The weekly independent paper I freelance for, IndyWeek has posted an online piece I wrote about a visit to the Farmer’s Market in Carrboro. I discovered a native North Carolina fruit that was both delicious and a complete shock.
So, head on over, and see what you think.
Thanks for your time.
This space has evolved into my confessional. The embarrassing, the disgraceful, the hurt-y; if there’s a red face and burning ears involved, I’m there and have probably recounted it for you, Gentle Reader.
These days it takes a lot more to set the blush scale into motion. I’ve come to terms with my lack of both grace and tact. But there’s still one category where I’m a tad insecure.
It’s food. Not the cooking of it, I’m always learning and make an honest effort to grow. But it’s my taste in food and my capacity to consume it, especially when young.
I used to really enjoy sauerkraut mixed with grocery store onion dip. I could can demolish an entire box of blue box mac in one sitting. I ate those freaky little La Choy mini egg rolls by the dozen, dunked sour cream. And once I set up my own kitchen, there was always a can of pre-made frosting handy for snacking.
Then there were canned wax beans.
I’d drain them, toss into a saucepan with a too-large dollop of margarine. Then I’d drop in a couple slices of American cheese food, and cook until it was a gloppy, homogenous mass.
Last week I visited the Carrboro farmers’ market and picked up some fresh Italian wax beans. I’d never had Italian style (flat) before, and the last time I’d had wax beans, they were full of margarine and “cheese”.
I decided to use my go-to veg preparation.
When preparing, regardless of the type, clean them, and cut into bite-size pieces. If you’re working with a harder veg (Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, fall and winter squashes, anything that gives you strong resistance when you try to pierce it with a knife), it’s necessary to par-cook them so you don’t cook out all the flavor and color by braising them for weeks.
Par-cooked veg
Hard veg, cut into chunks
1 large saucepan filled with ocean-level salty water
1 large bowl filled with ice, water, 2 tablespoons kosher salt
Bring the saucepan to a rolling boil. Slide vegetables into water and cook until the colors are bright, and you can just smell them (4-7 minutes-ish).
Using a slotted spoon remove the veg and put into the salted ice water. When they are completely cool throughout, drain into colander.
When you’re ready to finish them, put them in a skillet (don’t overcrowd). Then you need a couple more items.
First, a fat; butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, ghee. For a whole skillet I’d say two tablespoons, max. Then an acid; I usually use wine—1/4 to 1/3 cup. But if you are using something much more acidic like lemon juice or vinegar, add it at the very end, because it’ll discolor the veg. Then, a liquid; normally water, but you can use stock, juice, even tea. The more liquid you use, the longer it will have to cook, so for tender veg, use much less liquid.
Put everything into the pan along with a pinch of salt and pepper, then cover. Cook on medium-low until the veg is tender-crisp. Remove cover and let cook until the liquid’s gone. For a tender vegetable, like peas, remove from heat as soon as liquid’s gone. For harder veg, let them cook until they pick up some browning.
This is a very versatile method which gives you plenty of ways to customize. The biggest thing is to not overcook them. If you went to all the trouble of getting fresh, keep it fresh.
And my wax beans? I cooked them until they had a little browning, and then I tossed them with a little shaved cheese from the “Under $5” basket at Whole Foods as nod to that earlier, scarier dish.
Thanks for your time.
It’s been a pretty awesome week.
Last Friday was my birthday, with all the obscenely frosted cake that it implies. Then, Wednesday was the first afternoon market of the year at the Durham Farmers’ Market.
Petey worked just about his whole nursing career on the third shift, from 7PM to 7AM, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And, I’ve something to say about folks who work the night shift.
One Tuesday morning my mom called about 9:30 to check on The Kid, who’d been up in school in Vermont a couple months. 
She woke us.
It wasn’t the first time, or the second, and I got a little snappish. And so did Mom.
First, she called me a “lazy thing”, for being asleep at that time. I explained we’d gone to bed at 3AM. So, she asked why Petey and I didn’t go to bed earlier on Mondays. Because when Petey had gotten home from work on Monday morning, he was exhausted and slept until 4PM.
And if he switched his sleep to a more conventional schedule every Monday, he’d have to flip it back at the end of the week. And, I’m no sleep expert, but I’m guessing that after a couple months of poking his circadian rhythm with a sharp stick, he’d be insane or dead.
I will end with this entreaty. If you know someone who works when the rest of the world is sleeping, have a heart. Don’t visit during the day. Don’t ask them to give you a ride, or babysit, or be functional at 1:00 in the afternoon. It is the same as someone showing up at your house at 3AM on a Wednesday to try to get you to have pizza and binge watch “Stranger Things”.
So, have a heart. That person you don’t bug when you think they should be out and about in the middle of the day might be the person manning the emergency room when Grandma falls and breaks her wrist on a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Anyway.
