aromatics, for about 8-10 minutes, stirring often.
2. Add the ginger, curry, nutmeg, bay leaves and salt. Sauté for about a minute, stirring constantly. Add the broth or water, sweet potatoes, grated citrus peel and rum.
3. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove and discard the bay leaves, Pour the pineapple or orange juice and the coconut milk into the pot.
5. Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth.
6. Reheat gently if necessary.
7. Serve garnished with cilantro leaves.

Fabulous Local Grass Fed Beef Flank Steak

Last month the Visalia our Farmers market began selling grass fed beef from Springville Ranch. Because grass fed beef is more dense than grain fed beef, it needs to be grilled quickly or braised long and slowly. With this is mind, I chose 4 lb stew meat and a flank steak to try it out. I made Jacque Pepin’s beef bourguignon stew, with extra cooking time added to get the beef fork tender. It was delicious. Then the flank steak which I think is the best flank steak I’ve ever eaten. I used our close family friend Iris McLean’s recipe, and because its so good, my copy has lots of spatters. Here's a fresh copy for you to add to your favorites. I always serve potatoes, roasted, mashed or boiled, to savor the delicious marinade that becomes a sauce, after you cook it on the stove top. Be sure to serve this steak medium rare, and sliced on the diagonal, so that it remains tender.

Iris McLean’s Flank Steak

Cook together in a sauce pan:

½ cup chopped medium yellow onion
1 lrg garlic clove, mashed or finely chopped
1 T salad oil
1 can, 10 ½ oz beef broth
½ c catsup
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp oregano

Cool the sauce, then marinade the scored flank steak overnight or for at least 4 hours.
Remove steak from sauce.
Cook steak over a hot BBQ or broil quickly, i.e. 4 mins on the first side, 3 mins second side.
Let meat set/ rest for 5 mins.
Slice diagonally and thinly at right angle to the grain.
Marinade can be cooked and served as a sauce for the meat or potatoes.

Toasted Almond Torte with Roasted Apricots

Last weekend I hosted an artist boutique and put out a big spread of seasonal sweet and savory treats. The eggplant and feta rolls were featured as well as a butternut squash soup with cinnamon croutons. The bread pudding with whiskey butter sauce was good, but this was the favorite of the day.
This torte recipe popped out of the files and although not a new one, Sunset April 1984, it was fantastic. I altered fruit to reflect the fall season and my frozen summer bounty. In the early summer I roasted apricots with a bit of cinnamon and honey for about 30 minutes in a hot 450+ oven, then stacked the quart bags in the freezer. After defrosting them, I spread them between the layers as a filling and again on top, prior to ‘frosting’ with slightly sweeten whipped cream.
I sliced the torte in small wedges and some even asked for seconds. YUM!


Toasted Almond Torte with Roasted Apricots

1/4 cup whole unblanched almonds
1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
1 ½ cups roasted apricots
¼ slivered almonds

Toast nuts in a 9 inch pan in a 350 degree oven until golden under skin, 10 to 12 minutes; cool. Whirl nuts in a food processor or blender to grind finely.
Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until creamy.
Beat in eggs, vanilla, and almond.
Blend flour, baking powder, nuts; add alternately to batter with milk, blending well.
Pour into a greased 9-inch round cake pan.
Bake in a 350 degree oven until top springs back when touched, about 40 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes on rack. Invert on serving plate; cool completely.
Cut into 2 layers. Spread ½ the fruit on bottom layer; set top layer in place. Spread the rest of the fruit on cake; top with whipped cream and sprinkle with the slivered almonds. Serves 10.

Grilled Eggplant with Feta, Mint and Chili

Last week in the Seasonal Table class, we tested this recipe that I had heard about in an interview with Nigella on NPR. It was a winner and I demonstrated at farmers market. I think we sold out of most of the farmer’s eggplant! Good feta cheese is important. Since I’m not a skilled cheese maker (yet) I bought a lovely Hungarian one at the new Visalia Mediterranean market (behind Carl’s Jr in the shopping center off Mooney).
It’s getting too cold to play with knives and cook al fresco, so the recipes until spring arrives, will be those I make in class with students or at home.

Grilled Eggplant with Feta, Mint and Chili
From Nigella Lawson
Makes 20 rolls

Ingredients
2 large eggplant, each cut thinly, lengthwise, into about 10 slices
4 tablespoons olive oil
8–9 ounces feta cheese
1 large red chili, finely chopped, seeded or not, depending on how much heat you want
bunch fresh mint, finely chopped, with some saved for garnish
juice of 1 lemon
black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat a grill, stovetop griddle or broiler to a high heat.
2. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the oil,
cook them for about 2 minutes each side until golden and tender.
3. Crumble the feta into a bowl, stir in the chili, mint, lemon juice and ground fresh black pepper.
4. Pile the end third of each warm eggplant slice with a heaping teaspoon of the feta mixture and roll each slice up as you go to form a soft, stuffed bundle.
5. Place seam-side down on a plate, and sprinkle with a little more mint

West African sweet potato & peanut butter soup

KMK farmers Kyle and Michele Reynolds have brought to market the first sweet potatoes of the season. You’ll never want to eat store bought again! Fresh sweet potatoes live up to their name. If sweet potatoes are picked, packed and shipped to market and sit in the store, the sugars turn to starch. So get a couple of pounds and make this east silky smooth and low fat soup. Full of beta carotene and other vitamins they are good and good for you! I’m serving this Saturday at the Visalia Farmers Market. I hope you’ll come taste a sample.

West African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup
Cooks Illustrated International Cookbook
serve 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced
1 tsp light brown sugar
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 1 Tbsp)
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cayenne pepper
3 ½ cup chicken broth
2 cups water
2 pounds sweet potatoes peeled, quartered & lengthwise and sliced thin
3 Tbsp peanut butter
ground black pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
1.Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

2.Add the onion, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon (2tsp) salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened about 5 to 7 minutes.

3.Stir in the garlic, coriander and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4.Add the broth, water and sweet potatoes and peanut butter. Bring to a boil over high heat.

5.Turn the heat to low and cook, partially covered, until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a knife, 25- 30 minutes.

6.Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor, until smooth and then return it to the saucepan. (The soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat over medium low heat).

7.Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir in the cilantro and serve.

What can I make with eggplant?

I hear this question frequently. Of course there’s always ratatouille, but what else? One of the local farmers, Kyle of KM K Farms, is begging me to demo eggplant, so I’m on the lookout for new eggplant recipes that I can make easily on my one burner butane fueled stove. And voila, the October issue of Food & Wine had a vegetarian dish featuring roasted eggplant from my favorite staff chef, Grace Parisi. It was yummy, and best made in an oven to sweeten the veggies, via the hot roasting process. It felt good to ‘eat green’ and meatless. I served it with a side of sliced yellow tomato and fresh cilantro, yogurt on top the dish and naan flat bread. I substituted the canned chickpeas, with soaked garbanzo beans cooked for 12 minutes in my pressure cooker, and switched out the spinach for farm fresh baby Russian kale, de-ribbed and cut into strips.
Unfortunately I can't make this dish on a one burner butane burn stove outdoors, so I’m still looking for a primo eggplant recipe for the demo on Oct 17 


Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas and Spinach
Ingredients
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, or homemade about 2 cups
1/4 cup finely julienned fresh ginger
Freshly ground pepper
One 5-ounce bag baby spinach, or use baby Russian kale, de-ribbed and sliced, 1 ½ “
Warm naan and plain yogurt, for serving
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
2. On a work surface, mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt.
3. In a large roasting pan, mix the paste with the curry powder and vegetable oil.
4. Add the eggplant, onion, chickpeas and ginger, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
5. Spread the vegetables in an even layer and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the eggplant and onion are tender.
6. Stir in the spinach (kale) and roast just until wilted, about 2+ minutes.
7. Serve with warm naan and yogurt.

Roasted Tomato Tarts

Last Saturday I joined artist Marjorie Brandon and several others to celebrate her 97th birthday. When I asked how she was that hot afternoon surrounded by the love of her friends, she said,'Well, I'm drinking champagne and I'm 97. That about says it all." I think of Marjorie as my role model for successful aging. She is still creating collage art and living independently in my neighborhood. We were asked to bring along an appetizer, so I pulled out some of this summer's roasted tomatoes out of the freezer, and made these easy tarts in a few minutes. They quickly disappeared off the buffet table! Enjoy.

Roasted Tomato Tarts
Serves 6

To roasted grape, Roma or large cherry tomatoes:
Wash and cut each tomato in half lengthwise.
If needed, scoop out the green or white stem section.
In a large bowl, toss with salt and pepper, 1+ Tbsp chopped blanched garlic, and olive oil, to cover but not drown.
Place them face up on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet.
Roast in 450° oven (or on a gas BBQ grill) until they have reduced in size and are beginning to brown about 20 minutes+
These freeze well and can be used on pizza and pasta.

