The Garden Apartment

Anxiety {and rockfish roasted in banana leaves}

Read about my obsessive worrying (including worries over this dish), or scroll down for a recipe for rockfish wrapped in banana leaves with mango-clementine relish.

 

I am a worrier. 

I worry about everything imaginable. There's the inherited worrying from my mother-- of the oh-my-god-did-I turn-off-the-stove nature. Clearly, this worrying affects the oven, the dryer (can't trust those timers to turn off on their own), the dishwasher, and even the automatic shut-off coffee pot. It's a good thing I've cut my hair short because at least now I don't worry whether I remembered to unplug the hot rollers. 

There's the worrying about things I need to do. This seems to manifest itself most when our house gets disorderly. I need a schedule for cleaning bathrooms! Why can't we all just pick up after ourselves? We need to stop wearing shoes in the house; we're tracking mud all over the place. . . now I need to find time to clean the floors. . .  . You get the point.

Early in my pre-adult life, I thought myself quite the laid back person. At age 16, I declared myself a hippie and took on activities like yoga, making hemp jewelry, and reading poetry. 

Then, at age 21, I was a professionally dressed school teacher in the inner-city. Imagine my shock when an older teacher teased me that I was just like her: a worrier. A worrier! I shook it off, telling myself that of course I worried. I was teaching kids who were way behind grade level and had terrible home lives. Who wouldn't worry in my situation?

But then, the more time passed, I realized she was right. And it seems to have gotten worse lately. Just a month ago I was in Buffalo for a dear friend's wedding. We were all doing the usual bridesmaid's routine of manicures and pedicures. Halfway through the manicure, my technician looked up at me and said "You're type A, aren't you?" If she hadn't been applying red fingernail polish to my hands, my reaction would have been more severe. 

"How can you tell?" I asked.

"Oh, you have a lot of tension in your hands."

Maybe I should go back to burning incense (oh, the fire hazard!) and sewing my own clothes. At least there would be the facade of a Type B personality, the cool calm demeanor of a hippie. 

By now you're probably wondering what this has to do with rockfish and banana leaves. And at this point, I'm worrying that I've perhaps lost you. 

You see, I worried a bit about posting this recipe. It's not quite local. Actually- between the banana leaf wrapping and the mango and clementine relish that tops it all off, you could say it's rather international. Would my readers mind?

After a lot of anxiety over the challenges of the winter season (the weather, a recent terrible cold, the decline in produce variety), I decided to share this with you anyway. I'm not perfect, after all-- and there's no point fretting over it. Besides, this is a delicious and simple way to prepare fish.

If rockfish is not available in your area, use another white fish. You should be able to find banana leaves at any Latin grocery store. And if they aren't available, you can simply wrap the fish in parchment paper to achieve a similar effect.

Rockfish roasted in banana leaves with mango-clementine relish {Serves 4}

Adapted from Bobby Flay's From My Kitchen to your Table

For the fish:

• 4 Rockfish filets
• 3 TB EVOO
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 banana leaf, cut into 4 rectangles

For the relish:

• 2 clementines; separated into segments, then cut in half
• 1 large mango, diced
• juice of one lime
• 2 TB cilantro, minced
• 1-2 dashes of hot sauce, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare

Preheat the oven to 400F. Rub each filet with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the fish envelope-style with a banana leaf segment. Place seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 8-10 minutes until the fish is firm and opaque.

Combine all relish ingredients and refrigerate until fish is ready. Note: the relish can be prepared up to one day ahead.

Serve the fish in the banana leaves, topped with relish. 

This is also delicious with a bit of mole sauce.

Enjoy, and of course, don't forget to turn off the oven when you're done. 

Holy mole! {warming up with Mexican mole sauce}

Given a combination of a very sore throat and extremely cold temperatures, I wasn't quite up for the DuPont Circle Farmer's Market Sunday morning. Dear husband suggested I was nuts for even mentioning it as I miserably crawled out of bed. 

But I was in the mood for a bit of a food adventure.

I'm not sure whether I was inspired by the Kojo Nnamdi Show's local restaurant world tour feature on Mexico last week, or our upcoming trip there, but sometime Sunday afternoon I determined that a mole (moh-lay) sauce was in order. 

Just around the corner from my house is a Latin marketplace. I walked in to find shelves fully stocked with different variations of dried chiles, rows upon rows of dried and canned beans, spices, and frozen banana leaves (oh my!). After purchasing dried ancho chiles, I headed home to start my mole sauce. 

Mole, more or less means "sauce" in Latin cuisine. Take for example, guacamole-- avocado sauce. There are many different mole sauces, and some look nothing alike (for example yellow pepper mole compared to this mole). I wanted to make a mole from dried anchos with bittersweet chocolate incorporated during the final stages. 

This type of mole is very versatile. Shredded chicken would taste delicious after simmering in it, or try it for flavoring a beef stew. For breakfast, put a dollop atop a fried egg with a little tomato salsa.

