Portland Farmers Market Notes: 9-12-09

What I bought:
 
 
  
  • 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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