To prepare the tarts:
1 sheet (about 10 by 12 in.) frozen puff pastry (14-oz. package), thawed in the frig overnight

1 ½ cups roasted tomatoes, see above

2 Tbsp+ fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out pastry to 16 by 18 in. Cut pastry in thirds lengthwise and in half crosswise. With a wide spatula, transfer the 6 rectangles to baking sheets.
4. Spread the roasted tomatoes in the center of each rectangle, leaving a 1 1/2-in. border bare.
5. Bake until pastries are richly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with fresh basil chiffonade, or fresh thyme. Serve tarts warm or cool.

Pain Perdu & fresh fruit al fresco

Last Saturday I was ambitious in preparing pain perdu, aka French toast, topped with sautéed fresh fruit. Doing a demonstration is a lot like cooking when you are camping but even more difficult, because you must bring water and all the equipment you need. Needless to say as I was driving to the market I realized I had forgotten 2 piece of essential equipment. But ‘all’s well that ends well’, and the results were well received. You can also top the toast with fresh fruit tossed with Triple Sec , grated orange peel and honey if needed to sweeten. The day old baguettes bread I used on Saturday were graciously donated by the master European baker at our market, Varouj Kachikian of Dolce Arte . Enjoy!

PAIN PERDU with SAUTEED SEASONAL FRUIT
known in America as French toast

SAUTEED FRUIT:
1+ Tbsp butter
4 cups seasonal fruit peeled and sliced (apples, pears, plums, peaches, berries etc)
grated nutmeg and cinnamon to taste
Grated orange peel
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the fruit
3. Sautee until the fruit softens.
4. Taste and add honey or sugar if needed
5. Add fresh grated nutmeg, cinnamon, orange peel or lemon peel
PAIN PERDU:
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons sugar
6 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cup milk
Ten ½ inch-thick slices of day old baguette, brioche or challah
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. In a shallow dish whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt, then add milk.
2. Add the bread and turn to coat; let the bread soak for 10 minutes.
3. Add each slice to the skillet. Cook over moderate heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the bread slices and cook for 3 minutes longer.
4. Serve warm with the sautéed fruit on top.

Butternut Squash is Here

Butternut squash, the first of the ‘winter squash’, with it’s hard peel, is here. Although it is still very warm in the San Joaquin Valley, these yummy cool weather squash are ready to turn into soup, braise in fresh apple cider, stuff into fresh ravioli and make into traditional hand made gnocchi. I decide to try my hand at gnocchi and it was surprisingly is easy. You can do it alone but it was more fun in the classroom with several people to do the hand rolling. Do not be tempted to add more flour. Unlike other handmade pasta, this dough is wetter and softer. When they are all rolled, shaped and spread out on a floured pan, bring a BIG pot of water to boil. Cook them in two batches if your pot isn’t large enough to hold 3 times more water than gnocchi. Cooking is quick, so don’t start until the rest of the meal is ready. The ’sauce’ is fresh and traditional with the use of fresh minced sage.

Butternut Squash Gnocchi
From Sunset Magazine

Ingredients
Serves 8
1 butternut squash (about 2 lbs each
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour, plus more for shaping
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (or other hard cheese, such as Asaigo or pecorino), plus more at the table
Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
1. With a ice pick or sharp knife, poke holes all over squash. Microwave it on high 10 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Halve squash lengthwise; scoop out and discard seeds. Flesh should be tender when scraped with a fork; if it isn't, microwave on high (cut side down) in 1-minute intervals until tender. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Scrape out flesh (discard peel) and mash until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine 2 cups mashed squash (save any extra for another use), 1/2 tsp. salt, the white pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time, until a dough forms (it will pull away from inside of bowl).
3. Turn dough out on a generously floured work surface. With well-floured hands, knead dough 10 to 12 times.
4. Divide dough in half and cover 1 batch with plastic wrap. Roll other batch into a 3/4-in.-thick rope and cut into 1/2-in.-long pieces. Press with the backside of a table fork. Put pieces on a floured baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and set aside. Repeat with remaining dough.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil gnocchi until they rise to the surface, about 4 minutes; cook 30 seconds longer and then lift with a slotted spoon, making sure water drains from gnocchi, and place in a large serving bowl.
6. Gently toss with butter, fresh sage, lemon zest and cheese and a sprinkling of black pepper. Serve hot and pass extra cheese at the table.

Fabulous Fall Figs

Many of my students had never seen or tasted a fresh fig. This is because they are fragile, have a short shelf life and are hard to ship. This means few are ever seen in the grocery store except dried. Chuck and Mary Cornett picked about 20 fresh Mission figs and we made this amazing simple and gorgeous appetizer. We served it on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce and it was a 5 star dish. Let me know if you agree.

Grilled Wrapped Fig Appetizer
Wrap each fig with a slice of bacon or pancetta.
Alternate the figs with firm fresh peeled peach slices.
You may skewer them if needed with a toothpick or bamboos skewer that you soaked overnight.
Then roast/broil/grill until the bacon is brown and crisp. This is best done on a foil lined pan, to make clean up easy and to collect the yummy bacon-fig juices. It's a shame to do it on a grill and let the juices all drip down onto the flame. You can do it on the grill using a disposable pie pan.

I haven’t made this fig salsa yet but if I find figs at the Thursday night market or Saturday I will and of course I’ll get my camera out.
California Pepper Fig Salsa
Adapted from California the Fig Advisory Board
2 1/2 cups diced fresh California figs
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño pepper; stemmed, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon chopped or grated fresh ginger
Combine salsa ingredients in medium bowl and stir together. Cover and chill for several hours to blend flavors.

Rustic pear tarts

Last Saturday's seasonal table class meet, and after our trip to the Visalia Farmer’s Market, we brought back local Barlett pears from KMK Farms and Eversweet pears from O So Fresh Farms. With these beauties, we made 2 delicious pear desserts, a pear sherbet and these rustic pear tarts. They are easy, beautiful and yummy. You can also use the last of this summer’s fresh peaches instead. Or for a savory treat, replace the pears with some red cherry tomatoes roasted in olive oil and garlic, switch the orange marmalade out to basil chiffonade, and add fresh ground pepper and sea salt in place of the sugar.

Rustic Pear Tarts
From Sunset, SEPTEMBER 2008

Fresh pears and purchased puff pastry add up to an incredibly easy seasonal dessert.
serves 6

1 sheet (about 10 by 12 in.) frozen puff pastry (14-oz. package),thawed

2 or 3 firm-ripe pears, such as Bartlets, Bosc or Comice

About 1/3 cup orange marmalade

1 egg, beaten to blend

About 2 tbsp. raw sugar, (turbinado sugar)


1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets.
3. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out pastry to 16 by 18 in.
4. Cut pastry in thirds lengthwise and in half crosswise. With a wide spatula, transfer the 6 rectangles to baking sheets. Prick the centers with a fork to keep them flat during baking.
5. Core pears and cut into thin wedges. Arrange, slightly overlapping, on pastry rectangles, leaving a 1 1/2-in. border bare (angle slices if necessary).
6. Warm marmalade in a microwave oven to melt, then brush over pears.
7. Fold border over edge of pears, stretching slightly and pressing down to hold. Brush new edges with egg, then sprinkle turbinado sugar over tarts, especially pastry edges.
8. Bake until pastries are richly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve tarts warm or cool, with slightly sweetened fresh whipped cream.

Cooking with Fresh Grapes, II

Last year I planted a fence with root stock wine grapes, of Syrah and Counoise varieties from Tablas Creek Winery in Paso Robles. I like fresh grape leaves to stuff and make traditional dolmas. Because the vines were very young, I did not have grapes last year. But this year there were lots of succulent clusters under the big mature leaves.
Veraison, when the grapes turn from green to purple, was inconsistent, but regardless of the color, these small jewel-like grapes were delicious and very juicy. They inspired me to make what may become the first sign of fall, a rosemary flat bread studded with grapes, Gorgonzola, honey and fresh chives. You can use the fresh grape topping on a foccacia bread as I did or your favorite pizza dough recipe. The local honey from farmers Charlies and Mary Cornett, with my own home grown rosemary, grapes and chives made it a locavore specialty.

