Cook Here and Now

Farmers Market Watch: January 28th

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Our dinner to celebrate the Year of the Ox was a resounding success - many thanks to all 47 of you for crafting such inspired dishes, including mountains of dumplings paired with great local wines and ales. (Lamb-pork dumplings and Alexander Valley Zin = magic.) The photos will be up in a few days.
Our February dinner will feature legumes, mushrooms and home-preserved foods. Start getting ideas... it's only 3 weeks away. The call for participation will go up in a few days.
A presto,
Marco Flavio

What I found this week:
Tree-ripened Valencia oranges from Bernard Family Ranch in Riverside (see above), my favorite citrus producers. A freshly-squeezed, sweet, tangy  OJ puts all those Jamba Juice concoctions to shame, and it's just the thing after a cold, rainy run or in a mimosa.

Romanesco cauliflower is abundant on the Capay Farms stand. As the name suggests, it's from my part of the world and a must in many Roman salads and pastas. I love to chop it, steam it for 4 minutes, then added it to a soffritto of olive oil, garlic, hot pepper and 2 anchovies (or Vietnamese fish sauce). Toss and serve with pasta or over rice for a megadose of umami.

There's plenty of daikon on the stands this time of year. It tastes like a mild radish, and it's a perfect pairing with sushi, or fermented in kimchi. Try this easy recipe to make your own pickled daikon:  it's simple and comes out right every time. Maybe for our next group dinner?

Fresh lima beans and black-eyed peas from Raqueno Farms. I bought 2 packs of the fresh lima: they taste like grassy, tangy fava beans. They're cooking right now in my Dutch oven in a pancetta/chipotle soffritto.

Organic Toscano kale is available on the Tomatero Farms stand. This is the one to use for the classic Tuscan soup featuring kale alongside cannellini beans. Try it out!

Very hard to find cherimoyas are in season. They have a velvety flesh with pineapple, banana and strawberry underflavors - Mark Twain once characterized the cherimoya as “deliciousness itself." Get them when slightly soft to the touch, like an avocado.

I found fresh tamarind from the same vendor as the cherimoyas. You can eat the flesh straight out of the pod, or cook it in water to make your own paste for your favorite Thai recipe.

Don't eat the strawberries. Someone asked, "Are they sweet?" What do you think? It's January, people: they're sour and hard.

And finally, it's Lunar New Year: don't forget your blooming quince branches.

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

Farmers Market Watch: January 8th

 
Buongiorno. It's January and I'm back at the market, reintroducing fruit and vegetables to my diet after a couple of weeks of meat-driven holiday feasts. There are some great finds to be had, like the amazing newly-arrived Paige tangerines from Miramonte Farms. As soon as I arrived at their stand, they handed me one and said simply: "Try this." I bought 3 pounds. Kiwis are also a welcome change from the ubiquitous oranges - they're perfectly ripe and tangy right now.

Stay tuned next week for a couple of event announcements.

If you find this Market Watch useful, please click on the button and Stumble us so we can spread the word about what's cooking this January:

A presto,
Marco Flavio

What I found this week:

Miramonte Farms' Paige tangerines. As we approach the Lunar New Year celebrations, tangerines get juicier and sweeter. These were the first ones I brought home this season, after the first wave of good satsumas. Citrus fans, you're in for a treat!

Baby beets from Miramonte farms (no, they don't sponsor me, but I do tend to love their produce). They're the size of a quarter, and once roasted these would look amazing in a salad or as an easy app: peeled and topped with a teaspoon of goat cheese, salt and (freshly ground, hello) pepper.
Remember, you can eat the greens too. Steam and toss them with a seasonal Meyer lemon and olive oil vinaigrette.

Several kinds of baby new potatoes are perfect for salads. I like this recipe from Epicurious that uses a grainy mustard. If you feel adventurous, go ahead and make your own mustard. Here's a good recipe from Saveur magazine that's very savory and umami-rich. They make it with Guinness extra stout beer, but to keep it local, you could try Anderson Valley Brewing Company's dark, creamy Oatmeal Stout.

Celeriac root is a chef's secret to winter soups, with the texture of a potato but a fresher flavor between parsley and celery. I add it to my potato leek soup to get a much nuttier flavor. Here's a good French onion soup recipe that showcases its qualities well.

