Cook Here and Now

Two new Farmers Markets: Castro and Island Earth (Metreon)

Buongiorno. Summer is here and for lucky San Franciscans, it's easier than ever to get weekly groceries farm-fresh from the producers: the Island Earth Farmers Market has opened inside the Metreon, and the Castro Farmers Market is open after work.

The Castro Farmers Market (see above) takes place at Noe and Market 4-7pm every Wednesday from now until October 28th, rain or shine. This market is as fresh and funky as the neighborhood that hosts it, with lush displays of fresh produce, three stands of flowers and plants, my favorite California extra-virgin olive oil from Bariani and a couple of bakeries. All this, plus better people-watching than you get on a hot day at Café Flore.

The Island Earth Farmers Market is right on the ground floor of the Metreon building at 4th and Mission, facing Yerba Buena Gardens (where the Discovery Channel store used to be). This one runs year-round, 10am-8pm Monday - Saturday and Sunday 10am-7pm - pretty handy for lunchtime picnics, or a quick dinner before the movies. Besides produce, there are organic wine tastings, bakeries, orchid growers, and food stalls offering bargain organic dim sum, empanadas and falafel.

From the Castro Farmers Market:

From the Island Earth Farmers Market:

 

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

 

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday May 31st ALL SLOTS FULL

Buongiorno,
Thank you for your enthusiasm: All our slots are full.
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.

Ciao e grazie mille,
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday May 31st

Buongiorno. We're ready for our May dinner and the chosen meats are duck (David, I want confit) and chicken. Please cook responsibly and choose local, organic and free-range meat: You can find them at Whole Foods, at the Prather Meat Company or Golden Gate Meat in the Ferry Building, for starters.

Featured seasonal vegetables will be asparagus (end of the season), zucchini and summer squash, snap peas and snow peas, fresh herbs.
Featured seasonal fruit will be cherries. Who's making us duck breasts in cherry sauce?

A presto,
Marco Flavio

The plan
45 of us will cook and eat together on May 31st, starting at around 2:30 (we finish at around 7.30).

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.

I'm letting only 45 people register for this event, so act quickly, but please read what's already been taken. Every person coming (including any guest you bring, or your other half in a couple) will have to sign up for a slot and either cook something or provide local 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. If you cancel closer to 4 days to the event, you can't join us for the following 2 events. If you didn't show at all, you can't join us for the next 3. Canceling on short 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.

15 participants will make main courses for 3-4 people each 1 SLOT AVAILABLE
7 participants will make appetizers for 8 participants each ALL SLOTS TAKEN
5 participants will make salads for 8 people each ALL SLOTS TAKEN
7 participants will make dessert for 8-10 people each ALL SLOTS TAKEN
8 participants will bring at least 2 bottles of good *Northern California* wine per person (not per couple) 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.  ALL SLOTS TAKEN
1 participant will bring non-alcoholic beverages for 20 (sparkling water and juices, locally produced when possible) 1 SLOT AVAILABLE
1 participant will bring us a bottle of wine and do the final mopping of the floors and wipe clean all tables and counters. We will still do the group cleanup, but after that this person will finish the job and make sure the space is as we found it. 1 SLOT AVAILABLE

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 directly) under the call-for-participation post letting me know the following:
First and last name
Email address
What you'll be bringing (appetizer, main course, etc.) Each person coming must sign up for a slot.
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.

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

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Farmers Market Watch: May 15th

Buongiorno - I'm back in action, now that my trip to Italy and 40th birthday are behind me (whew!) New treats are overflowing the various SF farmers markets, including my absolute favorite strawberry: the Eclair. You hardly ever find them on the stands, since they're smaller than the ubiquitous Albion and not as visually appealing. But just try one - its sweetness and succulence will convert you. I've only found them at the Ferry Building and Civic Center farmers markets. I buy a case at a time and eat a couple baskets a day ... until the brief season's over.

What I liked this week at the San Francisco farmers markets:

Tomatero Farms' organic Chantenay carrots: perhaps the sweetest and most carrot-tasting of them all. Try these raw in a salad or a (40th birthday) carrot cake, since their natural sweetness is ideal for dessert. Even kids will love these.

Asparagus season is in full swing. Try this asparagus risotto for a one-pot spring dinner.

You can smell the fresh lavender down the block at Alemany. Chop some into butter or a chocolate dessert.

Fresh snap peas add spring flavor to pastas and stir fries. You don't have to shell them: cook them in their tender, crispy pods.

If you get the urge for English peas that require shelling, you may be lucky enough to find someone at the market who does the work for you. This nice lady sold me shelled peas for $4/lb, and it saved me a lot of work.

The first pale green summer squash are here. I can't wait to stuff these with minced meat, onions and mint and bake them.

Lemonade alert: real pink lemons have arrived! If you find them, buy them - they're very hard to come by, and so sweet.

  

You can tell May is here: the Ferrari stand has the first organic cherries of the season! At $3/lb. for these bursting, juicy delicacies, you can't go wrong.

Loquats: Italians call them 'nespole.' This sought-after summer treat has a shelf-life of about 3 days once they're out of cold storage. Since they bruise easily and have a large pit, they've never gained a lot of popularity in the States. But try them: they taste like the warm summer ahead.

 

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio