September 6th, 2008 Newsletter
Bardstown Road Farmers’ Market, Inc
Sarah’s Corner
From our friend Sarah Fritschner
I spent the weekend cooking: tomato salsa, Italian meatballs, a sort of ratatouille with corn in it, quick tomato sauce, green beans with country ham, pesto, zucchini cake (see below) . . . trying to make food with ingredients I’d bought (and admittedly, overbought) from the farmers market, and what was overgrowing (basil) in my back yard.
All this cooking brought to mind the recent report on food waste – and therefore water wasted – by a few international agencies including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In the U.S., nearly one-third of the food that is produced each year, worth about $48 billion, is thrown out – a pound a day, on average, for every U.S. citizen, according to the New York Times.
I made a Herculean effort to cook over the weekend because I was trying to save food that might otherwise “go bad” as much as I was trying to provide for my family. I always ask if farmers have “canning tomatoes,” which are tomatoes that will go bad soon, maybe in hours, if not used immediately. Most market rules discourage selling them outright – rules often state that you have to keep inferior produce off the table. But if you ask, farmers often have “canners.”
And because I can’t can, I core these tomatoes, chop them coarsely, and put them in a deep pan that has olive oil and sautéed garlic in it. In go some basil, oregano, salt and hot pepper. They are simmered briefly, then whirred in a blender until most of the seeds and skin are blended into the sauce (at which point the sauce is a bright orange, rather than deep red). Then it’s ready to freeze, or use.
Knowing how to cook can help reduce waste, for sure. If you’re armed with some experience, you know that those aging and wrinkling peppers, zucchini and eggplant can easily go into a stew (with corn cut from those languishing ears).
Tackling the learning-to-cook problem might be more difficult than tackling the wasted food problem. I am not sure anyone is making progress on that front, though I’m pretty sure the FAO won’t be issuing a report on it any time soon. But I know that the more people know how to cook, the healthier our farmers markets will be.
Chocolate zucchini cake
This is a very light but chocolatey cake, that, thanks to the zucchini, stays super moist. If you use one of those huge zucchini that isn’t good for much else, you won’t need the whole thing. Believe me when I say you won’t know the zucchini’s in there. My latest rendition of this was devoured by teenage boys.
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1/2 cup strong coffee
3 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2 medium)
1 cup semi-sweet mini morsels
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with coffee in 3 additions each. Stir in grated zucchini. Spoon batter into prepared pan and even the top. Sprinkle chocolate chips over.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan. Serves 12. This cake freezes beautifully.
Ginger- roasted green beans
1 pound fresh green beans
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fresh, grated ginger
½ jalpeno pepper, seeded and minced, or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 to 4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 green onions, trimmed and minced (optional)
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Trim beans and break them into shorter lengths, if desired. Spread them on a wide, shallow baking pan and drizzle with oil. If you are using a large style bean like Romas or large pole beans, drizzle with 2 or 3 tablespoons water.
Peel garlic and add to the beans. Bake 20 minutes, stirring twice during cooking and removing any garlic that’s turning deep brown. Cook until beans shrivel and are tender (they should be brown in spots).
Meanwhile, combine ginger, 1 tablespoon water, jalapeno, soy sauce and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar.
Remove beans from oven and toss with soy sauce mixture. Serve hot, warm or cold, sprinkled with green onions, if desired. Serves 4.