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I realize I’ve mentioned Farmer’s Markets before but it’s coming at you again (with a slideshow this time!): If you’re in NY on a sunny Saturday and searching for something to do that is casual/relating to food/not too taxing/an adventure for the senses… I recommend the Farmer’s Market at Union Square. People strolling, buying fresh food and flowers and bread and pie, laughing, crying (apparently the kid really wanted that berry pie), savoring (while sampling), etc.
Good start to the day…makes one feel connected (interesting how talking to the farmers who grow your food can do that.)
Who has heard of breakfast radishes? I certainly haven’t…and I have a great fondness for radishes. Ask anyone who attempts to make a salad with me and radishes around. Gone before they get into the bowl.
Well last week was quite hectic– three weeks into my stay in NYC (I’m apparently living bi-coastaly at the moment) and company changes abound. It seems that not only are there major shifts underway in our global business scene, but a lot of unsettled ground on the micro-level too. Just as well, really. I think that it’s becoming increasingly clear that change is necessary and has been a long time coming. We must batten down the hatches of what’s important to us and simultaneously let fly what’s old and worn if we’re going to survive this.
So, after a long week of managing meetings, announcements, deadlines, etc., what did I do to get myself centered? I played with my mom and aunt who flew into town (as they generally do at exactly the right time) and we played, shopped, laughed, wandered through central park, ate amazing food, drank margaritas and wine, watched sunsets from the rooftop terrace, witnessed the lights coming to life on the Chrysler Building at dusk, ooo’d at a lightning storm over lower Manhattan, watched an imaginative and charming off-broadway show, and went to a farmers market where we discovered breakfast radishes.
To get myself a bit more in line with LIFE, I’ve become inspired by the Farmer’s Market… wanting to let go of foods that do not actually contain any sort of life and exchanging them for foods vibrant with it. Colorful, texturous, lovely, and lively. An admirable criteria, I’d say. Next week I may be eating fried rice from the corner Chinese restaurant, but this week, I’m all about the breakfast radish.
So here’s to finding life in the little things… one ravishing root vegetable at a time. 
You’d think I’d have time on a rainy Sunday to make a slow, home cooked meal… nope. I’m experiencing one of those work-through-the weekend sort of Sundays but I:
1. Don’t want to trudge through the rain to the store
2. Want to eat something healthy
3. Want to make something delicious and quick (yay! A short break from work!)
So I raided my fridge (which doesn’t always work out for me but today it did) and came up with this quick, satisfying (for me at least) lunch.
Rainy Day Ratatouille-ish Dish
First, raid your kitchen and see what vegetables you can come up with. Here’s what I got.
Coat dutch oven (or deep skillet, whatever) with olive oil (organic, cold-pressed if you’ve got it!) (And yes, I do need a tan but it’s February. What do you want from me?!)
Coarsely chop medium-sized red onion and saute over medium heat.
Once the onions start to make your home smell like you’re working really hard at this cooking thing, then add coarsely chopped celery and zucchini. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper (freshly ground pepper…worth the effort!) Saute until they’re al dente. (yeah, yeah, I know this phrase applies to pasta, but it’s a great phrase and it applies here. Cooked, but not cooked to an oblivion. Yes?)
Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic. Continue sauteing until most of the moisture from the bottom of the pan is absorbed.
Then, deglaze by pouring about…oh, I guess 1/4 cup dry white wine into the pan. (I’m a single city girl, of course I have white wine in my fridge.) Turn up the heat and let the alcohol cook out, leaving behind a nice flavor.
As the wine is cooking out, finely chop one chipotle pepper (less if you don’t like it too spicy) and add to the mix. (Chipotles add great smokey heat but if you like things really mild, just add a teaspoon of the sauce that comes with the chipotles instead.)
I’d add a picture of the chipotle but it didn’t photograph well. Poor chipotle.
Now, add some sort of protein here. As you know, I don’t like meat, so I added sauteed tofu (sauteed in olive oil and black peppered up) but you could use cooked chicken, etc. (Consult an carnivore for flavor arrangements.)
Pour the whole thing in a baking dish and top with a bit more salt, pepper, and lots of jack cheese. (mmm… cheese.)
Broil until the cheese gets gooey and sizzling and a little bit brown.
Serve in a hearty-sized bowl with crusty baguette bread or sourdough toast.
Enjoy!
I am blessed to have friends—friends who not only let me live with them for three weeks while I got myself moved across the country from NY to SF, started a new job, and fought off bronchitis, but who welcomed me with open arms when I was tired, grumpy, busy, and feeling generally chaotic inside.
So when I moved out of their cozy, calm corner of the seaside town of Tiburon and into my new snazzy apartment in the city, they gave me a house-warming gift (as if providing love, scotch, and a pit-stop place to live wasn’t enough) and I have to say, this gift is…fantastic.
It’s a Frother.
Now, I know, I know… it’s a frivolous bit of gadgetry, but I do have to say that while living with my saintly (and sometimes sinister but that’s another story) friends, Erica and Jim, I got a wee bit spoiled using a Frother to foam up my warm and delicious morning coffee.
And now, thanks to my Friends Who Froth… I, too, have become a Frivolous Frother.
Thanks “Party Cats!”
The Frother