I opted to serve my mole with lentils, a roasted fish dish, and a clementine-mango salsa. The finished mole had a rich and smoky flavor, with just a hint of heat. Delicious. 

Ancho and Chocolate Mole (Moh-lay) (Makes 2 cups sauce)

Adapted from The Splendid Table

 

Ingredients

• 3 dried ancho chiles
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 Cup chicken broth or stock (+ more if needed)
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1 onion, diced small
• 12 ounces cherry tomatoes
• 1 TB tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt, to taste

Procedure

Use kitchen scissors to split open the chiles. Discard the stems and seeds. Cut the chiles into large flat pieces. Toast the chile strips over medium heat in a large heavy skillet, turning to prevent them from burning. Remove from the pan when they turn dark and release their smell. Transfer the chiles to a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak for twenty minutes, until soft.

Meanwhile, add the garlic cloves to the skillet and toast for fifteen minutes until the skins are darkened and the flesh has softened. Remove from the heat.

Puree the cherry tomatoes, 1 TB of tomato paste, and smoked paprika in a food processor. Place in a bowl.

Rinse out the food processor and return. Combine the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, chicken broth and balsamic vinegar. Drain the ancho chiles, then add to the mixture. Puree for an additional minute, until the mixture is smooth.

Reheat the skillet. Add the oil and onions. Cook, covered, over low heat until the onions have released some of their liquids (adding a little salt will help them release liquid more quickly). Uncover, increase the heat to medium and saute until golden brown (10-15 minutes).

Add the ancho chile mixture to the pan and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato and partially cover, simmering for about 25 minutes-- until the sauce is very thick.

Add the bittersweet chocolate and simmer for an additional ten minutes. Add the sugar and salt to taste.

This sauce can be refrigerated for 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Turkey Burgers with garlic scape pesto mayonnaise

Garlic scapes-- the spiraling green sprouts of spring garlic-- have arrived at many farmers markets. In an effort of eating less red meat, we put our scapes to work with this delicious turkey burger stuffed with balsamic caramelized onions and dried apricots. Read on about our "health" efforts, or scroll down for the recipe.

It may surprise you to hear this, but John and I are working on this thing called "being healthy."

Yes, this blog actually has the word "garden" in it (which seemingly implies health), and we do eat a lot of farm fresh fruits and vegetables, but we certainly don't shy away from eating fattening foods.

The thing is, I rather enjoy fat. I'm not against eating red meat, pork, or any handful of desserts. In fact, I full heartedly relish all of the above.

But, there's a catch. The first part is that most Americans eat much more red meat and pork than they should. And we all (should) know that eating it more than once or twice a week is not good for your health.

The bigger issue for me, however, is one of sustainability and ethics. While I do firmly believe that humans are meant to eat some meat, I cannot bring myself to buy meat that has been factory farmed. That is, I can't bring myself to buy meat from any major supermarket or large provider. For starters, the treatment of animals on factory farms is inhumane and unethical. It's also bad for the environment, as their waste and disease runs off into our water supply and pollutes the air. And finally, meat that is raised in these conditions simply isn't good for you. It may be cheap to buy, but the lower price tag is not worth the damage done to the animals and our environment. 

So, where to buy sustainable, farm raised, and preferably grass fed meat? Many farmers markets carry it, and my local Whole Foods has also started carrying local Virginia beef and grass-fed beef from Georgia. Of course, farmers markets and Whole Foods are both more expensive than what is sold at mainstream grocery stores.

Our solution? Eat less meat.

It's a win-win solution. It's better for us. It's better for the environment. We spend less money.  And finally, we are financially supporting sustainable and local sources of meat. In other words, we're voting with our wallets.

It began as a plan to consume red meat or pork only once a week. Likewise, we planned to eat fish at least once a week (check out this list of sustainable fish). I added a vegetarian night once a week, which is somewhat less popular with my spouse. All other nights are another source of protein, such as chicken or turkey. 

Surprisingly, although I was the family member who came up with this idea, John has become an avid supporter. 

After a hamburger cookout with friends last weekend, we had a lot of leftover ground beef. When I suggested spaghetti and meatballs for dinner the following evening, I was rudely reminded that we would have to wait until the next week since our weekly red meat ration had been met. The ground beef went into the freezer.

But what to do with all those hamburger buns?

Turkey burgers to the rescue.

And in case you were waiting for some refreshing photos amidst this diatribe of meat eating philosophy. . . here was the inspiration for our turkey burger condiment:

That's right! Garlic scapes have arrived at market. If you haven't tried them, I recommend you snatch up any you find since they won't be around very long. The curvy and tender garlic stalks taste of mild garlic. They're wonderful used as a simple pesto-- simply process them with olive oil and parmesan. They also work well stir fried with fresh market vegetables or added into most anything you'd add garlic to.