Rosemary flat bread studded with grapes, Gorgonzola, honey and fresh chives
ingredients

• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 pound grapes (1 1/2 cups)
• Coarse sea salt
• 3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon local honey
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives
directions
1. In a large bowl, whisk the yeast and sugar with 1/4 cup of the flour.
2. Stir in 1/4 cup of the warm water and let stand until slightly foamy, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the rosemary, fine salt, pepper and the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of water; stir until a dough forms.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
5. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a draft-free spot until billowy and doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°. Place a pizza stone in the bottom of the oven, and preheat for at least 30 minutes.
7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press and stretch the dough into a 13-inch round, then transfer to a lightly floured pizza peel. Press the grapes into the dough and sprinkle with sea salt.
8. Slide the flatbread onto the hot stone and bake for about 12 minutes, until the crust is golden and the grapes have begun to release some of their juices.
9. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for about 2 minutes longer, until the cheese melts. Slide the flatbread onto a work surface and drizzle with the honey and sprinkle with the chives. Cut into wedges and serve.

Cooking with fresh grapes?

Chicken Breasts Veronique
This recipe is from my personal family cookbook, and I think my mom found it in an early Napa Valley wine cookbook. It pairs oranges, a winter crop with grapes, a summer fruit. It is so delicious and beautiful that I crossed the “locavore line” and I bought Aussie oranges to make it. The Thompson grapes were give to by local Italian farmer, Mr. Colucci.

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
• 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts halves
• ½ cup of finely diced orange(this is about 1 med size orange)
• zest of the orange
• 1 Tbsp honey
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ¼ tsp dried tarragon
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup cream
• 1 ½ cup Thompson seedless grapes
Sprinkle chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. If they are thick, you can slice them in half lengthwise. If you have the time, place each piece between 2 sheets of was paper and pounding them into ½” cutlets. This will produce a very tender breast.
Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts to butter; sauté until light brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Add chopped orange and zest, honey, white wine. Crush the tarragon between your palms then add to pan.
Cover and simmer gently about 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove breasts to a warm platter.
Deglaze the pan with the cream that has the cornstarch mixed in. Bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Add the grapes bring back up to a simmer. Do not boil after adding the cream as it will separate. Pour over the sauce over the chicken breasts,
Bon Appetit!
Ps. It will turn out perfectly if you’re wearing pearls a la Julia Childs, while you are preparing it 

Saturday night supper, from the generous farmers

I returned from my demo at Farmers Market with some lovely young yellow and red bell peppers, a gift from Becky of Terry Farms. They were small and tender so I stuffed them whole and skipped the precooking in the recipe below. I also baked them in my gas grill and at the half way point, I added a tri-tip roast. (I just refuse to turn on the kitchen oven when its so darn hot outside!)

I filled out the meal with a salad of farmer Betty’s Golden Gem orange colored cherry tomatoes and Armenian cucumbers, my home grown Juliet red tomatoes, feta, cheese, kalamata olives, a pinch of both chopped fresh mint and lemon thyme. I lightly tossed with DeLeonardis local olive oil and my dad Harvey’s homemade red wine vinegar. I used a trick I learned form Cook’s Illustrated, to keep the salad from becoming wet and soggy; before adding the other ingredients, I put the cut cherry and Juliet tomatoes in the salad spinner.
I paired the meal with Red Wire, a hearty red blend from New Zealand, see Rocky’s tasting notes at the left.

From Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Suppers. I bought this little cookbook used and it’s loaded with vegetarian wine pairings and meal planning. Of course it’s hard to go wrong with her recipes, because her focus is seasonal ingredients from the local farmers.
Quinoa has the highest protein value of any grain and its flavor is comparable to couscous. It is sold in health food stores, and if you can’t find it can substitute rice

