Farmers' Market Friday - More Than Just Dessert {Savory Grilled Peach Salad with Bacon}

Peach season is in full swing in Central Texas. Most people are familiar with these fruits being the foundation of the Fredericksburg and Johnson City summer produce offerings.  As a kid, my family and I would travel up the road to Fredericksburg to get a bushel of peaches during the season. My mother would always insist on waiting until the freestone peach varieties were ready as she didn't want to fuss with the cling varieties. We'd always take a lunch break at Altdorf's and then head home - the entire car fragrant with sweet peach aroma. Once home, the work began of blanching and peeling, cutting and storing. In Mama's case, it was always in plastic containers covered with a light syrup for storage in our big deep freezer. Some of the fresh peaches would also be used to make a delicious Peach Cobbler and the rest would be stashed away for use throughout the rest of the year.

A few years ago, El Syd and the kids and I have made the same trek to the Hill Country to continue on the tradition. However, for the past couple of years, I've been happily surprised to find excellent peaches from Williamson County farmers at the farmers' market. This year is no exception and in fact, with our great amounts of rain, the peach crop is coming in with large, juicy fruits.  I picked up a couple of containers of peaches from Tiemann's Tasty Produce who sell at Wolf Ranch Farmers' Market in Georgetown but rather than go the traditional route with this batch by making a cobbler or jam or such, I decided that I really wanted a savory dish that showcased the sweetness of the fruit. I went on the search for a summer salad and when I happened upon one that included bacon, I was all in!

Savory Grilled Peach Salad with Bacon

adapted from Linton Hopkins

• 1/4 C mayo
• 1/4 C sour cream
• 1/4 C buttermilk
• 2 Tbsp mint, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp chives, snipped
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb sliced bacon
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 2 large sweet onions (cut into 1" thick slabs)
• 6 ripe peaches, pit removed and cut into quarters
• oil of choice (either olive oil or peanut or...)

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bacon slices on the paper in a single layer and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for about 30 minutes until the sugar begins to caramelize. Bacon may seem soft but will crisp as it cools.  Allow bacon to cool and then cut candied bacon into bite-size pieces.
2. While bacon cooks, whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl: mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, herbs and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste and hold in fridge while you complete rest of salad.
3. Light a grill (or indoors, heat a grill pan) Brush onions and peaches with oil. Grill onions first over moderate heat and turn occasionally until the onions are soft and browned (about 10-12 minutes). Grill peaches until tender (about 2 minutes depending upon ripeness of the fruit.)
4. In a large bowl, separate the onions into rings and toss with peaches and bacon. 
5. Serve in individual dishes and drizzle with buttermilk dressing and enjoy!

Notes: 

• The bacon I purchased at the market is from Prairie Dell Meat Co. and it is divine! The smoke on this bacon will remind you of your Grandpa's smokehouse (or make you wish he had one.) Great meatiness to the bacon too - just the right ratio of meat to fat. Just delicious.
• Cooking the bacon in the oven on a sheet pan is a revelation. All of the bacon is ready at the same time and there is zero mess from frying all over your stove top and floor near your stove.

While a great starter, we made an entire meal out of this salad. The grilled peaches paired with the sweetness of the grilled onions was fabulous with the smokiness of the candied bacon (which is fabulous just on its own and I foresee that happening quite a bit in the future.) The herbed buttermilk dressing was just the right amount of contrast to all of the sweetness. A truly delicious way to use peaches in something other than a dessert!

Happy Cooking!

sld

Disclosure: I was invited by Wolf Ranch Farmer's Market to visit and meet the vendors and was provided Market Money with which to purchase ingredients for use in the Farmers' Market Friday posts.  I was not compensated to write this article and all opinions are my own.

A Change of Plans...{Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Pappardelle}

For the past couple of weeks, I've been offering up some super simple sides and my plan was to continue on that path for the next several weeks. However, this meal just hustled its way into the schedule as another way to use those fabulous Brussels sprouts. 

