we are at the very peak of stone fruit season. apricots have been around for a while, peaches are just now getting good and cherries are the sweetest they can be right this very second! for these few weeks of the year we can see nectarines, pluots, and apriums next to white, yellow and doughnut peaches, alongside baskets of red and rainier cherries. so i gather them up while i can!
i often think of baking them into tarts, pies or cakes, but i must admit i feel guilty cooking such beautiful, fresh fruit. i’m usually tempted just to eat it as is – raw and unaltered – to preserve its subtle sweetness and soft juicy texture. but i wanted to find a recipe that accented these qualities while making the fruit more portable and even more palatable.
since the ripening of stone fruit makes me think of summer, and they have a similar texture to tomatoes, i decided to turn the fruit into a salsa i could enjoy all summer long as harvests yield different varieties. instead of fresh cilantro i used big fresh basil leaves, which are so sweet smelling i melt whenever in the vicinity. these compliment the sweetness of the fruit quite nicely, and the presence of all the other classic ingredients – garlic, onion, and a little salt, oil and citrus juice – leaves no question that this is still a true salsa.
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when i posted about baked broccoli here before, i guaranteed that baking is the best way to cook broccoli. it yields soft, tender stems and crunchy, flavorful florets. and they are easy to toss in some olive oil and a few seasonings before roasting for less than a half an hour. even better than the curry powder i flavored it with before, is a little agave, spices and sesame seeds.
this sweet and savory broccoli recipe has quickly become a favorite of mine, i’ve made it 3 times in the past week! it was even approved as delicious by my roommate, a self-proclaimed broccoli hater. so give it a go, i’m sure you’ll love it!
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i have been working at juice bars for over 2 years now where we make fresh coconut milk daily. its a tasty treat that isn’t too hard to whip up, just takes the confidence to swing around knives large enough to crack open the young thai coconut’s shell. at one place i worked they required us to wear a chain mail glove on one hand to prevent the loss of any digits – a small price to pay for the light, sweet, creamy taste of freshly made coconut milk.
we would blend it into smoothies, or into raw soups and desserts, but its also great to cook with and a much healthier version than the stuff you find in a can. the coconut water is extremely hydrating because it is rich in electrolytes, while the coconut meat is full of good fats. you can make the milk into vegan ice cream, use it in a dressing or sauce, or cook it down with homemade curry powder and a load of fresh veggies like i have here.
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Posted in entree | Tagged basil, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, coconut, coconut milk, curry, green beans, milk substitute, mushrooms, portobello mushroom, purple cabbage |
when people see green garlic for the first time they usually seem so perplexed, asking things like, “what do i do with it?” well it’s not too much different than regular garlic, in fact if you chop off the top and let it dry it will become the dry garlic you find in the grocery store. its a bit more plump so you can use some layers of the less papery skin, as well as the green stalk and leaves. as long as it’s not too dry or fibrous, don’t be afraid to fry it up and eat it. i use it like i would regular garlic but in even larger amounts.
if you still need some direction here’s a recipe for a simple soup made with green garlic. flavored with italian seasoning and liquid aminos, thickened with a few potatoes and a handful of spinach to make it green.
and keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming recipe that is a nice compliment to this soup, and uses the top of the fresh garlic.
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i’m so sorry i’ve been away from the blog for so long. after a very merry birthday, a bout of illness and some technical difficulties, cooking has been the last thing on my mind for the past few weeks. it didn’t help that the produce at the market for the last few months has been dominated by dark leafy greens, root vegetables and oranges – lots and lots of oranges. i had lost total interest in cooking, let alone posting.
but yesterday at the market, everything changed. summer squash had made it’s first appearance the week before. and the peas, green garlic and spring onions have been around for about a month already, but what got me absolutely thrilled was to see the summer fruits starting to show themselves. i scurried over to sweet tree farms to get myself some stone fruits – white peaches, apriums and cherries – and with just a bite or two and perhaps a few whiffs of fresh mint and basil, i was totally revitalizes. my mind began racing with recipes for all this fresh produce. so stay tuned!
Posted in tips | Tagged aprium, cherries, english peas, green garlic, in season, organic, peach, peas, spring onion, squash, summer squash, zucchini |
every year growing up my family would dye hard boiled eggs a few days before easter, then on sunday my mom would crack open all the remaining ones to mash them up in a big bowl of colorful potato salad. nowadays i take my potato salad eggless and mayoless (unless it’s vegenaise), but that doesn’t means it can’t still be colorful and delicious!
these baby red potatoes were so cute at the market it couldn’t help but take them home. they are so much more tender and sweet when small like this, and cook up quick too! they went perfectly with a simple blend of lemon, cumin, coriander and fresh parsley leaves. my tasty homage to my mother’s easter potato salad.
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ever since i got an ice cream maker i have played around with different ice cream recipes. the problem is the milk substitutes i was using are so much thinner than cream, they never thicken up in the machine, so they froze into a solid block in the freezer. the beauty of this recipe is that in adding a full cup of almond butter, not only am i thickening it, but i’m also infusing the ice cream with a rich, toasty almond flavor. and with chunks of 70% cacao dark chocolate swirled in, this has quickly become one of my new favorite ice cream flavors.
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i recently experienced a bit of a culinary adventure when i volunteered to bar tend a private dinner party for a personal chef friend of mine. among learning how to make a martini on the fly and tasting fresh black truffles for the first time, i got an invaluable little tip from someone who actually went to culinary school. apparently, when making risotto it helps to fry the raw rice in the oil with your garlic and onion before you add water and boil it all down, it helps add a toasty flavor and hold the rice grains together.
i decided to toss in a bit of fresh ginger at this step and the dish adopted an asian-inspired variety of flavors from there on. nori seaweed melts in to add an amazing depth of flavor, richness, and it’s own saltiness. the “cream” is a thick blend of almond milk with cashews blended, no one will ever guess it’s vegan. and like so many dishes in asian cuisine, it is then dressed with crisp, fresh veggies which are lovely in contrast to the savory richness of the risotto.
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before this year i didn’t know what a parsnip was. it looks a bit like a blond-colored carrot that gets much wider at the top, and it tastes a bit like a carrot too! but it has a clean fresh note to it as well, which really creates a bright flavor in any dish you add it too. this dish is so incredibly simple, with just a few ingredients because the flavors of the parsnip really shine on their own.
this classic dish much resembles mashed potatoes, but it is thicker, smoother and more flavorful. because i’ve seen other versions often topped with copious amounts of parmesan cheese, i mixed up a batch of my own version of parmesan. this mixture won’t trick anyone into thinking it’s an actual dairy product, but it adds that lovely rich cheesey flavor that really fills out the dish and that texture of finely crumbled parmesan. it’s also great over pastas, on top of casseroles or sprinkled on a salad.
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the market isn’t all about fruits and veggies. i’ve been talked into buying my weight in hummus, found really great imported olive oil and fair-trade maca, people even give massages at some farmers’ markets. there are all sorts of artisan vendors, it varies so much from market to market.
i worked at the new sunday los feliz farmer’s market a few weeks back, and my stand was set up next to a classmate of mine with a tea cart. she runs a small business that specializes in incorporating chinese herbs into accessible and delicious drink products. she offered these flowering teas to me, which i had seen but never tried myself.
they are made up of bits of tea – green i think – tightly packed around a dried flower – chrysanthemum i think – secured with a small bit of string to hold it all together. when hot water is added, the tea brews and unfurls into what looks like a bloomed flower. for each bulb add about 16 oz (2 cups) of boiling water and let steep 3-4 minutes, enjoy!