Stuffed Yellow Peppers

Ingredients
2 cups water
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 pinch salt
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
3 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin divided
1 bunch green onions, including 2 inches of the greens, thinly sliced
2 each jalapeno peppers, finely diced, seeded if desired
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin ground
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen, thawed, 3 ears cut off the cob
8 ounces spinach leaves
1/2 cup cilantro, freshly chopped
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
black pepper, freshly ground to taste
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
4 each large sweet bell peppers, yellow or orange
Directions
1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and quinoa. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the grains are tender and reveal their spiraled germ, about 15 minutes.
2. If your peppers are large and mature, you will need to precook them. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Drop the peppers into the simmering water and cook until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife but not overly soft, 4-8 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400F.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide skillet over medium heat.
5. Add scallions and jalapenos; cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes.
6. Add garlic, cumin, corn, spinach and 2 tablespoons water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute.
7. Transfer these vegetables to a large bowl. Add the quinoa, cilantro and feta; toss to combine. Season with pepper.
8. Wipe out the skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil and heat over medium-high.
9. Add onion sliced and cook, stirring frequently, until they start to color around the edges, 3-5 minutes. Deglaze the pan by pouring the in wine and with a wooden spoon, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and transfer the onions to one large or two medium baking dishes large enough to hold the peppers.
10. Slice peppers in half lengthwise without removing the tops or stems; remove the inner membranes and seeds. Or if the peppers are small, remove the stem and core, leaving them whole.
11. Transfer the peppers to a cutting board and fill with the quinoa vegetable mixture and place in the baking dish (or dishes).Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over the peppers.
12. Bake the peppers until heated through, 20 to 30 minutes. Switch heat to broil; cook until tops are browned, about 4 minutes.
13. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Calabacitas

The zucchini and other summer squash are still very abundant, so here's the Southwest side dish I demonstrated at Saturday August 15th Visalia Farmer's Market. I used cream and chopped thai basil and a few fresh diced tomatoes for the optional ingredients. Enjoy!

Calabacitas
Serves 4-6
Great with barbecued chicken, pork or steaks

2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium white onion sliced
4 cups calabacitas (yellow or green squash) diced
6 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup roast green chili, seeded, peeled & chopped
salt and pepper to taste

optional seasonings:
½ cup chicken broth
1/4 cup whipping cream
diced fresh tomato
fresh chopped cilantro or basil
grated jack cheese

1. Sauté garlic, onion and squash in butter and olive oil for about 5 mins. Add the chopped green onions and sauté for 1 minute.
2.Add green chili, corn and optional liquid if used.
3.Simmer about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4.Add optional seasonings and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Homemade Pizza Sauce for Grilled Pizza

Yes, its another tomato recipe. I still have tomatoes and the freezer isn’t full yet so I adventured into pizza grilled on my gas BBQ, with of course homemade sauce. My inspiration was the August issue of Sunset. I grew up with my mom using Sunset recipes carefully cut from the magazine, then I used the annual editions and now I go on line to myrecipes.com

The pizza sauce was spicy and delicious and I suggest that you do as I did, and make a double batch so you can freeze half. It takes about 2 hours from start to finish but this slow long cooking creates the caramelized rich flavor that you can’t buy in a jar or can. You can top the pizza with cooked mushrooms & peppers, any thin sliced salami or cooked sausages and of course cheese. Or try adding fresh chopped arugula or caramelized onions. You can use frozen purchased dough or use the Sunset Recipe for dough below. This will produce a very thin crisp crust that works well on the grill.

Fresh Tomato Pizza Sauce

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 4 large red tomatoes (2 lbs. total), peeled & chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves

Preparation

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes, sugar, chili flakes, salt, and pepper.

Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until very thick, about 1 1/2 hours.

Stir in fresh oregano after it has thickened.

Grilled pizza video clip, using the Sunset magazine technique. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/grilling/video/0,31108,1905054,00.html

Sunsets’ Best Pizza Dough

Time: 3 hours, including rising.

Yield Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 package (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast
• About 6 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir yeast into 1 1/2 cups warm water (100° to 110°). Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup oil, the flour, and salt. Mix with dough hook on low speed to blend, then mix on medium speed until dough is very smooth and stretchy, 8 to 10 minutes. Dough will feel tacky.

2. Cover dough and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

3. Punch down dough and let rise again until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, cut 6 pieces of parchment paper, each about 12 in. long. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for medium heat (about 350°; you can hold your hand 5 in. above cooking grate only about 7 seconds).

4. Turn dough out onto a work surface and cut into 6 portions. For each pizza, lay a sheet of parchment on work surface and rub with 1 tsp. oil. Using well-oiled hands, put each dough portion on a parchment sheet. Flatten dough portions, then pat into 9- to 10-in. rounds. If dough starts to shrink, let rest 5 minutes, then pat out again. Let dough stand until puffy, about 15 minutes.

5. Flip a round of dough onto grill, dough side down. Peel off parchment. Put 1 or 2 more dough rounds on grill. Cook, covered, until dough has puffed and grill marks appear underneath, about 3 minutes. Transfer rounds, grilled side up, to baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. (Grilled rounds can stand at room temperature up to 2 hours; reheat grill to continue.)

