A California Midsummer’s Harvest, in a bowl

Posted by Lauren on July 22, 2010 · 21 Comments 

Purchases from the Santa Monica Farmers' Market: apricots, white nectarines, a watermeon, flat-leaf parsley, asparagus, assorted summer squash, red onions, a celebrity tomato, and a plum of some sort that was given to me for being awesome/because the market was closing.

A few things readers of Lauren’s Little Kitchen already know very, very well, but hey, let’s review:

1. Lauren is obsessed with where she lives.  She believes Santa Monica is heaven on earth and is beyond blessed to call this place home.  Click here for a previous post in which I brag about Santa Monica and its farmers’ market, too.
2. Lauren has a problem with fruit and vegetable consumption.  She isn’t very good at saving anything for tomorrow, or for later, or for Ryan, or for whatever.  Especially when it comes to apples, apricots, strawberries, and grapes.  And broccoli, but nobody seems to really care about that.  Oh, and grilled or roasted yellow peppers!
3. Lauren’s favorite thing to do is complain.  Her second favorite thing to do is go to the Farmers’ Market and eat free fruit.  Her third favorite thing to do is give her self the permission to spend a little bit of money at said market, and bring home stuff that’s just amazing.  And yesterday, after a crazy three days, that’s exactly what she did.

Squash is delightful, and the selling price really varies, so poke around.

Oh my, I’ll stop talking in the third person.  Could I be more obnoxious!?  Anyway, at around noon, I kicked off my heels and raced home to throw on jeans and a t-shirt, and off to the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market I went!  Normally, I would never visit the market this late: the produce has been sitting out in the hot summer sun all morning, and the good stuff has already been picked.  What you’re dealing with could be the remainders, an over-squeezed peach, green-tinted apricots, bruised and battered zebra heirloom tomatoes.  And oh, isn’t that why we all started depending on the good ol’ grocery store anyway?  Because we wanted fruits and vegetables that looked perfect and felt perfect and tasted, well, as uninteresting but dependable as they looked. You know, a granny smith apple whose flesh is a billion pixels of bright-and-glossed-autumn-and-lime in the midst of April?  I’m not saying we should all rely on markets or seasons or this or that, because it’s unreasonable, and I don’t do it, either.  I like fajitas, and I like them in January, when I can’t buy anything even close to a bell pepper at my market.  And we all know I’d give up half my possessions for a good pink lady apple!  I guess what I’m trying to say is that attending your local farmers’ market is a whole different experience, one that allows you, even if just for a day, to be in constant conversation with your community and all that it creates.  It is an exercise in sustainability, and everybody should at least try it.  I think that, if nothing else, try to eat locally once a week.  Or try to have something local featured on your dinner table every night.  Figure out a way to support your health, your conscience, you taste buds!  Click here to find a farmers’ market near you.

I have been known to eat an apricot or six after lunch.

Oh, and if you shop smart and in season, it’s not even expensive!  I bought pesticide-free, ripe-as-could-be apricots for $1.60 a pound yesterday, and they threw in a free plum, too!  And a box of various, super interesting summer squash, for two bucks!  It was about two pounds of squash, picked the previous day.  So don’t say, I can’t afford to shop locally, unless you’ve checked out your local market, looked at the prices, and honestly had to say “hey, I really can’t afford this”.  If you live near a farm, and the weather’s fine, somebody is growing something at least a few months throughout the year.  Miami folks, take a drive down to Homestead one day this winter!  New York City folks, put on your tightest skinny jeans and grab a latte in a recycled cardboard cup and head on over to the Greenmarket, or be even cooler than that, and check out a market in Brooklyn.

You can find good deals on local produce, so don't say you can't afford to shop a farmers' market until you've actually checked out the prices.

My favorite tomato farm sells "softies" for two dollars a pound. That might seem expensive, but these are amazing tomatoes, and they make the greatest salsa frescas, bruschettas, and simple pasta sauces.