The inspiration for the rest of the turkey burger came from some ingredients I had hanging out in my pantry, as well as a meatball recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini.

I used a combination of white and dark turkey meat, onions (slowly caramelized in olive oil and balsamic vinegar), toasted pine nuts, small bits of dried apricots, some roasted garlic, and freshly ground coriander seeds. To slather on the buns, I simply mixed some mayonnaise, a few teaspoons of pesto stored in my fridge, and some freshly minced garlic scapes.

Although John had his doubts on the merits of a turkey burger, he devoured this quickly enough to convince me it was good.

Turkey Burgers with garlic scape pesto mayonnaise (Makes 4 large burgers)

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For the burgers

• 1/2 lb white ground turkey meat
• 1/2 lb dark ground turkey meat 
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, diced
• 1/2 onion, sliced to 1/4 inch thickness
• 1 TB balsamic 
• 1 TB extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/2 tsp butter 
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted, if desired)
• 2 cloves garlic, roasted
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano

For the garlic scape mayonnaise

• 1/4 cup garlic scapes, finely diced
• 2 tsp basil pesto
• 1 tsp EVOO
• 1/4 Cup mayonnaise (+ more to taste)
• dash of freshly cracked black pepper

Making the burgers

I'll admit, there are several ingredients going into these turkey burgers. To make it easier, I set up an assembly line, and got everything going at once.

Begin with making the caramelized onions, since they will take the longest (but require little attention once cooking). Heat one tablespoon of oil in a medium saute pan. In the meantime, slice half of an onion (about 1/4 inch thickness). Add a little bit of butter to the saute pan (until it sizzles), and then add the onion. Add 1 tablespoon of balsamic, and stir. Allow these to cook away at medium-low heat while you work on the rest of the ingredients.

Place two garlic cloves (skins on) in a small pan on high heat. Allow them to roast in the pan until the skins have blackened.

While the garlic and onions are heating up, dice the dried apricots.

Mix together the dark and light turkey meat, then add the dried apricots, pine nuts, coriander, salt, pepper, and oregano.

Here you can see my assembly line from bottom to top: meat and spice mixture, diced apricots, caramelizing onions, and roasting garlic.

Add the caramelized onions and roasted garlic to the meat mixture, form into patties, and prepare.

Make the garlic scape mayonnaise

Combine all the ingredients for the garlic scape mayonnaise. If you don't have prepared pesto on hand (in other words, if you don't freeze large batches every summer like I do), you could simply mix the mayonnaise with garlic scapes, a little fresh basil, and some lemon juice to taste. Or, if you can't find garlic scapes, roast an extra couple cloves of garlic (from the meat mixture) and add that to the mayonnaise.

Putting it all together

Assemble the burgers onto buns slathered with garlic scape mayonnaise. If desired, add a little lettuce, or some oven roasted tomatoes. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

In the end, I'm not sure that adding caramelized onions to the turkey mixture and slathering the buns with garlic scape pesto mayonnaise really worked in favor of our health efforts.  But at least the idea of a turkey burger sounds somewhat healthy. 

Right?

For more information on meat production and sustainability, check out these links:

Sustainable Table: Animal Welfare

Sustainable Table: What is sustainable agriculture?

Sustainable Table: Sustainable vs. Industrial

And if you're lucky enough to be in a city playing the newly released documentary Food Inc., I highly recommend seeing it. For the DC area: check out the schedule at Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema and the E Street Cinema downtown. 

Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Sauce {deep fried deliciousness}

Call me a snob if you like, but it's quite possible that I have stronger opinions regarding the preparation of buffalo wings than most other foods.

It all began when John's friend Matt started the tradition of making buffalo wings every time we came over to watch Virginia Tech football. Certainly, I had tried wings prior to eating Matt's. In my college days I'd enjoyed eating at wings' joints that served up excessive flavors. But, being uninitiated to the true buffalo wing, I had always opted for flavors like teriyaki or ginger lime {what a sissy I was!}.

But Matt's wings were different.

You see, these were the real deal and the best I had ever tasted. From the crunchy texture of the deep fried skin, the tender juiciness of the chicken, to the spicy sauce which was the perfect thick consistency.

A trip to Buffalo's self-proclaimed creator of the buffalo wing, The Anchor Bar, confirmed that Matt's wings were indeed on a level which would make Buffalo natives proud.

I was determined to learn his technique. As it turns out, he has two. Sometimes, he deep fries the wings. Sometimes, in an effort at healthiness, he grills them. Both are delicious, but I opted for the less healthy deep fried option {this decision prompted my husband to suggest that I am on a never-ending quest to clog his arteries}.

Here are my basic rules of buffalo wings. 

