A Bicycle Built For Espresso!

A Bicycle Built For Espresso!, originally uploaded by Bjava.

Andy, Bj and Sandy went to Portland for the SCAA conference. We spent time visiting coffee shops, going to educational activities, and visiting the trade show. We saw this sweet box with an espresso machine on it, and it makes you think. Could it work?

Have a great day!!

Pies!!

Pies!!, originally uploaded by lucysmycat.

What a great line! This is what we like to see at the Farmer's Market. People lined up to get fresh local food. In this line, a bunch of folks who like pie! Check out Daina's meal pies at the market this week. Read about them at http://dainaspetitepies.com .

Tomatos in June!

Various coffee June 2009 004, originally uploaded by lucysmycat.

Hey Folks! I bought a couple of these tomatos last night and I just want to say.....YUM!!
Join us on Thrusdays from 4 to 8 PM and get some of this good stuff for yourself!

Chateau Thomas Winery Farmer's Market featured on Going Local!

http://www.goinglocal-info.com/my_weblog/2009/06/the-farmers-market-at-chateau-thomas-winery-.html

Love ya, Vic!

Some Great Stuff at the Market!

IMG_0056, originally uploaded by BigEd Stites.

I will put up more photos of the things available at the market, but let's start with Mushrooms. Locally grown, of course! How can you go wrong with a bunch of mushrooms? They are great in stir frys, on pizza, in a sauce or in your salad!
See you next week at the market!

Bj from Bjava Coffee & Tea make some of the best sandwiches

Maybe she'll try this on the menu.
Big Ed

Curried Egg Salad with Caramelized Onion

- serves 4 to 6 -

Adapted from Modern Spice by Monica Bhide.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
1/4 medium red onion, finely diced
1/2 medium red or orange organic bell pepper, seeded and finely diced (see Note)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 small green serrano chile, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons hot Madras curry powder
1 tablespoon prepared mustard powder
2 cups spinach leaves, loosely packed

Procedure

1. Caramelize the onions: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and fry for about 5 minutes until it becomes transparent. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the sugar, and the pepper and saute for another minute. As soon as it changes color, remove from the heat and set aside until the rest of the salad is ready.

2. In a large bowl, mash the boiled eggs with a fork or finely chop them. Add the diced onion and bell pepper and mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cilantro, chile, curry powder, and salt to taste. Mix well. Add the mustard and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and mix.

4. Divide the spinach leaves onto four serving plates. Heap the egg salad evenly onto each plate. Top with the caramelized onions and serve.

Note: Monica Bhide was told by Wolfgang Puck, "Peppers are one of those vegetables most often found to be heavy in pesticides and other chemical residues. So, I strongly recommend you purchase them from your organic greengrocer or on a visit to your farmers' market."

Farm market Recipe

I do believe you can find nearly all the ingredients for this dish at this lovely market. Try it and let me know what you think.

Big Ed

Summer Squash Gratin Recipe

Be sure to slice your potatoes as thin as possible. They get all melty and creamy. Slice them too thick and you'll have trouble cooking them through because the zucchini cooks up more quickly. I use a box grater to shred the cheese here (as opposed to a micro-plane) - you get heartier, less whispy pieces of cheese which is what you want here. I'd also strongly recommend homemade bread crumbs here (see asterisk below).

zest of one lemon
1 1/2 pounds summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1/6th-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups fresh (whole wheat) bread crumbs*
1/2 pound yukon gold potatoes, sliced transparently thin
3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese, grated on a box grater

Preheat oven to 400F degrees and place a rack in the middle. Rub a 9x9 gratin pan (or equivalent baking dish) with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with lemon zest, and set aside.

Place the zucchini slices into a colander placed over a sink, toss with the sea salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes (to drain a bit) and go on to prepare the oregano sauce and bread crumbs.

Make the sauce by pureeing the oregano, parsley, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and olive oil in a food processor or using a hand blender. Set aside.

Make the breadcrumbs by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until the butter is wonderfully fragrant, and has turned brown. Wait two minutes, then stir the breadcrumbs into the browned butter.

Transfer the squash to a large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and two-thirds of the oregano sauce. Toss until everything is well coated. Add the cheese and half of the bread crumbs and toss again. Taste one of the zucchini pieces and add more seasoning (salt or red pepper) if needed.

Transfer the squash to the lemon-zested pan, top with the remaining crumbs, and bake for somewhere between 40 and 50 minutes - it will really depend on how thinly you sliced the squash and potatoes - and how much moisture was still in them. You don't want the zucchini to go to mush, but you need to be sure the potatoes are fully baked. If the breadcrumbs start to get a little dark, take a fork and rake them just a bit, that will uncover some of the blonder bits. Remove from oven, and drizzle with the remaining oregano sauce.

Serves about 8 as a side.

*To make breadcrumbs cut the crust off 2-3 day old artisan bread. Tear into pieces the size of your thumb, and give a quick whirl in the food processor. I don't like my breadcrumbs too fine - and tend to leave the pieces on the large size - more like little pebbles than grains of sand.