Sunday Shopping

It was overcast this morning at the Hollywood Farmers Market - June gloom was in full effect - but as we were finishing up our shopping at the St. Benoit yogurt stand, a few rays of sun filtered through the clouds.

We came home to sunshine, and breakfasted on the patio - Larry squeezed fresh tangelos and oranges for juice, and I cooked cheerful yellow potatoes and eggs with turmeric.

Here's what we brought home from the market: 

3 lbs yukon gold potatoes, 1 romaine lettuce, cilantro, basil, 1 red butter lettuce, red spring onions, 4 peaches, 2 pluots, 1 yellow summer squash, 3 green zucchini, 1 tomato, cherry tomatoes, 8 mushrooms, 1 quart and 5 cups of plain St. Benoit yogurt, strawberries, feta, eggs, 1 cucumber, 6 tangelos, 10 oranges, 4 pickling cucumbers (I'm going to try a quick pickle this week), 4 limes, 2 grapefruit, 1 haas avocado, 4 pink lady apples, and a few pecans in the shell - they will be fun to crack while we barbecue this evening.

Fava Beans with Mint

Our fava beans are producing well this year. I'm pretty proud of this, because I grew the plants from seeds we saved from last year's crop. I think this is the one vegetable I have good garden success with.

Up until now, Larry has not been impressed with fava beans as food. I pod them and blanch them and peel off the tough skin, and still he says meh. But when I served him these fava beans sautéd in olive oil with a little fresh mint from the garden, he said they were delicious. He even had a second helping.

So if your fava beans are not being appreciated by your family, give this recipe a try. It has the Larry stamp of approval.

Fava Beans with Mint
1 cup shelled fava beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 handful mint

Blanch the fava beans in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, put in an ice water bath, drain again. Pop the tough outer skin off each bean until you are left with bright green beans - most will split in half. Set these aside until just before dinner.

Warm the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the fava beans and mint, and let warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 2

Barbecued Pineapple

Our local independent grocery store had organic pineapples from Hawaii just before Memorial Day. I snagged one to grill for dessert.

I also picked up some organic vanilla ice cream (Three Twins from Petaluma) to go with it.

I'd never barbecued pineapple before, but it turned out great. The grilling made it warm and extra sweet, like a decadent dessert.

Leftovers made it into the next morning's breakfast fruit. They were sweeter than the ungrilled pieces - cooking is an interesting thing.

Here's what I did:

I cut the top and bottom off the pineapple, then cut down the sides to remove the peel and the outer layer of flesh which has the prickles embedded in it. I quartered the pineapple lengthwise and cut out the tough center core. Then I cut the quarters lengthwise into 1/2 inch wedges.

Dessert in the dark

After Larry had cooked the main course and cleaned the grill, I laid the pineapple over some ashy coals. I flipped them after 3-4 minutes, when there were nice grill marks.

And that was it - warm, sweet pineapple served with cold creamy ice cream. A delicious way to end a holiday feast.