olive oil

Find the finest oil for salad dressing, sauteeing and more at the Little Italy Mercato. Visit the Farmer’s Daughter for cold pressed extra virgin olive oil from their own groves in Hemet; they also bring Bella Vado avocado oil from Valley Center to the market. Get all the spices and oil you need at the market to make this great dressing recipe. 

Gourmet Delights offers arbequina and ascolano olive oils from 4th generation Napa Valley growers, as well as grapeseed oil which is ideal for high heat cooking; bring back your empty bottles for a discount on your next purchase. The California Olive Oil Company’s offerings include delicate and robust oils from the Central Coast and imported Italian balsamic vinegars, while Bistro Blends features infused oils like their popular Hot Bistro Oil as well as marinades and grilling sauces.

Thyme of Essence's oils are all sold in recycled liquor bottles from local restaurants. They bring arbosana oil from Mariposa County, and don’t miss their zaatar blends. Visit Assenti Pasta for infused avocado oils from Pacifica Culinaria that are perfect for drizzling over their fresh pasta. It's oil good! 

KALE STORM PREDICTED!

Feeling frail?   Eat some kale! You’ll find vibrant green, deep red and even bright purple  kale from JR organics and Suzie’s Farm at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers’ Market this week. Red Russian, curly green, black, blue Scotch, Lacinato and Red Monarch are a few of our favorites.

Curly green kale combines beautifully with shaved fennel from Suzie’s, olive oil from The California Olive and balsamic vinegar from Bistro Blends, and spinach fettucine from Lisko Imports in this kale and fennel pasta recipe. Bake these tasty, crispy kale chips  with Red Monarch kale - they’re ideal for dipping in original Bitchin Sauce.  Lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale (a much more fun name, we think!) is a traditional crop of Tuscany and an essential ingredient in an authentic minestrone. Red Russian kale seems to have a particular affinity for garlic, so sautee it with some as a side dish, or layer it with garlic jack cheese from Springhill Cheese Company and sourdough bread from Belen bakery for a healthy twist on grilled cheese sandwiches.  

Speaking of health, there’s  growing body of evidence that kale is full of particularly potent source of nutrients that reduce the odds of developing several cancers. (But people taking commonly-prescribed blood thinners Warfarin should talk to their doctor before eating large amounts of kale.) A vegetable that’s tasty, versatile, and super healthy.  That’s something to kalebrate!

BAKE A BATCH O' BRUSSELS!

San Diego doesn’t have much of a winter compared to some cities, but the nights are still cool this time of year and it’s a great time for roasting winter vegetables in the oven. FInd my favorite, Brussels sprouts, at Suncoast Farm at the Little Italy Mercato. Grab some sweet yellow onions from Schaner Farms. The sprouts are rumored to be loaded with healthy glucosinolates and other things I can’t pronounce, but I eat them because they taste good, and they taste even better with bacon from DaLe Ranch.  
Fry up a couple slices of bacon, barely trim the ends and then cut the sprouts in half, slice the onions, and toss sprouts and onions in a little  bacon fat before roasting them in the oven at about 300 degrees until they turn soft and begin to brown. Sliced shitake mushrooms from Kawano Farms' booth or candy stripe beets from Maciel Farms make great additions, just roast them together with the other vegetables.  Leave the oven door open to warm up the house while you enjoy the sprouts as a side dish, or maybe over some fresh pasta from Lisko Imports as an entree. If you don’t dine on swine, skip the bacon and use a little California olive oil from Marion’s Olive Oil.
 

Another way to warm up with sprouts is to add them to soups or stews; they add a great flavor and a little crunch to any potato soup.  Roasted sprouts are also a fantastic item for dipping in fondue, and Taste Cheese just got in some great Alpine cheeses if you’re considering that route. When the evening chill creeps into your house, don’t say brrr, say brrrussels sprouts!

OIL TOGETHER NOW

This is the third night of Hanukkah, so get to the North Park Farmers' Market and collect the farm fresh ingredients for your holiday meal.  A lot of people find Hanukkah to be a bit of a mystery: Why is it never the same time each year? Do you really get one present a night? If there are 8 nights of Hannukah why are there 9 candles on the menorah? (answers below)

Invited to a Hannukah celebration? Gift packs from California Olive make a beautiful hostess gift. Latkes, or potato pancakes, are fried in oil to honor the olive oil that burned for 8 nights to light the Temple. Use potatoes from Proios Family Farm or try a great beet latke variation with fresh beets from Suzie’s Farm or JR Organics. Think about using avocado oil for frying, it will let you get your latkes nice and crispy without smoking up your kitchen. Top with sour cream from Springhill farms and a simple applesauce from Smit Orchards apples. Serve warm whilst spinning dreidels. What’s a dreidel?

Oh yes, we promised you answers.Hanukkah is based on the lunisolar Jewish calendar. Traditionally, a few gifts are given on only one night of Hanukkah, but some families gift children every night. The extra candle on a menorah is a shamash, it’s lit first then used to light the rest of the candles. A drediel is a 4-sided top used to play a children's game, winning gold foil-covered chocolate money or gelt. Happy Hannukah!

OIL TOGETHER NOW

Tomorrow’s Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers’ Market falls on the first night of Hanukkah, so get there before sunset and collect the farm fresh ingredients for your holiday meal.  A lot of people find Hanukkah to be a bit of a mystery; Why is it never the same time each year? Do you really get one present a night? If there are 8 nights of Hannukah why are there 9 candles on the menorah? (answers below)

Invited to a Hannukah celebration? Gift packs from California Olive make a beautiful hostess gift. Latkes, or potato pancakes, are fried in oil to honor the olive oil that burned for 8 nights to light the Temple. Think about replacing the potato with grated zucchini or winter squash from Kawano Farms, Suzie’s Farm or JR Organics, and onion from Maciel Farms. Think about using avocado oil for frying, it will let you get your latkes nice and crispy without smoking up your kitchen. Top with sour cream from Springhill farms and a simple applesauce from Smit Orchards apples. Serve warm whilst spinning dreidels. What’s a dreidel?