1. They should be deep fried or grilled until the skin is browned and crispy. The objective is a crispy outside.

2. Breading buffalo wings is a mortal sin as far {as I'm concerned, though you can consult your own dogma}. The breading adopts an undesirable sogginess once the sauce is added, taking away from the crispy skin.

3. The wings should be tossed in hot sauce. Some stop here, which is fine. I've found that if they are then quickly baked at a high heat, it thickens the consistency of the sauce a bit and helps it adhere to the wing.

4. (optional, but strongly recommended) Serve with blue cheese dipping sauce.

Of course, this just wouldn't be The Garden Apartment if these wings weren't from a local farmer's market. I purchased these organic, naturally raised chicken wings from EcoFriendly Foods at the DuPont Circle Fresh Farm Market.

Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Sauce

One dozen wings serves 3-4 people as an appetizer or snack

• 1 dozen chicken wings
• 3 TB hot sauce of your choice (I recommend Franks Hot Sauce) 
• 3 TB butter  
• canola oil, for deep frying 

Blue Cheese Sauce 

• 1/4 Cup Sour Cream
• 2 TB Mayonnaise 
• 2 TB buttermilk 
• 1/4 Cup crumbled blue cheese 
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar 
• 1/2 clove garlic, finely minced 
• dash of Worcestershire sauce 
• salt and pepper, to taste 

Make the Blue Cheese Sauce

Combine all of the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (can be made up to two days in advance).

Make the Wings

Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil and spray lightly with canola oil. Set aside.

Fill a large heavy bottomed pot halfway with canola oil. Heat to a temperature of 400F. Deep fry the chicken wings until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Mix the hot sauce and butter in a large bowl. Toss the wings in the mixture, then place on the lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes until the sauce's consistency thickens.

Serve with blue cheese sauce, carrot sticks, and celery sticks.

Apple, Fennel, and Pomegranate Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

This salad features some of the season's best produce: apples, fennel, and pomegranate. The crisp textures are enhanced by tart and sweet flavors, making for a refreshing treat. You can make this salad with just the basic ingredients (apple, fennel, celery) or can enhance it with one or all of the following: pomegrantate, blue cheese, and toasted pecans.

After a Thanksgiving full of gorging ourselves on enough dishes made with butter and cream to make Paula Deen proud, John and I are trying to prevent our major arteries from failing. Thus, we've begun something of a salad campaign in our household. We figure that if we eat at least one salad a day, we will feel less guilty about indulging in the season's rich treats. 

Of course, I think this salad is a tempting treat-- not just a guilt reliever for less healthy foods. Featuring a delicious mixture of crisp textures and sweet and tart flavors, you'll feel like you've really treated yourself. The maple vinaigrette is a little reminiscent of a honey mustard dressing, and would be wonderful drizzled over plain salad greens. You can keep this salad simple by just mixing up the apples, fennel, celery and onion with the dressing. Or, you can dress it up with a antioxidant kick from some pomegranate seeds, some blue cheese crumbles, and/or some toasted pecans. 

Have I given you enough options? Now, go make yourself this salad!

Apple Fennel and Pomegranate Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

This recipe makes two large salads, or four side salads

For the vinaigrette

• 2 tsp maple syrup (pure maple syrup, preferably Grade A)
• 3/4 tsp dijon mustard 
• 1 TB apple cider vinegar 
• olive oil (about 2 TB)
• salt and pepper, to taste 

For the salad

• 1 small apple, diced (my favorite is Pink Lady; anything slightly sweet would work well) 
• 1 celery stalk, diced 
• 1/2 large bulb of fennel, sliced into small matchsticks* 
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion  
• 1 Cup mixed baby salad greens 
• salt and pepper, to taste 

* If the licorice flavor of fennel is too intense for  you, use a mandoline or a vegetable peeler to make paper thin slices. You can also reduce the amount of fennel, of course.

Optional Recommended Additions to the salad 

• 2 TB pomegranate seeds
• 2 TB crumbly blue cheese (preferably something creamy with a mild flavor)
• 1/4 Cup toasted walnuts

Directions

Make the vinaigrette

In a large bowl, whisk the maple syrup, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil while briskly whisking. Add olive oil until you get the consistency and flavor you prefer. This will probably be around 2 TB.  

Make the salad

Add the apples, fennel, celery, and red onion to the vinaigrette. Toss to coat.

Divide the Cup of mixed greens between two large bowls. Cover with the apple and fennel mixture.

Looks good, right? To make it even better, add some of those optional ingredients-- like the pomegranate seeds and blue cheese.

Or really indulge yourself by adding a handful of toasted pecans.

Of course, everything is best served with a glass of wine.

Enjoy this salad, and feel good about eating something healthy and delicious this holiday season.

An Ode to Summer's End {and a lovely cilantro sauce}

Regretfully, I am no poet. The title of this post may mislead you to anticipate romantic prose about summer breezes, blue skies, and bountiful produce. I can only hope that my photos from Labor Day farmers markets and a recipe for a cilantro sauce will suffice as worthy visual and taste-bud poetry.                                                             

Toigo Orchards peaches at DuPont Circle Farmer's Market

I know I shouldn't be sad about the end of summer. After all, I love Fall and all its wonders: beautiful leaves, perfect outdoor temperatures, pumpkins, apples, cider, and the anticipation of holidays.

But I am sad.

Is it because I love tomatoes? Yes, that's a big part of the equation. And Toigo Orchards sweet corn and delicious peaches? I'm addicted to both. And all the fresh herbs- especially the basil. And peppers! I've become spoiled eating Bigg Riggs Farm assorted peppers that have such a superior flavor.

With summer's end in mind, I visited two farmer's markets this weekend. Ironically, I visited two markets which will be open year-round. (Perhaps this was an inadvertent coping mechanism.)

I began at the Old Town Alexandria Farmer's Market Saturday where I quickly stopped by Bigg Riggs Farm to get some of the above mentioned bell peppers, a few tomatoes, and an eggplant.

On Sunday, I had more time to spend at the farmer's market, so I headed up to the bustling DuPont Circle Farmer's Market.

Anchor Nursery had an impressive assortment of tomatoes, including my favorite little orange sweet tomatoes.

  

At Tree and Leaf beautiful flower arrangements. . .  

 

fresh basil, cilantro, and tomatoes. . .

and garlic chives. . .

Which not only taste good, but served as a lovely decorative touch in the pretty flowers I bought. See?

Ever since trying Chris' Crab crabcakes last week I've been looking forward to a simple repeat of a fantastic meal (crab cakes with corn salad). I purchased Jumbo lump crabcakes, but when I began to assemble the accompanying corn salad at home, I realized that I was missing some of the ingredients I had previously used: lime juice and arugula.

As if that could stop me.

I simply tried another combination. I experimented with a combination of garlic, onion, cilantro, cider vinegar, and grapeseed oil. After adding a little hot sauce and pulsing it a few times in the food processor, I took a test taste.

And. . . . it was actually really good. The pureed onion and garlic gave it a nice creamy consistency. The combination of flavors was well balanced, with a good amount of heat.

The cilantro sauce was good enough to stand alone as a sauce for our crabcake. It was also excellent mixed in with the corn salad or simply drizzled on top of a raw tomato slice. I have a hunch that it would be excellent drizzled atop scallops or pan fried fish.

Here is my recipe for cilantro sauce.

Cilantro Sauce

 

1. 4 TB diced onion
2. 2 large garlic clove, minced
3. 5-6 TB cilantro (about 8 sprigs)
4. 1/3 cup grapeseed oil (or other neutral flavored light oil)
5. 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
6. 1/8 cup water
7. 2-3 dashes Kosher salt
8. pinch of black pepper
9. 1-2 dashes of hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a nice consistency forms.

Serve atop a crab cake, poured over a corn or tomato salad, or as an accompaniment for fish. And then, enjoy these last final days of summer, anticipate the turning of the seasons and the good things that Fall will bring.

King Street + Penn Quarter= Crab Cakes and Corn Salad

Two weekday farmers markets trips provided the ingredients necessary for a delicious meal of crab cakes with corn salad. Read here about my market visits, or scroll down for the recipe.

Call me a farmer's market junkie if you like, but I have been taking full advantage of weekday markets. My fellow Fairfax Connector Bus commuters must think I'm a bit odd wearing high heels, carrying green laptop case along with the market bag overflowing with produce and fresh flowers multiple days this week. The new King Street Farmers Market on Wednesday is so convenient to my commute home and the Penn Quarter Fresh Farms Market on Thursday is such a nice walk from work in our current fall-like weather.

Let's begin with the King Street Market. This was the second week of this new market, and though it's small, the produce and flower selection is solid. However, if you are looking for meat, cheese, or baked goods, you will not find them at this market- though hopefully Alexandria City will be able to attract some additional vendors soon.

This week, I made a stop at Bigg Riggs Farm for some of their awesome extra-large, multi-colored peppers. I also got the first of the season's apples, which I hope to make a pie with if John doesn't eat them all first.                                                                                                                  

I spent some more time exploring the Greenfield Farms booth and their gorgeous, organically grown flowers.

The farm owner expressed excitement about participating in the King Street market. She has just started expanding her offerings this year by growing tomatoes, and was offering advice to customers on the flavors of each heirloom variety. I always like to know what the grower's favorite is, and was told to buy the one called "Tangerine," which (not surprisingly) is a cheerful orange color.

 

Greenfield Farms selection of heirloom tomatoes is displayed amongst their organically-grown flowers.

At D & S Farms a nice variety of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash, peaches, nectarines, fruits, and preserved products was available.

My favorite product at D & S, however, are miniature yellow cherry tomatoes, which I have yet to find from another purveyor. They are super-sweet and excellent in salads or roasted and served warm.

