Yes—The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook has gone into a fourth printing! Thank you all for your support. It pleases me no end that the book continues to be a helpful resource for simple, seasonal cooking and shopping, wherever you live.
This has been a thought-provoking month of writing and meetings. With much of the L.A. area quarantined due to Medfly (it took just two flies!), I posted a two-part story on Eat:LA about methods of treatment and what to do at home and the market.
At the California Small Farm Conference in San Diego, I attended an SRO panel on small-scale farm start-ups, particularly as work therapy for American Vets. It was a stunning example of farming’s regenerative powers and proof that the passion to work the land endures. And, for the first time in its 23 years, the conference saw tremendous support from Slow Food USA, including a spirited keynote address by its president, Josh Viertel.
Proud parent alert: March also marked Ate.Cafe’s first anniversary! That’s the Austin-area café owned by my daughter and son-in-law, Jessica and Rodolfo Buonocore. Breakfast, lunch, catering, and weekly family dinner delivery service are flourishing, and the café is now open evenings for small plates, tapas, and interesting beers and wines, particularly those from Rodolfo’s native Argentina. Rodolfo is a master at tapas; he used them to wow my husband and me when he courted our daughter.
Looking ahead to spring flavors, check out my latest recipe on KCRW’s “Good Food”: Pork Stew with Fire-Roasted Green Tomatoes. Non-meat eaters please keep reading! On a recent walk through the market, I was inspired the instant I saw the season’s first unripe tomatoes: I’d blacken them over an open flame for extra flavor and use them in a transitional, tangy braise, as one would tomatillos, which aren’t in season here until summer. The base is also fabulous with shellfish or sustainable firm-fleshed white fish. Simply add the seafood to the simmering sauce 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
April 22 is the 40th Annual Earth Day. (My, how time flies. I was a UCLA freshman for the first, and remember gathering at the base of Janss Steps to celebrate instead of protest. It was 1970, after all.) Start this year’s observance by watching the April 20th PBS showing of Dirt, the Movie, an uplifting documentary on our ultimate natural resource, and learn what we can do to save the soil.
Next, honor the earth every week by supporting your local, sustainable-practices farmers. Not sure how to shop? Angelenos, take advantage of my Earth Day Special market tour, Wednesday, May 5. Join me as we seek out the best of late spring. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
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