On The Land

As the summer growing season is coming to an end I am holding onto the memories of luscious berries, succulent tomatoes and crisp peppers and cucumbers. This year's harvest was generous and nature granted us an abundance of vegetables, fruits, melons and herbs. California was affected by numerous brush fires, and because of the high temperatures, and trapped emissions from smoke much of the fruit ripened faster than in previous years. Because of this many farmer's were not able to sell their produce to stores, farmer's markets and other vendors. It is unfortunate that most people think of perfect food as being unblemished, symmetrical and firm. However, sometimes fruits and vegetables are crooked, squishy and split open. Is it bad? No, not at all. It still has flavor, and nutrition. Grant it the asthetics are not market worthy, but don't hold that against a poor peach or tender tomato. When produce is overflowing and can not be consumed fresh, we turn to methods of preservation. The most popular method being home canning. And let me tell you this year, I have been the pickling princess no joke.

My first venture into the art of pickling this summer was during a catering event that I helped my friend Nicole with. A few chefs jammed into her little Mission kitchen to prep for a vegetarian wedding. I shucked corn and peas, made corn stock, pickled onions, brined zucchini and juiced lots of Meyer lemons. Nicole got a great recipe for pickled red onions from Zuni Cafe. The aromatic brine was made with white vinegar, allspice and clove which lent warm and fragrant notes. The red onions were cut thick to retain some crunch. When the brine came to a boil I added the onions and let them steep for a few minutes. Like magic the slightly purple onions turned a hot pink almost fuscia tone. Stunning!

Along with the red onions we made a quick pickle of ribbon sliced zucchini in turmeric and mustard, as well as pickled champagne grapes. The wedding was held on a farm in Sebastopol, which is north of San Francisco in Sonoma County. We picked blackberries and Gravenstein apples to serve them with the hors d'oeuvres of walnut levain with a Gruyere bechamel topped with blackberries, a chilled corn soup shooter with chili oil and chervil and buckwheat blinis topped with creme fraiche, house cured salmon, and a lovely relish made with the pickled red onion and petite diced apple.

Baby greens, local nectarines, shaved fennel, Lucque green olives, Marcona almonds and a Meyer lemon vinaigrette were plated and served as a first course. The remainder of the dishes were served family style. Creamy polenta topped with a rustic eggplant caponata highlighted with luscious tomatoes and buttery teleme cheese. Heirloom beans with garlic, olive oil and Meyer lemon juice, torn basil and fresh thyme. And for dessert I made 12 cherry clafoutis. Picture it, me on a farm, baking outside on an oven that is slightly tipped forward being held in place with a 2x4. Dozens of eggs, quarts of Straus Farm heavy cream, vanilla, creme fraiche and gallons of pitted Bing cherries. It was my own personal bake off and Nicole granted me the title of "Clafouti Queen". It was a great event, beautiful food and stunning views. A little sun burnt, covered in dust and tired from a long day, that ride back to the city was so relaxing. A full day of work was surely worth it knowing that memories were made, bellies were full and new friendships were made, thanks for the laughs Joie and Amber!

Inspired by the pickling I did for Nicole's catering event I wanted to brine some more. On a recent trip to the Alemany market I picked up some amazing peppers. Hot, sweet, tart, little, medium, big, green, yellow, red. Anaheims, cubanelles and Thai birds beak chiles mixed with onion slices sauteed in olive oil, garlic cloves, fresh thyme, bay leaf, marjoram and white wine vinegar. A crisp and clean brine with a little heat kick. I made 24 jars and shared them with my neighbors, friends and co-workers. I still have a few jars left over. Those are going to get hotter, while the spicy little Thai chiles infuse the vinegar. Eat at your own risk! So far I have enjoyed them with pizza, a sandwich, pasta and scrambled eggs. Delish!

Last week my friend Heather invited me to a tomato sauce party held at Eat Well Farm. Heather is a CSA member and this event was exclusively for members. So, I was very happy that she let me tag along. So, off we went Heather, her friend Katherine and myself, treked about an hour east of San Francisco to Dixon, CA. We brought cooking gear, a few camper stoves and a picnic lunch. The farm provided the tomatoes along with onions, peppers, mushrooms and a wonderful assortment of herbs such as rosemary, thyme, basil and herb geranium. I have never cooked with geranium and felt that the aroma may overpower my sauce. So instead I took it home and put in a a small vase, it makes for wonderful aromatherapy. A clean scent reminiscent of eucalyptus and tea tree.

We chopped, stirred and sampled various varieties of tomatoes. Little pear shaped, cherry sized, and large purple, green, orange striped and red ones too! I like my food hot. So, I sauteed chopped onion and sliced red chiles in olive oil along with thinly sliced garlic. I added a variety of tomatoes along with chile flakes, a splash of red wine, torn basil, a rosemary stem, a bay leaf and oregano from my own garden. A simmering cauldron of deliciousness bubbled away on my little stove as I nibbled on salami, fresh mozzarella, red pepper pesto, chunky olive tapenade and hearty babaganoush on pita chips. Roger, Desi and their little man Anthony also made it out to the farm. Roger has a great event coming up this week, a family style themed supper and music fest, check it out at Soul Cocina.

If you read my previous post you know that I grew up in Chicago and not on a farm. However, I was a lucky kid that got to go out to the country and pick apples, strawberries and corn along the Indiana and Wisconsin borders. Getting to be on the land is such an amazing experience. It gives you a sense of reality that you don't get simply by buying food at the market. A true essence of what it takes to produce good, simple food is seen in the labor of everyday farmer's, pickers and vendors. A harmony of nature, human, and earth comes together to provide an abundance that is beautiful in it's simplicity yet many times overlooked and taken for granted.

I just returned home from volunteering at Slow Food Nation. The call to slowing down for food that is good, clean and fair is what SFN is all about. I was thrilled to be a part of this amazing event! Regional food, shade grown fair trade coffee, artisan breads, small batch ice cream and hey guess what?? More pickles!! That's right an entire kiosk dedicated to the art of canning and preservation. I think I found myself a new hobby. I am so enthused by all this pickling and getting back to the land that I am teaching a canning class at Sur La Table. I took these photos at the Civic Center market as well as the Slow Food Nation Taste Pavilions. Here's a sample of the pickled items I tasted this weekend: ramps, asparagus,watermelon rind, cornichons, beets, sauerkraut (4 ways), mushrooms, spring onions and green tomatoes. I will be posting an entire blog solely on Slow Food Nation...stay tuned!

Slow Down

I am very excited about Slow Food Nation 2008 being held in San Francisco! Chefs, teachers, foodies, farmers, consumers, food and environmental activists will unite to bring awareness to the table. Awareness in the light of where our food comes from, how it is sourced and the impact of modern day farming on the planet. The importance of knowing where and how our food is sourced has become an important issue to me. Although I grew up in Chicago in a modern day concrete jungle, I was lucky enough to know at a young age that food does not come from a box, bag or can. My family is from Mexico and when my dad was a child he lived and worked on a farm. My respect for food was instilled in me at a very young age. We always had a small garden in our city yard. I would be delighted at hand picking sweet tomatoes, succulent peppers and cucumbers and putting them into my little wicker basket. In one of our yards we even had a plum and a cherry tree. I remember stepping in the fruit that had fallen to the ground and leaving hot pink footprint marks on the sidewalk from the juice of the cherries. Every fall my family and I would drive to Edwards Orchard, about an hour north of Chicago, to go apple picking. We would hop on the back of a tractor with an empty bushel in hand and go deep into the orchards to hand pick juicy apples. McIntosh, Jonathans, and Golden Delicious were the favorites of my family. Along with the full baskets of apples, we would also enjoy warm apple cider donuts. Ah memories of those sweet circles of goodness. Tender, moist, and slightly fragrant with a hint of cinnamon and sugar. There was a barnyard that was chock full of harvest corn, colorful gourds and wheat stalks. My Mom would let me pick out of few to use as table decor for Halloween. On the ride back we always stopped at a small road side stand that sold honey. My treat was to get my own honey bear. You know the one with the bright yellow pour tip and cute chubby bear shaped bottle.

