Dim and Den Sum visit the Tremont Farmers Market

Dim and Den Sum treated the patrons at the Tremont Farmers Market to “Tomater Sandwiches”.  This talented group consists of Chris Hodgeson, Jeremey Esterly and Brian Evans.  These sandwiches started with the finest tomato herb bread (which is baked daily by the culinary bread master Brian Evans) and then topped with a whipped butter, marinated heirloom tomatoes and fried green tomatoes cooked by Jeremey Esterly.  Orchestrating the entire production was Chris Hodgeson.  They were so enjoyable to watch in action and such sweet guys.  We really appreciate them taking time from their busy schedule to come to the Tremont Farmers Market.  They were even sweet enough to pass out recipe cards.

Dim and Den Sum at the market

Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette

1 C – White Balsamic Vinegar

2 ½ Cups – Canola Oil

3 Tbsp – Lemon Thyme

1 Tbsp – Dijon Mustard

                Pinch of salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. For the marinated tomatoes to use on a sandwich, slice the tomatoes to fit on a sandwich and marinate in the vinaigrette.

Tomato Basil Focaccia

6 C – Bread Flour

2 C – Warm Water (115 degrees)

1 Tbsp – Active dry yeast

1 tbsp – salt

2 medium sized tomatoes

2 tbsp – chopped basil

Peel and deseed the tomatoes as best you can and roughly chop them and toss them into a bowl.  Add to the bowl the water, yeast, flour and basil and mix together with a spoon or your hand.  Once you see the dough coming together add the salt and place the dough on a board.  Start to knead the dough for 10 minutes and then place in an oiled bowl, cover it and allow it to double in size.  Once doubled stretch it out into a big rectangle (wider you stretch the thinner it will be) Cover and allow to double in size again. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Drizzle olive oil on the dough and bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown.

You can also make rolls out of this recipe, just sprinkle with parmesan cheese before baking.

For the sandwiches:

Tomato Basil Focaccia Rolls

Sliced Green Tomotoes

Jeremey, Brian and Chris from Dim and Den Sum

Dim and Den Sum cooking Marinated Heirloom Tomato Sandwiches

Cornmeal, buttermilk and sliced green tomatoes

Green Tomatoes (Sliced in ¼ in pieces)

Corn Meal

Butter milk

Salt and pepper

Canola oil

Bowl of marinated tomatoes

Tomato basil focaccia rolls sliced in half

Dine In Diva, Tami Mitchell created Garden Salad at the market

Tami prepared a refreshing salad at the Tremont Farmers Market on Tuesday.  You need to check out her blog and cooking talents at http://www.gardengrocerygadgetgirl.com/2010/07/tremont-farmers-market-demo.html

Fresh Corn, Peach, Cucumber, Heirloom Tomato and Basil Salad

2 ears of fresh corn, shucked, silk removed, cut from cobs

2-3 ripe, fresh peaches, peeled and diced

3-4 ripe, firm, heirloom tomatoes diced

handful of fresh basil (a mixture of green and red basil look great in the salad), cut in chiffonade

2 small cucumbers, diced

lemon zest flavored grass feed cheese, shredded (optional)

olive oil

Lemon Balsamic Vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Combine fruit, veggies and herbs in a large bowl.  Drizzle with oil and vinegar to taste and season with salt and pepper.  Toss and taste to check seasoning, adjust if necessary.

Fresh Corn, Peach, Cucumber, Heirloom Tomato, Basil Salad

You can also reach Tami at www.DineInDiva.com.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

A friend told me about a salad he had this week in Philly, an heirloom tomato salad with a raspberry-balsamic dressing and it sounded so good I made it for dinner and I have to say it was fantastic.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

4-5 Heirloom Garden Tomatos

1 bunch of basil

1 hunk of buffalo mozzerela

1 pint of raspberries

1/4 c balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Slice or cut up the tomatos depending on how  you like them in your salad

Rough chop the basil

Press the raspberries to get the juice (you can also puree) and mix with the balsamic vinegar and set aside

Place the tomatoes and basil in a bowl and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Cut the mozzerela into pieces and add to bowl and dress with raspberry mixture and enjoy.

Heirloom tomato salad

Vietnamese Crepes from Bac at the Tremont Farmers Market 7/13/10

Bac adding the crepe batter to the pan

Vietnamese crepes at the TFM

Nanci and Chris watching Bac cook the crepes

We welcomed Bac to the market, he is from Bac Tremont Asian American Bistro located at 2661 West 14^th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113 (http://www.bactremont.com/).  He prepared authentic Vietnamese Crepes with market vegetables.  I truly appreciate his efforts and using my cooking pan which was not designed for his crepes, but he perservered and made the best of what he had to cook with

Bac cooking for the market patrons 7/13/10

Bac demonstrating how to cook Vietnamese crepes at the TFM

 and they came out beautifully. 

Vietnamese Crepes

Batter:

3 cups coconut milk

½ c wheat flour

½ c rice flour

1 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp salt

1 c water

Mix ingredients well and place in bowl with lip for pouring or squeeze bottle so that you can easily pour into the pan over the vegetables.

Chop the following vegetables:

Carrots

Onions

Squash

Zucchini

You will also need some steamed mung beans and some bean sprouts

Chop lettuce for a final garnish

Sweet and spice fish oil sauce for dipping

Canola oil

Heat pan and add the canola oil.  Choose a few pieces of each of the vegetables you have chopped and add them to the oil and sauté for about 5 minutes, you don’t need to cook them thoroughly because they will also be cooking while the batter is frying up in the pan.  Separate the vegetable in the pan leaving a gap in the middle of the pan for the batter (this is where the crepe will be folded) and add the batter to the middle and then to cover the entire bottom of the pan covering all of the sautéed vegetables.  Then add a few spoonfuls of mung beans and bean sprouts and cover until you feel the sprouts are warm to the touch.  Lift the cover and fold the crepe in half and cook until the batter is cook through and crispy.  Remove from the pan and serve over the chopped lettuce and either drizzle the dipping sauce over the crepe or dip the crepe into the sauce.

Bac Nguyen did a fantastic job explaining how to prepare this classic Vietnamese dish and has graciously said they would return to the market in the fall to prepare another dish for us!

Preserved Lemons

Several chefs that have come to the market have brought preserved lemons with them to add to their dishes.  These add such a special flavor to salads or pastas.  I have tried this at home and it is not difficult just takes patience.  I have found several recipes on line and here are a few:

Preserved Lemons

8-10 lemons

½ c kosher salt

Cinnamon sticks

Cilantro

Cumin

Sugar

Sterilized jars with sealed tops

Bring a pot of water to a boil and place the lemons in the boiling water for 3-5 minutes depending on how thick the skin is on the lemons.  Bring them out of the water and roll in kosher salt and pack in a sealed jar in a cool spot for about 5 days.  After 5 days add the cinnamon sticks, cilantro, cumin and sugar to the jar and place in a refrigerator or cold cellar for about 30 days.  After 30 days remove the pulp and chop up the rind and you can add to any dish that needs a citrus taste.  These will then keep in the frig for several months.

Recipe #2

8-10 lemons

½ c kosher salt

Clean sterilized jars with sealed tops

Slice the lemons in half (but not all the way through and half again leaving it attached at the bottom) sprinkle with salt and push into a sealed jar to squeeze out the juice.  Let it sit at room temp for a few days and then store in a sealed jar in a cool spot and turn occasionally for the next 30 days. After 30 days rinse and chop and they will keep sealed in the frig for up to 6 months.

Ricardo Sandoval Wows The Crowd at the Tremont Farmers Market

Ricardo Sandoval from Fat Cats, Lava Lounge and Felice’s Urban Café was the chef at the market yesterday in Tremont and he always amazes me with the way he brings flavors together.  He choose onions, squash and basil from market vendors and combined them in his saute pan to create an amazing pasta dish.  To top it off  he combined chev cheese from Lucky Penny Farms in Kent and mixed it with whipping cream to create a decadent fruity dessert.

Ricardo cooks at the market

Ricardo cooking at the market June 7th, 2010

Ricardo chopping vegetables during the market chef demo

Ricardo’s Pasta with Vegetables

1 lb of small cooked pasta noodle

1 large onion from Red Basket Farms

3-4 cloves of garlic from Por Bar Farms

Chev cheese from Lucky Penny Farms

½ c chopped preserved lemons

1 pint of ground cherries

Vegetable stock

Cooking oil

4 small yellow squash from Red Basket Farms

1 large bunch of basil (chopped)  from Red Basket Farms

Heat the frying pan with a few table spoons of the oil and when hot add the onions and garlic, once they are translucent you can add the squash and continue to cook for 5+ minutes until you see the squash starting to brown.  You will then add about ½ c of vegetable stock to the pan – more if needed and cook mixture, stirring occasionally.  Then add the cooked pasta and the chopped preserved lemons to the pan and heat thoroughly, cooking until all of the flavors have combined.  From start to finish this will take no more than 20-30 minutes and you are ready to serve.  You can serve this with a scoop of chev cheese and some ground cherries to finish the dish.

 Fresh Berries and Whipped Chev

1 pint blueberries from Woolf Farms

3-4 fresh peaches from Woolf Farms

Chev cheese from Lucky Penny

1 c whipping cream

Sugar

1/8 – 1/4 c Raspberry or Blackberry Liquor

Cut the peaches into bite size pieces and combine with the blueberries and a few tablespoons of the  liquor.  Whip the whipping cream with about 2-3 T sugar until you see soft peaks and then add about 2 tbl spoons of chev cheese. To serve you can place the fruit into individual bowls and scoop the cream over top then sprinkle with a bit of the sugar. This was such a refreshing treat on a warm afternoon in the park.

Dante Boccuzzi Cooks Pasta with Market Vegetables on June 29th in Tremont

Market vegetables Dante purchased for his demo

Vegetables being sauteed in a pan at the market

Chris from Dim and Den Sum talking to Dante at the market

 

Fresh Market Basil

Dante Boccuzzi from Dante Ristorante located at 2247 Professor Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio was at the Tremont Farmers Tuesday sharing his amazing culinary skills with the market patrons. Dante purchased fresh zucchinis, garlic stems, tomatoes and basil to create his Pasta with Market Vegetables.

Pasta with Market Vegetables

4 yellow zucchini

12 garlic chutes

4 garden tomatoes

A large bunch of fresh basil

Olive oil Salt & pepper

Fresh spaghetti pasta noodles

Dried chili flakes

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the fresh pasta. Fresh pasta cooks faster than the dried pasta so keep an eye on it because it should only take about 5 minutes to cook fully.

Chop the tomatoes and garlic chutes into small pieces; slice the zucchini thinly (a mandolin works best for evenly slices pieces). Chop the basil finely. Add the tomatoes, zucchini and garlic to the hot oil and cook till tender and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle a bit of chili flakes over the vegetables while they are cooking and then add the chopped basil. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water and add cooked pasta to the pan with the vegetables and stir until mixed.

Your Pasta with Market Vegetable is now ready to serve you can add some parmesan cheese on top if you prefer.

Garlic chutes and fresh pasta (Dante's Grandmothers recipe)