garlic

GET LUCKY THIS WEEK!

Every culture has traditional foods for inviting luck in the New Year and whichever you choose the Pacific Beach Tueday Farmers' Market offers all the ingredients you need for eating in the New Year right.

In Italy, as in many cultures, pork is usually on the menu since pigs move forward and represent the fat of the land. Conversely, hope you finished that lobster on New Year's Eve. They move backwards and are considered bad luck on New Year's Day. Ditto chickens and turkeys that scratch backwards, but we're thinking rabbit would be auspicious. Along with the pork, Italians eat lentils symbolizing money, like the beans and peas that many cultures consume.

Strozzapreti in Pesto di Rucola e Mandorle (AKA: tantalizing, delicious pesto and arugula pasta)

Chef Fabrizio Cavallini from Bencotto Italian Kitchen will make fresh strozzapreti pasta from scratch during the Festa, and if you're sharp, you'll take notes and buy your own ingredients to duplicate his dish at home. You'll need a good amount of flour, extra virgin olive oil either from Marian's or Gianni's stand, fresh eggs from Schaner or Paradise Valley Ranch, and peppery arugula from Vang or Sage Mountain Farm. Also, pick up some raw or roasted almonds from Hopkins AG and a head of fresh heirloom garlic  from Sage Mountain or Maciel & Family. The pesto should be blended together slowly until its a smooth, pasty consistency. The pasta dough should be kneaded together (with just a pinch of salt) until it feels smooth and elastic. 

Enjoy this dish with a nice glass of wine from Mona Lisa's as you recall all the fun events from your day at the Festa!

Summer vegetables are at their peak, and we have to admit we're up to our cheeks in heirloom tomatoes, garlic and eggplant from the likes of Sage Mountain Farms, Maciel Farms and Schaner Farms. So let's revisit the real flavors of mediterranean cuisine. Do as the Romans do this week and set yourself up for a delectable and carbohydrate loaded Italian feast.

We're giving you the freedom to be creative here and let the produce inspire you. Be brave, and be colorful! (We won't blame you if you stop by Mona Lisa, Filippis or Buon Apetito Market on the way home, to pick up a nice bottle of red wine before cooking up a rich, sensational meal.)

PASSION IN A PAN

If you haven't the time or the means to travel all the way to Spain this fall to visit one of many Paella festivals, don't despair: visit the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market for the fresh ingredients to make a paella yourself.

Paella can be served year round, for any celebration! This is a mouth watering Spanish dish, traditionally cooked in a large, flat pan with two handles. Paella is usually personalized, so feel free to substitute your favorite ingredients for any that are hard to find. With our long growing season and wonderful farmers' markets in San Diego you shouldn't have a problem finding all the freshest ingredients!

Heat olive oil from Thyme of Essence and braise chopped yellow onions from JR Organics and summer tomatoes from your favorite farmer. Strain out the juices and toss the veggies into your paella pan. In another pot, lightly cook your choice of shrimp (visit Miss Sushi at the market this week for all your seafood needs) mussels and other seafood. We like the finger-food action of playing with the shells, but you can remove tails and shells for more refined dining. Save some of the broth for later. Heat up your paella pan, and when it's good and hot, toss in roughly chopped red and green bell peppers (have you tasted the big ones from Produce Stand??), and your rice. Let this cook down in an appropriate amount of broth/water, keeping sure not to burn the rice. Mash garlic, parsley and a few threads of saffron with a little bit of Salt Farms' sea salt. Wet it with a couple spoonfuls of temperate broth, and spill this mixture into your paella pan. Add all the seafood and vegetables and  cook together gently for about 20 minutes. Garnish your beautiful offering with big clusters of thinly sliced lemons and ribboned bell peppers. Ah, passion in a pan.

SHOP, DINE, DANCE

On the evening of Saturday, August 13th Amici Park will be transformed for the Italian celebration called Ferragosto. It's the time of year that the Italians take a break from the busy summer harvest to sit back and appreciate the bounty of the land, take a vacation and maybe even throw a festival or two. Visit the Little Italy Mercato in the morning to shop from the bounty that San Diego's summer weather brings to the market, and visit vendors like Italianissimo with their weekly offerings of Italian specialties. Then stay around for Ferragosto (buy your tickets online here) and dance the night away.

In honor of Ferragosto, all things summer-y and Italian oriented, here's a recipe for simple fresh pasta to be eaten and enjoyed al fresco. Start with  3/4 pound of fresh linguini from Lisko Imports and cook just until al dente. In a bowl chop up a pound or so of tomatoes (cherry, grape, heirloom, whatever your heart desires) from Schaner Farms, mix that with a handful each of chopped basil and parsley from JR Organics, a minced red hot chile from Suzie's Farm, a few cloves of Sage Mountain's super fresh garlic, a healthy glug of Marion's olive oil and a big pinch of sea salt from Salt Farm. Thinly slice a few baby zucchini from Tom King Farm and toss with the freshly cooked and drained pasta. Now toss the tomato mixture in and top it all with a generous dusting of Pecorino Toscano from Taste Cheese. Mangia bene!

