Cook Here and Now

Marco's Farmers Market Watch: September 28th

Buongiorno,
Fall is here and bright orange hues are ubiquitous on the stands. Pumpkin, squash, gourds of all kinds, persimmons, beets, carrots, yams and yes, oranges. Gorgeous.

Last week I brought you a detailed overview of the available apples. This week it's Asian pears. Check out all your options -- don't know about you, but I was surprised at variety grown here in California.

Heads up: The post for the next dinner goes live on Tuesday.
ciao,
Marco Flavio

What I found this week:
Persimmons are getting there (see above). Still not as ripe as I like them, I say wait.

Asian pears in all flavors. Slice some into a salad with blue cheese and walnuts from the latest crop, or chill and bite right into their crisp pulp. I've not had any success cooking with them or poaching them, but if you do please report back.
Recipes from Epicurious.

Yali Asian pear. Crisp like an apple and very sweet. They substitute well for regular pears in recipes.

Hosui Asian pear. A large, juicy, sweet, low acid, bronze-skinned variety.

Kikusui Asian pear. A treat usually only available at farmers markets as it bruises very easily. The sweet yet tart taste is excellent -- definitely give these a try.

Olympic Asian pear. A large and roundish pear with a sweet juicy taste: the preferred Korean pear.

Shinseiki Asian pear. A mild-flavored pear with a delicately sweet taste.

Beautiful orange zucchini. They look and taste wonderful sautéed with the last tomatoes of the season.

Brussels sprouts. Spare me the disgusted faces. They are delicious when blanched then stir-fried in olive oil, garlic and hot pepper to get that nice caramelized spicy crust on them. Also tasty with balsamic syrup. Recipes from Allrecipes and Epicurious.

Chestnuts (and fresh walnuts) are here! I come from the chestnut-growing part of Italy: to me they are the ultimate sign of fall.

Marco's Farmers Market Watch: September 22nd

Buongiorno,
Our Cook Here and Now anniversary dinner is one day away -- hope you got your shopping done!
Some great new treats made the wet scooter ride to the market today completely worthwhile. So many vegetables look amazing under the rain: their color is accentuated when wet, and their surroundings dulled by the overcast sky. There's a food haiku in there somewhere...

Apples, pears and grapes are taking over the stands in all their varieties, and I took a detailed series of photos to show just how many there were. I hope it will inspire you to go and try a new kind -- I recommend the Mutsu apples.

Tomatoes and eggplant of all kinds are still tasty: you have just a few weeks left, unless the rains end the tomato season early.
See you at dinner tomorrow!
Ciao,
Marco Flavio

What I found this week:
Apples of all kinds ... and I mean *all* kinds.
Eat them raw, poached, or in pies and tarte tatin. It's an embarrassment of riches out there.

Jonathan apples. Spicy and fragrant, with a thick peel. Great for hand-eating or cooking sliced.

Gala apples. Juicy, crisp, sweet and the #3 bestselling apple in the U.S. Great for hand-eating or in pies.

Fuji apples. My personal favorite (and the bestseller in Japan and #4 in the U.S.) with a dense, crisp pulp and a sweet flavor. Great for hand-eating or in pies.

Red delicious apples. The bestseller in the U.S. and very sweet. Not great cooked because of the texture, but excellent for hand-eating.

Golden delicious apples. The #2 bestseller in the U.S.
Still... not my favorite, because of its mellow flavor. Its flesh resists browning, so it's great in salads.

Granny Smith apples. With their wonderful tartness, they're the best pie apple. Period.

Mutsu apples, also known as Crispin in the U.S. It's a cross between Indo and Golden Delicious, with a more complex flavor than its parents. An interesting new discovery that's great as a dessert sliced with cheese or for making cider. Give these a try!

And for anyone who wants to cure their own olives, there are a couple of vendors selling them fresh.

The winter vegetables are starting to show up: organic swiss chard is here and so are richly-hued red and orange organic beets.
Swiss chard recipes from Allrecipes or Epicurious.
Beets recipes from Allrecipes or Epicurious.

