Kicking Off Farmers' Market Season With Some Farmers' Market Finds

This post was sponsored by Welch's. All opinions are my own.


You guys should know by now that I loooooove farmers' markets. When we lived in Somerville, I used to be able to plan it so I could go to a different one each day of the week. Now that we're out in West Roxbury, I don't have markets close enough to swing by one every day, but the Roslindale Village Main Street Farmers' Market is my go-to on Saturday mornings. Last year, when I was new to the Roslindale farmers' market scene, I didn't have high expectations but my very first visit proved that I totally should have. The Roslindale Village Main Street Farmers' Market is huge and has tons of great vendors showcasing all sorts of awesome products. There's produce from farms including Allandale and Brookwood, specialty products like Heirloom Kitchen's prepared meals, and even things like soaps and ceramics.

This past Saturday, in addition to scoping out the market on opening day and visiting the usual vendors, I had the opportunity to sample the new Farmer's Pick by Welch's® juices.

Fairy Tale Flatbread

I found the most adorable eggplants at Wilson Farm. They're called Fairy Tale eggplants, and they are miniature and mostly purple with white stripes. They look like something straight out of a fairy tale. I can imagine them growing around Cinderella's pumpkin coach.

I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do with the Fairy Tale eggplants, but after making homemade sauce for the pot roast I posted yesterday, I thought a pizza or flatbread would be a good idea. To add extra flavor to the eggplants, I decided to toss them with za'atar and roast them before topping the flatbread with them.

Fairy Tale Flatbread

Ingredients

5 Fairy Tale eggplants, quartered lengthwise, ends trimmed
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon za'atar
1/2 recipe homemade pizza dough (see below)
1/4 cup homemade sauce (or store-bought)
2 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced and torn in small pieces
5 large basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pizza stone on bottom rack of oven to preheat.

Line a baking sheet with foil.

Sprinkle eggplant with salt, and place on sheet pan. Toss eggplant with olive oil and za'atar. Bake 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Remove eggplant from oven, and raise heat to 425 degrees. Carefully remove pizza stone, and place on cooling rack.

Stretch pizza dough by patting it into a disk. Then pick the dough up with one hand so it hangs vertically over your work surface. Rotate the dough using your hands, and then rotate the disk over your knuckles. Place the stretched dough carefully on the hot stone, and stretch it a little more with your fingers. The dough will get a little melty from the heat of the stone, and you should be able to patch any tears or holes with your fingers.

Pre-bake the dough for 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the stone back to the cooling rack, and spread the sauce over the dough. It's easiest to do this with the back of a spoon.

Top with mozzarella, basil, and eggplant.

Bake the flatbread for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and dough is crisp. Let cool slightly, cut, and serve.

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Pizza Dough (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Ingredients

2 cups King Arthur Italian-Style Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
About 1/2 cup warm water

Preparation

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Stir in the olive oil, and then stir in the water (if dough doesn't come together, add a little more water).

Turn the shaggy mass onto your countertop, and knead it until smooth and shiny. I kneaded without flour, but if you have to use flour, just use a very little bit.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

You'll need half of the dough for this recipe. Use the remaining dough for another flatbread or pizza, or double-wrap it in plastic and freeze it for another time.

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For the most efficient use of time, make the dough, and after it has been rising for 30 minutes, start preparing the eggplant. By the time you're done cooking the eggplant, the dough should be ready to use.

I ate half of the flatbread for dinner the night I made it and then reheated the other half in the toaster oven for lunch the next day. The tender texture of the za'atar-tossed eggplant was the perfect contrast to the crisp, crunchy flatbread. While homemade tomato sauce is not necessary, I loved knowing that much of this flatbread was composed of ingredients I'd found at Wilson Farm and my local farmers' market.

What have you found at the farmers' market or grocery store lately that has inspired a recent meal?

Wilson Farm Tomato Festival

I've probably already said it a million times, but one of my favorite things about this time of year is the abundance of heirloom tomatoes at local farms and markets. I love getting a bunch of different kinds, sprinkling them with a little salt, and sampling them, taking note of the differences and nuances of each variety. I also love incorporating them in fresh summer salads and sauces. Something about knowing the tomatoes have been grown locally makes them taste even better to me.

This weekend there are several tomato festivals going on in the area. We're at the peak of tomato season, so this is no surprise. While I would have liked to visit all of the tomato festivals, I had to hold myself back a little, and I chose to check out the tomato festival at Wilson Farm.

Wilson Farm is about a 20- to 30-minute drive from us, and we've stopped by occasionally ever since I learned of the farm last summer. Even though Jeff doesn't love tomatoes the way I do, he was a good sport and agreed to check out the tomato festival with me. We arrived at the farm and parked across the street in the overflow parking lot, as the regular lot was already filling up.

As soon as we walked into the farm stand, I picked out a basil plant (which I am really hoping I can keep alive) and then we were greeted by Pete, who does promotions, creative, and advertising for Wilson Farm. Realizing that Pete and I have been corresponding on Twitter and through email for a while now, I introduced myself. Pete offered to show us around and walked us through the farm stand, pointing out all the samples of tomato dishes that were set up.

I asked if Chef Todd, who I've also been corresponding with on Twitter but had never met, might be around, and Pete brought us down to the kitchen. On the way, we passed the animal barn, where goats, hens, and even a llama live. The kitchen was bustling, but Chef Todd came right over to say hi and offered to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the farm.

We started by checking out his personal garden, which he started to grow some interesting herbs for his in-the-field dinners. The garden was filled with lemongrass, lavender, a strong variety of cilantro, nasturtiums (which he used to make nasturtium butter), and more.

Next we got to check out where the produce is stored. There's even a special refrigerator set at the perfect temperature for storing tomatoes (although they tend to fly off the shelves and don't need to be stored for long).

We also saw the bakery, which was one of my favorite parts of the tour. They have a walk-in oven! I've never seen such a thing before. Basically, baking sheets are loaded on a speed rack, and then the rack is wheeled into the oven, where it clips in, and is constantly gently rotated.

Some of the bakers were decorating cakes when we walked through, and we got to see some really creative cakes that had been decorated that morning and were awaiting pickup.

I couldn't help snapping a picture of these beautiful tomato-topped pizzas on our way through.

After that Chef Todd had to get back to the kitchen, but Pete continued showing us around. We walked out to the greenhouses, which will soon be full of poinsettias in preparation for the holidays. Right now there's tons of basil out there, and the smell of basil just permeated the air.

From there we could also look out on the fields and see all the crops. Did you know that Wilson Farm sells to grocery stores like Stop & Shop and Russo's? I had no idea. The produce isn't labeled as being from Wilson Farm, but you'll definitely find their stuff there.

Pete also explained that they actually grow flowers in the field to encourage the bees to come so vegetable plants like squash blossoms are more likely to get pollinated.

That concluded the tour, and we thanked Pete for showing us around and headed back out to the farm stand to sample the tomato goodies.

I tried a few varieties of tomatoes (Yellow Brandywine, Jetsetters) and paired them with fresh mozzarella  and maple basil vinaigrette.

Then I moseyed over to the prepared foods and sampled a tomato casserole (so good I brought the recipe home), some guacamole, and tomato gazpacho.

As we wandered around buying groceries, we also sampled melon and peaches.

I, of course, had to pick up some tomatoes to bring home. I think these Costoluto Genovese tomatoes are gorgeous.

I also got a Yellow Brandywine and a bunch of cherry tomatoes.

These days, I always have flowers on the brain because that's the point we're at with our wedding planning, and I ended up snapping a bunch of pictures of flowers I might want to include in the wedding bouquets and decor.

We had quite a full morning and left with a lot of great produce and other ingredients for meals this week. I even found some fresh basil and summer squash linguine.

A huge thank you to Pete and Todd for taking the time to show us around.

If you love tomatoes and have a little free time, the Wilson Farm Tomato Festival will be running from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow. Wilson Farm is located at 10 Pleasant Street in Lexington, Mass.

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Also, while we're on the subject of farms and local food, the Third Annual Urban-Ag Fair will be held in Harvard Square on September 18, 2011. There will be samples of local fare, cooking demonstrations, music, a beer garden and more. Check it out if you're around!

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What local farms have you been visiting, or what local foods have you been enjoying?

Deconstructed Eggplant Parmesan

I've never made deconstructed anything before -- at least not intentionally. But I had plans to make eggplant parmesan at the same time a recipe for deconstructed eggplant parmesan showed up on NYTimes.com, so I figured I'd give it a whirl.

A deconstructed dish typically takes all of the elements of the original dish apart and puts them together in a new way. With that in mind, I made some changes to the NYTimes.com recipe -- the main one being that I didn't use any ricotta because I never use ricotta when I make eggplant parmesan. It seemed like an odd addition. I would use ricotta in lasagna but not in my chicken or eggplant parmesan. The other changes had more to do with the cooking method or ingredients I happened to have available.

Deconstructed Eggplant Parmesan (adapted from NYTimes.com)

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, sliced in 1/4-inch thick rounds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
Black pepper
Olive oil for frying (about 3/4 cup)
5 garlic cloves
1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes, diced
4 sprigs oregano
3 sprigs basil, plus extra leaves for garnish
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/4 cup panko
Shredded mozzarella, for topping

Preparation

Season the eggplant slices with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and place them in a colander set over a bowl. Let stand 10 minutes, then pat dry with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper.

Working in batches, heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add as much eggplant as will fit in the skillet in one layer, and cook for 4 minutes. Flip the eggplant slices, and cook them for another 3 to 4 minutes, until dark golden brown. Transfer slices to a paper towel-lined plate, and repeat with remaining eggplant slices, adding more oil as necessary.

Reduce heat to medium and add or remove some oil until there's about 3 tablespoons in the skillet.

Smash and peel 4 garlic cloves, and add them to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown.

Carefully add the tomatoes. (The oil may sputter a little.) Then add the oregano, and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in the basil sprigs and 4 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

While the sauce simmers (or while the eggplant is frying if you like multitasking), in a small skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mince 1 garlic clove, and add the garlic to the skillet along with the panko. Toast until panko is golden brown, stirring frequently. Turn off heat, and stir in 1 tablespoon Parmesan and a pinch of salt.

Remove the oregano and basil sprigs and smashed garlic from the sauce.

Arrange the eggplant on a platter (or on plates to make individual servings), and top with the sauce. Toss the panko mixture and then some mozzarella on top, and garnish with basil.

I actually planned to make the eggplant parmesan to bring for lunch at work, so I ended up taking the deconstructed elements and building them into stacks in my lunch containers.

Have you made a deconstructed version of anything?