Black Girl Chef’s Whites

It seems like I have picked at least a hundred pounds of Meyer lemons off my trees, yet every time I look at them they are still loaded with fruit! I’m not complaining about it though.  I love these lemons, and their versatility.  Their scent is floral,  sweet and totally intoxicating.  Their taste is sublime.  Just like I did as a child, my daughter will eat them right off the tree.  I love my lemons.

But what to do with my abundance of lemons?  Lemon curd, preserved lemons, cookies, cakes, lemonade, etc. etc. etc.!  All good choices, but I wanted to think outside of the box.  As I was walking into my house I passed my little jalapeno bush.  It is a scraggly, gnarled little plant that always seems to have jalapenos on it!  I don’t feed it, barely water it, but it keeps giving me peppers. Having a toddler preschool aged child, I don’t cook with them as often as I would like, as my daughter tends to yell “Too spicy mommy!”  So I keep the hot sauce and peppers at a minimum these days.

It’s time for those jalapenos to be shown some respect, so I came up with a recipe that features them alongside my beloved lemons.  This lemon and jalapeno relish is a great compliment to fish, chicken or pork.  It can also be spooned over grilled or roasted vegetables.  The fresh citrus bite, along with heat of the jalapeno really brightens flavor.

Organic Meyer Lemon and Jalapeno Relish

1 1/2 TB finely grated Meyer lemon zest

2 small jalapenos, extra small dice

2 TB pine nuts

2 TB lemon olive oil

1 tsp Za’atar spice*

1/2 tsp sea salt

juice of one Meyer lemon

In the picture below you can see how fine the zest is grated, and how small the jalapenos are diced.  This is important so your mouth is not overwhelmed by either the citrus or the heat of the pepper.  If you do not have a microplane zester, chop the lemon zest as fine as you can with a knife.

I call for a lemon olive oil, but the actual oil I used is a specialty olive oil from O & Co that is flavored with clementines and lemons.  The citrus flavor is so intense and fresh, and is an excellent drizzling oil.

In a small bowl, combine the zest, diced jalapenos, olive oil, Za’atar spice, salt and lemon juice.

In a small skillet over a medium high flame, toast the pine nuts.

Pine nuts can go from raw to burned seemingly at the speed of light, so be careful while toasting them.  I know how quickly they can burn, and I still burned the first batch!  Do Not Walk Away From The Stove While Toasting Pine Nuts!

Let the pine nuts cool, then add them to the relish.  At this point let the relish sit for a couple of hours to let the flavors meld.  The relish is best eaten within a couple of days, so make it when you know you will use it.  I sauteed a salmon fillet, and spooned the relish over it.  Very tasty, indeed!

*Za’atar spice can be found at Middle Eastern markets, or ordered online at Vanns Spices.  You can also make your own from recipes found online, such as this one from About.com.

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Freshly Picked Organic Tomatoes

Some of the best things about summer are stone fruits, melons, and freshly picked tomatoes.  I won’t even eat tomatoes in the winter, because they taste like cotton.  And that’s if you’re lucky.

My neighbors Kate and Marc have a great organic garden in their back yard, and recently shared a huge bowl of tomatoes with me.  Unfortunately this was because they had evacuated for the week because of the horrible Station Fire here in Southern California.  My family had also left, but we were back in the house when Marc had to come back for a day.  He shared this incredible bounty with us before heading back out of town to be with his family.

Being a food blogger, the first thing I had to do was take a picture.  Then being a chef I began to think of what to make with all those tomatoes!  Hmmmmm, a lovely and colorful salad? Tomato sauce? Tomato soup?  Ah Ha!  (cue lightbulb above head) A lovely and colorful tomato soup…no make that bisque!  These beauties deserved a little extra, and bisque has that little extra something.

Then the chef took over again, and I decided to expand the flavor profile further by slow roasting the tomatoes with shallots and basil. Once I had that intense flavor base, then I knew I could do these tomatoes justice.

Tomatoes and shallots ready to be roasted

I kept the tomatoes whole, with the exception of the larger roma tomatoes. I sliced and added a very large shallot, sprinkled some dried basil and drizzled some olive oil, and they were ready to go into the oven.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes and Shallots

Two hours later, the tomatoes and shallots were soft and fragrant.  At this point if you were not interested in making bisque, you can serve these tomatoes over cooked chicken or pork, as a bruscetta topping, or even tossed into pasta or a green salad.

Slow Roasted Organic Tomato Bisque

About 4 cups of organic cherry tomatoes or larger tomatoes halved or quartered

1 large shallot, sliced + 1 TB chopped shallot

1 1/2 tsp dried basil, divided

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup shredded or diced carrots

1 tsp sea salt, divided

1/4 tsp dried thyme

2 cups vegetable stock

1 cup water

2 cups half & half

1/2 cup dry sherry

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 200 degrees F.  On large sheet pan spread tomatoes, sliced shallot, 1 tsp dried basil and olive oil.  Roast for about 2 hours, until soft and carmelized.

In a large deep pot over medium heat, add the oil from the roasted tomatoes. Saute the chopped shallots, carrots, remaining 1/2 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp sea salt for 3-4 minutes, until softened.  Add the roasted tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes for flavors to meld.

Cooking carrots, shallots and roasted tomatoes

Add the vegetable stock and water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer the vegetables for 30 minutes, until very soft.  Carefully transfer the vegetables to a food processor, and puree until very smooth.  If needed, do this in smaller batches.  Wipe out the pot if there are seeds or skins inside, then return the puree to the pot.

Over low heat, stir in the sherry, half & half, remaining 1/2 tsp sea salt and pepper.  Simmer (do not let it boil) bisque for 5 minutes.  Adjust seasoning to your taste if needed.

Roasted Tomato Bisque

I had a bit of a garnish FAIL, as I forgot to pick some fresh basil while at a friends house for a Labor Day BBQ (lots of wine, hot sun, whatever…) But I did manage to get a dollop of sour cream on top, which I recommend for this savory slow roasted organic tomato bisque.

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real food, real farmers, real community

Local Harvest is a great resource for cooks and anyone interested in sourcing locally grown foods in their communities.  According to their website  you can find farmer’s markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.

When you get to the home page of Local Harvest you can enter your zip code and get a listing of local farmer’s markets, farms, honey producers, produce stands, etc.  There are almost two million farms in the USA, and about 80% of those are small farms.  Many of these small farms are also family owned.  These farmers are not huge, government subsidized, agri-business farms, just regular people trying to grow the best product they can. These farmers sell their products through farmer’s markets, food co-ops, farm stands and CSA, which stand for Community Supported Agriculture.

With CSA you buy “shares”  or memberships from a local farmer, and you then receive a box of produce each week as it is harvested.  CSAs can also include the option for shareholders to buy shares of eggs, homemade bread, meat, cheese, fruit, flowers or other farm products along with their veggies. According to Local Harvest, the advantages of CSA include;

Advantages for farmers:

• Get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin
• Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm’s cash flow
• Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow

Advantages for consumers:

• Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
• Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
• Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
• Find that kids typically favor food from “their” farm – even veggies they’ve never been known to eat
• Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown

Local Harvest also offers a store where you can buy products from farmers all over the USA, who also offer their wares to local customers.  These include produce, meat, soap and body care, flowers, pet products, honey, seeds, herbs, preserves, wool and fibers, gift baskets and so much more.

Local Harvest is a website that should be bookmarked by everyone interested in locally sourced products.  Buying locally saves on transportation costs, which is environmentally responsible.  Most produce in the US is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed on supermarket shelves, and is shipped for an average of 1500 miles before being sold.  When you buy local your food will be fresher, and you will know exactly where it comes from.

http://www.localharvest.org/

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Today, first lady Michelle Obama will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the new White House organic vegetable garden, the first since Eleanor Roosevelt’s World War II victory garden.

The garden will have a twofold purpose; to provide organic vegetables to the White House kitchen and to help educate children about healthful, locally grown fruits and vegetables.  In an interview given to The New York Times,  Mrs. Obama said, “My hope is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.”

Students from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington will help tend the 1,100-square-foot plot.  The school has had their own garden since 2001, and the students will help plant, harvest and cook the vegetables, berries and herbs.

The garden will include 55 kinds of vegetables and fruits, chosen from a wish list put together by White House chefs. There will also be two hives for honey tended by a White House carpenter who is also a beekeeper. The chefs will use the produce to feed the first family, as well as for state dinners.

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