October 24, 2011 - 8:58am
Cooler days call for cooler veggies, and you can bet that you'll be seeing a huge variety of Winter greens beginning to peek their heads from all corners of the Little Italy Mercato. Tatsoi is an amazing Asian cabbage that has small, heart-shaped, green leaves. It is beautiful in all salads, and tastes strong and spicy, similiar to mustard greens. Mizuna, another Japanese green has graceful feathery leaves and a similar peppery flavor. Both are worth seeking out, and you can find bunches for sale at JR Organics, Vang Farms, and Suzie's Farm.
To coax your kids (or your friends) into using diferent, seasonal veggies, try making Pancetta, Mizuna, and Tomato sandwiches. Grab some pancetta (or regular bacon) from Da Le Ranch, a few slicing tomatoes from Kawano Farm, and a fresh baked loaf of brioche from Patisserie Du Soleil. Layer the ingredients together, drizzle a bit of aioli or garlic infused olive oil, and enjoy the refreshing sensations of fresh flavor. Your tongue and your tummy will thank you!
Kick it up a notch this week with a quick dinner packed with nutrients and fall flavor. Using 1-2 cups each of chopped tatsoi and mizuna leaves, fresh sliced cucumbers and green onions from Sage Mountain Farm, create a green-sesame stir fry, topped with baked teriyaki chicken from Spur Valley Ranch or roasted eggplant from Schaner Farms with a sweet tahini- dressing.
