The Garden Apartment

Goodbye Summer {and peaches baked in honey and white wine}

 

What is it about the peach that defines summer for me? It could be the childhood memories of eating ripe juicy peaches straight from the farm, juice dribbling down my chin. Or simply that they're so good. Even before I began eating a mostly local diet, the peach was the one food that I only ate in the summer. There had just been too many wintertime disappointments: the purchase of peaches that were hard and tasteless.

As you can see, I'm mourning the (soon to come) end of peach season. In an effort to "medicate" my peach loss depression, I bought 5 pounds of peaches from Whole Foods on Sunday (grown by Toigo Orchards, one of my favorite local peach purveyors). I froze most of them in the hopes that they'll brighten up a few winter days.

But, what I did with the ripe peaches? Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, right? But I'll use one word to describe them: extraordinary. You must try this in the next week or two, before the peaches are all gone.

Baked Peach with Ice Cream

I know people like exact recipes, but I just can't do it here. Just use the ingredients in about the quantities I recommend, and I promise it will taste good. (It would be difficult to make this recipe taste bad!)

Ingredients: 2 ripe peaches, a sweet white wine, honey, and one cinnamon stick

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. In a medium baking dish, pour equal amounts of honey and white wine. (You want the bottom of the pan to have between 1/4 and 1/2 inch of liquid). Mix together thoroughly. Place the peaches in the baking dish, and add the cinnamon stick to the liquid mixture.

This step is not necessary, but I find that it makes my peaches extra-yummy: coat each peach with a spoonful of honey.

Baste each peach with the liquid mixture.

Put the peach in the oven. The total baking time is about 45minutes. However, you will want to baste the peach with the liquid mixture every 5-10 minutes. You will know that your peach is ready when the liquid starts to caramelize, and the peach skin looks caramel-y as well.

 

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on the side.

I know I said that I had only one word to describe it, but here's one more: heavenly.

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.

Serendipity: Pesto Drizzled Eggs- Over- Easy

A nearly empty fridge containing only a few fateful ingredients resulted in this delicious dish: pesto drizzled eggs-over-easy.

Earlier this summer, John and I awoke one Saturday morning to find an almost empty fridge. This was an awful discovery because Saturday is the day we relish a good breakfast: typically an omelet made from whatever veggies, meats, or cheeses are available.

The problem on this particular Saturday was that a deep search of the fridge and pantries uncovered not a single vegetable. None. And as for cheese? Only Parmesan cheese was available, which hardly qualifies for the rich melty stuff I prefer in an overstuffed omelet.

John scoured the shelves. "We have pesto," he announced. And, in this moment I could almost hear the super-hero theme music playing in the background, as John became my Saturday morning knight in shining armor (rescuing us from a boring breakfast).

Let me explain that this was no ordinary pesto. It was a homemade pesto with fresh basil and arugula.

We fried eggs-over-easy (over-medium for John), drizzled them with basil-arugula pesto, then topped it all off with some shredded Parmesan.

This accidental combination has become a household favorite. Since we generally have pesto around, this is a relatively effortless breakfast to whip together. And now, with tomatoes at peak summertime flavor, we are enjoying this breakfast with a sliced heirloom tomato on the side.

Pesto Drizzled Eggs Over Easy (or Medium, or however you like)

Basil-Arugula Pesto

You can make regular pesto, of course. This pesto has a nice peppery flavor from the arugula leaves.

• 2 Cups Basil leaves
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced     
• 1/4 Cup toasted walnuts or pine nuts 
• 1 Cup Arugula leaves
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese  
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling  
• dash or two of lemon (optional) 

Combine the first five ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Slowly add the olive oil and continue to pulse until well integrated. If desired, add a dash or two of lemon juice.

This recipe will make more than enough pesto. You will have leftover pesto for dipping in bread or adding to pasta.

{The pesto will store in the fridge for up to a week, or you can freeze it in a ziplock bag for later use. Simply place the bag in a bowl of warm water to thaw when you are ready to use the pesto.}

Make the Eggs

Make as many eggs-over-easy as desired.

Put it all together

Whisk a little olive oil into 2 TB of the pesto until the consistency is slightly runny. Drizzle the pesto on top of the eggs. If desired, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with a sliced ripe tomato, or any other side of your choice.

And now, if serendipity is defined as the act of making fortunate discoveries by accident. . . well, I just can't imagine a better example.

Summer Harvest Minestrone

Many summers ago, I lived with two friends who were both Vegan. If you've followed me for even a few posts, it should be very clear that I love meat and cheese.

But, I wanted to be a good roommate, so I avoided cooking with meat. In fact, I really didn't cook any meat at all- with the exception of a Crockpot full of sloppy joes for my 4th grade class. But even then, I carefully closed my roommates' bedroom doors and opened the windows in the hopes that they would make the sacrifice of inhaling the smell of meat for my inner-city 9 year olds.

They did.

And despite my sacrifice of cooking without meat, in the end I need to thank both of them for opening my meat and potato eyes up to the wonderful world of vegetables. These girls loved to cook, and they made the most inspiring things without using any meat or dairy. Catherine could bake a chocolate cake ten times better than any chocolate cake made with butter and eggs. Mary could make incredible creations with spaghetti squash (always different, and thus always called "squash surprise!").

Of course, this is a post about minestrone soup. And, as I was saying, I really wanted to be a good roommate.

It was August, and Mary and I had actually dug out (what optimists might call) a garden in our backyard. This is to say, all that really grew successfully in the garden were the herbs. But, our lack of vegetable bounty failed to dampen our spirits since we lived just a block away from the wonderful farmers market in Bethesda where the stalls were overflowing with zucchini, squash, tomatoes, beans, and so much more.

I scoured cookbooks looking for recipes with these ingredients.  I landed on a recipe for minestrone soup. I couldn't begin to tell you where I found the recipe now, and it doesn't really matter since it's been improved over and over again. I only know that it made two vegans very happy four summers ago. And, that my husband- who dislikes every member of the squash family (excepting acorn squash) actually eats this. It could be the mozzarella cheese which I now put on top.

Summer Harvest Minestrone

• 3-4 cups of vegetable broth (I actually used homemade chicken stock this time)
• 1 cup of diced potato
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 1/2 pounds of Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced 
• 1 yellow squash, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• fresh herbs (basil, rosemary, oregano, and thyme), to taste*
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 can cannellini beans
• 1 cup of green beans
• Fun noodles (bowtie, etc.)
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Optional: Parmesan Cheese Rind (this adds great flavor to the soup)

* I tend to put a lot of fresh basil in my soup. Taste it from time to time to see which flavors you like best.

Combine all ingredients except green beans, cannellini beans, noodles, and cheese. Cook on low/medium heat in a Crockpot for 4-5 hours. Check the vegetables for tenderness. Add water if necessary.

 

During the last half hour of cooking, add the green beans and cannelini beans. (Note: I sometimes use half cannelini beans and half kidney beans.)

Cook noodles separately and add when serving. Add grated Parmesan when serving.                             

Enjoy warm with a slice of toasty garlic bread.

This soup freezes really well, so I always freeze several containers to enjoy later.

And as for my old roommates, I like to think that this soup is one of the reasons we're still all good friends. But, that would be silly. . . right?

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!

One Year ends with a Memorable Meal at Restaurant Eve

This picture perfectly represents our first year of marriage: a year full of joy and laughter (mostly brought on by sarcastic and/or completely corny jokes).

Thank you, Kate, for the photo of us.

We spent our first anniversary celebrating the marriage of two good friends, at their beautiful wedding in downtown Washington, DC. Even though we live just across the river in Virginia, we decided to spoil ourselves a little by staying at the very cool- probably too cool for us, actually- Hotel Rouge.

Just a stroll from DuPont Circle. . .

But the final hurrah of the weekend took place in our proper hometown on our actual anniversary, yesterday, August 18th. For a year and a half I have been begging John to take me to Restaurant Eve. (And probably for a year prior to that, John kept the restaurant a secret from me knowing that I would only covet regular meals there.) After so much anticipation, I finally got to sink my teeth into an excellent meal there last night.                                                                                                         

Entryway to Restaurant Eve in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia

Restaurant Eve is not only the Number 4 restaurant in the entire Washington, DC area, according to the Washingtonian, but it is the perfect place for a farmer's market foodie like myself. Owner and Chef Cathal Armstrong is dedicated to sourcing ingredients locally. Upon walking into the restaurant's lobby, a flier urged patrons to support farmer's markets, and listed the markets supported by the restaurant itself. Every meal was described to us with its geographic origin. One of the specials of the evening was roasted chicken from Polyface Farms, the "beyond organic" farm featured in the book Omnivore's Dilemma. In addition to supporting area farms, Restaurant Eve has their own garden where many of the herbs and seasonal vegetables are grown. I was offered a tour, but the sun had already set. (John- this is my passive aggressive second-year wife way of telling you that we will have to return for another meal during daylight hours.)

The Restaurant has two dining options: the Bistro and a tasting room offering 5 or 9 (!) courses. Though we had heard wonderful reviews of the tasting room, we opted for the more casual and cozy Bistro.

So, what did we eat? Given our love of salted meats, we had to start with a platter featuring ten different house-made charcuterie. Our favorites were one cured in red wine, and another one with garlic. The rich and airy chicken liver mousse was also enjoyed by myself.

And, can I digress for a moment to talk about the bread? House-made ciabatta bread, with a perfectly crispy crust, yet wonderfully soft and airy inside was served warm. We each ate three pieces, which did nothing to spoil our appetites.

This was followed by our main courses. John ordered the Chesapeake Rockfish, which perched atop a mustard sauce with carrots, pearl onions, spinach leaves, and Maine lobster. The mustard imparted a nice punch to the sauce, which nicely complemented the buttery lobster bits and the earthy Rockfish.

Being on a total carnivore kick, I ordered a steak with fried onions. The grass-fed steak hailed from our home state of Virginia, and was recommended medium-rare for peak flavor.  It was a delicious and flavorful steak, one of the best I have eaten. Here it is about halfway through the meal, minus the large onion rings:                                                                                                             

And, it was our anniversary, so we had to eat dessert. So, a delicious Virginia peach and blackberry cobbler with ice cream was the perfect conclusion to a memorable meal and a special first year together.

Today began year two of our marriage, something we're totally old pros at now.

I'll be back to my normal, much less glamorous- but wonderful- life, shopping at the farmer's market, tomorrow.

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.

Old Town Di(sh)patch: Ribs with Peach BBQ sauce

Peach season is in full swing, and I have been experimenting with all the ways to use this wonderful fruit. From peach salsa, peach chutney, baked peaches with ice cream, to peach pie, I am trying it all. In this market di(sh)patch, hear about Saturday finds and farm stand gossip at the Old Town Alexandria farmers market or scroll down for ribs with peach barbecue sauce recipe.

Saturday morning was strangely cool for the first weekend of August in Washington, DC. The skies above looked to punish market goers with rain, but thankfully the dark clouds were merely an empty threat. I began my shopping trip at the Bigg Riggs booth. Their variety of plums continues to please with large red plums, small extra sweet purple plums, and small yellow plums. I can't decide which variety I like best; lucky for me they were selling them mix-and-match and I purchased a few of each. They also were selling multicolored peppers (yellow, purple, and green) which are all actually green peppers, just in different stages of ripeness. I bought one of each color because when it comes to the farmers market I am a compulsive shopper. I guess there are worse things to consume in bulk.

Calvin of Bigg Riggs also took the time to read everyone's responses to my recent post about frozen veggies and has started the process of flash freezing fresh vegetables. This winter, his vacuum packed frozen vegetables will be available at the Old Town Alexandria farmers market. I'll be sure to post a reminder about this after the fun of summer fresh local produce has subsided and we're all drowning in apples, more apples, winter squash, and oh- more winter squash.

