Making a Real Dinner: Fried Farro and Dark Greens

Here's a dish I simply must tell you about: Fried Farro and Dark Greens. I made it for the first time in Point Reyes, but it's snuck into our weeknight rotation at least two times since. It's easy. It's healthy. It's the perfect meal if I'm eating alone and the leftovers are just as good the next day for lunch, hot or cold. Plus, it's extraordinary topped with a fried egg, or alongside roasted chicken or sausage. 

Last night, I used a big bunch of kale as my dark greens and also tossed in a few fresh herbs (marjoram from our CSA box, basil, and parsley). Sean's was served with a pan fried chicken sausage, mine was topped with half an avocado. 

I like to call this kind of dinner "peasant food." Simple and hearty, these aren't always the most attractive dishes but they are -- without fail -- my favorite to consume.

Add in a little farmer's market bread, a chunk of Gruyere, and a bottle of pink wine. Suddenly the mid-weeknight is feeling less frenzied, more authentic. Just the way I like it.

Fried Farro and Dark Greens

Adapted from Off the Menu by Marissa Guggiana

1 cup farro

1 bunch dark greens (kale, chard, collard)

3 Tbl. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the dry farro on a sheet pan and toast it until a little brown, about 10 minutes. Toasting the farro will enhance the flavor. Note: Alternately, I've done this step in the toaster oven (simply toast the grain) as well as pan toasting it in a hot frying pan before cooking the grain. All methods work well.

Coarsely chop the dark greens. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add the greens. Cook over high heat for 5 to 8 minutes; drain and set aside. 

Combine the toasted farro with 2½ cups salted water in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until done. Drain the farro.

Heat a medium cast-iron skillet or other heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the garlic. Stir-fry for a few minutes, until the onion is just tender and beginning to brown. Add the farro along with the remaining tablespoon of oil and continue to fry to encourage browning, constantly stirring to avoid burning, about 6 to 7 minutes. After the farro is fried, add about 2 cups (or more) of the cooked greens and warm through. Serve immediately.

Vacation Meals

Just a taste of what we've been eating while living in a cabin in Pt. Reyes for two weeks.

Springtime in The City

I went to the east coast two weeks ago with a long black puffy coat, layers of cashmere sweaters, hats, gloves, and boots. While I was there it snowed twenty-one inches in New York City, and rained buckets in Boston.

But by the time I left, the temperatures had risen. I bought a new, lightweight coat to wear as I maneuvered the city. In the greenmarket there were few spring vegetable offerings, but the tulips -- oh the tulips!

In my dream life I could fill my arms with bouquets of tulips, carry them home, and put them in vases in every room of my house.

Today's Shopping List

I find travel slightly exhausting, and getting back from travel is always such a pile of laundry and bills and lists of things to do. Thankfully, while I was gone spring bloomed. I am inspired by hot sun seeping through the windows and a cloudless blue sky.

And I am so excited to see what's at the market. When I visited the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City last week you could tell that winter's bite still plagued the northeast. The stalls were still a little spare -- unless you needed apples, winter greens, onions, or potatoes.

Drab vegetables were punctuated by the blooms of spring: pussy willows and tulips, irises, and tiny green starters to nudge into life in a small window box.

After a trip to the grocery store with a list that included greens and good bread, citrus, and fresh yogurt, I am easing back into every day health. The roast chicken with foie gras and brioche croutons is but a memory. So is the compost cookie.

Today's lunch was simple greens topped with an egg and a vinaigrette made from lemon juice, olive oil, and a little drizzle of balsamic alongside a hefty piece of toast. I spread the last bits of bread with honey and made myself a big cup of tea before returning to the desk. 

Travel is good, but it's nice to be back in my city.

Holiday Market

I was all set to describe the lovely lentil and brown rice soup I made the other day; it has balanced my intake of wine, chocolate, and cookies for the past few days. But then I found these colorful photos from my trip to the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market on Saturday. Isn't it amazing that what is in season is vibrantly red and green?

