|
|
|
Attend a cooking class at Studio of Good Living in San Francisco and you’ll soon discover a new world full of culinary adventures. More than just a cooking school, the Studio of Good Living shares the art of living well with all its students!
Studio of Good Living offers exceptional cooking classes and events in the Bay Area and Beyond. Want to learn how to cook or brush up on your cooking skills? Take a class with us! Escape to San Francisco for a Taste of San Francisco or indulge yourself with Cook, Shop, Spa. Burned out? Drop into Live Well, Eat Well for yoga lovers. Continue the journey with the Art of Dinner Blog and view our video classes for new ideas to spice up your dinner table. . Need a change of scenery? Join us for a total culinary and lifestyle retreat in beautiful Maine. Discover the possibilities with Chef Phoebe Schilla and the Studio of Good Living. Life is Beautiful by Design.
I’m really excited about a new project that I am putting in place. I’ll be doing cooking demonstrations at one of the Farmer’s Markets in San Francisco twice a month this summer. You know all those lovely veggies at the farmer’s market that you have never seen before and haven’t a clue how to prepare? I’ll be on hand to answer any food related and cooking questions you may have. I’ll be doing cooking demonstrations using vegetables and products exclusively from the market. I will also be selling my first product at the market too!
Selling a product and doing cooking demos at the market is far more complicated than it sounds. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and I finally think that I am ready. I have to find a commercial kitchen (got one, natch.), navigate the San Francisco Department of Public Health, change my liability insurance to cover the farmer’s market space and the commercial kitchen rental….it’s a lot. It’s why I have put off creating a product for so long. It’s time though. I’m looking at this as a test run. If it doesn’t work out, that’s okay. Vendor licenses have to be renewed every 90 days in San Francisco so it is a short term (although pricey) investment. My assistant and right hand, Justine, will be partnering with me on this adventure.
I’m particularly pleased that I will be doing cooking demonstrations in the community. I passionately believe that we need to support our local farmers and in doing so, our local economy. In this modern world of facebook, email and skype we need to have more family connections around a dinner table filled with authentic foods and smells. Food nourishes us and has the power to enrich our lives. I want to share with you how to best utilize your time in the kitchen so that you have more time for yourself, your family and your friends. Cooking for yourself and your family can be like homework. You may moan and groan about it, but you feel good once it is done and you can enjoy the fruits of your labor (in this case a good meal and not a good grade on a test!)
I will be sure to keep you updated as things move along. Wish me luck!!
Phoebe
I have to tell you it is much easier to get to the Farmer’s Market first thing in the morning when you have a baby. Once the baby is up there is not a chance of going back to bed for hours. Pre-baby, I was solely a mid-morning farmer’s market kind of gal. There is a beauty to getting up early in the morning, but for me that beauty exists during the week. Surely Saturday and Sunday were made to sleep it right? Wrong.
We finally started going to the Alemany Farmer’s market last week. I was surprised to find out that it is the oldest Farmer’s Market in California. It’s been in operation since 1943. Pretty cool, huh? There is a fabulous selection of produce available. For me, it is always overwhelming the first few times that I go to a new farmers market and it takes me forever to shop. First, I have to do a walk through and gauge what’s available, who’s certified organic, who has the cool weird (generally asian) stuff, who looks friendly, who is busy and who is not. Let me tell you—it is a challenge when I go by myself and this time I had the baby strapped to my chest and my husband following a discreet 10 paces behind me. The standouts were the walnut vendor and the date vendor. There were varieties of dates and walnuts that I had never heard of before! So exciting…it makes me want to buy a quarter pound of everything I haven’t tried before and do a comparative tasting. I limited myself to two varieties of dates–Blurry Black and Deglet Noor. I love to snack on dates—so yummy and sweet and good for you! For next week I have my eye on some red walnuts and I am busy researching walnut recipes to justify my purchase of these ‘red’ walnuts that are $9/pound.
Tonight we are having a farmer’s market dinner. I got home from yoga and threw together a quiche with swiss chard, oyster mushrooms and leeks all from the market. Mashed garnet yams on the side. It’s easy, quick and delicious dinner, especially if you have frozen pie crust in the freezer.