I enjoyed drinking chamomile tea from my Holly Hobby tea set when I was a kid, and it was made even better with a drizzle from my honey bear. My cousin's are all grown now and have children of their own. It's great to know that the tradition still continues with the new generation. Sadly though this past spring Edwards Orchard was hit by a severe tornado. Unfortunately the barnyard took a bad beating. My family is still waiting to hear if the orchard is open at all this season.

At several Easter celebrations my family and I would spend the day at Lamb's Farm, a non-profit organization serving adults with developmental disabilities. My memories of Lambs Farm included the petting zoo that had baby chicks and ducks, goats and of course lamb. The ice cream parlor that served hand churned delights made with fresh berries and fruit from the farm was the highlight of the day trip. Strawberry, blackberry, peach and cherry were some my my top choices. Also, there was a country store that sold old fashioned candy, syrups, jams, pickles and preserves as well as freshly baked cookies, pies and tarts. All made from scratch with care and quality ingredients.

My parents now live in Florida, my other family still lives in Chicago, and I live in San Francisco. So, sadly those family outings have been far and few for me in the past years. Those family moments and food memories stick with me in my day to day as a chef and cooking teacher, and when I am able to share them it warms my heart. My parents still have trees in their yard. Grapefruit, key lime, kumquat and papaya. When I visit them in the winter I make marmalade from all the tangy citrus.

After watching the United States women's gymnastics team on the Olympics, I channel surfed to see what I could watch next. I caught a preview clip of a food documentary that was about to begin on The Sundance Film Channel. This of course peaked my interest, so I tuned in. Glad I did. The film was educational, informative and inspiring. It got me thinking about the major shift in consciousness that is sweeping the country and the planet. The awareness and now movement towards better food production and fairer practices involves everything from what we eat, who grows it and what fashion it is harvested. Issues that affect communities, economies and the planet. I like to think of myself as an informed individual. But, boy oh boy, is there so much more to learn, explore and share. This clip from Big Ideas For A Small Planet features a young student named Alexander and how he made a difference where others thought no one could.
I stopped by Rainbow Grocery, a co-op market that provides local, sustainable and organic products, to pick up some facial wash, yogurt and flax seed supplements. I also picked up the latest edition of Edible San Francisco, a free monthly magazine that highlights green living and eating in the Bay Area. In it there was a great article about true Soul Food. The article was titled Reclaiming True Grits, and was written by eco chef Bryant Terry. The focus of the article was to dispel the ideas that Soul Food is salt and fat laden and rather "true Soul Food" is abundant in fruits, vegetables, simple grains and the cooking is meant to be slow and a labor of love. I hear you Bryant, I feel the same way about true Mexican home cooking. Most Americans notion of Mexican food is that it is fried, covered in cheese and wrapped up ready to go. On the contrary, true comida(food), of the Mexican kitchen is fresh and light and very nutritious. Nopales (cactus), squash, beans, corn, tomatoes, chiles all full of vitamins and minerals. Stone ground corn rich in calcium, fresh seafood such as shrimp, oysters, clams and snapper as well as lean lamb and poultry made up and still make up most of the Mexican diet. My essay will be entitled Reclaiming Real Masa.

Having lived across the country from Chicago, to Florida and now residing in California I have experienced how people relate to food in their lives. Locally produced foods, regional recipes, and even cultural customs that are based on faith and diet have formed me as a consumer, a cooking teacher and eater. I'm not a granola eating, wheat grass slurping, hemp wearing hippy activist, (well maybe the granola part is true) but I do care about my body, what I eat, and how our planet is being affected by the mass production of food. In the midst of all these political feuds about gas prices, water shortages and fuel consumption I see the silver lining in the cloud. Yes, I am an optimist. A true believer that with communication, a little compassion and a lot of perseverance WE can ALL make a positive change. In the meantime you can find me at the Saturday farmer's market buying melon. Until next time my friends, keep it green and simple enjoy the bounty that nature provides us.