Farmers market produce available soon in Southtown.

The founders and organizers of the Sunday Quarry Farmers & Ranchers Market, Heather Hunter and F. David Lent, have announced they are starting a Saturday farmers market at Blue Star Arts Complex.

Beginning Saturday, June 15, the Southtown Farmers & Ranchers Market will debut with farm fresh local produce, grass-fed beef and pastured chickens, pastured eggs, baked goods and other fine edibles.

Like its sister market at the Quarry, this will be a year-round, rain or shine, producers-only market.

The Southtown Farmers & Ranchers Market is a collaborative venture between the Quarry Farmers & Ranchers Market organizers and the Blue Star Arts Complex. They recognize there is a definite need for a market in this part of the city as there is no major grocery store nearby.

They also believe it will be a great addition to the vibrant community, a fun place to meet, eat and gather on Saturday mornings along the San Antonio River and another way we can support the city’s local food movement.

The Quarry Farmers and Ranchers Market is in the parking lot adjacent to Whole Foods Market. It is open every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. year-round, rain or shine. 

Shiso with sashimi at Godai Sushi Bar.

Have you ever had a shiso leaf in a sashimi salad and wondered exactly what it was? Well, Shiso leaves, also known as perilla, grow in a number of Asian cultures, and their uses are myriad within the regional cuisines there because of its pungent aroma and bold flavors. It’s not surprising that there are various types of leaves within the family, each slightly different and unique.

Shiso leaves growing in front of Godai Sushi Bar.

The Korean version is called either deulkkae or tŭlkkae, which means “wild sesame” or “sesame leaf,” even though it has no relation to sesame whatsoever, according to Wikipedia.

This leaf grows in spring and summer, and you can find it planted in a herb bed in front of Godai Sushi Bar, 11203 West Ave.

Owner and sushi master William “Goro” Pitchford takes one of the just-picked large leaves and sits its bottom half in tempura batter before deep-frying it. Then he arranges a little bite of sashimi and some roe on top of each, creating a special treat that is as fresh as it gets. The shiso has a slight mint quality and freshness that is perfect for the seafood. The array of leaves on the platter is also a real eye-catcher.

So, go to Godai while the shiso leaves last and enjoy this one-of-a-kind treat.

For more information on Godai, click here.

On Sunday, May 5, the Quarry Farmers and Ranchers Market will mark its second year with music, fresh farm produce, baked and prepared foods and so much more.

Bakery Lorraine’s French macarons come in a rainbow of colors — and flavors.

Market organizers will also be selling t-shirts made from organically grown Texas cotton throughout the day. The anniversary marks the market’s weekly success of bringing products from local growers and specialty food makers to a loyal community of supporters.

Nicolette Good will bring her full band to entertain the crowd. Good has twice been named San Antonio’s favorite singer-songwriter by the readers of the San Antonio Current and was, most recently, selected as the winner of the 2012 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk.

Current market members include: 3G Farm, 9-1 Farm, Angel Song Acres, Bakery Lorraine, Bikkurim Organic Farms, Countryside Farm, Cowgirl Granola, Dos Lunas Artisan Cheese, Engel Farms, Good Gluten-Free Foods, Gretchen Bee Ranch, Humble House Foods, Katie’s Jar, Koch Ranches, Ming’s Thing, Mom & Pops, Naegelin Farms, Nisha’s Quick-N-Ezee Indian Food, Parker Creek Ranch, Patty’s Petals, Revolucion Coffee + Juice, Rancho Ojo de Agua, Señor Veggie, Springfield Farm, The Arrangement Nursery, The Gardener’s Feast, The Lemonade Company, (The Original) Winner Winner Chicken Dinner food truck, Well Seasoned Cuisine and Zamudio Farm.

Here’s a great way you can contribute!

The community is invited to celebrate the second anniversary of the Quarry Farmers & Ranchers Market by submitting their favorite seasonal recipes using farm-fresh ingredients. Recipes will be accepted through June 16.