My point was that the Saturday farmers’ markets are just too early for some (me). Which is why the Wednesday market makes me so very happy.
This year, there’s a plan: each time I visit, I will purchase food that I’ve neither cooked, nor eaten. I will then pick the brains of both the farmer, and fellow buyers as to preparation.
Last Wednesday, I bought escarole. It’s a bitter green beloved by Italians and is big in bean dishes and Italian wedding soup. I chose to sauté it.
Garlic Lemon Escarole
4 slices bacon, cooked crispy and reserve 1 tablespoon of grease
4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
2 large bunches of escarole
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup toasted pistachios
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt & pepper
Wash escarole by filling sink with cold water. Swish each bunch and drop into water. The detritus will drop to bottom of sink. Wait a few minutes then gently remove escarole without disturbing dirt.
While escarole is soaking put garlic into large skillet with bacon grease and cook on medium-low until garlic browns. Remove garlic and set aside. Turn to medium.
Pat dry. Cut into 2-inch pieces. add to skillet, and cover. Cook 8 minutes or so until completely wilted.
Remove cover, stir in pepper flakes and pistachios, then cook until tender (5-7 minutes).
Take off heat and stir in lemon juice. Season, taste and season again, if needed.
Plate and top with browned garlic and crumbled crispy bacon. Serves 4.
Thanks for your time
Before I get started with this week’s topic, I want to give everybody a heads up about something going on this weekend.
On Saturday from 12-3PM, the Carolina Inn is hosting a Barbecue Throwdown on their front porch. There will be eight local chefs (including the Carolina’s Chef James Clark), all trying to wind up the smoke and fire champ.
The event will be hosted by the radio announcer of the Carolina Panthers, Mick Mixon. And music will be provided by the Gravy Boys. There will be five judges plus the guests will also vote on a fan favorite.A portion of the proceeds will be going to TABLE, an Orange county charity that helps kids at risk for hunger. They’re also asking that guests bring donations of non-perishable foods. You can score tickets at: http://www.carolinainn.com/bbq-throwdown/. Every ticket enters the holder into a raffle, too.
Petey and I will be there, and hope to see you, as well.
It takes quite a bit to get The Kid to do a characteristically very low-key, practically stationary happy dance.
But one thing that mildly thrills my child is eating local.
Dinner last week was a banner meal. A few weeks ago The Kid gave me a tip that the Durham Co-op had gorgeous, but inexpensive Denver steaks. No fooling. I went and scored two pretty specimens for around $6.
On the day The Kid and I made our pilgrimage to the Got To Be NC festival at the state fairgrounds, we also went to the state farmer’s market, in Raleigh. Unbelievably and embarrassingly, it was our first visit.
While there, I bought three jars of D’Vine’s sassafras jelly. My child was hankering after peaches and strawberries. On the way out The Kid stopped at one of the meat purveyors and along with a couple of steaks, picked up some fresh shitake mushrooms.
And after another quick trip to the Co-op for some local corn and pancetta, The Kid was ready to eat.
The protein was an extremely rare Denver steak smothered in a shitake mushroom sauce.
The Kid’s shitake sauce
1 pound shitake mushrooms, cleaned sliced, with stems removed
Fat from cooking steak
½ cup sherry or cognac
1 ½ cup beef stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3-4 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
While steaks are resting, turn the cooking pan on medium-high. Without cleaning pan, add mushrooms, season, and sauté until the liquid releases then cooks out, and mushrooms start to caramelize.
Deglaze with sherry and cook until the pan is dry again. Pour in beef stock. Bring to a boil, and let cook until it has reduced to half, and thickened slightly.
Whisk in cold butter until the sauce has thicken and is glossy and smooth. Add back mushrooms, check seasoning, then spoon over steaks.
The Kid then attended to a side dish.
To make this recipe you need to cut the kernels off the cob. To do this, stand up the shucked cob on a cutting board. Run a sharp knife down the cob, slicing off the corn. This is kind of messy, but the sharper the knife, the neater it will be. Some people swear by standing the cob in the center of a Bundt pan, but I never noticed a big difference in cleanliness. After stripping, using the back side of the knife, scrape the cob, gathering the corn juice.
Fresh corn and pancetta
5 or 6 ears of fresh corn and juice, shucked and off the cob
¼ pound pancetta, chopped
1 shallot, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Put pancetta in a skillet on medium, and cook until all the fat is rendered and the pancetta is crispy. Remove and set aside.
Sauté shallots until they just begin to brown. Then add corn, and turn to medium-high. Stirring frequently, cook until it begins to caramelize around the edges and the moisture has cooked off. Remove from heat, check for seasoning, and add back the pancetta. Serves 2-3.
The Kid’s finished dish. Dig those groovy black plates.
I think the only way The Kid would have liked the meal more is if there had been a produce picnic smack in the middle of the Durham garden in which it had been grown.
Thanks for your time.
bull city mom 