I had been hoping to buy corn, but somehow spaced out and ended up with a bag full of other vegetables (all non-husked ones)- mainly those awesome huge peppers and small yellow cherry tomatoes. I decided to make roasted red pepper sauce, which I put on a homemade pizza with some roasted yellow tomatoes and other toppings. We invited our neighbors over for a fun Wednesday meal. The leftover red pepper sauce (which I left chunky, rather than pureed like the pizza sauce) will make a nice sauce over linguine tonight.

Pizza was all fine and good, but this didn't satisfy my husband's craving for corn salad. He almost seemed disappointed to hear the word pizza Wednesday, and my Thursday email inbox was filled with requests for Mexican Chicken and Corn Salad. (Can you say "spoiled"?)

A quick read of the Fresh Farms Newsletter revealed that sweet corn would indeed be available at the Penn Quarter Farmers Market. Chicken? Well, not so much. But, I had something much much better than chicken in mind.

This was my first visit to the Penn Quarter Market, and allow me to list the reasons why it will not be the last:

1. Wide variety of fruits and vegetables (a lot, a lot of heirlooms) and many organic growers
2. Fresh flowers, including potted orchids
3. CRAB CAKES! EMPANADAS! from Chris' Marketplace
4. GELATO! from Dolcezza Artisinal Gelato
5. Buffalo meat from Cibola Farms
6. Handmade soaps
7. Dairy products (fresh milk and artisinal cheeses)
8. Baked goods
9. Chef demonstrations and free recipes
10. Greenhouse grown lettuces from Endless Summer Harvest

If I haven't yet convinced you, here are some photos to tease you:

Organically grown multi-colored cherry tomatoes and blackberries from Eight Acres at Wheatland Farms

More produce from Eight Acres including Swiss Chard and peppers

A small sampling of the baked goods available at  Ovens at Quail Creek

Fresh sunflowers, zinnias and vegetables at Anchor Nursery. . .

where my camera elicited a very friendly conversation with the farmer (pictured) who wondered whether I was a professional photographer (big black cameras give off this false impression). I wish! In addition he joked with me that the colorful zinnias were the last flowers to be named- thus their letter "z" beginning. Despite their non-priority placement in a seed catalog, they captured my attention enough to purchase a bunch of ten flowers.

Okay, let's get to the heart of the market. My newfound love affair, or summer romance, with Penn Quarter's Market really begins here, at Chris' Marketplace. 

 

Truly, the smell of cooking crab cakes dominated the entire market atmosphere. I followed my nose to find the stand, which was sampling many of their products. Chris' Marketplace features lump Maryland blue crab cakes. Chris, the appropriately-named owner of Chris' Crab, wakes up early every morning to find the best purveyors of lump crab meat.  And that's the secret: a good quality main ingredient with no filler. Quite literally, these crab cakes are pure crab.  

He offers two types: lump crab ($5 each) and jumbo lump crab ($9 each). He described the difference to me, "The lump crab is like eating a burger, and the jumbo lump crab is like steak." Given that I like both burgers and steak, I reasoned that it was smart to start with the burger. I bought two lump crab cakes and was given the following fool-proof instructions: bake in the broiler for 5-7 minutes with no butter or oil; do not turn over. It sounded like a job for the hubby.

Crabs in hand, I was now on a mission to find some corn. This was quite easy, actually, and I found the winners at Toigo Orchards, advertised as "Super Sweet." And there could not be a better way to describe their corn, which truly is the most super-sweet I have tasted yet this season. I have to have more of their corn-- very soon.

With no further ado, here is my recipe for Corn Salsa, with Crab Cakes of course.

Corn Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 ears of fresh sweet corn, husked and removed from the cob
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced into small pieces
• 1/4 cup red pepper, diced into small pieces
• 1/2 cup mixed heirloom tomatoes, diced into small pieces
• 1 lime, juiced
• 3 TB fresh cilantro, torn
• 1 TB fresh arugula
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1-2 tsp jalapeno pepper, diced (to your liking)
• 2 TB grapeseed oil (or other light flavored oil)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the main ingredients

Begin by combining the corn, onion, red pepper, tomatoes, and 1 TB cilantro in a large bowl. Set aside.

Make dressing for the salad

In a food processor (or a mini prep like a Magic Bullet) combine lime juice, grapeseed oil, 2 TB cilantro, arugula, jalapeno, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Pulse a few times until all the ingredients are nicely integrated.

Pour the dressing over the corn salad and refrigerate for about 15 minutes (you may not want to use all of it, depending on which flavors you want to emphasize).

If you are serving with crab cakes, prepare the crab cakes at this time. Place fresh arugula leaves on each plate, cover with corn salad, and serve the crab cake on the top. We also enjoyed a dollop of guacamole with this meal.

The leftover corn salad can be enjoyed as a salsa with tortilla chips the following day.

After trying the "burger," we're looking forward to a "steak" upgrade next Thursday. Based on the quality of this meal, I don't think we will be at all disappointed.

I submitted this market di(sh)patch to the Farmer's Market Report at To Every Meal. Check it out!

Di(sh)patch from West End: Roasted Eggplant Dip

Warm weather, cool breezes, the farmers market. . . does life get any better?  In addition to the bounty of summer produce, the highlight of my trip to the West End farmers market this week was a stop at the On the Gourmet van. Upon returning home, I whipped up some roasted eggplant dip (recipe included below) and other Mediterranean treats with market finds.

Sugar Baby Watermelons and Baby Tomatoes at Westmoreland County Farms

Is it just me, or is this summer flying by? Not only that, but the weather here in Washington, DC has been unbelievably beautiful. Can it really possibly be August in Washington? I can stroll down the street without breaking a sweat- a rarity in summertime Washington.

The weather has made shopping at the farmer's market all the more enjoyable. I headed off to the Alexandria West End Farmer's Market Sunday morning, basking in the gorgeous day. I've said it before, but this time of year is fantastic for fresh produce.

Westmoreland County Farms had an abundance of produce including multiple colors of heirloom tomatoes, white sweet corn, and lots of peppers. Most notably, large red peppers were $1 each. I bought several in hopes of roasting them, but they've all somehow been used up. Have I mentioned that I love red peppers?

 

Okra was available from several vendors. I'm ashamed to admit that I have yet to try okra (Can I blame it on being a northern girl?). I've only ever seen it sold in frozen packages at the store. Fresh okra is enticing, and I welcome any suggestions on how to prepare it.

One of the best stops Sunday was the On the Gourmet van. Ramona, of Houndstooth Gourmet, first introduced me to this van full of gourmet and specialty food products in this post at her blog. Situated at the end of the West End market, On the Gourmet offers both local and imported gourmet food items including cheeses, olive oils, jams and spreads, crackers, ice cream, and sparkling drinks. This variety of products, many locally produced, makes a wonderful addition to a farmer's market offering mostly produce items.

A few weeks ago, I bought delicious Chesapeake Bay soft shell crabs from On the Gourmet and wrote about it here. The crabs had already been cleaned and were ready to cook, which made the purchase all the more appealing. This week, the van is featuring fresh lamb cuts.

During this visit, I sampled a few cheeses and a tasty black olive spread.

Libby, of On the Gourmet, was very helpful and patient in answering my questions about the different cheeses available.The most appealing cheese was Chevre, literally "goat" (in French) cheese.  She carried two varieties from Firefly Farms, a Maryland Farm which also sells at some farmers markets in the area. The most interesting one was the Buche Noire, a chevre rolled in ashes and then aged to develop a rind. In the hopes that this description doesn't seem obvious, the chevre had a rich smoky flavor accented by the smooth creamy texture and flavors of the cheese.

 

We ate it plain with whole wheat crackers- which was delicious- but I'm tempted to try this recipe from the Firefly Farms website for Buche Noir with cherry tomatoes.

My in-laws joined us for dinner Sunday, and I wanted to make something summery and refreshing. Given all the peppers and tomatoes at home, it seemed best to making several Mediterranean small plates including: caprese salad (tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella), lemon thyme grilled chicken, and Greek salad.

And of course, the recipe I am sharing here for Roasted Eggplant Dip.

Now, I can't take much credit for this one since this recipe is adapted from the Barefoot Contessa. I adjusted it a bit by adding some lemon, fresh oregano, and red pepper flakes. This gave it a little kick.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium eggplant, diced into 1 inch cubes 
• 1 large red pepper, diced into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced into 1 inch sections
• 1/2 large lemon, juiced and cut into sections (reserve juice)
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 TB olive oil
• 4 sprigs fresh oregano
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like a lot of spice)
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 1 TB tomato paste (I substituted boiled fresh tomatoes)
• reserved lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Toss the eggplant, red pepper, onion, and lemon wedges with the garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Spread evenly on a foil lined baking sheet and place in the oven.

Roast for 40 minutes, turning one time during roasting.

Remove from the oven and allow to slightly cool. Place in a food processor with reserved lemon juice, tomato paste, and additional fresh oregano (if desired). Pulse a few times until a slightly chunky consistency is achieved.

Serve with toasted pita bread (brush with olive oil, dust with salt, then toast in a 400F oven). Enjoy!

I have submitted this to the Farmer's Market Report at To Every Meal there is a season here.

The Last of the Lettuce Di(sh)patch: Locally Inspired Greek Salad

We are really big lettuce eaters in my house, so when I heard that this weekend marked the end of the local lettuce season, I knew I would need to buy a large quantity to satisfy my craving. This di(sh)patch pays tribute to lettuce with a recipe for a delicious locally inspired (with a little bit of help from the Mediterranean) Greek Salad. Read here about my trip to the farmer's market, or simply scroll down for the recipe and recipe adaptations.