Here’s my basic quiche recipe, but mix it up and put in the vegetables that you like and have on hand.
Phoebe’s Farmer’s Market Quiche
Preheat the oven to 375F
(1) 9” pie crust
1 bunch of swiss chard, leaves separated from the stem and washed
3 small leeks, use white and light green parts only
¼ # mushrooms, I used oyster, but you can use whatever you have or skip it completely.
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
3 eggs
1 ½ cup milk
½ cup grated cheese. I used gruyere which is traditional for a quiche, but you are welcome to use other varieties such as cheddar, Monterey jack etc.
- Press the pie crust into the pie plate and set aside in the fridge.
- Slice the leeks and chop the swiss chard
- Clean the mushrooms, and melt the butter in a saute pan. Brown the mushrooms in butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Browning the mushrooms adds a really nice layer of flavor.
- Heat the olive oil in a second pan and saute the sliced leeks. Add the swiss chard, stir so that it starts to wilt. Add ½ cup water and cover.
- Once the swiss chard has wilted and it tender, add the mushrooms and set aside.
- Combine the milk, cheese and eggs.
- Place the sautéed filling ingredients in your chilled pie shell.
- Pour the milk mixture over the filling and give it a gentle stir. (more of a poke then a stir—you just want to make sure that everything is evenly distributed.)
- Bake for about 35 minutes, until it is puffed, golden and jiggles ever so slightly in the center.
- Remove from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes or so, slice and enjoy!
I have to tell you it is much easier to get to the Farmer’s Market first thing in the morning when you have a baby. Once the baby is up there is not a chance of going back to bed for hours. Pre-baby, I was solely a mid-morning farmer’s market kind of gal. There is a beauty to getting up early in the morning, but for me that beauty exists during the week. Surely Saturday and Sunday were made to sleep it right? Wrong. We finally started going to the Alemany Farmer’s market last week. I was surprised to find out that it is the oldest Farmer’s Market in California. It’s been in operation since 1943. Pretty cool, huh? There is a fabulous selection of produce available. For me, it is always overwhelming the first few times that I go to a new farmers market and it takes me forever to shop. First, I have to do a walk through and gauge what’s available, who’s certified organic, who has the cool weird (generally asian) stuff, who looks friendly, who is busy and who is not. Let me tell you—it is a challenge when I go by myself and this time I had the baby strapped to my chest and my husband following a discreet 10 paces behind me. The standouts were the walnut vendor and the date vendor. There were varieties of dates and walnuts that I had never heard of before! So exciting…it makes me want to buy a quarter pound of everything I haven’t tried before and do a comparative tasting. I limited myself to two varieties of dates–Blurry Black and Deglet Noor. I love to snack on dates—so yummy and sweet and good for you! For next week I have my eye on some red walnuts and I am busy researching walnut recipes to justify my purchase of these ‘red’ walnuts that are $9/pound.
Tonight we are having a farmer’s market dinner. I got home from yoga and threw together a quiche with swiss chard, oyster mushrooms and leeks all from the market. Mashed garnet yams on the side. It’s easy, quick and delicious dinner, especially if you have frozen pie crust in the freezer.
Here’s my basic quiche recipe, but mix it up and put in the vegetables that you like and have on hand.
Phoebe’s Farmer’s Market Quiche
Preheat the oven to 375F
(1) 9” pie crust
1 bunch of swiss chard, leaves separated from the stem and washed
3 small leeks, use white and light green parts only
¼ # mushrooms, I used oyster, but you can use whatever you have or skip it completely.
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
3 eggs
1 ½ cup milk
½ cup grated cheese. I used gruyere which is traditional for a quiche, but you are welcome to use other varieties such as cheddar, Monterey jack etc.
- Press the pie crust into the pie plate and set aside in the fridge.
- Slice the leeks and chop the swiss chard
- Clean the mushrooms, and melt the butter in a saute pan. Brown the mushrooms in butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Browning the mushrooms adds a really nice layer of flavor.
- Heat the olive oil in a second pan and saute the sliced leeks. Add the swiss chard, stir so that it starts to wilt. Add ½ cup water and cover.
