Restaurant Widow

Weekend Cat Blogging

Working on the idea that kitties don't belong on the countertops is an ongoing process with Jan Brady, but here he is, in a rare moment of compliance, on his new perch.  It's not quite as good as the counter, but it will do:

CSA Report for September 8th

An abbreviated market day today, just a quick hop to the North Market to pick up my CSA and buy some eggplant.  That's right.  I ate eggplant on 2 occasions this week and liked it.  Next up, some baba ganouj or maybe some caponata.  Who knows what craziness may ensue.

Via Colari was taking place at the North Market today, and it was nice to see so many artists showing up despite the threat of rain.  I was there too early to really take any pictures of artwork - most artists were just getting started - but perhaps tomorrow I'll stop by and take some pictures.  You should go down, though, and show support.

This week's CSA contained Swiss card, lettuce, green and wax beans, garlic, big slicing tomatoes and a box of small cherry and pear tomatoes.

What did you get?

Yet Another Ridiculously Simple Recipe - Lima Beans

Sometimes, when I'm standing in the kitchen trying to decide if something is worth writing about, I wonder why I should even bother writing about something as simple as boiling and peeling fresh Lima beans, but then I remember what it was like to be a young cook.  I have never been the sort of person who wants outrageous recipes - if the ingredients are ones with which I'm familiar, then I don't really need a recipe, I can figure out what tastes good on my own.  What I really needed was a basic formula.  Say, potatoes cut into 1/2" pieces take about 12 minutes to steam until they can be mashed.  Green beans take about 7 minutes of steaming before they can be sauteed with bacon.  That sort of thing.

It is with this in mind that I offer you these ridiculously simple recipes, because I don't think you always want a recipe for Lima bean gratin with three varieties of pork trimmings and loads of butter and heavy cream.  I think sometimes, we just want an alternative to cooking frozen veggies (in truth, I really don't have anything against frozen veggies, I use them all the time in the winter).  But, when we are used to cooking with frozen vegetables, and the directions are right there on the package, I think sometimes we can be stumped by the fresh alternative.

Lima beans, as I've mentioned before, can be difficult to find in their fresh form, but this time of year, they are really beginning to come into season, and I think it's worth seeking them out.  For all the derision they take, they are really almost as good as fava beans, if a little more meaty and nutty.  I think of them as the fava bean's Autumnal cousin.  Whereas favas are green and delicate, Limas are rich and hearty.  They bridge the gap between a fresh beans such as a fava, and a starchier bean, like a kidney bean.  I prepare them in much the same way as favas, that is to say, remove from pod, boil, peel, and boil again. 

The flavor of the Lima bean is so delightfully creamy, they really don't need a lot of help in the gussying up department, although they are good with a nice stirring of butter and salt, but I prefer them - can you guess it?  Yes, with a little extra virgin olive oil.  This is completely irrational, but for some reason, I don't think of olive oil as having the fat or caloric content of butter.  It's silly because it has slightly more fat than butter (because butter contains a small percentage of water, whereas olive oil is pure fat); I suppose it has something to do with its green flavor, and the fact that it is good for one's heart.  I just feel better eating it than butter.  Well, until the winter time.  There's just nothing like butter on winter squash.  But I digress.

Now, Husband is always reminding me that Lima beans contain cyanide, and that they have to be cooked forever with the lid off.  I got to thinking about this the other day and decided to consult my good friend Harold McGee.  It turns out that while some tropical and wild varieties of Lima beans do contain cyanidic compounds, commercial varieties do not.  Of course, you still want to cook them thoroughly so that they can achieve that delicious creamy texture.

Basic Method for Fresh Lima Beans

It's a little more time-consuming than frozen, but I think it's worth the effort.  Remove the beans from the pods and rinse under cold water.  Place the beans in a small pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and boil them for about 5 minutes, or about 2 minutes after the skin has begun to look pale and puckery.  Drain and rinse under cold water until they are cool to the touch.  Remove the tough outer skins by poking a hole in the "belly button" with your fingernail or a knife.  The bean will pop right out - although the skins are a little tougher than fava bean skins, they pull away from the bean much easier than the favas, so this isn't nearly as time consuming.  I like to skin them right over the same pot, and then cover them with water again.  Bring to a boil again and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the beans have reached desired softness.  Drain and return to the pot again, putting the beans (with no water) back over high heat for just a few seconds, to dry them off.  Toss the pan a little whilst doing this.  Remove from heat and drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil, or coat with a pat of butter, then season to taste with salt and pepper.  For the dish pictured above, I paired the Limas with pan seared salmon which I topped off with a simple salad of shaved red bell pepper tossed with rice vinegar and salt.  Yes, it is similar to the Spring version of this dish, here, with favas.

