You are here: Home / Local Resources

Little Italy Mercato: Fresh Pappardelle with Sausage and a Salad

May 15, 2010 By kellypea

Farmer's Market Little Italy, San Diego
Mother’s Day weekend found us enjoying a relaxing two days filled with food this year.  Big surprise, right?  To be fair, it all began with a visit to Little Italy’s Mercato — more for a Saturday morning downtown than the possibility of what we might purchase.  And purchase we did.  The sole market bag we brought didn’t quite hold what we ended up with — most of it chosen for either dinner that night, or breakfast the next day.

We don’t often venture downtown, but when we do, we’re left questioning why we don’t go more frequently.  It’s fairly quiet on the weekends, and with more and more residents occupying the high-rise condominiums, the sidewalks are dotted with dog-walkers, those who have stopped to have a latte with the morning paper, and lots of farmer’s market shoppers holding bunches of flowers and bags overflowing with weekend cooking possibilities.

In much the same way we do when traveling, we pause in front of a real estate office and scan the photos of “For Sale” properties in the area, imagining ourselves living there instead of where we currently live.  It’s a pleasant pastime we’ve entertained ourselves with seemingly forever — especially in the years when we could barely afford to dream.  What is it about being able to walk just about everywhere one needs to go in a day’s time?  Could we actually get along with only one car?  Might we adjust to living without much of what we own, trading it in for a spectacular view and convenience?

Maybe — but it’s all a game of wondering that takes second fiddle to the marvelous array of fresh offerings we sampled and purchased that day.  The jacarandas were in bloom, the weather was perfect, so why not relax and enjoy the possibilities.

Pasta and a salad?  Or maybe stuffed French toast.

What about all three?

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Local Resources, Meat, Method, Pasta, Rice, and Grains, Pork, Quick & Easy Meal Tagged With: , , , , ,

Cream of Greens Soup: Dandelions, Spinach, and Arugula

April 22, 2009 By kellypea

Earth Day Soup When I think of Earth Day, I think more about how I was raised instead of an event marked on a calendar that occurs once a year.  I guess my mother was green before her time simply because she needed to be frugal with her earnings.  But that’s not all.  Her common sense was what was really at work.  If you’re a single mother who works split shifts and have three children under the age of six, you put all of them in the tub at the same time and teach them that the water cannot rise above their belly buttons.  Absolutely no showers, ever.  You rinse your two girls’ very long hair with a tablespoon of  apple cider vinegar mixed with water they wished was warm instead of shockingly cold.  You nag your children incessantly until they understand that lights are turned off when not in use and that electricity costs money — which sadly does not grow on trees.  You make your children’s clothes, and as much as your younger daughter may not love the idea, pass the older daughter’s clothes down once outgrown.  You make shorts from cut off pants, either outgrown, or made possible by knees that have worn through.  You purchase less of everything and teach them how to take care of what they have, because if they don’t, they’re not getting anything new.  You make popsicles from koolaid poured into ice cube trays and dole them out over a few days like they were gold nuggets.  You remind them to bring home from school each day, not only the brown bag their lunch was in, but the baggies their chips and sandwiches were stuffed in to.  You teach them to clean their plates at meals, and never, ever to waste food.  Ever.   Or else.

And you teach them how to eat their vegetables — especially the green ones.

In celebration of Earth Day and smart, frugal moms everywhere who were green long before it was the cool thing to do, this soup is for you.  It’s healthy, and made with a bit of this, and a bit of that from my vegetable drawer.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Gluten-Free, Local Resources, Meatless, One Pot, Quick & Easy Meal, Soup, Salad and Sandwiches, Spring, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , , ,

Spring Salad with Dandelion Greens, Asparagus and Fresh Peas

March 31, 2009 By kellypea

Dandelion4 If there was ever a salad season, Spring would be it. Baby veggies and greens are everywhere and just opening a food magazine has me craving salad more than I normally do. I’ve never lived above the 36th latitude in my life, so I could argue that it’s salad season all year long, but I’ve concluded others don’t necessarily feel that way.

Having spent the last couple of years learning about people’s food preferences on the web, I can sadly say that most of you would rather gaze at a piece of cake than a salad — or any vegetable, for that matter.

What is it about vegetables? Is it the pervasive greenness? The sometimes startling flavor of certain varieties? Or, is it more a childhood of over-cooked, badly seasoned peas, canned greens, and worse, wilted salads of flavorless iceberg lettuce drowning in bottled thousand island salad dressing, and peppered with a few bland pieces of tomato long stored in the vegetable bin of a fridge?

I say all of the above. Thankfully, I escaped it all — except at school when I was served the ubiquitous sage colored canned peas, forcefully spooned on the plastic tray by one of the less than friendly cafeteria ladies. I’d stare at those peas after finding my place at one of the long benches and hear my step-father’s voice telling me that I had to clean my plate because there were people starving in the world out there, and I was fortunate to have food to eat.

But I’d leave those peas on my tray. I’d leave them because they weren’t fit for human consumption, and I’d be surprised if any of the nutritional value originally in them was left at all. Besides, nobody at home would know I joined all the other kids in dumping them in the trash before running out to recess.

Thankfully, my mother avoided canned peas in our home meals, opting for frozen instead. And salads were routine so it’s no surprise that I love my veggies even if my younger sister mysteriously didn’t. With each passing year, I look forward to what new ingredients are featured, or interesting combinations that will make my salads a meal in themselves.

My husband and sons refer to my salads as “feed” but eat them without complaint. Maybe it’s because I’ve worked hard to teach them what nutrients the greens and brightly colored veggies in that bowl contain, and how those nutrients affect their bodies and overall health. Or maybe it’s because they’re just plain good.

Have you ever had dandelion greens and fresh English peas in a salad?  Add some lovely asparagus and a Gordon Ramsay tomato vinaigrette and dinner is served.

My taste buds sang all night long…                                        peas

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Gluten-Free, Local Resources, Meatless, Salads, Soup, Salad and Sandwiches, Vegetables, Weight loss Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Vegetables Galore!

March 3, 2009 By kellypea

SpecProdVeg
One of the difficulties that arises when I cook is not being able to find particular ingredients.  Most often, the item is one of a few featured in a recent issue of a food magazine I enjoy, and because the content is seasonal, one would believe that finding those ingredients might be easier.

Unfortunately, it isn't true, and when it comes time for me to cook something new, I have to drive to several stores to find what I'm looking for — if I can find it at all.  When I am able to locate that one special ingredient, I'm left wondering where it was grown, and by whom, annoyed that most often, it isn't from anywhere near San Diego.  Thankfully, I have a new venue to track down those one of a kind ingredients when it comes to fresh fruit or vegetables:  Specialty Produce.

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Specialty Produce and tour their facility in Middletown, an industrial sort of neighborhood relatively close to the airport and downtown.  It's a bustling place where employees are either wheeling unique merchandise through the warehouse, or monitoring phones and computers taking orders from local chefs and other merchants.

Here was finally a place I could get chervil, or purslane, or chanterelles when no one else has them.  And there's a great section with produce from area growers with items I've never seen before — like Red Frill Mustard and Watermelon Radishes.  It was like being in a candy shop when you're a veggie lover like me — the only drawback is that one can only purchase so much fresh food and still be able to enjoy it within the next day or so.

The best way to utilize this great San Diego resource if you're an avid home cook like me is to check out what's in stock using their website.  It will tell you not only what's in stock, but what's in peak season and at the height of quality.  Nutritional information is also available which is something I always keep my eye on.

Along with the mustard and radishes I mentioned above, I brought home Black Kale, Yellow Foot Chanterelles, Green Garlic, Oro Blanco Grapefruit, and some cute little Hauer Pippin from Windrose Farm in Paso Robles.

Oh the fun I've had cooking with this food…

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Local Resources, Mushrooms, Salads, Soup, Salad and Sandwiches, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Daring Bakers: Lavash Crackers and Nopales Salsa

September 27, 2008 By kellypea

Today is quite different than the past many months that I’ve posted.  Today marks one of the very few times that I’ve baked a recipe for the Daring Bakers that isn’t classified as a sweet.  And even more importantly?  It’s the first gluten-free recipe as well.  This month’s challenge of Lavash Crackers has been hosted by Natalie of Gluten A Go Go, and Shel of Musings From the Fishbowl.  The recipe is from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

I definitely have that post for you today,  but thought I’d put a local type of spin on it.  Seriously local.

Ever had nopales? These Lavash Crackers with garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and cumin can really take on a substantial salsa…

Gluten-Free Crackers

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Baked, Breads, Daring Bakers Challenge, Gluten-Free, Local Resources, Method, Mexican, Sauce, salsa, & condiments, Southwest USA, Vegetables Tagged With: ,