Foodie Sundays: Recap: Farmer's Market Feast

Farmer's Market Feast; October 3rd, 2010

We decided to do an all-vegetarian surprise menu from what we found at the weekend farmer's market this week. The other surprise was that after two weekends of retreats for UC Berkeley people, and a busy September for pretty much everyone, we ended up with a quiet family dinner. Shawna's sister, her wife and their two kids came over which was perfect since the family is vegetarian. We extended the celebration from Phoebe's birthday party the day before:

We got an amazing array of produce at the Temescal farmer's market:

We made a big spread:

L-R: Butternut squash, figs, cassoulet, squash blossoms, soup.

We started with Fried Squash Blossoms:

Trim the stems and remove the stamen from squash blossoms (3+ per person). Check for bugs but

don't wash under water. Very finely dice a tiny summer squash or baby zucchini and a small shallot, and sautee in butter until just tender and remove from heat. When cool, add 3oz or so (1/3c?) fresh goat cheese, salt & pepper and stir until combined. Add a small spoonful of cheese mixture to each blossom. Dip in well-beated egg then dredge in flour seasoned lightly with seasoned salt or salt&pepper. Fry in a deep pan or dutch oven in 1-2 inches of oil over med-high heat until golden. drain on towels, sprinkle with kosher salt, and eat while warm. I used a gluten-free flour mix so Emerson could eat these and really liked the texture, so I would use a mix of rice flour, tapioca flour, etc. in the future.

John made a lovely potato-leek soup (so simple!) with fresh, small yellow potatoes& leeks cooked until soft then pureed. Plus a little cream and chives at the end.

We also had some fresh figs. I cut an X on the bottom and squished some fresh mascarpone in there, then dipped the ends in toasted pine nuts. Very simple and elegant.

I cooked up an heirloom acorn and a butternut squash in one of my favorite recipes; Butternut Squash with Date and Pistachio topping from Local Flavors.

We had an amazing french-style baked flageolet bean cassoulet. Flageolets are little green beans with a great flavor and traditionally used in cassoulet which often has duck confit and/or sausages cooked into it. To make a vegetarian version, I got richness from a tomato-onion confit:

Soak 1 1/2 c flageolet beans overnight & cook in 2 inches of water/veggie broth with thyme, rosemary, sage leaves, bay leaf, & 2 garlic cloves. Alternatively, soak ~1 hour or less and pressure cook 40-60 minutes until tender.

Early in the day, put about 1/2c olive oil in a big casserole pan. Slice up 2 large cipollini onions (could use shallots or sweet onions) and throw into pan. Peel ~1 1/2 pounds dense-fleshed tomatoes (blanching is easiest) and squeeze into the pan to break them up. Add a couple cloves of garlic. Cook the veggies uncovered at 300-400 in the oven, adjusting temp so they don't burn. Stir occasionally and cook until they are thick and caramelizing at the edges, about 2+ hours. When you want to eat the whole pan on a slice of bread, they are done. Mash up with a potato masher and set aside until the beans are done.

Drain the beans, reserving the broth. Mix the beans gently (folding) into the tomato-onion confit. Add more broth if needed to make a moist but not soupy mixture. Season with salt, pepper, etc to taste. Add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream. Scoop into a new casserole dish, top with bread crumbs, and reheat until bubbling. Enjoy!

Last (phew!) Rachel made a lovely quinoa salad to round out the meal, we needed a little grains and something light with the beans & squash.

I made a peach-strawberry pie for dessert. I wasn't sure about the combo, but I grated 1/2 a granny smith apple for tartness and body in the pie filling and only used about 2 tsp of sugar to sweeten, it turned out very nice.

We really had a great time; this is what a family dinner with a 2-year old and a 4-year old turns into: