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mardi 31 janvier 2012

A Salsa for every Season: Winter

Staying seasonal can be limiting when it comes to some of our favorite foods. For example, in the Summer I love to make batches of fresh salsa using sun soaked tomatoes and balcony-grown peppers, but these mason jars of Summer salsa seem to be devoured in a matter of seconds. They never last longer than the tomato season itself and I always end up facing the colder months destined to remain salsa-less.

But necessity, or gluttony in my case, does in fact give birth to invention and I decided that, instead of buying airport-food quality tomatoes from God knows where during the off season, I would attmpt to make seasonal salsas using what I could find at local markets.

My first attempt in this venture resulted in Fallsa, a blend of end-of-the-season green tomatoes and hearty helpings of cilantro. Fallsa was a fairly simple compromise between the end of Summer and the beginning of the Fall- that lovely autumnal area when the sun still lingers and therefore so do the courgettes, bell peppers, and tomatoes.

The Winter months make seasonal salsa a daunting task, with no hope of local tomatoes and the last of my cayenne withering on its weather-beaten plant, I figured I'd just have to forgo homemade salsa until the spring. But then inspiration found me in the form of a panier bio from bio c'bon.

Our first bio bag included a lovely little pumpkin that I would've just roasted and made into soup if it hadn't been for those poor cayenne peppers, which would perish if I didn't find an immediate use for them.

Thus the idea for Winter Salsa was born, with pumpkin standing in for my tomatoes I set to put a cold weather spin on a Summer classic.

Below is the recipe, note that I did include canned corn, but otherwise all ingredients can be found fresh and locally (except for the the cayenne if you didn't grow that in advance!)

Winter Salsa

Ingredients:

1 small pumpkin or other squash

- cut the squash in half, remove seeds, and place it, flesh side up, in a oven-safe dish that is 1/3 full of water. Place the squash in an oven preheated to 400° F / 205° C for 35-45 mins (35 if you want a chunk salsa, 45 if you want a creamy one)

1 small can of corn kernels

1 bunch of parsley

1 red onion

1 dried pepper, like cayenne

2-3 cloves of garlic

hot sauce and salt, to taste

1/2 diced cucumber (optional- it adds crunch to a creamy salsa)

Step 1: After letting your squash cool, remove the rough skin and cut the flesh into cubes. If you've let the squash roast for the full 45 minutes, the cubes will become creamy when mixed in with the other ingredients. Under-cooked squash should hold up for a chunky salsa even after the other ingredients are added.

Step 2: Slice and dice up all your other ingredients, throw in the corn kernels and slowly add in the peppers, garlic, hot sauce, and salt. Mix together with a large spoon and adjust to taste.

Step 3: Enjoy!

You can serve this right away with tortilla chips or as an addition to your burritos. Get it while the getting is good- because no matter what the season, salsa never stays around for long!

Libellés : Bio c'bon, food rituals, recipes, seasonal

vendredi 27 janvier 2012

Bio c'est in the bag!

There is a wide variety of options for getting farm-to-front door veggie delivery in Paris. Between AMAP associations, paniers bio, websites like Paysans.fr, and the burgeoning La ruche qui dit oui movement, city dwellers have their choice of ways to get local, organic, farm grown foods on their dinner table.

Those interested in participating in a weekly food delivery service may be overwhelmed by the available options. I know people who have tried, and been very satisifed with, the options listed above, but I myself have never signed up for any of these services.

Maybe this is due to trepidation about my family of two being able to use all the produce that is typically included in these weekly deliveries, or maybe it is due to my fear of commiting to any subscription other than the New Yorker, but for whatever reason I prefer to do my shopping at open markets or my local biocoop.

However, the recent opening of a Bio c'bon store in my neighborhood has brought me one step closer to being a panier bio buyer.

Perfect for the non-commital types out there, Bio c'bon offers shopping bags full of fruits and vegetables that you can grab on your way home from work for only 10 euro.

Another added bonus: on those days when you weren't planning on going shopping and didn't B.Y.O.B (bring your own bag) you don't have to worry- the bi bag is easy to grab and go, without having to stuff your shopping into your purse or pockets due to lack of foresight!

This has become a Monday tradition in our house and I am starting to understand the thrill of getting a mixed bag full of seasonal organic produce.

There are some staples to the Bio c'bon bag- for example you are gauranteed a head of lettuce, a hearty handful of carrots, and a replenishing stock of onions and shallots- but there is also the element of surprise which in the past few weeks has included sweet potatoes and napa cabbage (did someone say kimchi?)

Bio c'bon has stores all over the city and every one of them offers the Bio Bag. The majority of the stores are also open on Sundays, so if you can't make it to the organic Marché Raspail , I highly recommend giving Bio c'bon and their bountiful paniers bio a try!

Libellés : Bio c'bon, biocoop, organic, paniers bio

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Paris Paysanne: The Blog

mardi 31 janvier 2012

A Salsa for every Season: Winter

vendredi 27 janvier 2012

Bio c'est in the bag!

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