Cooking at the Market, a project of Portola Valley Farmers Market, inspires shoppers to try new ways of preparing and enjoying, seasonal local foods. With the help of market sponsors; businesses interested in supporting this tasty, educational effort, we make great meals, and a great difference! See the posts for September 2016 – March 2017 here.
April 2017
Welcome Spring Produce, sponsored by Bianchini’s Market, is April’s theme as asparagus, peas, radishes, and other veggies return to the market.
We started with market watermelon radish and Sinbad hummus and made Radish Rollup with Pumpkin Seed – a fantastic vegetable as snack, sliced thin on a mandolin. Watermelon radish is naturally this bright red color. Put anything on it and roll it up!
Then onto Apricot-Glazed Tofu and Asparagus, turning Smit Ranch Farms apricot preserves into an easy sauce with the addition of soy sauce, stone ground mustard, garlic and vegetable stock.
Finally, Toasted Buckwheat with Red Cabbage Rice, Fresh Pea and Ras el Hanout (a Moroccan spice mix).
Make the cabbage rice just like cauliflower rice, blending small pieces in a food processor.
Portola Valley Farmers Market has something for everyone!
Join us next month! Thanks again to our sponsor, Bianchini’s Market.
Here’s the Apricot-Glazed Tofu recipe.
Email me for any of the other recipes.
July 2017
Today – Exploration Salad
sponsored by Pacific TherX of Portola Valley
Seasonal Salads with inno-decadent dressings and a guest crunch.
First, Pescadero’s Green Oaks Lettuce | lemon cucumber | umeboshi tahini dressing | Whiskey Oak Seasoning smoke salt | black sesame
The umeboshi plum, attentive in back, is the “least sweet fruit,” so taught at Vega Macrobiotic Center. Picked and pickled with shiso – here’s the recipe.
We mixed Nut’n Bean Habanero Lime Peanut Butter sweet miso and fresh lemon into dressing #2. And the guest texture? Cashew | sunseed |nutritional yeast | red pepper | truffle salt.
Then drizzled & sprinkled first-of-season Gallardo farms tomatoes with all of it’s yummy self.
“Guest crunch” recipe is here
Thanks Pacific TherX for sponsoring July’s Cooking at the Market. Walk or bike to the next cook class August 17th and get a prize!
Cooking at the Market is a town, local business and market-sponsored program teaching fun EZ seasonal meals and snacks. Join the effort and promote your business or favorite cause
August 2017
Today’s event: Summer Grilling
sponsored by Bianchini’s Market of Portola Valley and San Carlos
We made three dishes in August. First a Pluot Carob BBQ Sauce using Market Manager Maggie Foard’s Queen Pluot Jam
Combined with a unique sweetener, Carob Syrup.
Add standard BBQ ingredients and a few secret weapons to create an explosive flavored sauce,
and serve over Artesana Salchichon pork sausage. Grandma Evita started making embutidos (specialty sausages) in El Salvador in 1962. Now son Roberto makes the same recipes for Bay Area Farmers Markets.
Next we grilled tempeh (a vegan protein fermented with whole soy beans) and topped it with an EZ Seasoning of tomato, green olive, Italian Calabrian Pepper (pickled), fresh basil and garlic. Just dice things small and mix together. What an accent!
Finally, we whisked equal parts fresh lime juice and white coconut balsamic vinegar with a sprinkle Whiskey Oak Seasoning sugar, and smoked salt to taste, then tossed into a bowl of One Ocean Seafood Wild Gulf of Mexico Shrimp and Pescadero’s Green Oak Farm Padron Peppers.
And grilled those babies up to rave reviews!
Thanks Bianchini’s for supporting Cooking at the Market this month!
September 2017
Today’s event: Hot Stuff
sponsored by Bianchini’s Market of Portola Valley and San Carlos
We made two dishes, Italy Meets Spain Gazpacho…
In honor of Bianchini’s, we added the secret ingredient of Italian Calabrian peppers, instead of the more traditional jalapeno. Buy them at Bianchini’s! Also these ingredients.
And topped with our local green god, RC Greens. For the recipe click here.
Second recipe was Salvadorean Sausage, Veggie and Potato Hash, using Artesana specialty sausages, where owner Roberto Davila brings Grandma Evita’s recipe to the masses and wow, what a flavor!
That dark red vegetable on the cutting board is a chocolate pepper from Pescadero’s Green Oak Farm (specialty peppers abundant at the market now). Sauted together with spices, and topped with the perfect garnish of RC Greens, it’s a late summer treat.
For Salvadorean Sausage Veggie and Potato Hash recipe, click here.
Thanks Bianchini’s for supporting Cooking at the Market this month and this year. This is our last market of the season, but we are coming back in November. Thanks to all our sponsors (and please consider joining us as a sponsor in 2017-2018.)
Leave a Reply