You can read other simple recipes here, here, here, and here.  For succotash, click here.

Tomato Sauce!

Tuesday at the Pearl Alley Market, I bought 12 pounds of tomato "seconds," (aka not pretty enough for selling as slicers) half paste tomatoes and half plain old round tomatoes, for the purpose of making tomato sauce.  Husband, being the kind man that he is, did the peeling and seeding, and I did the onion dicing and stirring.  Making tomato sauce is really easy, although time-consuming.  It's also really rewarding.  Although, apparently tomato sauce isn't acidic enough for water-process canning, and has to be pressure canned.  Have I even told you that a pressure cooker exploded on my mother when I was a child?  That was pretty horrifying, and I still haven't worked up the nerve to use a pressure cooker of any sort myself.  And it is for this reason that my tomato sauce will go into my trusty freezer.  I suppose that means it won't last as long as canned, but we use so much tomato sauce in this household that I could probably put it in the fridge and use it up in the next week.

The only bad thing about making tomato sauce, if it can be called that, is that a lot of tomatoes only make a little bit of tomato sauce - if you cook it down nice and proper, that is.  It makes me respect our foremothers who slaved away over hundreds of pounds of tomatoes at a time to make enough tomato sauce to last the year. 

This sauce was so good, I might have to buy another 20 pounds or so this weekend and make more. 

Basic Tomato Sauce - makes about 4 quarts

10-12 pounds tomatoes - a blend of slicing and pasted tomatoes works well, because the paste tomatoes hold their shape a little bit, making for an interesting texture.
olive oil
4 medium onions, cut into small dice
2 heads garlic, cloves peeled and roughly chopped
Italian spice blend, or lots of fresh basil - I can't grow anything, and forgot to buy a bag at the market, so it was all dried for me
salt & pepper
2 cups red wine
Parmesan rinds, or rinds of any hard cheese, optional
2 cups pasta water

Okay, so here's what you do: bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cut an X on the non-stem end of each tomato.  Have read a large bowl of ice water, a cutting board, a sharp serrated knife, a bowl, and a strainer sitting over another bowl.  Dip each tomato into the boiling water for no more than 30 seconds, then plunge into the ice water.  Peel each tomato.  Cut off the stem end, then cut again, horizontally.  Squeeze the seeds into the strainer and put the tomato into the waiting bowl.  There's no reason to chop the tomatoes as they will cook down.  Repeat, ad nauseum, until all tomatoes are skinned and seedless.  If, like me, you have sensitive skin, you might want to wear latex gloves for this process.  I would have hivey hands if I tried to handle this many tomatoes.

If you were really organized, you would start with the onion, get them sweating, and add the seeded tomatoes directly to your stock pot. 

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat and cover the bottom lightly with olive oil.  Add the onions and sweat, slowly, for about 5 minutes or until translucent.  Add the garlic and stir.  Add about 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, and a little salt and pepper.  Continue cooking until the garlic begins to soften, about 5 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with red wine and allow to reduce by half.  Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon.  Add the juice sitting in the bowl under the strainer.  Add the Parmesan rinds. Cook over medium heat forever, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by 3/4ths and has a nice thick consistency.  Remove the Parm rinds.  At this point, you can puree the sauce with a stick blender if you so choose, but I like this chunky variety of sauce, so sometimes you get a pasta strand just coated with sauce, and sometimes you get a nice chunk of tomato.

Now, for the pasta water.  Pasta water, as you may or may not be aware, is a miracle at doing all sorts of things in the kitchen, the best of which is turning sauce nice and thick, and turning "sauceless" pasta into a nice sauciness (because it contains lots of starch from the pasta).  It can also stretch small amounts of cheese out into a nice rich sauce, making for a lower-fat cheesy pasta (click here for an example).  So, when your sauce is almost ready, it's time to test it out.  Boil some spaghetti according to package directions.  When draining, reserve about 3 cups of pasta water.  Place 2 cups into the pasta sauce and boil rapidly until it thickens.  Toss with your spaghetti.  Here's a little trick I like to use with my pasta water: cook the pasta until it's about 1-2 minutes away from being ready, then place it, along with your pasta sauce and one cup of pasta water, in a pan and cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes (the pasta will cook more slowly in the sauce then in plain water), or until the water has evaporated and the pasta is cooked through.  I promise it makes everything super delicious.