Radish and Cucumber Salad

The best submissions will be featured in the first edition of the “Quarry Farmers & Ranchers Market Community Cookbook,” available for purchase during the winter holiday season. “We want to encourage home cooks and professional chefs alike to submit recipes,” says market co-founder and director Heather Hunter. “The goal is to inspire people at all culinary levels to get in the kitchen and cook with local, farm fresh ingredients grown by people you know and trust.”

Categories include appetizers, soups, salads, entrees (including game and vegetarian), sides and desserts. A helpful recipe form is available on the market’s Cookbook Project page at quarryfarmersmarket.com/community/cookbook-project, and completed recipes may be emailed to info@quarryfarmersmarket.com.

The Quarry Farmers & Ranchers Market is held Sundays, rain, wind, cold or heat, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the parking lot of the Quarry Market (255 E. Basse), near Whole Foods Market.

For more information call 210-722-5077, email info@quarryfarmersmarket.com, or visit www.quarryfarmersmarket.com.

Strawberries macerated in sugar and Port.

I don’t trust too many strawberry recipes. Some pastry chefs would have you torture the poor berries until they’re no longer recognizable, while others would have you mask their flavor by drowning them in balsamic vinegar and black pepper.

The simpler, the better. That’s essential. Plus, you want to let the ingredients support the strawberries, don’t dominate them.

Here’s an easy dessert from Jean Anderson’s “The Food of Portugal” that you can make using the finest and freshest berries showcased to their maximum potential.

Strawberries in Port (Morangos em Porto)

3 pints ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and halved (if berries are very large, slice about 1/4-inch thick)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup ruby Port or fine vintage Port
4 to 5 mint sprigs

Place the strawberries in a large bowl (preferably nonmetallic), add the sugar and Port, and toss lightly. Cover and macerate in the refrigerator 2 to 3 hours. To serve, spoon berries into stemmed goblets and sprig with mint.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

From “The Food of Portugal” by Jean Anderson

Easter is on its way, and this tropical fruit parfait will add some sunshine to your celebration. Start with  fresh tropical fruits and berries, then layer with a sweet, creamy filling scented with Nielsen-Massey Pure Orange Extract. This light dessert will bring a festive, welcome finish to a good, Easter dinner or brunch.

Tropical Fruit Parfait

Tropical Fruit Parfait

8  ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
2 to 4 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Orange Extract
4 fruit choices such as finely diced mango, pineapple, grapes, strawberries, raspberries or whole blueberries

Combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, milk and orange extract in a mixing bowl and beat using an electric mixer.

Alternate layers of the cream cheese mixture and the fruit in a trifle dish or parfait glasses by either spooning the cream cheese mixture or piping with a pastry bag.

Serves 6

Romanesco

It caught my eye as soon as I approached Cora Lamar’s Oak Hill Farms table at the Pearl Farmers Market Saturday.

“What is that?” I asked. The woman standing next to me in line was as fascinated as I was. Its outer leaves reminded me of cauliflower, though the yellow-tinged green suggested it might be broccoflower. But its fractal florets gave it an other-worldly cast. (Not sure what fractal means? Click here.)

“Romanesco,” was Lamar’s reply.

Romanesco and cauliflower

Never heard of that before.

“What do you do with it?”

“Whatever you do with cauliflower,” she said.

At $2 a head, I had to buy one and give it a try. A few moments later, I ran into chef James Moore, who offered the same advice as Lamar, just use it the way you would cauliflower, raw or cooked.

When I got home, I did a little research. It seems that romanesco dates back to the 16th century, so it’s not some sort of genetically modified creation.

Kelly Rossiter on TLC’s website offers a pretty good description of it: “This vegetable is such an enigma that it is called a romanesco cauliflower in the U.S. and Canada, a romanesco broccoli and a romanesco cabbage in Germany. It is the most amazing chartreuse color and unlike hybrids like broccoflower and orange and purple cauliflower, it is a species unto itself. It demands photographing as much as cooking, and I can pretty much guarantee that it is the only vegetable you’ll ever eat that is a fractal.”