It was a perfect San Francisco morning: foggy at first and then clear with blue skies and sunshine. I arrived at the market early, got my Blue Bottle coffee and wandered. The market was slow to get busy -- a blessed, blessed thing. Usually it is packed with throngs of people and that is what I expected on the Saturday before Christmas.

But people must have stayed out late or had too much to drink. Only the stalwart foodies were out. I bought some apples, pears, and clementines and chatted with a friend picking up his Christmas goose.

Then, just as the market started to get busy, I bought a muffin and escaped to a bench to watch the morning unfold. I've been a little slow to get into the spirit this year but my market trip did a good job of putting me in the mood. It almost made me wish for a California Christmas.

Maybe some day.

Markets Near and Far

From the markets of Dijon and Beaune to the long, pre-holiday grocery store lines, and long lists of ingredients and things to do: Happy Thanksgiving!

After three days of Asian eating: Sunday dim sum, Monday Chinese food, Tuesday Vietnamese food, I am ready for some good American chow. My contribution to the table will be a rich onion confit with pine nuts and raisins. I'm actually looking forward to blanching and peeling all those onions -- can you believe it?

I'm dreaming up a dessert in my brain; we'll see what happens. As usual, mom seems to have it all dialed in.

Pt Reyes Farmers Market

Today the rain has been falling from the sky like the world is going to end. I was warned that the power might go out, so I was up early this morning to shower, heat water for coffee, and warm my brown rice breakfast pudding so that even if there was no power for the day I would be clean and warm in the belly!

I finally came into town and found a very different Pt Reyes from the one depicted above. The streets were deserted, the shops all buttoned up, even Toby's Feed Barn had the rolling door halfway down.

So it seems silly to post weekend farmer's market photos today... were they really taken only forty-eight hours ago?

The Pt. Reyes Saturday Farmers Market is small and sweet. Amazingly, I spotted some very late harvest strawberries and tomatoes as well as apples, pears, root vegetables, greens, onions and potatoes.

I bought small, tart, juicy apples; a perfect pear; shallots and garlic; a sweet potato, and a zucchini.

Assuming there is power tonight I might make a risotto with Pt. Reyes blue, spinach, and zucchini. And if it doesn't... cereal and milk? Pt. Reyes blue and pear? The joys of country living. I always fancied Little House on the Prairie.

To Market We Go

Since I was staying just shy of Union Square on East 17th, I wandered through the Union Square market several times a day. It was funny to see signs that on the West Coast would be a sacrilege -- Jersey peaches -- but in NY meant something was super fresh and local. It was also fun to see the things that are in season right now no matter where you are: beans, zucchini, peaches and apricots, berries and cherries galore. New York does seem to have beauteous sour cherries so red and shiny they looked like a perfect lip gloss. These were what caught my eye and held my imagination. I wish I could have bought a bushel to taste and bake with.

Summer Days Make Me Feel Fine

It was so sunny, warm, and gorgeous in SF yesterday that I made M. take me out for ice cream twice! That last part is a bit of an exaggeration. We did go out for ice cream twice, but I only ate one ice cream cone. Here's what happened:

It is warm and lovely outside. We eat lunch in the backyard (broccoli salad, ice tea, cherries...) and discuss the growing plants. We decide to head to the nursery for stuff to combat the bugs munching on the roses and rhubarb and for those wire things to prop up the tomato plants. I begin to picture an afternoon reading in the garden in my big sun hat and go inside to pour strawberry kefir into my popsicle molds so I can have a nice afternoon treat.

Return home from nursery. Popsicles are not done. They are not even close to being done. I get disgruntled. We decide to go to Bi-Rite in the Mission for ice cream. But first we go to TJ Maxx in search of a new suitcase for M.'s trip to NY. We get lost inside TJ Maxx for awhile. Then we go to Farnsworth's, a mid-century modern furniture store we love. There is a dresser in the window for $1500 that I covet. I make the lady write down the dimensions, believing, somehow, that we really might purchase this piece of insanely beautiful and expensive furniture.

