Strawberries: Salsa Style!

Tomorrow I'll be at Green City Market making Strawberry Salsa with the Sprouts. Even if you're busy or too far away to make it, I still want to get you the recipe. It's a quick recipe to brighten up a weeknight dinner.

Seedling's weekly email tells proclaims that this is the strawberry's peak week. To celebrate this, we're eating strawberries every day: in our cereals, in our yogurt, in our smoothies, and in our salsa. Salsa? Yes, salsa. With a bit of red tomato, it partners well with grilled chicken, fish tacos, and even chips. Get it while you can.


Paired with Fish Tacos

Strawberry Salsa
Makes approximately 1 ½ cups

¾ cup strawberries, cut into small dice
½ tomato, cut into small dice
2 tablespoons diced red onion
¼ Serrano chile, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro or mint, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lime juice

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and serve with chips or as a sauce for fish or chicken.

Originally posted in June 2010

On Surgery and Pretzel Chicken and Beer Cheese Sauce

I've always been blessed with good health, which is a good thing generally, but particularly because my husband's had more than his share of health issues, mainly back related. I can claim no major illnesses and with the exception of tubes put into my ears at age 4, no surgeries.

My accidents and incidents have been of the freakish sort, like the iron that fell on my head last summer. Last weekend, I took another trip to the ER for another freak accident. Packing down our kitchen garbage, I stabbed my hand with a broken wine stem. I could blame my husband who'd deposited it in the can the evening before, but I'd seen it when I discarded a bunch of dry cleaner bags on top of it. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten about it by the time I wanted to add more trash to the can. You can bet I remembered it immediately when the glass split my flesh.

Spurting blood, an ambulance ride, and five stitches later, my streak of good luck with good health has ended. Scheduled is my first surgery in 38 years to repair my .common digital nerve. Fortunately, it's my left hand (I'm a righty), but still it's going to be an interesting summer. Well, that is, if I survive. You have to wonder about the doctor from whom I got my second opinion. When asked what the worst case scenario would be if the surgery didn’t turn out as planned, he answered deadpan, “You could die.” Suffice to say, I won’t be using his services.

You can watch me cook one handed twice this week. Tomorrow, I’ll be making Pretzel Chicken with Rarebit Sauce at Taste of Chicago, 2:30pm. On Wednesday, come visit me at Green City Market for my first Sprouts visit of the season.

Pretzel Chicken with Rarebit Sauce
Serves 4

2 cups pretzels, crushed well in a food processor
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
4 chicken cutlets, pounded thin
4 to 5 tablespoons unsalted butter

Rarebit Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worchestire sauce
1/3 cup amber beer
1 cup grated aged cheddar
1 pinch paprika
1 tablespoon chopped chives for garnish

Set three shallow bowls next to one another on the counter. Fill the first with the egg whisked together with the water, the second with flour, and the third with the crushed pretzels.

Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until lightly colored, a few minutes. Whisk in the mustard, the Worcestire sauce and the beer. Cook until thickened about 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.

Heat a non stick sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Dip the chicken first in the flour, then the egg, and then finally the pretzels. Place them in the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until lightly browned. Flip and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and cook until the other side is lightly browned.

While the chicken is cooking, increase the heat under the beer sauce to medium. When warmed, add the cheddar and whisk until smooth. Taste for seasoning. The sauce should be under seasoned given that it will be paired with salty pretzels. Add paprika and stir.

Remove the chicken to individual plates. Sauce and garnish with chives.

Green Eggs and Ham at Green City Market

While spring technically begins in March, it doesn't really spring forth, at least in the Midwest, until April. April is also, as most of you know, Earth Month. Because of what we do at Purple Asparagus, our date book is always full in April with cooking demonstrations, classes and various festivals. On Saturday, we celebrated spring's cautious bounty at Green City Market by making Green Eggs and Ham, a perfect recipe to herald the earth's rebirth.

For centuries, eggs have been a symbol of spring and new life. Combining them with the freshest and most delicate of greens seems only natural. The ham's just a bonus. Readers will recognize this recipe as a lightened up version of deviled eggs thanks to a new trick that Monica Bhide created for Kiwi Magazine. All of the ingredients were locally sourced or grown. Fun to make, fun to eat, the recipe was a big hit among our young Sprouts.


Sprout Elliot who made several Green Eggs and Ham, but did not eat them, because he's a budding vegetarian.

Green Eggs and Ham
Makes 1, increase accordingly

1 hard boiled egg, cut in half
2 teaspoons Greek yogurt or plain yogurt strained through a fine sieve
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1-2 teaspoons green stuff (chopped basil, parsley, chives, green onions, mint, etc.)
pinch salt
2 thin slices of prosciutto (I love Iowa's La Quercia)

Press the egg yolk through a fine sieve. This will loose the egg yolk making it easier to combine it with the other ingredients. Combine the egg yolk with the yogurt, mustard, green stuff and salt. Scoop the mix onto the egg white halves. Wrap each with prosciutto. Enjoy!

Club Sprouts at Green City Market

In the midst of working on my day job, catering, I was desperate to find something to post today. Regular readers may notice that I've been a bit more disciplined about posting here - three times a week. Nevertheless, I hit a wall today after hitting one snag after another in the kitchen. I was so glad then to come across this video that features our work at Green City Market this summer. The recipe, Pear Squared Salad, can be found here.

What's Grows Together, Goes Together: Pear Squared Salad

Searching for inspiration for a new recipe for this week's Green City Market Sprouts presentation, I had to look no further than the market itself. At Leaning Shed, amongst all of the deliciously different tomatoes, I found some lovely pear shaped ones, a little longer than a cherry. Leaving them alone, I walked only a few stands down to find real pears, a little firm, but nothing that a few days on the counter wouldn't cure. Pears and pears together - natural fit but for the fact that I've never seen pears and tomatoes paired. Nevertheless, intrepid was I, I returned to the Shed and bought a bagful. The resulting recipe, Pear Squared Salad, was a huge hit both among the sprouts and their parents.

Pear Squared Salad
Serves 2-4

2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon honey
pinch coriander
pinch cinnamon
pinch kosher salt
1 pear, cored and chopped into small pieces, sprinkled with 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup pear tomatoes, quartered
1/2 teaspoon chopped cilantro

Mix together the first eight ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the pears and the pear tomatoes and sprinkle with cilantro.

Recipes for Green City Market Demo

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my "Meat and Potato" demo today at Green City Market. If you want to try the samosas at home, here's my recipe for the Squash and Bacon Samosa and also for the Cilantro Chutney that I paired with the little dumplings.

Squash and Bacon Samosas

I adapted the samosa dough from Julie Sahni's book Savoring India that she wrote for Williams-Sonoma. Everything I've made from it has been absolutely delicious.


Makes 16 samosas

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water less 1 tablespoon white wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup water
1 1/2 cup Winter squash mash
2 medium boiling potatoes cooked until tender and peeled after cooking
1 bacon slice
½ teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon salt
½ leek, chopped, or 1/2 chopped yellow onion
vegetable oil for deep frying



Mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of wine to a measuring cup and then pour in enough water to equal 2/3 cup liquid. Add the oil to the cup and stir. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry gradually while stirring with a fork. You want the mixture to come together just enough to be kneaded so you may have some liquid left over. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it forms a soft dough. Return the dough to a clean, oiled bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rest for ½ hour. In the meantime, make the filling.

Mash together the squash and potato. Cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon to drain. Add the leek and cook until softened in the bacon fat. Sprinkle on the spices and salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape in mashed potatoes and squash and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Roll the dough out to an 18-inch rope between your fingers.



Cut into 8 even pieces. Working with one at a time, roll a piece into a 6-inch circle. Cut it in half. Add heaping tablespoon of filling to one side. Brush with dissolved cornstarch and form a cone. Seal the edges. When finished with a samosa, set it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, wax paper or silicone pan liner. Repeat with reamining samosas. Samosas can be frozen at this point.

Heat oil in a large, heavy pot until 325º F. Fry for about 7 minutes or until browned. If you're cooking them from the freezer, you will need to cook them a little longer. Drain and serve with cilantro chutney.

Cilantro Chutney
Makes approximately 1 cup

1 ½ cups cilantro leaves
1 ½ tablespoon chopped tropea or other red onion
½ small red chili pepper
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil.

Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.

A Frightful Holiday

The days of ghosts, ghouls and goblins are upon us. The decorations are up, treats bought, and costumes chosen. Halloween is only a week away. The rustling wind and long shadows take on double meaning and every echoing footstep causes me to look over my shoulder these days. Yet the fear that the spirit world inspires cannot compare to that of a parent's dread about the candy high that this week spawns.

Before I go any further, I have to say I'm no candy hater. When we crafted Purple Asparagus' mission statement, we intentionally left out any reference to the word "healthy," but instead talked about good eating. Good eating we felt was a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which left room for sometime foods, candy included. I certainly remember loving Halloween's post-trick-or-treating where I inspected my loot, organizing it and rationing it out. I think that the big difference is, like most everything these days, a matter of degree. I would travel a 3-4 block radius in a suburban neighborhood and come home with the same amount of candy that my son gathers in one small 1/2 city block. Back then, I got one piece a house. Nowadays, people throw handfuls of the stuff like beads off of Mardi Gras floats. Then there are the parties, school and otherwise with goodie bags stocked full of candy. Boxes of treats are sent from relatives near and far. I know that my son's body will recover from a jolt of sugar shock, it's just my sanity that seems to be damaged watching him bounce from wall to wall.

For some strategies against the sugar attack, check out this recent Mindful Metropolis article for which I served as a source.



For a healthy alternative to the sugar fest, come see Purple Asparagus at the Evanston Farmers' Market with Now We're Cookin' as we make Witches Brew (spiced apple cider) and Bug Salsa (black bean and peppers) with Creature Chips. If you want to stay in the city, the Green City Market has an exciting line-up for their annual Halloween Party. While you're there, consider supporting the Market by becoming a member.

Bug Salsa
For 4 servings

2 cups of cooked black beans
2 tablespoons sweet onion, chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 red pepper, chopped into squares
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro

Combine the lime juice, cumin, and salt in a large bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to combine. Add black beans, onions, cilantro and peppers and mix to combine. For a more adult version, I add 1/2 serrano chile, seeded and chopped.

Whole Wheat Tortilla Spikes
For 4 servings

1 bag whole wheat flour tortillas
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400º F. Slice the whole wheat tortillas into ½ inch slices. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place the tortilla spikes on top. Spray the spikes lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.

Witches Brew

1 1/2 gallon of apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
2 strips of orange peel

Wrap the peel and spices in cheesecloth and tie at the top. Pour the cider in saucepan and add the cheesecloth package. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Our terrific volunteer, Gracie, who declared Bug Salsa delicious, with a friend that she recruited.



Provenance
Black beans from Three Sisters, IL
Red peppers and onion from Genesis Growers, WI
Cilantro from Smit's, IL
Apple cider from Seedling, MI
Spices from The Spice House, IL

Why Local?

My proudest moment as a chef/mom/food educator was relayed to me second hand. While perusing the produce aisles of the supermarket in late February, my mother asked my 4-year old son if he wanted strawberries. Declining, he said to my mother quizzically and yet emphatically, “Grandma, we can’t buy strawberries now, they’re not in season.”

When too many kids are eating far less than the recommended daily allotment of fruits or vegetables, why worry about whether the fruits and vegetables that they do eat are in season or worse locally grown? If you’re living or working in one the country’s food deserts, where the closest thing that you’ve got to a grocery store is a bodega that stocks more varieties of Cheetos than fruits, this is not likely to be your main concern.

How about the rest of us? Is it really that much of a struggle to pass by the California-grown strawberries in June or the Mexican-raised tomatoes in August? Locally grown, seasonal produce is all around us. Even Wal-Mart has even begun to source locally or at least regionally. But before I get into the where, I want to talk about the why. Here are my top three reasons for introducing locally-grown, seasonal foods into your child’s diet.

It tastes better. I started eating locally not for ideological reasons, but because it tastes better. If you’ve ever eaten a pea off of the vine or sweet baby greens picked in the morning and served on the table in the evening, you know what I mean. And strawberries, sweet Illinois strawberries. The white-hearted California berries bred for shipping have nothing on our tiny, ruby-like orbs that soar with flavor. If you want your child to have a lasting love for fruits and vegetables, give him ones that are full of flavor. Seriously, who could love starchy peas or wilted salad greens?

It’s better for the environment. A small caveat on this statement, even taking into account food miles (i.e. the distance your food travels from farm to fork), just because food is grown within a certain distance from your home does not intrinsically make it better for the environment. However, many local farmers who sell to consumers at farmers' markets are small family farmers that tend their soil in a responsible manner often using organic methods even when they are not USDA certified as such (the little “o” versus the big “O”). How do you know the difference? The best way is to talk with the farmer and ask about their pest management systems and how they fertilize their soil. If, however, you don’t have the time or the inclination to do so, at the end of this post, I list markets and retailers that focus on locally grown, seasonal and sustainable produce that do the vetting for you.

It can forge a lasting connection between your child and the earth. I believe that connecting your child with the people who grow the food and the growing cycle creates a deeper respect for the food that they eat and for the earth. It was recently reported that America throws out 30% of the food raised in this country, a despicable fact given the rise in malnutrition and hunger on the planet. I have found that children who understand where their food comes from are less likely to waste it. My son knows that his apples come from Farmer Pete and his carrots from Miss Beth. He says “cheese please” to the cheese guys and knows that the good milk comes from the market in glass bottles. And the growing cycle, well, suffice to say, he’s pretty excited when June’s strawberries arrive.

Locally-grown, seasonal and sustainable produce is available from May through October at the City of Chicago’s farmers markets and year round at Green City Market (check the website for days and times), Green Grocer Chicago and Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks. Many of the Whole Foods in Chicago carry locally-produced items as well.

A final note, I’m actually not throwing my mother under the bus. My son and she were in Florida at the time of their conversation in the produce section where the strawberries in question were in fact in season.