I broke off a floret and tasted it raw. Yes, there was a resemblance to cauliflower, but there was also a greener, more cruciferous quality that made Rossiter’s mention of cabbage seem apt.

So, how would it taste alongside cauliflower? I had a head in the refrigerator already, so I decided to roast half of each with some olive oil and garlic for about 35 minutes at 400 degrees. They cooked up at the same time, and the same slight difference in flavor was noticeable.

Better still was a velvety low-carb soup I made with the other halves as well as some leeks I also picked up from Lamar. It’s was so luxuriously rich that I except I”ll be back for more romanesco while it’s in season.

Romanesco-Cauliflower Leek Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large head cauliflower, chopped, or 1 romanescco head, chopped (or a combination of the two)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 cups vegetable broth
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup heavy cream (optional)

Romanesco Cauliflower Soup

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat, and saute the leeks, cauliflower, and garlic for about 10 minutes. Stir in the vegetable broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 45 minutes.

Remove the soup from heat. Blend the soup with an immersion blender or hand mixer. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the heavy cream, and continue blending until smooth. Garnish with fried garlic chips, if desired.

Makes 12 servings.

Approximate nutritional value per serving: 155 calories,  8.3 g  carbohydrates, 35 mg cholesterol, 13.1 g fat,  2.2 g fiber, 2.4 g  protein, 378 mg sodium

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Radishes are in season, but not too many people cook the tangy root vegetables. Here’s a simple recipe for Roasted Radishes and Carrots that makes a great side dish.

“I roast a ton of vegetables,” Melissa d’Arabian writes in “Ten Dollar Dinners: 140 Recipes and Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week” (Clarkson Potter Publishers, $) 24.99). “In the oven, the sharp crunch of radishes transforms into a mellow, tender, and earthy-sweet bite. An extra bonus is that they roast up pretty and pink, which my four daughters love! I like to leave a little of the green tops on the radish to give them a fresh-from the-garden look. Paired with carrots, this is a very elegant and beautiful side dish. I often have baby-cut carrots int he cripser to eat as a fast snack — if you are more likely to have full-size carrots, peel and trim them into 2-inch lengths and use those instead.”

Roasted Radishes and Carrots

12 baby-cut carrots
Bunch radishes (about 12), trimmed (halved, if large)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme plus a squeeze of lemon juice (see note)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the carrots and radishes in a 9-inch baking dish and toss to coat with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Roast until they’re tender on the outside with a slightly firm core, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, squeeze the lemon over the top, and serve.

Note: Dried thyme is grassier than fresh, so when using dried thyme, add a squeeze of citrus. When making the substitution, remember to reduce the amount of thyme by half — so for every teaspoon of fresh thyme called for, use half as much dried thyme.

Makes 4 servings.

From “Ten Dollar Dinners” by Melissa D’Arabian

If you want another take on roasted radishes by themselves, click here.

It’s the day before Halloween — and if you are just starting to plan your party you might need some last-minute help.

Here are a few suggestions, and two recipes, from Avocados from Mexico.

• Don’t just go door to door this year, get your neighbors together and plan a fun and spooky Halloween block party. Both kids and adults can enjoy fright night together.

Use an avocado shell as a bowl – for guacamole, of course.

• Organize a last-minute Halloween potluck. Each guest brings a different dish; whether an appetizer, main course, dessert or beverage. Don’t forget the Pumpkin Spookamole (recipe below).

• Remember the brews! Serve themed juices or soft drinks. Create creepy ice cubes by putting a plastic ant, bug or spider in each compartment before you freeze.

• Have a scary movie night. Screen showings of horror movies, like “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Psycho.”

• Hold a neighborhood Zombie Walk. Have fun wrapping yourself and friends in toilet paper and then hit the streets in a group.