Oh yes, we promised you answers.Hanukkah is based on the lunisolar Jewish calendar. Traditionally, a few gifts are given on only one night of Hanukkah, but some families gift children every nigt. The extra candle on a menorah is a shamash, it’s lit first then used to light the rest of the candles. A drediel is a 4-sided top used to play a children's game, winning gold foil-covered chocolate money or gelt. Happy Hannukah!

Ok, so we don't have anyone selling chestnuts at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market. But we do have farmers with tables and baskets full of dazzling vegetables on display ready to be roasted, steamed, chopped up and made into all sorts of savory and beautiful dishes. Think of it as buying ornaments for your table, only they're edible, sustainable and tasty!

JR Organics sells kolhrabi, radishes in every shade of red, and golden beets. Suzie's Farm now has the glamorous green romanesco cauliflower. Simply chop them all up, drizzle them with a bit of California Olive Oil and roast them in the oven until they get crispy. Add fresh herbs - rosemary, thyme, and parsley are good options - at the end for a bit of fresh flavor. 

Carrots often get overlooked in lieu of more seasonal, strange root vegetables. But don't forget to take advantage of that deep orange or purple color. Maciel & Family have enormous organic carrots and beets. Steam them or boil them until tender, toss them with some garlic quark from Spring Hill Cheese and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar from Bistro Blends for a creamy side dish.

CUCINA ROMANA

Summer vegetables are in their peak, and we have to admit we're up to our cheeks in heirloom tomatoes. So let's all take a night off from the fish tacos and craft brews and shop  the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market to 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 Enoteca Adriano on Cass Street on the way home, to enjoy a nice class of red wine before cooking up a rich, sensational meal.

Start with "antipasto", or appetizers. Toasted bruschetta always pleases crowds and can be served hot or cold as you linger in good conversations. Pick up a fresh baguette from Bread & Cie, rub the slices with garlic, freshly chopped basil from Maciel & Family, and drizzle with organic olive oil from our new vendor, Bari Olive Oil. Now, move on to the first course, "primo". Nicolau Farms has a superb goat cheese gnocchi that you could serve in small portions, just after you've whet your appetite with the antipasto.

Take home a few pounds of heirloom tomatoes from Kawano Farms or JR Organics to make a homemade, spicy red sauce and create something tantalizing with those voluptuous eggplants from Suzie's Farm, or their emerald skinned zucchini.

There are so many options, you might try braising some grass fed beef or pork from SonRise Ranch and serving that over a steamy, buttery squash ravioli pasta from Lisko Imports to combine the secondo (main dish) and contorno (side dish).

Every meal must end with dolce, or sweets, and a juciy nectarine from Smit Orchards, a handful of almonds from Hopkins AG with a scoop of rich, creamy gelato from Gelato Busstop will end your meal in a sugarplum dream…
 

"CURLY" IN FRENCH, WITH APPLES IN AUTUMN

Often, this resplendant green is overlooked by far too many shoppers. Frisee is that sometimes wilty looking, brightly colored green with curly locks. Adorable, in the same sense that orphans are adorable. Eager and darling with that well-used look.

Frisee, otherwise known as Endive, is a peppery, nutty green that pairs perfectly with the first harvest of Autumn apples. Smit Orchards has bright, crispy, rouge Galas that only really taste their best during these first few weeks of harvest. Suzie's Farm has been offering delicate heads of frisee, along with an array of other fancy herbs like tarragon, stevia, and chamomile, that make an ideal, tender autumn salad. Mix a few tablespoons of fresh pressed olive oil from Falcone's with some apple cider vinegar and some minced shallot from JR organics. Add a spoonful of Mikolich's raw honey to make a well rounded, sweet vinaigrette. Gently tear the leaves of frisee into bite sized pieces, place 1 or 2 sliced Gala apples and perhaps a handful of dried cherries from Smit, and top it all off with raw, coursley chopped walnuts from Nicolau Farms. 

Enjoy the assertive taste of seasonal greens and the sweet juiciness of summer's last hurrah...

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!

MAKING IT MEDITERRANEAN

If you've ever frequented any of our weekly farmer's markets, you're sure to have passed by or stopped to taste some of the incredible spices and oils offered by our amazing vendors. Many of the flavors that so often permeate the air in San Diego originated in the culturally rich and flavorful Mediterranean region where fresh, healthy food grows abundantly. Olives, milk, honey, fruits, some of the best spices, oils, and meals came to us all the way across the big blue sea.

But you needn't trek too far to scavenge for these fresh flavors: You can taste in person the savor of Za'tar- the famous sweet, spicy and tangy mix of middle eastern herbs. Thyme of Essence sells an impeccable array of Za'tar varieties, packaged in beautiful, round tin cans, as well as pure California olive oil. You can find some of the finest olives to complete your meal from Falcone's just down the row. You can get lost in the rich, smooth and velvety sensations of a Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar from Gianni's Fine Foods. And with that, you can indulge buy purchasing a fresh, crusty baguette from local bakery Bread & Cie. And what's a mediterranean meal without a crispy cucumber salad? Visit Kawano Farms, JR Organics, Maciel Family Farm, or Suzie's Farm for your share of crisp cucumbers and mouthwatering heirloom tomatoes…