Several cauliflower varietals are available. The orange ones stay that intriguing color after cooking, but the purple ones turn grayish. Here are some recipes from Allrecipes or Epicurious.

Organic Purple kale is one of my favorite vegetables to pair with beans. I make this cannellini bean and kale soup that I heartily recommend, especially during the cold season. Try it out!

Beautiful Gala apples. They're mildly sweet and thin-skinned. Not everyone's favorite because of their lack of crunch, but many are very fond of them and they sure do look good on the stands.

 

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Farmers Market Watch: December 19th

Buongiorno: Even with the cold spell gripping the Bay Area, I'm bundling up and riding my scooter to market to plan a menu for an upcoming holiday party. I'm thinking mushrooms, root vegetables dressed with a balsamic vinegar reduction and truffle salt. Carrots are really outstanding right now: we have several varieties out, with flavor profiles ranging from floral to grassy to earthy.

If you enjoy this Market Watch, please click on the button and Stumble us so we spread the word about  all the good stuff that's still in season:

A presto!
Marco Flavio

What I found this week:

Carrots of all kinds. Try some new recipes, like this Giardiniera (lit. woman gardener) that puts the season's best offerings to good use and is a must-have appetizer at any Roman Christmas Eve dinner. Any leftovers are great piled high in a hefty meat sandwich.

Organic Swiss chard is plentiful and pairs wonderfully with lemon and garlic or nuts. Try this recipe with currants and pine nuts: It's one of my favorites.

 

Fennel is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, but also pairs well with tropical fruits. Try it in a salad with avocados and a few slices of ripe grapefruit for a surprising winter treat.

 

6' tall lemongrass, people! So fresh and tangy ... what are you waiting for? Find a nice fatty fish and poach it with a stalk. Wild salmon, anyone?

 

Organic plum radishes. Earthy and not too spicy - just enough to make your eyes open wide and nostrils flare. Get some to liven up a salad, now that tomatoes are off the menu.

 

The freshest taro root I've seen, with leaves still attached and green -- a rare treat indeed.
Here's a recipe for stir-fried taro leaves with belacan, for those of you craving Malaysian flavors.

 

My favorite California olive oil is back: Bariani. They ran out of the regular oil 3 months ago, but the new crop just came out. Bottled on the 10th! It's very grassy, rich, velvety and a touch bitter, like a new oils should be (they mellow out with age, not unlike people). Get some while it's available!

 

 

Chayote has hit the stands, and can be eaten raw or cooked. Sigrid made us a great salad with it using a tangerine dressing. Try it out!

 

Don't forget your organic satsumas. Choose little ones that are the perfect size for a snack, but save some to make the dressing for the chayote recipe.

 

Sugar cane offsets savory winter flavors with tropical sweetness. Try this Vietnamese sugar cane shrimp recipe.

 

Finally: enjoy winter-blooming flowers that make cold houses a bit more bearable.

 

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

Farmers Market Watch: December 9th

Buongiorno! What a warm, dry fall we're having. The balmy weather shows on the market stands: peppers, eggplants and the occasional heirloom tomato are still hanging in there, alongside the usual fall offerings: persimmons, oranges and a multitude of Asian cabbages.
I also found pungent sage brought in from Miramonte Farms. I'm not sure you can cook with it, but I couldn't pass up that powerful scent and desaturated green color on those large leaves. Just look at it  above ...

Our December dinner is just a few days away, and with this December bounty I'm looking forward to many inspired dishes!

If you enjoy this Market Watch, please click on the button and Stumble us so we can spread the word:

A presto!
Marco Flavio

What I found this week:

An Asian cabbage about the size of a Napa cabbage that's new to me: Dia Gia Choy.
If you cook with it, let us know how you use it in the Comments section.

Napa cabbage is everywhere. This cabbage is traditionally used in East Asia in stir fries, as an addition to dumplings, to line a bamboo food steamer and as the main ingredient in Korean kimchi. Don't let the name fool you: this is not a New World hybrid, but a widely used import from Asia at the turn of the last century. Try one of these coleslaw recipes from Allrecipe or this funny photo tutorial on kimchi preparation.