• Convert your dining room table into a buffet area, one of the easiest ways to host a party. Decorate the table with pumpkins and spider webs.

• Fill your fireplace with clusters of orange and black candles in different shapes and sizes.

Pumpkin Spookamole

Pumpkin Spookamole

3 tablespoons raw shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon each cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper
4 fully ripened avocados from Mexico, halved, pitted and peeled
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a small bowl, combine pumpkin seeds, oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, cumin, paprika and cayenne; mix well until seeds are coated. In a skillet over medium heat, cook coated pumpkin seeds, stirring frequently, until seeds begin to pop and are puffy and golden. Remove from heat and set aside. To make guacamole, in a large bowl combine avocados, lime juice onion, cilantro and remaining salt. With a spatula or potato masher, coarsely mash mixture until well-combined and chunky. Sprinkle with reserved pumpkin seeds. Serve with warm tortillas or chips.

Witchy Fingers

4 avocados, peeled, pitted and halved
1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
2 ounces goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 ounce prosciutto slices

Cut each avocado half into 4-6 slices. Place in medium bowl and gently toss in lemon juice. In a small bowl, combine goat cheese, salt and pepper. Fill the center of each avocado slice with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon goat cheese mixture.
Wrap each avocado “finger” with 1/3 slice of prosciutto until the goat cheese is secured to the avocado. Make sure to leave the tip of the avocado exposed, to resemble a finger nail. Arrange the avocados in the shape of a hand on the plate to add extra spookiness.  Enjoy!

Photos and recipes courtesy Avocados from Mexico

The fall eggplant harvest has begun, and I had two deeply purple orbs hanging from the plant, ready to pick. But what do to with them?

I found the answer in Clifford A. Wright’s exhaustive but, unfortunately out of print cookbook, “Little Foods of the Mediterranean: 500 Fabulous Recipes for Antipasti, Tapas, Hors d’Oeuvre, Meze and More”. (A few used copies can be found, and if you like foods of the Mediterranean, I would recommend it highly.)

He has a number of eggplant options, but the one that appealed most to me was a salad or spread made with toasted almonds, Greek yogurt and pomegranate molasses. “This Turkish salad served as a meze is called nazuktan and is typical in central Anatolia,” he writes. “It is made in a number of different ways. Some cooks stir in pomegranate molasses, a taste I like in this recipe.”

You can find pomegranate molasses in specialty markets and Middle Eastern grocers, such as Ali Baba, Salaam International Food Market and Central Market.

Anatolian Creamy Eggplant and Almond Salad

1 1/2 pounds eggplant
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1/4 cup labna or Greek yogurt
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
Salt, to taste3 tablespoons finely chopped mint leaves

Anatolian Creamy Eggplant and Almond Salad

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the eggplant in a baking dish with a little water or on a rack and roast until the skin blisters black, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven an , when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and stem and remove as many seeds as you can.

While the eggplant is roasting, place the almonds on a baking sheet and bake until golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Set aside 6 or 7 almonds and grind the rest coarsely in a food processor.

Chop the eggplant and place in a colander to drain for 20 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a large bowl and stir in the Greek yogurt, chopped almonds, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses, and season with salt.

Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with the mint and garnish with the whole almonds.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

From “Little Foods of the Mediterranean: 500 Fabulous Recipes for Antipasti, Tapas, Hors d’Oeuvre, Meze and More” by Clifford A. Wright

Peach-Cherry Galette

Make the most of the cherries and peaches in season now by mixing them together in a buttery galette.

The real plus of this recipe is the low amount of sugar that it uses, which allows the natural flavors of the fruit to shine.

It comes from someone named Elise, who posted it on SimplyRecipes.com. Her version simply had peaches in it, but she encourages experimentation and the cherries were too good to pass up.

“Have you seen the peaches in the market? They’re beautiful this season,” she writes. “One of my favorite summer desserts is a rustic tart, or galette, because it’s just so easy to put together. As I have an almost unreasonable love of homemade crusts, I make several batches of dough in advance, and just wrap them in plastic wrap and keep them in the freezer until needed. This is a simple peach galette, with fresh yellow peaches tossed with a little sugar, flour, and vanilla.

“You can play around with it a bit. Before laying down the peaches I dotted the bottom of the crust with a little almond paste. You could add blueberries, or toss in a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg. Sprinkle with lemon juice if the peaches are too sweet. Speaking of sweetness, it’s best to use yellow peaches for this baked dessert. The flavor of sweet white peaches is delicate and doesn’t hold up well to cooking.”

Roll out the dough in a circle.

A few other substitutes include using almond extract instead of vanilla or using a mixture of your favorite fruit, including strawberries, plums, pears and apples, though I might sauté the apples slightly first, because they will take longer to cook than the peaches.  You could also use 1/4 cup almond flour in place of 1/4 cup flour to give it a nuttier flavor.

I didn’t have any almond paste on hand when I was making the recipe, so I made my own using equal parts nuts (in my case I mixed almonds and hazelnuts) and powdered sugar with a splash of amaretto to moisten it. You could also use kirsh, Frangelico, peach schnapps or  any liqueur with a flavor that would complement either the nuts or the fruit.

One last note: This is a fairly small dish, perfect for a family dessert. If you plan on serving this at a party, you may want to double the recipe and make two.

Some of you may remember my fondness for galettes, or croustades, as the Italians call them. Back in 2009, I wrote about them and trying to find the right crust. That post has more information on making crust, if you are a novice. To read it, click here.

Peach-Cherry Galette

Crust:

1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1/2 cup, 1 stick or 8 tablespoons) butter, cut into small (1/2-inch) cubes, chilled in freezer at least 15 minutes, preferably an hour
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
2 large or 3 medium, not-overly-ripe yellow peaches (about 3/4 pound total), pitted, sliced into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices
6-10 bing cherries, halved and pitted
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond paste (optional)
1 teaspoon butter

1 egg mixed with a splash of water
A sprinkling of coarse sugar (optional)

Arrange the fruit in the center of the dough.

To make the crust dough: In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt, until well mixed. Add the cubed butter, and pulse 8 times. The butter should still be the size of peas in the mixture. Slowly add the ice water, a tablespoon or two at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the dough just begins to clump. Turn out onto a clean surface. Use your clean hands to form into a disc. Do not over-knead. Work the dough only enough to bring it barely together into a disk. Sprinkle with a little flour on all sides, wrap with plastic, and place into the refrigerator to chill for an hour.

Preheat the oven with the rack in the middle position to 425 degrees. Place the peach slices and cherries in a bowl and sprinkle with the flour and sugar. Toss gently to coat. Sprinkle vanilla extract over the peaches. (Editor’s note: You may want to make sure the flour is dissolved, but without bruising the fruit. I didn’t and specks of flour were visible after baking. I dusted with a slight coat of powdered sugar to make it all blend together.)

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water until smooth and set aside.

On a lightly floured, clean, smooth surface, roll out the dough to about a 12-inch diameter. Gently lift up the rolled out dough and place it on a rimmed baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Fold up the sides before brushing with an egg wash and sprinkling with sugar.

If you are using almond paste (not necessary, but a nice addition if you have it), dot the middle 6-inch circle of the dough with the almond paste. (If you can spread it, great. Otherwise, just dot with little bits.) Arrange the peach slices in an overlapping pattern in a single layer in the center of the dough, forming about a 7 or 8-inch circle. Arrange the cherry halves on top. Dot with a little butter.

Fold the outer edges of the dough round over the filling, by about 2-inches all the way around, in an accordion fashion. Use a pastry brush to coat the exposed dough with an egg wash (you can cook up the leftover egg as a little scrambled egg, by the way), and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using.

Place in the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet, over a rack, about 15 minutes.

Great served with a little vanilla ice cream.

Makes 8 servings.

Adapted from SimplyRecipes.com