Market offers chance for culinary experimentation
May 13 marked the first farmers market of the season in
Hollister. The first summer that I worked for the Pinnacle, we were
still at the corner of Fourth and San Benito streets, and the smell
of Mansmith’s barbecue and roasted corn would waft into the
building. It was impossible to resist the savory scents.
Market offers chance for culinary experimentation
May 13 marked the first farmers market of the season in Hollister. The first summer that I worked for the Pinnacle, we were still at the corner of Fourth and San Benito streets, and the smell of Mansmith’s barbecue and roasted corn would waft into the building. It was impossible to resist the savory scents.
Since my first trip there, it has become a regular tradition to stop by almost every week when the market is open. At the beginning of the season, there are fresh cherries, tomatoes and onions. As the season goes on, stone fruits and corn come into their prime. Some weeks, almost all the produce I use for the weekly meals my family cooks comes from the market.
So, of course, when the market opened this year, I took a break to walk from my office on Sixth Street, one block over, to peruse the vendors. This week I picked up cherries, my favorite fruit, and shallots. But I also bought fennel with a mind of mixing it up with Italian sausage and other vegetables.
The flavor of fennel, which has a strong licorice scent when sliced, mixes well with sausage since the meat often has fennel seed in it. Paired with a white wine and other vegetables, the two taste great served over polenta.
From start to finish the recipe took less than 45 minutes and made use of plenty of fresh ingredients. We did take a short cut with the polenta, which can be made from quick-cooking polenta mix or cornmeal. We bought ready-made polenta, which can be found in the pasta aisle of the store or in the organic food section. It comes wrapped in plastic, similar to how cookie dough is packaged. The polenta can easily be sliced into circles and sauteed in olive oil, cooked in the oven or grilled.
Fennel and sausage saute
2 fennel bulbs, sliced
½ large onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 c. white wine
1 c. diced tomatoes
1 lb. mild Italian sausage
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. chopped sage
2 tbsp. chopped basil
Brown sausage until no longer pink and set aside. Slice vegetables while heating olive oil in a large skillet. Add in fennel and onion, and saute for four minutes. Add in carrot and celery. Continue cooking for three minutes. Add sausage back into the skillet and let ingredients brown more, about four minutes. Add in white wine and let cook down, about two minutes. Add in tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Cook for two minutes. Toss in sage and basil.
Serve over pasta or polenta.
Polenta
Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown
2 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for grilling or sauteing if desired
3/4 c. finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 quart chicken stock or broth
1 c. coarse ground cornmeal
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 oz. Parmesan, grated
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large, oven-safe saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the red onion and salt and sweat until the onions begin to turn translucent, approximately four to five minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn.
Turn the heat up to high, add the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once you have added all of the cornmeal, cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent lumps. Once the mixture is creamy, remove from the oven and add the butter, salt, and pepper. Once they are incorporated, gradually add the Parmesan.
Serve as is, or pour the polenta into 9 by 13-inch cake pan lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Once set, turn the polenta out onto a cutting board and cut into squares, rounds, or triangles. Brush each side with olive oil and saute in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, or grill.