- Once the swiss chard has wilted and it tender, add the mushrooms and set aside.
- Combine the milk, cheese and eggs.
- Place the sautéed filling ingredients in your chilled pie shell.
- Pour the milk mixture over the filling and give it a gentle stir. (more of a poke then a stir—you just want to make sure that everything is evenly distributed.)
- Bake for about 35 minutes, until it is puffed, golden and jiggles ever so slightly in the center.
- Remove from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes or so, slice and enjoy!
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=3535d681-25d2-4eab-9455-3a329057758f)
It’s amazing to me how much the locavore movement has taken root in just a few years. This morning, in the crowded ‘oh my god, it’s two days before Thanksgiving’ grocery store panic I heard people repeatedly asking ‘Is this organic? Where does it come from?’ It’s great to see such interest in where our food is coming from. I really believe that we are in the midst of a food revolution. I see more of an emphasis on family meals, local products and cooking for oneself. I think it is fantastic and hope that we continue with this trend for a long time.
At the Farmer’s Market, persimmons and pomegranates are both in season. They work extraordinarily well together in the following salad recipe. I love the red of the pomegranate, the orange of the persimmon and the green of the lettuce on the plate. There are two types of persimmons available in the marketplace right now: Fuyu and Hachiyas. Fuyus are firm, squat and round. They are meant to be eaten out of hand, like an apple. Hachiyas are only edible when they are very soft and are best used for puddings and baked goods.
Persimmon and Pomegranate salad with Butter Lettuce
From Joyce Goldstein’s Mediterranean Fresh
Serves 6
2 heads of butter lettuce, leaves separated
3 ripe Fuyu persimmon, peeled and cut into wedges
Seeds of 1 large pomegranate (about a cup)
1/2c pomegranate and nut oil dressing made with hazelnut oil (recipe follows)
¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped for garnish
Combine the lettuce, persimmons and pomegranate seeds in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Serve immediately, topped with toasted nuts.
Pomegranate and nut oil dressing
Mediterranean Fresh by Joyce Goldstein
4 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Hazelnut oil
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Whisk the ingredients together and add salt to taste.
Enjoy!
Eggplant is a vegetable that inspires passionate feelings amongst eaters. People either love it or hate it, with no in between. I love the silky soft texture of a well cooked eggplant dish. I also love eggplant parmesan, but what’s not to love about fried food topped with spicy tomato sauce and gooey fresh mozzarella? There are many different varieties of eggplant. Thai eggplant is small, round and green with lots of tiny seeds. It is typically used in Thai Green Curries, but I have also made an incendiary Thai style Baba Ganoush with these little green beauties. Indian eggplant is a small purple oval—you’ll find these in Vindaloos and curries. Japanese eggplant is long, slender and dark purple. Grilled and glazed with miso these are delightful. The list goes on. Whatever type of eggplant you are purchasing, make sure that the flesh is smooth, firm and unblemished. Eggplants are high in dietary fiber and are a good source of vitamin B1, B6 and potassium. (Source: The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, by Michael Murray, ND) Eggplants are versatile, and can be baked, fried, steamed, broiled, grilled etc. I had an excess of eggplants in my Farmer’s Market basket last week which meant that yesterday was eggplant day in our house. I made two eggplant dishes; an eggplant gratin and an eggplant stew with chickpeas, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes. While the stew was good, spicy and full of cumin, the gratin was fabulous—softly textured, almost pudding like in consistency punctuated with the a top note of fresh basil, it was comforting and delicious. I’ll definitely make it again. The recipe comes from Deborah Madison’s “Local Flavors” Cookbook. Leftovers are great for lunch with a green salad and piece of fresh fruit.
An Eggplant Gratin (Adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison)
Serves 6
2 ½# eggplant, any variety, peeled if white or you don’t like the peel.
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil, about 1/3 of a cup
1 or 2 onions, sliced
4 eggs
1 cup of milk or cram
1 cup of grated Parmesan
10 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Preheat the oven to 350F. Oil a 2 quart gratin dish (I used a 9 x 13” pan and that worked beautifully.) Cut the eggplants into rounds about a ½” think. Salt if you want to and set aside.
Saute the onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, until they are soft and golden. Set aside.
Beat the eggs with the milk, stir in the cheese, ¾ tsp salt and pepper.
If you salted the eggplant, rinse and pat dry. Heat ½ of the oil in the skillet and saute the eggplant in batches, adding more oil as necessary. Cook the eggplant over medium heat until golden.
Layer the golden eggplant in the baking dish. Top with onions and basil. Pour the custard over the top. Bake until firm and puffed, 30-40 minutes. Cool before serving.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=ba35475d-c54a-4b7e-854b-6165dc44be3c)
 Growing up in New England in the seventies, long before the gourmet revolution, the best vegetables were the ones that you grew yourself or purchased at the local farmstand. These days I do not have the time, space or inclination to grow my own food, so I do what many of us do and shop at the farmer’s market as often as I can. It’s a great way to support the local economy and the small time farmer. In return you really do get the best and freshest produce available. Right now, spring vegetables rock. We have been eating tons of vibrant, slightly bitter asparagus, sugar snap peas that are candy-like in their sweetness, and green garlic so tender the individual cloves have not hardened yet. I love this time of year. I especially appreciate all of the vegetables after months of hearty winter fare and I typically switch to eating vegetarian several times a week. I love risotto. My husband loves risotto–it’s a great vehicle for veggies, but it’s really tough to stand at the stove and stir constantly for 45 minutes. Instead of a traditional risotto made with arborio or carnaroli rice, I make a shortcut risotto style dish with barley. Barley is a nutritious ancient grain. It has a nutty, chewy flavor, is widely available and very inexpensive. One cup of dry barley yields over 3 cups cooked. I parcook the barley for 35-40 minutes, in stock or salted water, and prep my vegetables while the barley is cooking.
Farmer’s Market Spring Barley Risotto
1c. of Pearl Barley (If you are really in a rush, you can use flaked barley, which cooks in about 20 minutes. Farro would also be a good substitute and also cooks in about 20 minutes.)
4 c. of stock or water to cook the barley
1c-1 1/2c. water or stock to finish the barley
1 bunch of green garlic, about four heads with greens attached. Remove any papery skin on the outside of the green garlic bulb, trim the roots and lop off the tops of the green garlic. Quarter the heads and slice the stems.
1 bunch of Asparagus (about a pound), the tough bottom stalks snapped off–about three inches– and the remainder sliced into 1 inch lengths.
a handful of snap peas or other green vegetable,
a good sized handful of baby spinach, chopped or sliced into strips. *swiss chard works too, just pull off the leaves and save the stalks for soup.
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. white wine
1/2c. parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp. lemon zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the barley in a soup pot and pour the four cups of water or stock over. Season the cooking liquid with salt. Set on the stove top and bring to a high simmer. Let the barley simmer away for 35 or 40 minutes. If it starts to dry out, simply add more liquid. Barley is a really forgiving grain. It’s difficult to overcook, so don’t worry too much about it. While the barley is cooking, prep the vegetables. Be creative with this dish and feel free to use up leftovers from the fridge. Ham, roast chicken or duck confit are all welcome additions to be diced and folded in at the last minute. Melt the butter in a wide saute pan or stock pot. Add the green garlic quarters and the sliced stems. Saute for three or four minutes, until the slices are translucent. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce by half. While the wine is reducing, drain the barley. Add the drained barley to the wine/garlic mixture. Give it a stir, then add 1 cup of your finishing liquid (stock or water). Bring the barley back up to a simmer and stir in the asparagus. Have your vegetables lined up and ready to go next to the stove. This next part goes quickly and smoothly if you are prepared. When the asparagus starts to turn that bright green ‘cooked’ color, fold in the spinach or swiss chard, and let it wilt. If the barley is starting to dry out, add more liquid a little at a time to moisten. Finish the risotto by folding in the parmesan cheese and the lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy! Serve with a light white wine such as a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. For a fancier presentation, serve in shallow bowls and top with grated parmesan and chopped chives or parsley.
|
|
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=e425cdb0-43d4-43b9-bacc-8c2f8ecc112c)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=8824c866-83a2-4ede-9f19-824ab7dbb7c5)
rss feed