I love to cook.  There’s nothing better than turning on music and just making something out of the finest, freshest ingredients in the world.  Ingredients that you chose that very same day, that you chose under the kind advisement of a happy and helpful farmer who confirms your selections with a smile and answers any questions you might have, such as “should I be looking for softness or blush in a nectarine?” or “how long can I leave these tomatoes out on the counter if I don’t have air conditioning?” or “can you please, please, please explain to me how to cut a peach without ruining it?”.  If the farmer or seller isn’t receptive to your questions or seems distracted, thank him or her and buy from someone else!  I know it’s a farmers’ market, but it’s still a customer’s choice.

Enough rambling.  I bought stuff, I had a great time, and it was a cool, cloudy day, so the market wasn’t that swamped with people, and the fruit hadn’t turned to mush.  On to dinner, which was basically

Grilled Market Vegetables with Chicken, Penne, and Heirloom Tomatoes

Everything, in a bowl!

This recipe is about as loose as a recipe gets, friends.  Whatever is in season is exactly what you need.  Then, choose a protein and a grain, and do something marvelous.  Here’s what I used, making dinner for one:

• asparagus, one small bunch, grilled
• red onion, very small, cut into thick rings and skewered, grilled
• 2 interesting squash, cut into crescents and skewered, grilled
• 2 very soft tomatoes, chopped
• 2 oz. whole wheat penne, cook until just tender
• flat-leaf parsley, basil
• sea salt, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, black pepper
• just a dash of freshly minced garlic
• a dash of olive oil
• 3 oz. cooked chicken breast, cubed
• good cheese, such as a hard Italian or a goat cheese
• spinach or some other green, optional

**Note:  (Hi, I’m adding this post-publishing, because I realized I had called for 2 oz. penne, which is absolutely true, but only if you are feeding one!  Honestly, all of the vegetables I cooked will serve at least two people, but I’m a veggie-fiend.  Also, I’d recommend upping the protein to feed two, although you could definitely fill up without it.  So, double up when necessary!)

Essentially, I grilled my veggies with a little bit of sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a little bit of balsamic and olive oil.  I did not allow them to become overly soft, because I wanted them to retain shape.  Watch your veggies carefully, because it varies.  I think I did about 8 minutes for everything but the asparagus, which were done really quickly, maybe in four minutes.  Oh, your pasta should be cooking/cooked, or prepare cous cous or have some crusty bread around.  Then, in a sauce pan, heat up a little bit of olive oil with some crushed red pepper, sea salt, and a little bit of basil and parsley.  Add a dash of chopped garlic and the tomatoes.  I like to use the juice too, but a lot of people would prefer it without, I’m sure.  Reduce the heat to low and add the chicken and the penne and let simmer for a minute or so.  Add the prepared vegetables.  (I did not add my asparagus, I like it on the side.)  Stir, simmer for a few seconds, add the spinach and a dash of lemon juice.  Allow the spinach to just wilt, and serve, with a good cheese, hard or soft, and a little bit of extra flat-leaf parsley.  Enjoy!

Vegetables on the grill.

Chopped softy tomatoes for the sauce.

Tomatoes, with their good friends, olive oil and low heat.

Add veggies and chicken.

Add a green, if desired. I used spinach. Arugula would have been amazing. And lemon juice!

Sweet summer in a bowl, with some pasta.

Another shot, for the asparagus-lovers out there.

Notes!  I want to make this dish over and over again, a little differently each time.   Next time, I think I want to try it with garbanzo beans and fresh pita bread or some other grilled flatbread and kind of go Mediterranean… which is so doable, because peppers will be here soon!  Also, I think this dish would have worked really well with brown rice and larger, simmered chicken parts, almost like a light summer stew.  This is making me hungry.  By the way, I know this isn’t a peak into Ryan’s lunchbox, but this week has been crazy and I do what I want.  Talk to you soon!

Leave a comment, and tell me about your favorite farmers’ market!  Or just say hi.  Or don’t.  I’m just happy you’re here.

Filed under dinner, farmers market, food, recipe · Tagged with farmers market, fruit, grilling, healthy, italian, los angeles, pasta, poultry, santa monica, tomatoes, veggies