Sunchokes (they're the root of a sunflower) a.k.a. Jerusalem artichokes - a real foodie favorite.
With the texture and color of a Yukon gold potato and the appearance of ginger root, they have a complex, sugary, nutty flavor, and are great roasted or sautéed. Wach out if you'll be making these for guests: they do create gas in the digestive tract. Here are some steps you can take to avoid this problem. Recipes from Allrecipes.com or Epicurious.com.

Organic Marathon Broccoli from Tomatero Farms. You can recognize them by their small, tightly packed florettes and savory edible leaves. Chop or stir-fry the whole thing: you'll get different textures and flavors in your final dish.

Sweet potatoes are everywhere - the #1 best food you can eat, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Try using them instead of potatoes. They roast and braise beautifully, and that color...

Pears of all kinds. There's a common misconception that they're gritty in texture, but that depends on their harvest time. Summer and autumn pears should be harvested before they're fully ripe, while they're still green. If left to ripen and turn yellow on the tree, the sugars will turn to starch crystals and the pear will have a gritty texture inside ... one more reason to go to the farmers market and try before you buy.

Plenty of Fuyu persimmons around to enjoy in salads and desserts. Make sure you taste them. Sometimes we get hachiya persimmons, which are tangy and astringent. They may not be your favorite hand fruit, but they're perfect for baked goods ... cookies anyone?

Plenty of fresh, juicy Valencia oranges for your after-holiday-party mimosas. Get them from Bernard Ranches: they're tangy and aromatic, never dry.

A bounty of fall colors in a persimmon and Valencia orange tasting.

Bernard Ranches also carries my favorite Lisbon lemons, which are the most tart lemons with very little pith - perfect for crafting a marmalade. That became my post-market afternoon project. Colleen made it for me a few months back, and I've been craving more marmalade ever since.

The lemons before cooking: look at that greenish gold color...

Here's my liquid gold: I'm set for a while.

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

Farmers Market Watch: December 2nd

Buongiorno. Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, I can start thinking about food again. Dungeness crab season (see above) has begun, and the first arrivals are in from Half Moon Bay. Start thinking up some recipes, because our December event will feature this West Coast delicacy.

Got any suggestions for vegetable pairings? Just add them as comments to this post. The announcement for our dinner will go out in a day or two.

There's a new feature on the blog: check out the right-hand column on the blog, and you'll find a green box labeled Cook Here and Now: Seasonal Recipe Server. This server compiles recipes from food sites I find reliable, and I applied filters to find seasonal recipes featuring ingredients mentioned in Market Watch (it can also be placed on most blog platforms and social networking sites just by clicking on the options tab under it). Try it out!

A presto --
Marco Flavio

What I found this week at the San Francisco Alemany Farmers Market:

The last zucchini of the season. Enjoy them while they last. They're still good -- unbelievable.

 

Organic fingerling potatoes are begging to be oven-roasted. Could be good for our December dinner...

Organic beets add color to any soup or hand-made gnocchi.

 

Organic kale can be braised or roasted to accompany savory meat dishes.

 

A rare treat: Bloomsdale spinach. This is an exceptional heirloom varietal with almost no trace of bitterness, so even your kids will love them. They're a bit spendy, but organic and the growing season is short.

 

We're in full Satsuma season: don't miss out.

 

Organic seedless grapes of all kinds are on the stands. Enjoy their colors and flavor differences, and don't forget to roast some to add to your favorite cereal -- so much better than raisins.

 

 

Kiwis are back in season just in time for the cold season. More Vitamin C than an orange, and so tasty...

 

Guavas have just arrived. I eat them straight from the fridge after a run: extremely refreshing.

 

California's Hass avocados are here, with their buttery, velvety texture. Good for grilled panini.

 

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

Farmers Market Watch: November 25th

Buongiorno! Just in time for Thanksgiving, here's the latest from the farmers market. Organic rainbow chard (see above) was just too beautiful to resist, and it's a welcome splash of color to the classic monotone beige dinner. Chop the stems and add them to your stuffing to add a fresh note to an otherwise savory ensemble. For those of you who are doing the turkey dinner, here's a good tutorial on how to carve the beast and a nouveau-traditional recipe that makes use of the just-arrived-at-the-market red walnuts (see below). They're not as bitter as the black ones, but just as rich and meaty. And talk about a conversation starter: just garnish a plate with a few raw ones and you'll see what I mean.