Top pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, a little balsamic if you choose, and eat immediately.  Marvel at your skills.  Pat yourself on the back, have some red wine!  Cheers!

Book Review::Morimoto, The New Art of Japanese Cooking

When the nice folks at DK emailed to ask me if I might be interested in a copy of Morimoto's first cookbook, barely a breath passed before I said yes, yes, YES!  Although I was a little skeptical.

It probably has something to do with his larger-than-life persona on Iron Chef (the only thing worth watching on the Food Network, by the way*), but I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  Certainly not this cogent, awe-inspiring and lovely work of art.  As a matter of fact, I carried it everywhere I went for the 36 hours after I received it in the mail.  Although I was too greedy to let the chefs at work look at it. 

The book begins with a bit of a sushi and sashimi tutorial, complete with stunning pictures of vast sushi presentations and detailed instructions - along with lots and lots of pictures - on preparing one's own sashimi.  There are even directions to prepare your own salmon roe.  These instructions will probably even offer an eductation for experienced chefs - especially Western chefs, who filet their fish in an entirely different manner than Japanes chefs.  There are instructions for preparing octopus, curing fish, and cutting sushi grass.  One of most striking series of pictures in the beginning of the book is Morimoto preparing vegetables.  For those of you who think the only way to cut veggies is into sticks by the slice, turn, slice method, think again.  As a matter of fact, spend some time at a sushi counter in hopes that you can see a chef practicing the art of Katsuramuki - slicing veggies into continuous, paper-thin sheets.  The chef trims the ends of the vegetable - say a daikon radish - and peels it, and then cuts the daikon by sliding it over the length of the knife.  Properly done, the daikon will end up in one long sheet - as tall as the chef!  These sheets can then be folded and cut into perfectly sized toothpicks, such as the sort which end up going into sushi rolls.  It's pretty amazing.

There is an interesting piece on the perfection of preparing and flavoring of sushi rice, and the insult the sushi chef takes when someone willy-nilly blends wasabi into their soy sauce and then dunks the rice in. 

One section of interest is on nori, the seaweed wrapper which I think is misunderstood by lots of Western sushi eaters, myself included.  It was a few months ago that Husband and I realized we really enjoyed the nori at our favorite Japanese restaurant - it really had snap and bite.  When we mentioned to the chef that he had the best nori, he just laughed and said "not the best, just the most expensive."  Morimoto mentions that he reserves the use of his best nori for those sitting at the sushi counter, because the snap of the nori will disappear by the time the wrap reaches the table.  It's something you just have to experience to believe, and it won't do any good for me to tell you about it, because you really have to become a good regular at a sushi counter to taste it for yourself.

There is an essay on plating, something which is very important in Japanese cuisine, and is inspiring in itself.  The food styling and the photography are stunning.  It's one of those times when you just want to pack up your camera and stop taking pictures of food. 

Perhaps one of the most interesting essays and photographs is a picture of Morimoto's knives, which are well-worn, well-treated and well-loved.  So much so that the handles and blades are wearing thin.  There's a great quote on the subject of lovely knives "...a great knife does not make a great chef.  Some chefs buy fine, expensive knives just because they look cool, but they can't use them correctly...Yes, you need a sharp knife, but a sharp arm - and eye - are more important."  It reminded me of a certain chef I know who has a giant box of fancy knives - some even pearl handled - which sit in an office in his restaurant, unused except for display purposes.  It makes me laugh every time.

Although there are some difficult recipes in this book, many of them are within reach of a home cook with some experience.  I think restaurant work would also help, because Morimoto is a restaurant chef, and the book assumes some familiarity with techniques and sources which would make perfect sense to someone in the restaurant business, but might not (yet) be second nature to the home cook.  A few of the recipes are fantasticly conceived Western interpretations of traditional Japanese dishes (foie gras chawanmushi, yes, please), some are pure, exacting Japanese, such as homemade tofu, and some are comfort food - curry pan (curry filled yeast buns which are fried to golden perfection). 

There is a prevailing theme of the samurai in the book, a rather natural comparison favored by sushi chefs, it would seem (most high-quality Japanese knife companies started out as sword makers, for example), there is a photo essay at the beginning in which Morimoto demonstrates the traditional dressing of the Samurai, a uniform which follows him into the kitchen.  Fans of Japanese cuising might realize that Morimoto isn't strictly a Japanese chef - a "criticism" he deals with on a few occasions in the book.  But the thing I love about the book is that it takes the exacting standards, the level of perfection, the simplicity and the beauty of Japanese cuisine and combines it with an entire globe's influences.  There are several non-traditional sashimi recipes - sashimi with buffalo mozzarella, anyone? I don't typically go for "fusion," but most of the recipes in this book make perfect sense.  I think you can see by all of my bookmarks how much I plan to revisit in this cookbook.  I will, of course, keep you posted as I try out a few of the recipes.

The book contains a few of my favorite qualities in a cookbook: namely, the fantastic photography (by Quentin Bacon).  There is also a lot of copy by the author; I am very happy when the history of the recipe is explained, or a tip or trick is offered up.  I love an education, and the book finishes up with a nice essay on sake, something which I am still learning about (very slowly - I'm still stuck on one brand of sake, Kira).  The book goes beyond cuisine; I really learned a lot about presentation just by looking at the pictures, and it is always good when a book so motivates you that you have to decide between spending time with it or putting it down in favor of running to the kitchen right now.

*the exception to the food Network rule is Jeni's on Unwrapped, Monday at 9pm.  Please don't take offense if you're a Food Network fan.  I just can't watch it anymore.  We'll discuss why when I finally publish my review of Heat.

Things to do in Columbus, September 5th Edition

Well, school has started, Labor Day is over and the Halloween candy is already packing the aisles at Target (well, Costco already has their Christmas stuff out, but that is apparently a tradition).  There's no denying it: we might be headed to 93 degrees this afternoon, but autumn is on its way.  Which is sad and exciting at the same time.  It means we can start going to events around the city without melting in the August sun!  Scarves are just around the corner!  As is befitting of a Columbus food blog, there are lots and lots of food-related events this week!  It's the season for eating, I suppose.

I kept mental notes all week of things I wanted to add to this list, so I am sure I will forget something.  As always, please send me an email and I will update the list accordingly.

• Well, someone has beat me to my book idea - but this weekend at the Clintonville Farmer's Market, you can meet Marilou Suszko, who will be there to promote her new book Food & Farms of Ohio.  You can also see a cooking demo by Chef Marth Balint of Local Matters, 9apm - noon.
• In other local food news, a new 30 minute cooking show featuring the Columbus Dispatch's Robyn Davis will premeir this Saturday night at 7pm on channel 10.  That's one for the DVR.
• This weekend is the Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival.  Whether or not you believe the tomato was discovered in a suburb of our fair city, it's a great time to celebrate all things tomato!  The festival begins this evening and continues through Sunday.  Click on their website above for more information.
• If you fancy a long (hot) evening of great food and wine, then head to Franklin Park Conservatory this Friday night (6:30 - 10pm) for the Columbus Food & Wine affair.  This will be the first year in a few that I haven't been there making shrimp & grits in a few years, which is sad, but alas, we all move on.  The event features live music and, of course, lots of food from local restaurants and wine from all over.  As a bonus, it's in a lovely setting.  If you are in the hospitality business, bring a pay stub with you for the industry tasting from 2-4pm for $5.  Tickets for the general public are $100 and include a souvenir Reidel wine glass.  Click above for more info.
• Speaking of uber foodie events, Tuesday, September 11th is Taste the Future at Columbus State, yet another event to gorge yourself.  Personally, I'm thinking of donning my chef coat and crashing (who needs drink tickets?!)  This events celebrates restaurants who participate in the CSCC culinary apprenticeship program (which are all the good ones), and there is always lots of yummy food.  Tickets are $100 for this event as well.
• Hey, guess what!?  Via Colari is back!  It was on, then off, then on, but thanks to the lovely folks at the North Market, it is back on!  The event will take place this Saturday and Sunday, when 150 local and national artists, professional and amateur, will be chalking it up.  Click to the North Market for more information.
• Love Longaberger?  Maybe you just want to visit the largest basket on the planet?  This weekend is Longaberger Heritage days (Friday & Saturday, 9am - 7pm).  You can hear live music and get an in-depth look at the basket making process.  Tickets are $10.
• This weekend at the Wexner Center, you can see Ten Canoes Thursday & Friday at 7pm. 
• Cooking classes at Sur la Table are: Essential knife skills tonight at 6:30pm ($65) and a children's cooking class Saturday, September 8th, will show kids how to cook healthy dinners at 10:30 am ($45).  Click through to their calender or call 614.473.12211 to sign up.  Classes require advance payment, etc.
• Can you believe Whole Foods has been here for 2 years?  They are celebrating their birthday all week with lots of events: this Friday is a Back to School Bash for kids, 3pm - 6pm (free); the adults can enjoy a special anniversary soiree during the Friday Five after Five ($5); celebrate Whole Food's birthday with free cake and ice cream Saturday at 3pm.  Next Thursday, learn how to Tailgate in Style with Columbus Culinary Institute's Marc Dullin ($35, 6:30 pm), and lastly, Saturday, September 15th will be another Buckeye Bounty Community Market (9am - 2pm) where you can buy lots of Ohio made products and Amish crafts.
• Williams-Sonoma has released their schedule of free (yes, free) technique classes for their Easton store.  Classes take place at 11am on Sundays.  September 9th, learn the basics of fresh pasta; next Sunday, September 16th, learn all about Autumn braising (one of my favorite topics!).  Call the store for more details: 614.476.2957.
• Saturdays through September, you can visit the Wilds for a special "Sunset Safari."  For $60, you can enjoy a buffet dinner and a personally guided tour, along with special visits to the cranes and rhinos.  Please visit the Wilds' website for more information.
• The Ohio Renaissance Festival goes on and on until the late October.  I'm sure there will be lots of corsets, jousting, and turkey legs to be had by all.  I probably have a few friends from college who will be hanging out there (we English majors, a silly lot all).  The Ren Fest takes place in Harveysburg, Ohio, which is right in the middle of Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati.  Admission is $17, and group and discount tickets are available online.
• In TV news, Jeni's Ice Cream will be featured on Monday's "Sweet & Salty" episode of "Unwrapped" on the Food Network at 9pm. 
• If you love Japanese pottery as much as I do, there will be a sale this weekend at Tensuke Market, on Friday & Saturday.  Most pieces will be $1.50, and the nice ladies working there assured me there would be thousands of pieces.  Hooray!  Tensuke Market is located in the Kenny Centre, at the SW corner of Kenny Road and Old Henderson (just south of Henderson).
• This Friday (5-8pm) at the Chop Chop Gallery (78 Parsons), you can see the "Roadworthy" exhibit, which features artist from Visionaries & Voices (which assists challenged individuals).  There are a few more cool exhibits coming to Chop Chop, so be sure to visit their website and give them some support.
• This weekend is the Hot Times Festival in Old Town East.  The event, which goes from Friday through Sunday, features music, dancing, and performance artists.  Click to their website for more information.
• This weekend is Powell Days in Powell!  Antiques and street vendors will be everywhere for this event (did you know Powell has a cupcake bakery?).  Click for more info.
• This weekend is the Grandview Ox Roast - Pierce Field will be the spot for lots of beef eating, so it would seem.  The event takes place Thursday - Saturday in the evenings.  Click for more info.  Confidential to Mikey - I can't believe you've never told me about this tradition?!  How could I miss this!  I expect a full report.

Birthday Picnic!

Being that my birthday fell on Labor Day, Husband decided on a picnic in Goodale Park.  It was a lovely day, breezy and just warm enough.  We spent the afternoon watching the dogs go by and enjoying the day.  Thanks Husband!!

We had Weiland's smoked brisket (have you had their brisket?  It's delicious.  They always have it on Saturdays, and sometimes other days.) on crusty French bread with mustard and cornichons, and chick pea salad.  Husband also made a tasty sweet corn and tomato salad (from this week's CSA box), and a French potato salad with tiny little Arbor Hill Organics potatoes (pink and yellow), along with green & wax beens (again, from this week's CSA).  It was delicious:

We drank this delicious French Pear Cider - yum! 

And, Husband bought me the fabulous - and hefty - Starting with Ingredients, which is a great book for beginning & experienced cooks alike.  It's very inspiring.  And long.  I love a good, long food book:

Birthday Comic, Part 2

toothpastefordinner.com

September third is wear nothing day and it's my birthday.  How sweet is that?

Birthday Comic, Part one

Today's birthday comic comes from Toothpaste for Dinner.

toothpastefordinner.com

CSA & Columbus Farm Market Report for September 1

 
Each week, I document what I receive in my CSA box and what I purchase at Columbus' farm markets.  If you have questions about what a CSA is, please click here.  For lists of my market reports since 2005, please click here.

Ah, September.  It's funny - this morning as I was driving to the market, I was thinking "August is like being stuck in the doldrums," and then I turned the radio on, and the promo for today's Wait, Wait - Don't Tell Me started off "Ah, the news doldrums of August..."  I guess I'm not the first to make the comparison.

This morning's chill had me searching for a sweater, and although I resisted buying any squash yet again, I think I'm ready if some should make their way into my shopping basket in the next few weeks.  Of course, the beginning of Seotember means I'm another year older - there's just no stopping that fact, but as long as each year keeps getting better than the last, I'm content. 

I got up while it was still dark this morning - surely another sign that the seasons are changing, I can't sleep more than 4 hours at a time - and made it to the North Market in time to see the sun rising over the buildings and shining onto the North Market sign, complete with the setting  moon (sorry for the giant picture, I just couldn't resist):

I might need a sweater in the chill, but it's still too hot for the chickens to lay eggs!  Sandy (Sterrett, my CSA farmer) said this morning she spoke with another farmer who got 3 eggs from her 200 hens!  I suppose that is part of the joy of being a farmer.  Fortunately, I have a few eggs leftover from weeks past - farm fresh eggs last so much longer than the grocery store kind - up to 5 weeks (and more, if you're brave. Of course, you can tell if an egg is bad the moment you crack it open, but eggs do last a long time in the fridge).  This week's CSA (pictured, top of post) included a green pepper, lettuce and greens, green and wax beans (again, so pretty even I, green bean hater that I am, might even eat them, pictured below), a few giant heirloom tomatoes, a pint of tiny little orange cherry tomatoes which were stellar last week - can't wait to toss them in some hot spaghetti - sweet corn, and an unpictured sweet red pepper:

I stopped by Toby Run for my weekly shitake fix, and lamented the fact that they won't be around forever.  The 6 months I have to spend without them are really depressing.  I pondered if they would freeze and decided they would become hopelessly waterlogged, and then we discussed dehydrating them.  I'll have to give the a try.  If I were smart, I would have dehydrated all of the stems in order to make mushroom stock.  Why do I always think of these things too late!  He won't be at the market next week, so plan accordingly.

Then it was off to Sommerset herbs, where I (finally!) picked up some fresh tarragon.  Why is it so hard to find fresh tarragon at the markets?  I also bought a wide assortment of their beautiful hot and sweet pepper collection (cayenne, paprika, and Hungarian wax - pictured below)) for a great sounding recipe I'm trying out this weekend for a new cookbook I'm reviewing.  Of course, more on that later.  I also got some Roma tomatoes for turning into tomato chips, which you will hear all about if I am successful.

Every year, I think this is going to be the year I learn to love eggplant.  I don't mean breaded and fried eggplant, just roasted eggplant or something.  This cutie from Toad Hill Organics charmed me by sight at least:

I stopped by to talk to the fine folks at Wayward Seed - they'll soon have squash and sweet potatoes - and to buy some of their great King Richard leeks, a few poblano peppers, and this knobby potato whose name has completely escaped me at the moment.  I think they look like a fabled mandrake:
Inside the North Market, I bought the first Ohio Honeycrisps of the year!  Hooray for my favorite apple ever!

And then it was off to the Worthington Farmer's Market, where I had almost single-minded determination to find some fresh limas (below), fresh kidney beans for next week's "First Night of Football Season Chili." 

I picked up some cherry bomb peppers from Garden Patch Produce, which are soon to be stuffed with some goat cheese and roasted:

A pound of shallots from Sippel Farm (thanks for growing shallots!):

And then down to wait in line at Gillogly Orchard, where I bought my first nectarines and plums of the year, along with some white peaches:

I hope to get some cooking done this week, so hopefully there will be some new recipes to look forward to.  And what did you get?

I'll see you at the markets!