It's June, which means that in most parts of the country, the farmers markets are up and running. Going to the market is part of my Saturday morning ritual. I love to see what's new for the week, think about what I can make with what I buy, and every week I try to buy something that I haven't worked with before and experiment.If you haven't been to a farmers market, I urge you to seek one out. Not only are you supporting your local farmers, but you are buying produce at its freshest and most flavorful. In the sustainability section below, I've included several links to sites that will help you find your local market.
Peeks into Chef's Inspirations: This dish is from the new Frontera menu. Richard got his inspiration from last year's trip to San Miguel when he ate a torta from a vendor in the market where we were shopping. He used the flavors from that torta to create this dish. It's a tamal filled with house made chorizo made from fresh masa that has been infused with Samuel's artisinal Jack cheese and steamed in banana leaves. One taste of this dish, and I was transported back to that day in the market. Isn't it amazing how taste and/or smells are such a trigger to our memories? Dates and Places Rick will be Appearing: If you're attending the All Things Organic trade show, Rick will be doing a demo on Wednesday, June 17th. He'll also be at the Green City Market in Lincoln Park on Wednesday, June 24th at 10:30am. And ... last, but not least, Top Chef Masters premieres on June 10th on Bravo. Watch as 24 chefs compete to win $100,000 for their favorite charity. Rick's pitting his skills against some very worthy opponents, and we're all rooting for him to bring home the top prize.
Profiles on Frontera Farmer Foundation Recipients: Gary Comer Youth Center is a testimonial to what can be accomplished in an urban setting. Marji Hess is the garden manager and has been with the program since its inception in May, 2006. The garden was created to support the center's mission statement, which states that their youth members graduate from high school prepared for college and careers. They are accomplishing this goal by creating an urban agriculture learning center which this year is making the transition from rooftop garden to rooftop farm. They've added a youth employment program for the summer and have hired 10 students to tend the garden. They hope to increase their yield from 1,000 pounds to 2,000 pounds of food that they'll be able to harvest and distribute. They use this harvest for their culinary classes, which are offered to kindergarden through 12th grade students, their summer staff lunch program, and their weekly recipe based harvest table program which is available to community members for a nominal fee. This program not only provides food, but a week's worth of recipes that use what the students have harvested that week. They have also started a pilot program called "Comer Rooftop Crops" for selling their specialty crops to local restaurants. We purchased mache from this program and it was featured on Topolo's menu last month. This pilot program is geared to the older teens so that they can see all the applications from the garden to the culinary department to the end users to better prepare them for making their career choices. I'm blown away by how much this program has accomplished in just three years. As Marji put
it, "Frontera Farmer
Foundation's support has been a huge building
block to what we want to accomplish with this program."
Frontera Farmer
Foundation Benefit: Just a reminder that this year's
benefit will be on Sunday, June 14th. The daytime farmers market
tickets are $40.00/pp advance purchase or $45.00/pp at the
door. The evening “Dinner Like No Other” is $125.00/pp. At
this point, the evening dinner is sold out, but there is a waiting
list. Call 312-661-1434 for reservations to the daytime event
or to be placed on the waiting list for the dinner.
We've added some really
great items like a VIP package for four to this year's
Lollapalooza to the silent
auction list. Be sure to check out all
the new items.
Kitchen Gadget
Adventures: Here's a versatile tool that came in
handy last week when I was working on the Grilled Vegetable Salad
that I just posted. I've used it for years when baking bread,
but it's also handy for moving chopped ingredients from your
cutting board to a bowl. It's wide blade (6 inches by 4
inches) makes quick work of transferring items and it's
indispensable for a variety of uses when baking. It's
great for everything from dividing dough, scraping your work
surface, or transferring cut out cookies without stretching out the
dough. The Norpro scraper is available at amazon.com and sells for under
$8.00. New Recipes from the Test Kitchen: I've added several new recipes to the web site that tie into my theme this month of farmers markets. There's the strawberry shortcake recipe that Rick and Lanie demostrated last year at the Green City market. This is one of Lanie's favorite recipes and one that she used to make while working summers in the Frontera pastry station. The other recipe is for a grilled vegetable salad with a chamoy dressing that works perfectly for either a light summer meal or as a side dish for a picnic or BBQ. I also added a version of a current drink from our bar menu, a mango mojito. I love tropical fruit drinks in the summer, and this one's not to be missed. There's also a non-alcoholic version which makes a refreshing agua.
Blog Q & A: Q: Where can I buy the large wok you used in your Mexican Paella with shrimp, mussels and chorizo recipe. My husband and I would like to try this recipe at our next gathering. A: The pan that Rick used in that episode is a paella pan. It has
a flat bottom as opposed to the curved bottom of a wok. You can
purchase one through either spanishtable.com or tienda.com. They have
many sizes to choose from, so you can pick the size that works for
you. Check out our resource
page on the web site for more information on
the other equipment Rick used during Season Six. Each show
from that season has a section to help you find some of the
specialty equipment that Rick used.
Sustainability: As I alluded to in the beginning of
this newsletter, it's well worth your while to find a farmers
market near you. I've found two sources on the internet which
should help you find your local markets, and let you know which
days they operate. Not only are you making it possible for
these farmers to survive, you're helping the environment by cutting
down on the carbon footprint by buying locally grown produce.
The benefit that you derive is getting ultra fresh and in many
cases heirloom varieties of produce, many of which you'll never see
in the store. Many farmers markets also sell meat, chicken,
eggs, dairy and bakery goods. The Green City Market, which is
Chicago's only year-round market also sells fresh filled crepes,
sandwiches and salads and even hamburgers hot off the grill.
All these items are made with items sold by the various farmers and
bakeries that have stands at the market. For more information
about farmers markets in your area check out either local
harvest.org or state farmers
market.com. That brings me to the end of this month's newsletter. I'll see you next month. Sincerely, Deb Silberstein Test Kitchen Director / Web Site Culinary Director Green City Market's Annual
Chef BBQ Festival: Thursday, July
16th from 6 - 8 pm. Tickets are available on line thru The
Spice House. No tickets will be sold at the door and they're
going fast. The ticket site also has a list of the chefs
who will be participating. Follow Rick on Twitter Become a fan of Frontera on Facebook Become a fan of Topolobampo on Facebook  |