Marco's Farmers Market Watch: September 15th

Buongiorno,
Our Cook Here and Now anniversary dinner is one week away and our chosen fruit and vegetables are looking splendid... those peppers are everywhere, in all shapes and colors.
Stone fruit is on its way out (so long, plums, peaches and nectarines) and apples, pears and grapes are taking over the stands.
Tomatoes and eggplants of all kinds are still tasty: you have about a month left.
See you at dinner next Sunday  -- details are going out Monday.
Ciao,
Marco Flavio

What I found this week:

Japanese Eggplant (see above) is here -- you'll recognize them as the ones that are completely purple, including the stem. Succulent and not bitter in the least bit, for that perfect stir-fry. Recipes from Epicurious.

Peppers, overwhelmingly flavorful peppers ... mild, hot, or punishing.
Bell peppers recipes from Allrecipes and Epicurious.
Jalapeños recipes from Allrecipes or Epicurious.
Habañeros recipes from Allrecipes and Epicurious.
Thai chillis recipes from Allrecipes of Epicurious.

Thai chillies

Jalapeños



Orange Habañeros

Dime-size and surprisingly sweet husked tomatoes -- smaller than the grape variety and with a uniquely sweet flavor profile, they're the candy of the tomato world. Husk yourself a few.



Winter melon is already here: It's a great fleshy, mild ingredient for your fall soups.
Here's a great one from Epicurious.

If you're celebrating Ramadan, there's a truly wonderful selection of fresh and dry dates to break fast with. Supermarket dates are so bland...

Fresh dates



I'm still pretending that Kabocha winter squash are not really here... but there are so many of them that there's no denying summer's officially over. Bring on the fall! Cooked and pureed, they make the *best* pumpkin pie.

 

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday September 23rd ALL SLOTS FULL

Buongiorno,
Thank you. All our slots are full. A record: 45 slots in less than half-a-day.
If your name is not listed in the comments section of the previous post, please stay tuned -- we'd love to have you next time. If you wish to be on the waiting list, please leave your email address and name as a comment to this post. I'll contact you if anyone cancels. Last dinner we did have three or four, and other people stepped in.

Ciao e grazie mille,
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday September 23rd

Buongiorno.
We're ready for our first anniversary dinner!
That's right: Cook Here and Now is now 1 year old and counting, with 300+ subscribers to the blog and about 500-800 individual readers a week. We've been recommended in 7x7 magazine, the Lonely Planet San Francisco Encounter guide, and the forthcoming book on international food politics, Stuffed and Starved. Thanks to everyone who participated this year for keeping the culinary inspiration coming.
True, it's not always easy to nab a slot at our monthly dinners, but do keep trying -- after a year of yummy dinners, we can safely promise a good time had by all.

For our upcoming dinner, we'll be featuring all poultry except chicken (we're including rabbit as well, the other other white meat). Please cook responsibly and choose local, organic and free-range meat whenever possible: You can get it at Whole Foods, at the Prather Meat Company or Golden Gate Meat in the Ferry Building, for starters.

Vegetables will be green beans, tomatoes (Two Dog farms dry-farmed Early Girls are highly recommended, and you'll know why if you just taste them), tomatillos, and peppers (be careful, don't let bold peppers take over all the other flavors in your dish).
Fruit will be blackberries (think blackberries with duck...) and figs.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

The plan
35-40 of us will cook and eat together on September the 23rd, starting at around 2:30.

The dinner will be in San Francisco. Jeremy has kindly offered his company's very large, multiple-range kitchen for our gathering at the last event. There will be enough space for us to use the stoves and ovens in a couple of shifts.

We're expanding registration to 45 people, and I'm keeping at least 8 spots for newcomers to ensure everyone gets a chance to join us (we usually fill the spots in less than a day).
Every person coming (including any guest you bring) will have to sign up for a slot and either cook something or provide wine and beer (if beverages slots are available, see below).

Since participation is limited, please let us know at least four days before the dinner if you're not going to be able to make it, so we can invite someone else to join us. Emailing me on shorter notice (or not at all) is unfair to everyone, especially the people who wanted to participate and couldn't because all the slots were taken.

We'll divide the meal plan this way:

15 participants will make main courses for 3-4 people each (including some vegetarian options)
5 participants will make appetizers for 8 people each  
8 participants will make salads for 8 people each  
8 participants will make dessert for 8-10 people each  
8 participants will bring at least 2 bottles of good wine and some locally-brewed beer. Consider that most cooks spend $25-50 (and up!) just on their ingredients. If you're not cooking, you should be prepared to spend at least this much on beverages, out of respect for your chefs. 
2 participants will bring non-alcoholic beverages for 20 (sparkling water and juices)

Please let me know who is coming by name. Once we reach 45 people confirmed, I will close the event and start another post for the waiting list. If the slots are full for what you'd like to bring, please choose something else instead. (Don't worry: There will always be another event to showcase your skills.)

So post a comment on the blog (do NOT email me) letting me know the following:
First and last name
Email address
What you'll be bringing (appetizer, main course, etc.) 
If you brought wine last time, you should now cook something (unless you cooked as part of a couple and made a large entree).

If too many people pick the same course, I'll have to assign a different course to the last entrant.
If the votes are tied for ingredients, I'll flip a coin.

This is going to be great! So sign up before the spaces are gone.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Marco's Farmers Market Watch: September 8th

Buongiorno,
The post for our next dinner will be up on Monday or Tuesday. I've already received many requests for participation, so please sign up early. The date will be Sunday, September 23rd.
Ciao,
Marco Flavio

What I found this week:
Bitter melon at its best (see above), for those of you who enjoy its taste in stir-fries and soups like I do.

Fresh soy beans (the immature ones are called by their Japanese name: edamame).
Quite flavorful when steamed and seasoned, as in this great recipe from the Food Network.


A hearty welcome to Blue Lake beans, the current string bean of choice in the U.S. -- crunchy, succulent and with a delicate bean flavor. I prefer a stronger bean flavor, but that's just me.
Excellent canned and stir-fried. Recipes from Epicurious.



Continuing our green theme, Okra has arrived for all you southern and South Asian cooks.
Recipes from Allrecipes and Epicurious.



Don't miss out on the last berries of summer: raspberries and blackberries are still with us. But they'll be gone soon. Get your last pies in, or lavish some berries on a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
My favorite? These raspberry peach muffins I've been baking... Al licks her chops in agreement.





Organic Casaba melons, with a rather assertive floral flavor.



Small yellow watermelons, the size of a small cantaloupe. They taste like a cross between a watermelon and a cucumber. Not sure I'd buy again except for the novelty factor, but the yellow flesh and flavor profile would be great in a salad.



Jujubes are in season.



Yes, organic Gala apples with their gorgeous vertical striations are here. They're mild-flavored and easy to bite, yet still crunchy. With apples coming in, summer is officially behind us.

Andalusian style gazpacho - from our August dinner

Buongiorno,
here's Lina's recipe for the gazpacho she made at our August group dinner. After receiving quite a few requests for it, she kindly wrote it down for us.
Thank you, Lina.
Enjoy,
Marco Flavio

Andalusian Style Gazpacho         

Makes four, 1 cup servings

2* cloves garlic, sliced (see note below)
1 large green or red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped (I used a combination)
A piece of a red jalapeño chile, seeded (to taste)
1 and a 1/2 lbs. of very ripe, red tomatoes with thin skins; juicy salad tomatoes work best for gazpacho, cored and cut into large chunks. If you use thick-skinned tomatoes, blanch & peel them.
3 inch piece baguette sliced and allowed to dry out overnight (or you can dry bread in a 250º oven)
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar; more to taste
2 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
A dash or two of Tabasco, to taste
Ground black pepper, optional (I did not add any)

Place garlic, peppers, tomatoes, bread, olive oil, sherry, and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times until the bread breaks up, then process until the mixture is as smooth as possible, about 3 – 5 minutes. Taste, add Tabasco if desired, and possibly more vinegar, salt, or garlic. You may also add a little water. Chill thoroughly, or serve over ice cubes.

Garnish:
1 cup peeled, finely chopped Japanese cucumber or conventional cucumber, seeded and 1cup diced onion (sweet variety preferred)
Fresh ground black pepper
You can also garnish with fresh corn kernels, shrimp, crab, lobster…..

*It is easy to disrupt the balance of flavors by using too much raw garlic; you can always add more after tasting. Some people like to blanch or toast the garlic first.