A common pairing on all of the most fabulous menus is Brussels sprouts and bacon. And, while some of us may have thought that this pairing had jumped the shark, I think this dish might just change your mind. This was a dinner this week and there were plenty of leftovers for a second night's meal. Although, I had to fight off my sweet daughter and El Syd from packing the leftovers up for the next day's lunches. 

Brussels Sprouts & Bacon Pappardelle

• 1 lb pappardelle pasta (fettucine or spaghetti would be a good sub if you can't find pappardelle in your store)
• 1/2 lb thick sliced bacon, diced
• 1/4 C sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts, root end trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 C white wine
• 1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; save 1 C of the pasta water & drain when finished.
2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the topping (not a true sauce, but loaded with amazing flavor.) In a large skillet, saute bacon and onion over medium heat. Stir occasionally and cook until the bacon is browned and starting to crisp up & the onions are browned and caramelized. (about 15 minutes)
3. Add sliced Brussels sprouts and garlic to the bacon and onions. Saute, stirring frequently until the leaves are bright green (about 3 minutes or so.)
4. Stir in white wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and stir well.
5. Add finished and drained pasta to the skillet and begin to toss with the cooked mixture. Add Parmesan cheese and about 1/2 C of the pasta water. Stir until creamy and well coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

The natural sweet and nutty flavor of the Brussels sprouts was fabulous with the saltiness of the bacon and the white wine added yet another layer of flavor to this dish. I'm not telling you what to do, but this just might be a nice way to say "I love you." for Valentine's Day. You can't go wrong with an impressive homemade meal!

Happy Cooking!

sld

Farmers' Market Friday - Transitions {Sweet Corn Soup}

It is the funky time of year in Central Texas. We're approaching Fall, and yet, we still have temps registering in the 90s. The rest of the country is sporting corduroys and sweaters while we are still in shorts and tank tops. However, we do have odd breaks in the weather like last weekend when the cool rains held temps in the mid 60s. It is days like that which make you long for a complete change in the seasons. You begin to think, not only how your clothing options will change, but also, how your plate will change. If you frequent a farmers' market, you will have noticed that some of the gems of summer are starting to wane - there's less okra and eggplant available; winter squash have been to appear. As I've mentioned before, our Central Texas farming friends are pulling a veritable rabbit out of their hats with a second Sweet Corn crop - an encore before the season fully changes on us once and for all. 

That little cold snap last week made me think of more traditional fall dishes - soups and stews and the like. However, when you've got fresh, sweet corn staring you in the face, it is hard to ignore. So, why not straddle the seasons? Use a traditionally summer item in a fall-ish way. Although this Sweet Corn Soup is a creamy soup, it is remarkably light and thin and yet still warm and completely satisfying. Fantastic by itself, that sweetness makes it a natural vehicle for some salty and spicy mix-ins. 

Items from the market:

• Sweet Corn
• jalapenos
• onions
• bacon or pork belly

Sweet Corn Soup

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

• 6 ears of corn, shucked and de-silked
• 6 C whole milk
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (stick to yellow or white)
• 1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced (or run through a garlic press as I prefer)
• 4 C water
• 2 sprigs of thyme(fresh)
• 1 bay leaf

For Add-ins: 

• Fresh corn kernels
• jalapeno pepper, halved & seeded then thinly sliced
• bacon or pork belly, cut into small pieces and fried crisp
• fresh chives