6. Arrange your choice of pizza toppings (below) on grilled sides of dough. With a wide spatula, return pizzas, 2 or 3 at a time, to grill and cook, covered, until browned and crisp underneath, rotating pizzas once for even cooking, 4 to 6 minutes.

Make ahead: Complete dough through step 1, then chill, covered, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days (dough will double in size, and flavor will develop as it stands).

101 Seasonal Summer Salads

Mark Bittman of the NY Times is amazing. He posted a wonderful list of 101 summer salads. So if you're in a rut, check this list out for great new ideas and combinations of seasonal ingredients.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
Sometimes all a home cook needs is an inspiring list like this and then like magic a great seasonal salad is created and savoured!

Fish, Fennel and what else? Tomatoes of course!

I’m still making tomato sauce for winter nights ahead, and trying to eat them now too. So yesterday after the sauce was finished, I decided to pair the sauce with fish. One of the vendors at our farmers market sells wild fennel pollen and I decided to use it in creating this easy healthy dish. This fish preparation uses the usual Mediterranean ingredients which of course includes the tomato sauce made with olive oil, garlic and onions, and with both fresh fennel & fennel pollen, and kalamata olives.
The fish I used was Orange Roughy but you can substitute another firm white fish.This can be baked in the oven but because its 100+ degrees in Visalia, I decided to baked this fish dish in heavy duty foil lined with parchment paper on my gas grill.
The method is simple: each ingredient is layered one on top of another, then the packet is folded shut and place in the center of a the medium high grill, and the cover is closed.
First place on the parchment/foil sheet, one sliced fresh fennel bulb, a small sliced red onion (¼ cup), ¼ tsp fennel pollen, cover these vegetables with ½ cup of your fresh (or thawed frozen) tomato sauce. Place 1 lb of fish filet on top, add another ½ cup of tomato sauce, another ¼ tsp of fennel pollen and ¼ cup chopped pitted kalamata olives. Bake just until the fish flakes easily and is no longer translucent. Open the packet and check with a fork after about 10 minutes. It’s not necessary to complete close the packet if you need to continue baking the fish.
This will serve 3-4 and is lovely with a lightly dressed fresh green salad.

Peaches, Peaches, Peaches

Peaches are here and they are very juicy and delicious. Thankfully some of the best peaches are in our own farmer's market this month. This Saturday July 18, I was at the Visalia farmer's market demonstrating how to make stone fruit salsa, and you'll find a master recipe here. You can substitute peaches with pluots or nectarines, or use all three. This is good with chips or served with a chili rubbed grilled pork tenderloin, or grilled chicken. I used rice wine vinegar instead of citrus juice for the acid it was delicious. I also used lemon basil instead of the cilantro.

Peach Salsa
Because I think of fruit salsa as spontaneous and I use what I have on hand, it is hard to write a recipe for salsa, but there are a few guidelines. Use ripe but firm peaches, peeled or unpeeled; diced bell peppers and/or onion; an acidic liquid of some sort, either fruit juice or vinegar; and, if you don’t want to stop there, a handful of some other pungent or flavorful ingredient, from the spicy (chipotles, for instance) to the sweet (such as honey). The proportions of peaches to other ingredients can vary so this makes it extra hard to write a specific recipe, but here’s a good place to start.
Remember to start chopping and mixing, and when the salsa looks and tastes about right, let it sit for at least an hour or so to allow the juices and flavors to blend, and then serve/eat.

2 ripe, but firm medium peaches
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (or rice wine vinegar, or other citrus juice)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup diced red and/or green bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon (or to taste) minced jalapeno pepper, (or Serrano chili)
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Great with roast pork tender loin, grilled fish, or chicken breasts.

home grown tomatoes, home grown tomatoes....

Only two things that money can’t buy are,
True love and home grown tomatoes…..

I guess I’m a better gardener than I thought, because my counter top is covered with large grape tomatoes, plump Romas and beautiful beefsteaks. So last night, under a full moon, I made classic marinara sauce and roasted a baking sheet full of grape tomatoes. I packed them in gallon zip lock bags, flattened them out and then placed them in my small, but essential, garage freezer.

Here are some tips on how to do the same with your own home grown tomatoes or some beauties from your farmers market.