NEXT, ON OKRA

Okra is here at Little Italy's Mercato market! You’ll find it at JR Organics, Suzie's Farms and Kawano Farms. And, we hope that it doesn't cause you any fear. Okra has gotten a bad rap over the years because when cooked, it produces a viscous substance, or "slime" that makes an excellent thickener for gumbo, but turns most folks against okra for life. We want to change your minds about the much-maligned vegetable and offer a few cooking methods that  eliminate or minimize the slime quotient.

First, try coating the okra with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill them or sauté them in very hot oil. The extreme heat significantly reduces the slime factor! Another way is to add plain white vinegar to the okra when it's cooking. This rids the slime every time and nobody is the wiser.

With that tip in mind, why not try this simple dish of smothered okra and tomatoes? Heat some olive oil in a Dutch oven; add okra, red or white onions from Vang's, and tomatoes and garlic from Sage Mountain Farms. Stir mixture together and add salt and pepper to taste, and let it cook for an hour! Delicious addition to any summer meals. It's time you give okra another try. You may find the flavor to be truly sublime!

NEXT, ON OKRA!

Okra is here at the North Park Farmer’s market. You’ll find it at JR Organics, Suzie's Farm and Rodney Kawano Farms.   And, we hope that it doesn't cause you any fear!   Okra has gotten a bad rap over the years because when cooked certain ways it produces a viscous substance, also known as "slime".  That slime makes an excellent thickener for gumbo but turns some folks off okra for life!

We want to change your minds about the much-maligned vegetable and searched for cooking methods that would eliminate or minimize the slime quotient.  First, try tossing the okra in olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill them or sauté them in very hot oil.  The extreme heat of the grill/oil kills the slime factor completely!

 
Another way is to add plain white vinegar to the okra when it's cooking. It gets rid of the slime every time and nobody is the wiser.  With that tip in mind, why not try this simple dish of smothered okra and tomatoes.  Heat some Gianni's herb infused olive oil in a Dutch oven; add okra, red or white onions from Valdivia farms, tomatoes and garlic. Stir mixture together and add any salt from Salt Farm and pepper and cook for an hour!  It's time you give okra another try.  You may find the flavor to be truly sublime!

TOMATO BASIL PANZANELLA

Nothing brings a smile to my face and a glimmer to my eye quite like summertime heirloom tomatoes. Last Saturday I spied the first of the crop on the tables of JR Organics and Suzie's Farm and already I have a list the length of my arm for what I'm going to do with them. But for starters, let's keep things simple and make a panzanella, aka bread, salad.

Grab a fist sized heirloom tomato from JR Organics and a pint of yellow grape tomatoes too, for color. While you're there, grab a bunch of basil as well. From Suzie's you'll want a red onion, a head of garlic and a handful of the gherkin cucumbers (they look like mini watermelons!). Now grab a loaf of rustic bread from Belen, Charlie's Best or Bread & Cie and you're all set to start.

Take six slices of rustic bread and cut into 1-inch cubes. Drizzle lightly with a bit of olive oil and toast in an oven set to 350F for about 10 minutes or until just turning golden brown. In a bowl mix equal parts olive oil and red wine vinegar, about a 1/4 cup each, and season with a bit of mustard, salt and pepper and a minced clove of garlic or two. Thinly slice half the red onion and let it marinate in the dressing to mellow and slightly pickle the onion. Cut your grape tomatoes and gherkin cucumbers in half and your larger tomato into bite sized chunks. Once the bread has toasted and cooled, toss it with the tomatoes and cucumbers, onions and dressing. Tear off a handful of basil leaves and toss them in the salad too. Want a little cheese with that? Crumble some goat milk feta from Nicolau Farms on top or add some tiny balls of mozzarella from Taste Cheese. Now do a little dance for summer!

LIVENING UP YOUR PLATE

Condiments are the flair of the epicurean world; they take food to the next level, elevate the flavors and make you say “wow!” In addition to the freshest produce North Park Farmer’s Market has some amazing condiments to enhance those farm-to-table meals you make at home. Smear some Bitchin’ Sauce, either regular or chipotle flavor, on your sandwich and taste the transformation. Majestic Garlic’s pickled garlic varieties are crunchy tart surprises in salads and their garlic pastes make for excellent dipping with vegetables. And for the more subtle approach, Salt Farm’s infused sea salts add that certain je ne sais quoi to foods when added as a final touch. Try the black truffle on your steaks from Da Le Ranch or a dash of the habanero-lime in your margarita. The ordinary just got extraordinary!