1. Make soup base: remove corn kernels from the cobs. {There are many devices on the market that are advertised as making this an easy job. I find a sharp knife and a deep bowl work well: Using a corn holder (those tiny handles that pierce the cob) is also helpful. Place ear of corn upright in the bowl. Using a sharp knife, cut straight down the cob along the base of the kernels. Continue by turning the cob until you've made your way around the entire thing.) Keep the cobs and set the kernels aside. Cut each cob in half or thirds.
2. Put the cobs in a large dutch oven or soup pot. Pour in the milk and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow the cobs and milk to steep while you work on everything else.
3. In a large, heavy skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and a bit of salt. Cook over low to med-low. Stirring occasionally until the onion softens and becomes glassy (about 5 minutes or so; you do not want the onion to brown.) Add the celery, carrot, garlic and reserved corn kernels. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is softened( about 10-12 minutes)
4. Scrape the vegetable mixture into the steeping corn cob/milk pot, add water and herbs. Bring to a boil and then lower heat. Partially cover the pot and cook on low (check that you have a nice low simmer) for about 30 minutes.
5. Taste the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove and discard the cobs, the herb stalks and the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup.
6. To serve, ladle piping hot soup into individual bowls. Pass bowls of mix-ins at the table and allow guests to add their personal touch to the soup. Enjoy!

I hope you'll give this soup a try. It was a hit with the family who enjoyed that it was a soup that seemed to have a toe in both summer and fall - a great way to transition in your kitchen.

Happy Cooking!

sld

Disclosure: I was invited by Wolf Ranch Farmer's Market to visit and meet the vendors and was provided Market Money with which to purchase ingredients for use in the Farmers' Market Friday posts.  I was not compensated to write this article and all opinions are my own.

Spinach Salad ala Mama

When I was growing up, my mother was never much of a "lady who lunches" type of gal.  She was busy shuttling the older 3 to various activities, and being the quintessential room mom of the 70's to me, the baby. (She made Betsy Ross hats for every girl in my Kinder class so that we could participate in a program for the US Bicentennial in style. That plus the gingham skirts and we were quite adorable, I must say.) 

When we moved from the city to the country, when I was 9, some of that changed. My siblings (who are all at least 10 years older than I am) were out of the house and she had a bit more time to do things for herself.  She and a girlfriend who had made the same move from city to rural life, started exploring our new town with shopping and lunch excursions. 

One such trip was to a restaurant in our town called The Country Spirit. It was in a lovely old building on Main Street in Boerne. This building is one of several in town that is reported to be haunted (hence the clever name, perhaps?) and it is where Mama had this delicious Spinach Salad and began to replicate it at home. While we never encountered any ghosts on any of our trips to the restaurant, this salad is pretty "other worldly" on its own - fresh Spinach layered with marinated bean sprouts, water chestnuts, chopped hard boiled egg and crispy, savory bacon bits topped with a tangy sweet-tart French style dressing.

Mama's Spinach Salad (makes about 4 servings with dressing left over for other uses) (adapted from The Country Spirit)

• 2 bunches of fresh spinach, washed well, torn/rough chopped into manageable pieces
• 1 can of bean sprouts (see note below about fresh)
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 lb. bacon, fried crisp ( I always cut mine into small cubes before frying -easier than crumbling after)
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1/3 C ketchup
• 1/4 C vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp chopped onion
• 1 C canola oil

1. Make dressing: In blender (or in deep container to use immersion stick blender like I do) combine, sugar, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Slowly add oil into the blender while it is on so that the oil will emulsify with the other ingredients and the dressing thickens a bit.
2. In a container, dress the bean sprouts with a few tablespoons of dressing. Toss to coat and marinate for a few hours or overnight.
3. Compose salad: In individual serving bowls, start with a layer of fresh spinach. Top with a few tablespoons of marinated bean sprouts, then add a sprinkling of water chestnuts, chopped hard boiled eggs and bacon bits. Top with a drizzle of dressing and enjoy!

Note: I ran up against a little stumbling block and didn't have any canned bean sprouts in the pantry. The closest shop nearby didn't have any canned sprouts either. But, they did have fresh. I purchased the bag of fresh mung bean sprouts and lightly steamed them before proceeding as described above. They were great and lacked that slight metallic taste that is sometimes detected in the canned. 

Happy Cooking!

 sld