By this point it is 5PM and it seems like ice cream might ruin my dinner. We are planning to eat early, since M. has to go to the airport to catch the red eye to the east coast. We drive past Bi-Rite, as usual the line links around the corner. We don't stop.

Instead we go home and make dinner: braised kale with chorizo and a poached egg on top. Walnut toast on the side and a hefty glass of rose. We eat outside and it is beautiful!!

But then, shortly after dinner my craving returns. And this time I am not in the mood for my refreshing, fruity, kefir pops (despite the fact they're now done). I want ice cream. Real, full fat, chocolate, nutty, caramel rich ice cream. M. looks at me like I am crazy. And then he takes me to Mitchell's.

A SF establishment, Mitchell's is a little ice cream shop all done up in black and white subway tile. The people behind the counter still wear those funny paper hats. You take a number and wait and wait, peering over someone's shoulders to get a look at the toasted almond, the cantelope, the sweet coconut, the rocky road. It reminded me of being a little kid. I wanted a scoop of every flavor!

We got two cones: sweet & salty peanut and chocolate caramel crunch. Alone the peanut was too salty, the chocolate-caramel too sweet. But together? Oh my how it hit the spot.

Strawberry Ginger Jam

For me, June = Jam. Early summer brings beautiful berries and the weather is usually mild enough that I don't mind spending a few hours standing over a hot stove, stirring and testing. It is a small price to pay to have jams and other canned goods to stock away and give as gifts (and eat!) throughout the rest of the year.

My favorite is always strawberry. I know, this is like admitting your favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate. But it is true. I absolutely adore a good, sweet and tart strawberry jam. For the past several years I have loved making my jam from small, deep red Oregon strawberries. I would buy them from the Sweet Oregon Berry Produce stand on the side of Highway 99 in wine country. It isn't a fancy, dolled up market, it is a real working farm's fruit stand. The prices were great and the fruit was beautiful.

I wasn't sure about the California strawberry. Last week at the Castro Farmer's Market the strawberries were huge -- the Arnold Swarchenegger of strawberries. But then I got some advice, "go to the market and follow your nose."

So on Saturday morning, this is what I did. I headed down Market to the Ferry Plaza and searched around a bit, finally finding smaller, deeper, sweeter, red organic strawberries.

My jam is close to perfect. I love staring at the little jars all lined up in a row on the kitchen counter, waiting...

Make jam this June. It's easy! Here's how:

Small Batch Strawberry Jam
3 cups fresh strawberries (about 1 and 1/2 pint baskets, or four cups whole berries)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Optional -- 1 to 2 tablespoons diced candied ginger

Wash fruit and slice in quarters. Put in bowl and cover with sugar. Macerate for at least a couple of hours -- up to a day. I learned in a jam making class that the sugar essentially begins the "cooking" process. The fruit starts to preserve and buys you some time if you need it.

In a medium sized pot bring fruit/ sugar mix, lemon juice, and ginger to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, and skimming foam as needed. Cook about 10 minutes, until the mixture has thickened and looks syrupy.

Continue to cook and test for doneness by dipping a spoon into the jam. If the jam coats the back of the spoon and doesn't drip you are getting close. Use your senses here. You are making jam, so once it starts to look "jammy" you are getting close!

Wash jars with hot water, dry with clean cloth and place in 200 degree oven until ready to use -- you want them hot and sterile. Wash and carefully dry rims and set aside on clean cloth. Wash lids in hot water and place in a small pot of simmering water on the stove (don't boil!) Again, you want them hot and sterile. I usually do most of this in the early stages of jam making so when the jam is ready, I am too.

When jam is done, remove jars from oven (careful, hot!) and ladle jam into jars. Moving quickly, place one dry lid on top of jar and finish with a rim, sealing tightly. Then invert jar for 5 minutes before turning upright. After a few hours, check lids for seals. The lid should not flex up and down when the center is pressed. If the jar has not sealed, reprocess or put in fridge for immediate consumption.

You can also process your jam using the water bath method!

I doubled this recipe and got 4 jars of jam plus some extra that is hanging out in the fridge, just waiting for me. It is really really good.

On the docket for this jam making season: apricot, strawberry-ginger, and maybe blueberry or raspberry. If you have a jam that makes your heart sing, let me know and maybe, just maybe, you'll find it in your stocking come December!

PS This recipe is based on one from PRESERVE by Marjorie Braker

Afternoon Pick Me Up

There have been two things I have been trying to do for the past couple of weeks: cut out my afternoon cup of joe, and stop paying for coffee when I could be making coffee at home. These things come in addition to other "good for me goals" like going to yoga, sitting up straight while I am at the computer, and doing more sit-ups. Is it any wonder I have moved the coffee tasks to the top of the list?

I have done pretty well on both of these tasks, but occasionally the craving for coffee hits. On Monday morning I was at home writing and really wanted another cup of coffee. I wanted it so badly I was convinced an extra cup would make me work better and harder for the next couple of hours -- my productivity was going to soar through the roof and out into the Castro. So I made that cup of coffee, sat down, took a few sips, and promptly got jittery. Into the fridge the cup of coffee went. (Even if you don't want it, tossing a perfectly good cup of coffee is pretty much a no-go in my opinion. I get that from my father.)

Cut to today. I'm heading into a serious four hour work session. I must be productive. I feel my energy waning and remember the cold coffee in the fridge. It is only half a cup -- not nearly enough to keep me up tonight (I hope). The coffee is poured into a pretty glass, topped with cold milk, and on a whim, a spoonful of Trader Joe's Maple Agave Syrup -- because if it is afternoon and I need caffeine I also need sugar.

This could be my new favorite treat: sweet and cold, a little perky pick me up. Which leads me back to the Trader Joe's Maple Agave Syrup. I have become quite a fan in the past few weeks. I have used it (a blend of maple syrup and agave syrup that is less expensive than the real maple stuff) to sweeten tea, granola, yogurt, and now, coffee.

I don't mean to be a product hawker, but seriously, this stuff could change your life -- I am just hoping it doesn't lure me back into my two a day habit.

P.S. Thanks to The Kitchn site for this fab photo, saving me (and the book) from the minutes I would have spent taking a photo of my Maple Agave Syrup bottle. The Kitchn talked up the syrup a few weeks ago. I was already a fan. Who knew I was at the fore of Trader Joe's trends?

Weekend Find

Royal Market & Bakery
5335 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco

We woke up early yesterday and were out the door before most people were out of bed. Maybe it was the sunshine and the blue sky, but we were inspired to knock some errands off our list. We stopped for bagels and coffee then bought toothpaste and looked for new shoes.

We strolled by a medium sized market with bright yellow awnings. M. said we should go in, "I've never been in this one," he said. I followed, thinking, "do we have to go in every single grocery store we pass?"

But this one is special. It is a bright, shiny Russian market. The bakery counter is stacked with creamy pastel unidentified confections, the shelves are loaded with jars and boxes and cans with unreadable names. Russian rap plays loudly over the loudspeakers. We wandered up and down the aisles. There were huge bins of golden raisins, plump dates, and perfect walnuts for $5.99 a pound. M. picked out some deep purple plum butter and a huge container of Russian yogurt. we eyed the bottles and bottles of vodka.

For a moment, I felt like I was in Europe. The store wasn't busy yet but the people there were old Russians, busily doing their Sunday shopping before things got too crazy.

I feel like I've discovered a new secret source for pretty and unique things.

Farmer's Market Goodness

February Saturday at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market: greens and citrus shining in the sun: