Brown Thumb No More!

I am notorious for killing any growing thing (ecept my dog).  The suggestion has been made that maybe watering would help my stats.  I took it under advisement, and a couple summers back I tried growing tomatoes.  Shockingly, I was pretty successful.  Would have been more successful if I didn't live in an area flooded with little critters who coveted my crops and made off with the( literal) fruits of my labor each night while I slept, dreaming of the new recipes I would try.  But I was successful enough to get a little cocky and go for it again last summer, and added squash to my efforts.  Unfortunately it turned out to be the return of the brown thumb.  I blamed it on the weather; others blamed it on my lack of fertilizer and water.  Either way, I got nothin' (but neither did the critters).

I gave up, filled my raised bed with sand, popped in a beach umbrella, a couple loungers and some tiki torches and called it a day!

But the more I got into the idea of local and seasonal cooking, the more I thought of having my own kitchen garden.  But I was unsure and felt a little defeated.  Then a couple months ago, I helped a friend plant his beautiful vegetable garden: tomatoes, melons, squash, peppers, you name it, we planted it.  And I saw it explode in no time.  Sure, I wasn't the one tending to it, but I did plant a lot of it.....so why not try dong it for myself??

So I did, and here's what's happening in my little backyard.....

This is an "eight ball" zucchini.  I'll be using this to make my raw "raviolis".  I think I probably posted that recipe a year or so ago, so it may be time for a new and improved one.  But basically, I slice thin discs with a mandoline, soak them in a little olive oil and salt to loosen them up until they are pliable,  put a dollop of  lemon and chive infused chevre on top, fold over like a little ravioli and top with a some fresh pesto.  Sooooo tasty!  

This is my summer squash.  I already picked a couple larger ones for the Summer Squash & Corn Soup I'm making in tmorrow's cooking class.

Here's one of my peppers; not sure which kind yet, as they all look alike at this stage.  I have 3 varieties: banana peppers and sweet yellow and red.  These guys are going to be great stuffed and put on the grill when the time comes!
And of course.....my tomatoes:

Next week is supposed to get wicked hot, so I'm hoping my 4 plants start bustin' out the fruit and I see some red ones soon!  Hard to not just eat them right off the vine, but I've got lots of plans for them.  Here's one of my salsa recipes to try when these guys are good and juicy....won't be long!

Heirloom Tomato Salsa                                                                                                Makes 2 cups

2 cups diced heirloom tomatoes, about 2 large

¾ cup diced red onion

1 teaspoon diced jalapeno pepper

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons tamari

1 teaspoon cumin

·         Toss tomatoes, onion, jalapeno pepper and cilantro in a medium sized bowl.

·         Whisk the vinegar, lime juice, oil, tamari and cumin in a small bowl.  Pour over tomato mixture, stirring to combine.

·         Let stand 10-15 minutes (or longer) for flavors to develop.

·         Delicious with chips, as a Bruschetta topping, or served over grilled chicken or fish.

Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can do it!!  (Turns out they were right about the watering thing!!)  Nothing like walking out into your garden, porch, deck, balcony, whatever, and picking someting fresh to make for dinner!

Yum it up!

They Made It!

I'm sure you've been on the edge of your seats wondering the fate of my two little tomatoes.  Well, they managed to survive.  Not quite the crop I was hoping for, but there's always next year.

The first time I ever ate tomoatoes from someone's yard, they were served simply sliced and sprinkled with salt.  I'd never eaten a better tomato.  Sometimes simple is best.

And sometimes a pizza with tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, leeks and goat cheese is best.

Trader Joe's makes yummy pizza dough in a few different flavors; I chose herb & garlic.  Seemed like a perfectly good place to put my tomatoes.  Tomatoes like hanging out with jalapeno peppers and onion, and I like hanging out with goat cheese (as we are all aware), so this pizza idea is a win-win.

I drizzled olive oil on the dough and then seeded and sliced a couple large jalapeno peppers, the white part of one leek and my two little tomatoes.

I like using goat cheese for two reasons: 1) goat milk is very similar to mother's milk, so our bodies deal with it better than cow's milk (and cheese); a lot of people who have trouble with dairy can actually eat goat dairy products. 2) goat cheese (or chevre) has a great, bold flavor, so you don't need to use much.  I only used about 2 ounces on the pizza...and we know what a cheese hound I am, but it was the perfect amount.

The pizza bakes up in 8- 10 minutes, depending on how thick or thin you roll it.  The dough needs 20 minutes to rest before adding your toppings, but that gives you plenty of time to chop up your veggies.  Throw together a little salad while the pizza bakes and voila!  It's a great way to add lots of veggies to your diet in a simple, delicious way.  I'm already thinking about my next creation...maybe butternut squash, sage, and shallots, topped with a little watercress.  So many possibilities....

Cooking Outside the Box

Last Sunday was my final cooking demo for the season at the Marin farmers' market.  I wanted to go out with a bang, so I fixed one of my favorite creative dishes, a sauteed cantaloupe sauce served over quinoa pasta.

I've never been a big fan of cantaloupe; I think it's a texture thing.  But a year or so ago I saw a recipe for a sauce using cantaloupe that was so unique, I had to give it a try.  If you saute chopped cantaloupe in olive oil, it releases its juices and creates a velvety sauce.  It's fairly sweet, so the addition of tomato paste not only turns it a beautiful color and thicken it up a bit, but lends a nice savory balance to the sweetness.  It also ups the nutrient quotient nicely.  Tomatoes actually become more nutritious the more they are cooked, so tomato paste is one of the most concentrated sources of  lycopene, a powerful antioxidant and potential cancer fighter.  And combining olive oil with tomatoes helps the body better absorb the nutrients.

Take a note from Michael Pollan's Food Rules and get out of the supermarket on this one.  Hit your local farmers' market and take advantage of the gorgeous variety of heirloom tomatoes to add color and dimension to this sauce.

The first time I made this, I used a cantaloupe from the grocery store.  This time of year, however, there are some great melons available at the farmers' markets, and I've been using a Charlynne melon.  It's a little lighter in color and sweeter than a traditional cantaloupe. I'm glad I discovered a way to eat cantaloupe because, like tomatoes, it's a powerful antioxidant and helps to fight free radicals, but most compelling to me is that just one slice of cantaloupe has more beta-carotene (it's one of the richest sources) and Vitamin C than your body can even use in a day.

Just a word about the nutrition stuff:  we hear about antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc. and while I'm sure we all realize they're good for us and we should eat foods full of them, do we really know what they do for us?  So let me tell you about the two powerhouses of cantaloupe that I just mentioned.  Our bodies convert beta-carotene into Vitamin A, which is crucial in the production of cells that fight disease.  Vitamin C protects our immune system and helps protect us against heart disease, certain cancers, and the ever-annoying cold.

So now you know...

I also took advantage of another seasonal favorite, peppers, in this dish.  Larry at Triple T Farm in Santa Rosa first turned me on to padron peppers a couple months back.  LOVE them; small crumpled peppers that are mild and sweet, except for the 1 in 10 that's spicy.  I started putting them in everything I cooked.  Last month he introduced me to Shishito peppers (pictured above).  They are very similar to padrons in every way, except for the wayward spicy one.  Just sweet and delicious.  Seek them out and give them a try....

Sautéed Cantaloupe Sauce                                                                                                                         Serves 6

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped shishito or padron peppers

1 cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ cup milk or half & half

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Salt & pepper to taste

1 cup diced heirloom tomatoes

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 lb. cooked pasta of your choice

·         Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat.

·         Add onion and peppers, and cook 3-5 minutes until onions start to soften.

·         Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and cantaloupe.  Sauté 10 minutes until a chunky sauce starts to form.  (You can add some of the starchy pasta in lieu of the olive oil to cut the fat).

·         Add tomato paste and smoked paprika, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

·         Remove from heat and add milk or half and half and lemon zest, stirring to combine.

·         Season with salt & pepper

·         Toss with cooked pasta and top with chopped tomatoes, and cheese if desired.

P.S. I didn't add any cheese!  It doesn't need it, it's so good!!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

We've all been there at one point...you know he's not good for you, but you just can't stay away.  When you're together it's delicious and wonderful.  But afterward, you get that bad feeling in the pit of your stomach.  Well that's where I find myself these days.  And the "he" in my life is......cheese.

I love cheese;  always have.  It started when I was a little kid with that cheese spread that came in a jar (what the heck WAS that?  Cheese in a JAR?).  Then in college I met Velveeta, that yummy, perfectly meltable block of who-knows-what.  I've graduated to  real cheese (hello Cow Girl Creamery!), but my dependence on it has become an issue.

For one, I think it's a culinary cop-out that I add cheese to so many dishes.  "This dish could use a little something. What is it?.....Oh yeah, cheese!" has become an all too familiar sentence in my kitchen. 

Secondly, I recently read The China Study, and it makes a very compelling argument for eliminating dairy from our diets. 

So I've decided to try a cheese-free week.  I know I can't completely break up with cheese forever, but I do think we need to see less of each other.  So let's start with Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, shall we?

Scrape out the gills from two portobellos.  Brush both sides with a little olive oil and either bake or grill them, cut side down for a 3-5 minutes.

While they're cooking, chop some onion, carrot, bell pepper, and celery.  I also added the mushrooms stems, a few extra cremini mushrooms and a couple cloves of garlic.

Saute all the chopped veggies in a little olive oil, add some panko (better than regular breadcrumbs) and smoked paprika.  The smoked paprika is key; it makes everything taste better.  Smoked paprika is going to help me get over my breakup with cheese.

When the veggies are still crisp-tender, fill the portobellos and grill or bake for another 5 minutes.  Make a little salad on the side, and you've got a fantastic vegetarian dinner.

Whoops, did you notice that little bit of Gorgonzola on top?  Shoot! Well, I said that breaking up was hard.  I'll start my cheese free week tomorrow.....