Back in April, I interviewed Hynden Walch, an actress in Glassel Park who organized a produce cooperative in her neighborhood. She emailed to say that since that interview, another neighborhood group was organized by a Good Food listener in Merced, CA. I think that is so cool.
Hynden also wrote to tell me that they have a new email address. If you've been trying to reach her about the Hillside Cooperative, try hillsideproducecooperative@yahoo.com.
Pride of Place – Katya and Odile from Fairview Gardens Farm always create a beautiful organic produce display against a backdrop of pictures from the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens. Wednesday Santa Monica.
Chef Mark Peel of Campanile (second from right) served up a mountain of grilled cheese sandwiches (gruyere, marinated onions, optional charcuterie) with the help of students from the Art Institute of California’s Culinary Arts Program and market volunteers. It was a fitting end to April, the official Grilled Cheese Month.
Golden Sweet – multiple varieties of organic tangerines from Mud Cree Ranch, including Honey, Pixie, Sequoia Gold, Tahoe gold and Daisy. Other tangerines are still available from Garcia Organic, Polito, and other farmers. Mud Creek also sells thin sliced dried tangerines that can be eaten as chips, dried persimmons and dried Blenheim apricots. Wednesday Santa Monica, Sunday Hollywood.
Future Farmer – Tomato plants and a basket of strawberries make a front porch garden for a farmer to be.
Also at the markets: Japanese tomatoes and hydroponic cucumbers from Yasutomi Farm. Wednesday & Saturday Santa Monica, Tuesday & Saturday Torrance, Sunday Hollywood & Palos Verde.
If you're looking for something different for your child this summer, think about the Kitchen Kid Summer Camp. The kids take a trip to the Santa Monica Farmers Market and participate in an Organic Iron Chef Challenge.
What a surprise! Today we were taping some interviews in the studio and Todd from the White on Rice Couple stopped by and handed us bag full of goodies: sausage spring rolls and delicious fried balls of mochi with sesame seeds. They hit the spot during a long day of interviews. Thanks, WORC!
I'm headed to New York City this weekend to make a dish for the James Beard Media Awards Dinner. I'm taking with me my toothbrush, chef's jacket and 50 pounds of caramelized onions.
After talking to Mark McClusky last week about the convergence of food and technology, I found this site: Group Recipes. It's part social networking, part epicurean showcase. It's a lot of fun browsing the recipes (they have a heritage recipe section!) and "people watching." If you've used this site, let me know what you think. Comment below.
Beginning this Sunday communities across the country are hosting bake sales to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliates. It's part of the Bake for Hope project.
Support the effort at the Hollywood Farmers Market this Sunday from 8am - 1pm.
Bon Appetit!
Spinach & Buratta Lasagna
Serves 4
1 lb of dried lasagna
2 medium leeks
2 bunches of spinach
1 lb of burratta
1/2 cup of fresh-grated parmesan cheese
chives
Pre-heat oven to 400
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add a splash of oil. Drop in the lasagna and boil 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the sheets from sticking to each other. When lasagna is still a bit underdone, drain and lay on a tea towel to dry.
Trim root ends and dark green leaves from leeks. Split lengthwise and rinse under running water. Chop into one-inch pieces.
Dump the spinach in a sinkful of water. Trim off stems and drain leaves in a colander.
Melt 4 Tbsps of butter in a large saucepan. Add leeks and cook over low heat for a few minutes until softened but not browned.
Raise heat. Add the spinach a handful at a time, turning with tongs. Cook until wilted but still green. Salt and pepper. Remove with tongs and drain in a strainer and squeeze gently to remove excess liquid.
Rub the inside of an au gratin dish with butter. Put a layer of spinach on the bottom. Slice burratta and using your fingers, top the spinach with thumbnail-size pieces. Lay a sheet of lasagna on top. Sprinkle with parmesan.
Continue to stack the spinach, burratta, lasagna and parmesan until you end up with about four layers. You may need to make two stacks, side by side. Top final layer with lasagna. Dot with burratta, sprinkle with parmesan and place in the oven.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese bubbles and the lasagna is slightly browned.
Garnish with chopped chives and serve.
CellarWise Wine Pairing
lasagna might bring to mind red, but the absence of a red sauce here takes this in a different direction. The richness of the dish calls for acidity, and the spinach/leek combo favors a white with a mineral personality. I’ve recommended in the past the dry Chenin Blancs of an excellent Loire Valley co-op, Cave des Vignerons de Saumur, and the wines should be splendid here. They are bone dry with excellent minerality. They produce enough wine that you should be able to find examples in your local fine wine shop, so look for any of their stunning ‘07s. Two single site wines of note are the “Les Pouches” and “Lieu-dits Les Epinats” but they also offer several other wines including a commune-level bottling simply labeled “Chenin Blanc Saumur”. The wines have a slight hint of onion skin on the palate that seems just right for the leeks. Nothing in the range tops $12, making me inclined to not clutter this match with other options. If you haven’t tried these wines, let this dish open the door.
Gardens of Gratitude hopes to reach their goal of 100 edible gardens across the Westside of L.A. If you need a kick-start on your herb garden, kitchen garden, or even help converting your entire lawn into an edible oasis, check out the Gardens of Gratitude event on May 16 & 17. Register your location, get the materials and a crew will help you reach your goal. If you're a gardener, grab your spade and help out. More information here.
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