Portland Farmers Market Notes: 9-12-09
What I bought:







I'll see you Saturday at the market!
Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com



- Green peppers - Beckwith Gardens
- Greens, leeks, and French melon - Dandelion Spring Farm
- Jalapeno peppers - Fishbowl Farm
- Sweet red peppers - Lalibela Farm
- Pumpkin - Merrifield Farm
- Purple broccoli, baby eggplant, and baby bi-color summer squash - Old Ocean House Farms
- Peaches and Italian flat beans - Snell Family Farm
- Fire-roasted Sweet Red Pepper and Garlic Chevre and Whole Wheat Bread - Tourmaline Hill Farm
- Some of the best corn I've had this season - Pineview Gardens
What I did with it:
- Peppers galore! With the green and red peppers, a few of the jalapenos, that incredible corn, some cannelini beans and chopped tomatoes I made some vegetarian chili. Nothing fancy - after roasting the corn and cutting it off the cob I threw everything together with some spices and a little bittersweet chocolate into a dutch oven and baked it at 225 for a few hours.
- Simple Treatment #1: Salad with greens, tomatoes, cukes and tuna with vinaigrette. The perfect light lunch.
- Simple Treatment #2: That French melon was unbelievable! The water was pouring out of it like a faucet. Nice aroma and flavor.
- I quickly sauteed the baby eggplant, baby squash, and Italian flat beans and threw them together with sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and vinaigrette. (See first pic below.)
- Okay, I know what you 're thinking about the second picture below - all that its missing is a witch and a black cat. The look I was going for in my head was something that would grace the October issue of Bon Appetit magazine - a savory fresh-out-of-the-oven pumpkin with soup steaming from the inside. Instead, the bright orange jagged edges scream "Happy Halloween" and make it look like the cover of a crafting magazine! Oh well, it was delicious anyway. Here's what was inside: I cooked 2 potatoes, a small squash, the leeks, and roasted garlic in chicken broth. With a hand blender I pureed it and filled the pumpkin which I had cooked separately. Scary huh?
- While the pumpkin was baking in the oven, I also roasted the seeds with soy and sesame oil. (See third pic below.)
- A few posts ago I wrote about making a goat cheese version of jalapeno "poppers". I made them again, this time with the Fire-Roasted Sweet Red Pepper and Garlic Chevre. These are pretty hot, so I remove the seeds and most (but not all) of the pith/ribs. I do like a little fire.
- The purple broccoli is going into a very simple stir-fry tonight.
- The peaches continue to be a regular snack for me (I've been getting some each time I go to the market). So much flavor!




I'll see you Saturday at the market!
Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com






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