I think my favorite tip this summer has been blanching garlic before using it. This takes out the raw flavor and mellows it a bit. It’s especially important when you aren’t cooking the garlic, such as in dressings. A good example is the classic Italian Insalata Caprese, a salad of sliced fresh tomatoes, layered between fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves, topped with chopped garlic, olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar, plus fresh salt and pepper to taste.

To blanch garlic: Separate the clove, unpeeled and place a pot of boiling water for about 1- 1 ½ minutes. Drain, cool and peel. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator until ready to use, within a week.
When making sauce, it best to take the time to peel and seed the tomatoes. If left on, the peel becomes a mini roll up and has unappealing texture, and the same is true of too many seeds.
Peel and seed tomatoes:
Place whole washed tomatoes with an X cut into the bottom, into a boiling pot of water to 30 + seconds. Remove the whole tomato, cool, then the peel will easily slip off. Cut each around the belly, then wiggle you r fingers into the seed pockets over the sink, to remove many of the seeds. There is a lot of flavor around the seeds so you don’t need to remove them all. Now you’re ready to add your fresh homegrown tomatoes to your favorite sauce recipe. Substitute these flavor bombs into any recipe that called for canned whole or diced tomatoes.
Roasting grape, Roma or large cherry tomatoes:
Wash and cut each tomato in half lengthwise. If needed, scoop out the green or white stem section. In a large bowl, toss with salt and pepper, chopped blanched garlic, olive oil, to cover but not drown . Place them face up on a parchment paper lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast in 450° oven (or on a gas BBQ grill) until they have reduced in size and are beginning to brown. Top with chopped fresh basil, and serve along with bread or over pasta, on pizza etc.
A small batch of roasted tomatoes can be done using the same method and ingredients on the stove top. These will be wetter and are best served with good bread to soak up the juices. These are amazing and taste similar to sun dried tomatoes. When you pull them out of the freezer this winter, they will be a bit of summer sunshine.

For still more tomato recipes and a great guide to fresh herbs, from Food & Wine:

http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/tomatoes/1

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/herb-guide

cool sorbet idea

It's very hot everywhere in California, so here's a cool idea. Lavender is plentiful right now because it loves the dry heat of summer. Try this easy and elegant sorbet with some fresh lavender from your garden or farmers market. A small scoop alongside another sorbet like plum or even commercial ice cream is very beautiful.

A link to a video I did for the local paper last year is alongside. It includes 2 more sorbet recipes, one for strawberry and another for roasted apricots. Enjoy!

Lavender Sorbet
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon lavender flowers
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice & 2 tablespoons vodka
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Add the lavender flowers; stir until mixture comes to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand approximately 10 minutes.
Place a fine strainer over a large bowl and pour syrup mixture through (straining out the lavender flowers). Add lemon juice and vodka to the strained syrup mixture; stir until thoroughly blended.
Ice Cream Maker - Transfer mixture to ice cream maker, process according to manufacturer's instructions.
Freezer Method - Pour into container, cover, and place mixture in the freezer. When it is semi-solid, mash it up with a fork and refreeze again. When frozen, place in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Cover and refreeze until serving time.

Grilling Squash

Today's Farmers Market was full of squash so here's another great way to serve it. Make sure the grill is on medium not high and keep an eye on the squash. The key to the wonderful flavor is to put the seasoning on after you grilled the squash. In this case that is a lemon basil dressing. I usually serve this room temperature and prepare it on my gas grill before I do the meat, fish or chicken.

GRILLED ZUCCHINI AND RED ONION
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated May 2009
After about five minutes, faint grill marks should begin to appear on the undersides of the vegetables; if necessary, adjust their position on the grill or adjust the heat level.

Ingredients
1 large red onion , peeled and cut crosswise into four 1/2-inch-thick rounds
3 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), ends trimmed, sliced lengthwise into 3/4-inch-thick planks or a mixture of several different squash
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 small garlic clove , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon finely grated zest from 1 lemon plus 1 tablespoon juice
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
Instructions
1. Thread onion rounds, from side to side, onto 2 metal skewers. Brush onion and zucchini evenly with ¼ cup olive oil and season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt) and pepper to taste.
2. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, mustard, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon table salt) together in small bowl; set aside.
3. Grill vegetables over medium heat, turning once, until tender and caramelized, 18 to 22 minutes (move vegetables as needed to ensure even cooking.
4. Transfer vegetables to platter; remove skewers from onion and discard any charred outer rings. Rewhisk vinaigrette and pour over vegetables. Sprinkle with basil and serve.