If you need a turkey, I recommend free-range, local Diestel turkeys: here's where you can still get them.If you're wondering what wines to pair with your meal, here's a good primer.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and especially to our local farmers who make it all possible!

What I found this week at the San Francisco Alemany Farmers Market:

Red walnuts (see above).

This is actually fennel, not anise (a common mistake) and it can be found on most Italian stands - you can recognize it by its faint scent of black licorice. I'm not very fond of it, but it complements pork in sausages and makes a tasty side dish for a bold meat entree when sauteed with onions. I like it best braised as a side for scallops for that salty/sweet/bitter flavor combo.

Fresh olives can still be found. You need to cure these first before gobbling them as appetizers.

Beautiful jalapeños are still lingering on the stands. Enjoy them now -- the pepper season is waning.

Organic Yukon Gold potatoes are the best for mashed potatoes (and great for gnocchi). Do buy organic potatoes, since they are some of the worst offenders for pesticide residue when cultivated conventionally.

Pomelos are coming in just in time for Dungeness crab season. Try them in this fantastic Vietnamese salad.

The new crop of walnuts is still on the stands. I can't get enough of them, and they perk up stuffing with their rich, strong flavor. You can find them pre-shelled at the market.

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

Farmers Market Watch: November 12th

Buongiorno. The warm hues of fall are all over the stands... I can't get enough of the red, orange and yellow peppers, apples and squash. And now the first seasonal citrus are starting to show up, including the first satsuma tangerines. I know it's tempting, but try holding out for another week or two, because their flavor is still too tart and flat. The habaneros (see above) are fresh, potent and ready for cooking - try an all-red soup for color, flavor and fire.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

What I found this week at the San Francisco Alemany Farmers Market:

Fresh taro root is readily available this time of year. For all you Hawaiian transplants, even the leaves can be found at the market. Here are some recipes from our president-elect's home state.

Winter squash comes in all shapes and flavors, and it's both decorative AND edible. My favorite summertime tomato vendors, 2 Dog Farms from Santa Cruz, carry organic acorn and spaghetti squash for about $.80 a pound. I used the acorn for a risotto I made this week with homemade sausage and freshly-made sour cream. It was gone mighty fast.

This is prime season for green beans. I love to cook them sauteed with shitake mushrooms or steamed lightly and added to a great salad Nicoise. Don't forget to put some steamed baby potatoes in it -- for some reason, those are often left out in the restaurant version. That's why you're hungry again in 2 hours. Here's a great recipe for it.

A rare variety of eggplant from Liberia was available this Saturday: Bitterball. You can use it in this Liberian Eggplant stew recipe.

It's not fall unless we have roasted chestnuts. Just remember to poke holes through the skin before you roast them or they will explode. They make a great turkey stuffing for Thanksgiving: here's the recipe.

Organic dried cherries at $6 a pound. Try before you buy though -- sometimes they're way too tangy.

Wait a couple more weeks for the satsumas. They're definitely not ready yet.

Fresh jicama makes a perfect grapefruit salad. Here's one with seasonal peppers from Bobby Flay (if you can't find the tomatoes add a little fresh grapefruit instead).

And finally, my favorite lemons: Lisbon. So sweet and tangy, with a distinct herbal underflavor and almost no pith. Don't miss out on these. Colleen made a wonderful marmalade for me earlier this year with them and I've been craving it for months. Finally they're back!

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

Farmers Market Watch: November 1st

 

Buongiorno. I just came back from Italy, and now that the October cooking event is behind us I'm ready to resume the Farmers Market Watch. Some of my favorite fall ingredients are plentiful and ready for culinary action: pomegranates (see above), pears and winter squash. I'll make sure they're prominently featured in our upcoming San Francisco Baking Institute brick-oven pizza fall event.

Also, there are a couple of announcements. For all of you Food & Wine readers around the country who've asked me how to start a Cook Here and Now group in your hometown: stay tuned. The guidelines are about ready. I'll post them after the election, later this week. 

Lastly, check out our Foodie Trade section - there are a couple of new things on offer, including a very delicious fromage blanc (if I do say so myself). Now go post some of your own!

