five peas in a pod - a sight for sore eyes
Jack from laughinglemon.ch generously gave me and Jenna a tour of the Oerlikon farmer's market. He showed us all his favorite vendors, showed us a few to avoid, pointed out special produce, and encouraged us to try a few new things. We had wonderful time and I feel much more empowered at the market now. Thanks Jack! Here are few of the pretty and delicious things I brought home.
I've seen sugar snap peas a couple times at the market, but they were always starchy and nasty. This time, they were perfect, bringing a little tear to my eye. It's strange how the absence of such little things in my life can create such an emotional reaction when they reappear. Only two more weeks for these sweeties.
Crinkly spinach or "spinat grob" from Italy is my new favorite green. I've been getting it every week and sautéing it with garlic and pepper flakes, then serving it with a baked sweet potato and quinoa with dried apricots, dried cranberries, and pecans. It's our favorite regular meal right now, even if it's a bit wintery.
I couldn't resisted this beautiful purple arugula from Italy. It seems nutty, a bit less bitter than the regular stuff. I ate it as a green salad, with scrambled eggs, and with roasted new potatoes and a mustard vinaigrette. I loved it.
And asparagus, of course. I am lazy and make the simplest dishes possible with my produce. For example, I made this meal three weeks in a row for lunch after my shopping trip: sauted asparagus and piccolo tomatoes with pecorino vecchio on whole wheat bread. I like being able to taste the individual ingredients, instead of always being masked by the preparation.
5 comments:
Great post ! Makes me want to walk out the door and head to the market, too bad it's Sunday! ;) Jack introduced me too to the Oerlikon market, and I've since been hooked. So many new things to try every time I go. And a really great atmosphere Saturday morning. Love your photos and ideas for how to use the produce - and I agree, when it's uber fresh, the less cooking the better.
Looks great. I am going to have to try some of the purple arugula.
I seriously would like to hire you as my personal chef right now. We are in love with asparagus. I broil it in the toaster oven with olive oil and s/p. I prefer broiled veggies to boiled. It just brings out the flavors more.
Thanks Tanya...I really enjoy doing this - especially with eager participants...Enjoyed the photos, and will look forward to seeing you at the market! BTW, I wrote about Purple Rocket last year (it's actually coming from Switzerland). You can read more here: purple rocket
Jack - thanks for the correction. I remember that I bought the rocket from the vendor that has the special deliveries from Italy, so I just guessed about where the rocket was from. Thanks for the link (and the tour!). See you around.
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