It was wonderful to wake up early Saturday morning, embrace the beautiful day, and head straight to the Old Town Alexandria market with my friend. I've come to know the Old Town Market well, which is comforting, since I know which farmers and producers I can trust.

Most notably, this weekend marked the end of the lettuce season. It has gotten warmer over the last few weeks, and lettuce does not grow well in high temperatures. Spring Valley Farm and Orchards was selling large containers of a lovely lettuce mix, so I grabbed one as quickly as I could. 

In addition, they had lovely zucchinis and.  . . . 

. . . a variety of different beets.  I purchased the light red Chioggia beets.

I wandered off to the Blue Ridge Dairy Co. where I expanded my horizons beyond the buffalo style mozzarella and purchased a block of feta cheese. I also purchased two cartons of yogurt: one plain for a homemade cucumber dill dressing, and one "Honey Yo Fresh" yogurt which is great as a breakfast yogurt served with fresh fruit.

Finally, I stopped by to see my friends at Bigg Riggs Farm and bought two cartons of juicy cherries.

I have to pat myself on the back for just a moment and say that I really did a good job with managing the market this week, meaning that this was about all I needed to provide for a few days worth of good eating. I still had lovely baby yellow tomatoes, half of an Ugly tomato, fresh garlic, and scallions all hanging around in my kitchen. Combined with my market cucumber, lettuce, and feta cheese, all added up to one possibility: my favorite Greek Salad.

As much as I try to eat locally, there are simply some things I cannot and will not give up when it comes to food. At the top of the list are olives: joyous, delicious olives. Let's face it: a Greek Salad is not a Greek Salad without olives.

When John and I got married last summer, one of the best gifts we received was the Williams Sonoma Salads book. We have enjoyed countless recipes from this collection.  I have felt little need to change this, though I do sometimes adjust it for the ingredients that I have available. Following is a link to this recipe. 

Greek Salad Recipe Here

Here are my suggestions for using this recipe:

• Don't feel confined to the vegetables listed. I had no bell peppers to use since they are not in season yet. Instead I used two types of tomatoes: a red Mr. Ugly tomato, and several sweet yellow baby tomatoes. In the past, I've enjoyed chopping up a fennel bulb and adding it to the mixture. I've also enjoyed eating the mixture without lettuce.
• Use a quality olive oil. You won't regret it. I used Olav Organic which had a light citrus flavor which really complimented this salad.
• Marinate the vegetables in the dressing. After whisking the salad dressing, I always let the vegetable mixture soak up the flavors for at least 30 minutes. Then, I dump it on top of the lettuce and add the cheese. 
• Add fresh herbs into the lettuce mixture. I always add fresh dill and oregano into the lettuce leaves.
• Buy a block of feta and crumble it yourself. There's a big difference between this and the pre-crumbled stuff. It's fresher, has more moisture, and (in my experience), a much better flavor. Plus, you can make the chunks as huge as you want them!
  

        

  Mmm. . . now that's a satisfying salad.              

Homemade Creamy Green Garlic Dressing (Hold the HFCS and Xantham Gum)

After purchasing some green garlic from the Farmer's Market a week or two ago, I am in love. The lovely green shoots have a delicate garlic flavor which is perfect if you don't want too strong of a garlic flavor in your cooking. At first, I simply added them to omelets, salads, and stirfries.

Then, last weekend, I had another idea.  I've always been a really big fan of homemade salad dressings. Although store bought dressings can be good, a homemade dressing is almost always far superior in taste. There are other reasons to avoid store-bought dressings. I've taken a survey of all salad dressings in my fridge. Every one of them (including "healthier" options) contained at least one or both of the following ingredients:

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): Just google it and a plethora of websites will emerge discussing its negative health qualities and existence in nearly every processed food.
2. Xantham Gum: a thickening agent developed in the 1960s created through fermentation and processing with corn syrup. 

Without going into a long tirade about these two ingredients, I will say that neither sounds particularly appealing, healthy, or natural to me.

So, let's go back to that Farmer's Market green garlic purchased from a local area farm. Last weekend I created a delicious Creamy Green Garlic dressing and dip.  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup Mayonnaise (Check out Feel Good Eat's Recipe for Homemade Mayonnaise)
• 1 TB Dijon mustard
• 3-4 green garlic shoots, finely chopped
• 2 TB fresh dill, minced
• 2 TB fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1 TB white wine
• salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all of the ingredients thoroughly.  Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Vegetable dip

Salad Dressing:

I added a little extra white wine and covered some cucumbers, scallions and radishes with the blend. After about an hour, I put this mixture on top of some lettuce.  Mmm. . . .

Coming soon: my favorite Greek salad recipe-- also with a homemade dressing. . . .