Ciao,

Marco Flavio

What I found this week at the San Francisco Heart of the City Farmers Market:

Choy Sum is one of my favorite Asian vegetables, with a rich, mustard-like tang and bright white or yellow flowers that you eat like some kind of ruthless flower-munching monster. Stir-fry these with a little black vinegar and some fresh ginger and devour.

Sweeter than a butternut squash and usually at its best in early fall, Kabocha squash has reached that perfect golden yellow ripeness. You can buy it whole or by the chunk (usually about 2 lbs.). Make sure to get the pieces with the very yellow flesh, because if it's too pale, it will be bland. It's great in pasta and risotto (with parmesan and sage) and a must-use ingredient in Japanese tempura.

Palate-damaging habaneros are still on the stands. Anybody tried to use them in desserts? They're fantastic (in very small doses) with chocolate.

The absolute most flavorful beets and mustard greens I have tasted in the U.S. were available on one stand. The sign said "picked yesterday": no kidding. What a nuanced, spicy, grassy flavor. And about 50" long for $1. You can't go wrong: I'm using these with a fresh mascarpone I'm making to stuff some ravioli later in the week. Can't wait.

Notice how this shopper is looking at the greens' cut stems to assess freshness: that's experience, my friends.

  

Cabbages of all hues are plentiful this time of year. They look beautiful as a dish decoration, and you can use a leaf as an edible platter. Let's not forget what a nutritional powerhouse they are, especially the red ones. Add them to your favorite okonomiyaki, or make your own coleslaw for that fall favorite: slow-cooked pork. Try these slaw recipes from Allrecipes.

Once again dragon fruit is available. What a rare treat! They're great for winter, since they're so rich in vitamin C, and make the absolutely best center-table conversation piece: they're bubblegum pink and look like strange reptile eggs.

It's officially fall when so many grape varietals are on the stands. Try these crimson seedless in my Roasted-grape schiacciata: they're a perfect match.

Just in time for our pizza event: Anjou pears, the perfect topping for a white pizza sprinkled with mozzarella, gorgonzola and thyme. Slice them with a mandolin, add them raw to the pizza once it's out grating of white pepper. 

Make sure to pick pears while still hard, because pears (unlike apples) ripen once picked. Test for ripeness by pressing gently near the stem: if it gives to gentle pressure, it's sweet, juicy and ready to eat. Because pears ripen from the inside out, ripe fruit will give to gentle pressure near the stem. Waiting until pears are soft around the middle may indicate overripeness.

 

Enjoy!

Marco Flavio

San Francisco Farmers Market Watch: September 27th

Buongiorno. The first organic persimmons (see above) were here today and some plump organic grapes from Benzler farms, who also brought in non-irradiated and not sprayed with propylene oxide almonds from this year's crop (many of you know how hard it is too find these). There's no trace of decent stone fruit to be had at any price, but that's to be expected now that fall is upon us. The consolation: golden light splendor.

What I found this week at the San Francisco Alemany Farmers Markets:

New organic almond crop from Benzler farms.

Autumn Royal seedless organic grapes. Also available were organic Red Flame raisins for $3/lb, which were richly flavored and sweet. I was told they store well long-term in the freezer, so I bought 4 lbs.

The new garlic crop is here!

Fresh peanuts. Remember, these need to be roasted or cooked - they're not ready for snacking or making into peanut butter.

Jujubes are in 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.

And lastly, beautifully decorative (and tasty) chestnuts in their shell, called 'riccio' (tr. hedgehog) in Italian.

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

San Francisco Farmers Market Watch: September 20th

Buongiorno. The first rain of the season greeted me at the market on Saturday. I write this on the first day of fall and the produce reflects the seasonal shift (if you're new to the blog, go read my post about my favorite season). Gone are most of the stone fruits while apples, figs and pears can be found on most fruit stands. See you next week at our dinner. Here's what to look for at the market.

The new crop of organic pomegranates is here.



Olives



Chestnuts



Autumn Yummy plums



Fresh dates



Bartlett pears



Bosc pears



El Dorado Bartlett pears



Dynasty Asian pear



Kikusui Asian pear



Shinseiki Asian pear



Ya Li Asian pear

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio