Tomato Salads

Tomato, Cucumber, and Feta

Earlier in the week, I wrote about all the great things I picked up over the weekend at my local farmers' markets.  I sincerely hope you guys go out and explore the markets in your area as well.  The quality of produce available at these markets will blow your mind.  Of particular note, in my opnion, are the fresh tomatoes.

Along with peaches, tomatoes have been a victim of giant agri-business.  The fact is you simply cannot sell a vine-ripened tomato in a chain grocery store.  They are far too perishable and don't travel well.  As a result, giant farms pick millions of tomatoes while they are still hard, green balls and gas them with ethylene to ripen them off the vine.  Here is a handy guide.  Artificial ripening, coupled with genetic selection for roundness, bruise tolerance, shelf life and perfectly uniform color, has resulted in nearly inedible fruit.

On the other side of the spectrum from the mass produced, hunk of crap tomato, we have beauties like the ones in the salad at the top of this post.  They're sweet, juicy, and sublime.  To my palate, a superbly constructed tomato salad, prepared with respect for the ingredients, is transcendent.  

Read on for a couple of really simple salads that, I hope, can bring you closer to nirvana.

Recipe - Quick Salmon Stir Fry with Baby Choy

Today's entry is a quick and easy stir fry, ideal for a mid-week dinner.  Stir-frying is a great technique for producing a healthy, tasty meal in a hurry.  This entire dish can be done in the time it takes to make the rice.

I was inspired this time by a sale on sockeye salmon at my local market.  There must have been a massive salmon season this year because they're practically giving it away.  I can't pass up a good deal and have been cooking salmon at least once a week all summer.  We do cedar plank salmon with a maple-brown sugar glaze, salmon tacos, etc.  In this dish, we are going to dust the salmon in tapioca starch and quickly fry it to keep it crisp and moist, without being greasy.  Read on for the details.

Kid Friendly Recipe - Mmmmmm, Marinara

The Secret of San Marzano

The other day a reader asked me to help her out with some recipes that are "kid friendly."  In fact, a lot of people ask me about what I feed my 3 year old son when my wife and I are eating Portobello Pasta with Mushrooms and Caramelized Leeks.  Well, the answer is that he eats the same things we eat - for the most part (he REALLY loves that dish, btw).  I mean, he's not into oysters or anything, but more often than not he dines as we do.  Having said that, I realize that my kid is a bit odd and most curtain climbers are more interested in chicken nuggets and such.  Well, kids love "spaghetti", no?

Click below to check out the recipe for a simple, and kid-friendly, pasta with marinara sauce that you can have on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Farmer's Markets - Eating Like a Locavore

Nature's Bounty

What if I told you that you could buy delicious, fresh, natural, sustainable, healthy food, right in your own neighborhood, at competitive prices, and help your local economy all at the same time?  Too good to be true?  It's not, and it's easier than you think.

Look people, if you're not shopping at your local farmer's markets, you are seriously missing the boat.  I know I've mentioned a few great things that I've picked up in my neighborhood, like this bread and these peaches, but I think it's time to dedicate a whole post to the fabulous foods lurking around the corner.  If you live in any city of any size in this great land, I guarantee that there is a farmer's market near you.  For a start, check out Local Harvest, which has a search-able database of markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) resources for the entire US.

When you buy from your local farms, ranches, and dairies you're not only supporting your local economy, but you're getting (generally) higher quality products that are grown in more sustainable ways.  You also get a chance to speak with the producers themselves and learn more about how your food is grown.  Click the read link to find out what I picked up this weekend, and what I'll be cooking with this week.

The Greatness of Tortas, Barbacoa, and Cachete

Barbacoa Torta at El Paisa

Tortas are awesome.  At it's most basic, a torta is a Mexican sandwich, prepared using a large, soft bun that's been toasted a bit.  To me, however, tortas are like everything wonderful in a hamburger basket and a great taco, all together in a delicious, hand sized package.  They come with several fillings including Al Pastor (marinated pork), Carne Asada (grilled beef steak), Jamon (ham), Milanesa (breaded, fried beef cutlet), etc.  My two favorites are Barbacoa (pictured) and Lengua (beef tongue).  Hold on a sec!  Stay with me.  Beef tongue is REALLY good.  If you've never had it, please reserve your judgement.  Tongue is like very very tender pot roast.  The flavor is beefy and rich and wonderful.  Please try it.  Now on to the barbacoa.

Barbacoa, for the un-initiated, is a beef dish popular in northern Mexico.  I say beef because the barbacoa in my area is pretty much all beef due to the massive numbers of people from northern Mexico.  In other parts of Mexico they use lamb or pork or goat.  Either way, barbacoa is a method of slow cooking meat that is usually wrapped in something, like a banana leaf.  This cooking method results in an extremely tender finished product...it literally melts in your mouth.  The best barbacoa, in my humble opinion, comes from the cabeza (the head) of the cow, and I'm specifically referring to cachete (the cheek).

Cachete is wonderful for several reasons:  it has a dense, rich flavor; it's cheap as hell; it gets better if it sits for a while.  All of those qualities together make cachete barbacoa the end all taqueria food as far as I'm concerned.  For about $7, I procured the torta and fries pictured above from El Paisa in Carrollton.  If you live in Dallas, give El Paisa a try for lunch.  Their food is very good, and incredibly cheap.  The Carrollton location is new, and has a drive through.  The Walnut Hill location is older, and has a different menu featuring a little more variety of Mexican dishes.  This place is MEXICAN, not Tex-Mex.  If you've never done authentic Mexican, you should.  Tex-Mex is fantastic, but Mex-Mex has its place in my rotation as well.

Let me know if you find a great torta in your neck of the woods!