And more news from Calvin! Alexandria City has approved the opening of a NEW Wednesday afternoon market near the King Street Metro. This market will begin next Wednesday, August 13th and run through October 29th. Market times are 3-7PM. I can't wait to check it out.

I moved on to Spring Valley Farm and Orchards where earlier strong winds had blown the tent down and prompted a quick fix of a broom rigged to hold it up-- which was quite a sight, I might add. As usual, their produce selection was top notch with a wide selection of peppers, ripe red heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, fresh basil, bi-color sweet corn, squash, eggplants, peaches, nectarines, new potatoes, and much more. I filled my arms with so much produce that multiple people stopped to ask me if I needed assistance. In an attempt to prove my market adeptness (or pure stubbornness), I handled it all myself.

At this point the bag was getting heavy. I needed meat, and sadly Smith Family Farm- my usual go-to vendor for grass fed ground beef- was not at the market. They recently told me that they would not be selling at Old Town anymore due to the early hours requirement (vendors often get on the road at 1 or 2 AM in order to park and set up by 5:30 AM). Thankfully, you can still find Smith Family Farms at many other markets including the Alexandria West End Market and the Wednesday Foggy Bottom market in DC.

Ribs seemed like a good hearty replacement for burgers so I headed over to Babes in the Wood. This vendor describes his pig farming practices as "beyond free range" since his pigs roam freely on his 75 acres of woodland and forage their own food, mainly acorns, roots, and fruits. The farm has 2-3 pigs per acre, which allows the pigs plenty of room to be happy and also helps them to live in harmony with the environment. For those interested in ethical issues surrounding your food, Babes in the Wood certainly goes above and beyond. I purchased two racks of spare ribs. Typically, these are separated when you buy them, but he sells them in full racks- meaning you get a little more meat. Personally, I prefer baby back ribs because they are leaner, but these still made for a good meal.

Peach Barbecue Sauce

My favorite sauce for ribs is an Asian-inspired sauce I found on Epicurious this winter. Of course, this sauce has no local ingredients. I really wanted to make a sauce that was at least locally inspired.  Taking note of my bag full of peaches, I wondered whether there were any recipes for peach barbecue sauce. With a quick little web search, I found three or four recipes on-line. The first recipe had poor reviews- many people complained of too much mustard. The next recipe I found at Fine Cooking Online required no mustard and seemed to have a nice list of ingredients. Here is the Peach BBQ recipe I used. I pretty much stuck to the recipe, although I did add a little extra fresh peach. This recipe also calls for ground cloves. A tip: if you only have whole cloves available in your house, you can use a coffee bean grinder to make ground cloves. (Just make sure you wipe out any stray coffee grounds first!)

Making the Ribs

After the barbecue sauce was complete, I salted and peppered the ribs in the refrigerator for about 30-45 minutes. At this time, I pre-heated the oven to 450F.

The recipe I used for Asian-inspired ribs this winter was especially tasty because the ribs roasted for an hour in foil packets full of pineapple juice. Obviously, I have no local pineapples at my disposal, so I decided to try another fruit juice to see how it would work. As I've mentioned previously, we have a never ending watermelon on our hands, so I simply diced and seeded about 2 cups of watermelon, then pureed it in a blender.

I placed each rack of ribs on a piece of foil, then folded up the edges to make a boat shape. I poured about 3/4-1 cup of watermelon juice over each rib, placed the ribs in the oven and roasted them at 450F for one hour. The house smelled wonderful- always a good sign.

After the hour was over, I removed the ribs from the oven and turned on the broiler. I then drained most of the watermelon juice from each foil packet, placed a fresh piece of foil on a baking sheet and returned the ribs to the baking sheet. At this point, I brushed the ribs with peach BBQ sauce and placed them in the broiler. Every few minutes, I turned the ribs and brushed them with extra sauce, as needed. After about ten minutes in the broiler (5 minutes for each side of the ribs) they were nicely browned and the sauce had thickened to a nice consistency.

We served these with some fresh corn, some leftover salsa verde, and our variety of market plums as a light dessert.

The peach barbecue sauce was delicious, especially if you like a sweet sauce on your ribs. I have some left-over, and plan to see how it works on chicken.

Stay tuned for other peach recipes- coming soon!

No Prius, but soft shell crabs soften the blow

We may not be buying a new Prius anytime soon. . . but at least we had one good purchase to enjoy this weekend: soft shell crabs.

John and I are in the market for a new car. My current car is so old that some of its best features include a cassette player and a Peace Frog window decal (both of which were apparently last popular in the 1990s). So, with a new car on our minds, we spent most of the weekend out test driving. Like every other American, we were looking for something gas efficient, and decided to test drive a Prius. Upon arriving at Toyota, our customer service representative simply rolled her eyes when we asked for a test drive. Then, when the one Prius on the lot was actually available to drive, she acted shocked. As we walked up to the car, she told us that there was a five month waiting list. Ouch. Although we aren't in a big rush to get a new car, five months does sort-of rule out the Prius. Oh well, I really have my heart set on something much less practical: a Mini Cooper.

Despite a weekend full of test driving, John and I did manage to squeeze in the Alexandria West End farmer's market in on Sunday morning. The market wasn't too busy, and the vendors were all cheerful despite the summer heat.

We started at Bigg Riggs with some super-sweet peaches. I was intrigued by these small yellow plums and decided to give them a try. They are a little milder in flavor than the deep red ones, but are pleasantly sweet on the inside with a tart outer skin.

After enjoying salsa verde last weekend, I was on the lookout for more tomatillos. I headed down to the far end of the market. I was told that this unmarked booth, adjacent to the "On the Gourmet" van, is called "Norma's Farm." They are out of Westmoreland County, VA in the Northern Neck area. I am thoroughly impressed with the variety they offer. On Sunday they were offering cream peas, which were described as similar to black-eyed peas. These can be eaten fresh, of course, or you can dry or freeze them for future use.

Although tempted, I decided to postpone this purchase since they are just beginning their season right now. Car hunting allows little free time for shelling and freezing peas.

They also had multi-colored bell peppers again: I selected one red, one orange, and one purple pepper keeping in mind that it's good for my health to eat a wide variety of colors. (And the color combination also looked pretty, always a priority in my house.)

We wandered on into the "On the Gourmet" van, drawn-in by a sign promising soft-shell crabs. Sure enough, "On the Gourmet" had Maryland soft shell crabs. Soft shell crabs can be a little scary to some people since you eat every part of the crab. Cleaning the crabs prior to cooking can also be an adventure-- one I wasn't feeling up to given our busy weekend. As we stepped inside the van to inquire about the crabs we were told that the crabs were already cleaned and ready to cook. Sold.

So, after an afternoon full of test-driving cars, we headed home to cook up these little fellas.

 

John decided one was a boy and one was a girl. He has no basis for this except his own personal sense of "knowing" them after pulling them out of the wrappers.

John took them out of their packages and arranged each one on the first station in our pan-frying assembly line. During the process, he became a little too attached to the little guys and had to leave the kitchen for a moment to gather his emotions. I guess its harder to stomach eating animals when you can actually see what they were prior to you eating them.

All feelings aside, he returned, and we got the assembly line going. Here's how it worked:

Panko Encrusted Soft Shell Crabs

Ingredients:

• Soft-Shell Crabs (1 per person)
• Flour
• 1 egg (per 2-3 crabs), beaten
• Japanese Panko breadcrumbs lightly seasoned with garlic salt and Cajun seasoning (about 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs per crab)
• 2-3 TB butter

Basically, you set up an assembly line. We had one plate with flour, followed by a large bowl with a whisked egg, and a plate of seasoned panko breadcrumbs at the end.

Before assembling the crabs, heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet.

Lightly dust each crab with flour, coat with egg, then finish it off with the panko breadcrumbs. Place in the frying pan. Fry for a few minutes on each side, until the outside is a nice golden brown color.

We served our crabs over a bed of sauteed corn (cooked up with apple cider vinegar, sugar, green onion, red onion, and tomatoes), a fresh summer side salad, and some of the largest green beans I have ever purchased (the ones pictured have been halved).

Soft shell crabs may not be quite as good as securing a new gas-efficient vehicle, but they were definitely worth the trip.

Tomatillo Di(sh)patch: Salsa Verde Chicken

Tomatillos are not only interesting to look at, but delicious when made into salsa verde. Read here about my trip to the Alexandria West End Farmer's Market this Sunday- where I found these cute little guys, or scroll down for my recipe for Salsa Verde Chicken.

On Sunday I ventured off to the Alexandria West End Farmer's Market for my first time. This market, situated in Bar Brenman park off of Duke Street in Alexandria, is host to some of my favorite vendors, including Smith Family Farm and Bigg Riggs (who I just visited at their farm). The pace at this market seemed to be a bit slower and less crowded than other markets, although there may have been less people due to the extreme heat outside this Sunday. I also apologize for not getting the name of the vendor who sold me my tomatillos- they were down at the end of the market near the On the Gourmet Truck.

What else can I say about Sunday's market? It's summertime- the produce is versatile, fresh, and abundant. Given that a picture is worth a thousand words, here are mine:

Mini squash and peaches

Bigg Riggs preserved products

Heirloom tomatoes

eggplants

My market load: baby zucchini, corn, tomatoes, small plums (very sweet), multicolored bell peppers, peaches, tomatillos, ramp mustard, sweet Italian sausage, and organic chicken breasts.

I was most excited about the tomatillos- something I had heard rumors of but never actually seen in the flesh. So, what exactly is a tomatillo? The tomatillo (sometimes called a green tomato) is actually a relative of the tomato: both are members of the nightshade family. And what is the nightshade family, you might ask? It is a fruit family whose members are commonly thought of as vegetables. These include tomatoes, eggplants, and cucumbers.

The tomatillo is small, round, and green with a husk resembling a paper lantern. The husk is removed before eating. Tomatillos are typically used for making salsa verde, something I had only ever eaten out of a store-bought container. Though it should come as no surprise that fresh ingredients are always preferred, I cannot express to you just how much tastier this homemade salsa verde is. I hope you will be lucky enough to find some tomatillos so you can try this out for yourself.

Salsa Verde Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts (about one pound total)
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• dash of crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1/4 Cup unflavored yogurt
• 8-10 tomatillos
• 1/2 of a medium onion (I used a red onion), cut into 1" wedges
• 1 large clove of garlic (or 2 small ones), skins on
• drizzle of olive oil
• 1 TB finely minced jalapeno pepper
• 1-2 TB fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• salt and pepper

Marinate the chicken

Season the chicken with garlic salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper for 30 minutes to one hour. One hour before cooking, place chicken in a resealable plastic bag and add yogurt. Seal the bag, then distribute the yogurt evenly around the chicken. Return to the refrigerator.

Make the Salsa Verde

Remove the husks from the tomatillos. Rinse each tomatillo under cold water, then cut in half. Place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Add onion wedges and garlic cloves. Drizzle a tiny amount of olive oil over the top. Place in the broiler for about 6-8 minutes, until the skins begin to blacken.

Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Remove black skins from the tomatillos. Place roasted tomatillos into food processor with onions, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Remove skins from garlic, and add to food processor. If desired, add a little fresh garlic or additional jalapeno pepper for a hotter sauce.

Pulse several times until a thick sauce is produced. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Prepare the Chicken

Heat 1-2 TB of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear each side for 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking chicken. When the chicken is fully cooked, serve with heated salsa verde and garnish with additional cilantro. Serve extra salsa verde on the side with tortilla chips. This is also excellent with fresh peach salsa (pictured). My peach salsa recipe is coming soon.

The Results

This was an absolutely incredible meal which I'd have a difficult time improving upon. In fact, I may be making this many more times this summer.  What's more, my chances of overcoming my fear of canning have also improved, as I'd love to make some salsa verde to enjoy during the winter months.