Sieze the season!!!!

We're deep into summer, the time of year that farms are cranking out more produce than they know what to do with. And this is the time to pass up the grocery store and find the closest farmers' market.
One trip will have you thinking differently about produce. Now is when all the time sensitive stuff is at its best. Some of the fruits and vegetables that are exploding now, like corn, berries, broccoli and even potatoes are the ones that have a tendency to change once they're picked. Nutrition is lost, enzymes shut down, and sugars turn to carbohydrates. If you can score these f0ods close to the source, its like heaven in a bite.
For other produce that ripens further once picked, such as tomatoes and peaches. You might be fortunate enough to snag a varietal that has NOT had that trait bred out of it. Conventional peaches have been bred to ripen very slowly {if at all}, making them suitable for a long car ride or say, a game of stick ball. Your typical tomato is picked green and gassed for color, but not much flavor. There is no substitute for a truly vine ripened tomato!
What you can find in a farmers market right now will remind what real produce is (or isn't), not to mention the socio-economical benefits of supporting your local farmers.

I love fish, but I've been relying too much on Salmon recently, and getting burned out. Any suggestions for some unique fish recipes?

It's definitely important to mix in some different fish and utilize some different cooking methods. So you don't get totally tired of something that's good for you. Try out some white fleshed fish; catfish are easy to come by, and even farm raised wall eye (which is delicious) it turning up in some markets.

I have a good recipe for you. It's quick and easy to pull off; it's also a people-pleaser.

In this recipe I call for flounder but you can really use any fish. I've done it with catfish and even fresh sardines
Here we go:

Potato Chip Crusted Flounder

2 flounder filets (aprox. 12-16 oz. total)
1 bag kettle cooked chips (approx 2.5 oz.)
¼ cup of your favorite herbs, chopped (rosemary, dill, cilantro, parsley etc.),

1. In the bag, crush the potato chips to roughly the size of large breadcrumbs.
2. In the bag, shake in the chopped herbs along with cracked black pepper.
3. Season the flounder filets, lay them out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle a healthy coating of the potato chips over the fish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.


Of course I messed up my own recipe and bought the wrong potato chips. I didn't get the thicker kettle cooked ones, further proof that it does make a difference. They stay crunchier through the cooking process.
For my herbs I used a little medley from my window box:parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (or the Simon & Garfunkel as i like to call it) Any combo or just individual herb would do.


When you season your fish, just remember that the potato chips probably already have a fair amount of salt on them, so pace yourself.

I love this with a squeeze of lemon.
Enjoy!

How do I pick out swiss chard in a line up?

Swiss chard is a large, sort of shiny, a little lumpy, green leafy vegetable that is as easy to incorporate into your cooking as spinach, though it is related to our friend the beet. In fact, it is almost interchangeable with spinach in many recipes except for a slightly longer cooking time and a bit of stem removal. Once the stalk is cut out (trim down the length of the leaf on either side of the stem) it can be chopped into pieces and enjoyed as well. Since it is a bit hardier, the stem needs to be thrown into the pot a few minutes before the leaves to give it a head start in the cooking process. It becomes quite tender and delicious, adding a great texture to the rest of the dish.

Chard can dupe the consumer by coming in a rainbow of colors such as white, yellow or purple or deep red and orange. Though the stem/stalk appears in multi-colors, make sure the leaves are nothing but crisp, bright green. Yellowing or browning can mean that the swiss chard is out-of-date. The stalk should snap, not bend and the leaves should not be wilted or tired looking. Store in the fridge until you want to cook, then wash and prep and go for it! Here is a simple recipe that puts chard and spinach together... a springtime all-star side dish that is super healthy for you too.

SAUTEED SWISS CHARD AND SPINACH
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 bunch swiss chard (about a pound)
4 cups spinach leaves (about 10 ounces)
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt and pepper

To prepare the swiss chard for cooking, cut out the stems and set aside. Wash the leaves and roughly chop. In a skillet, heat oil and saute the onions with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add chard stems and saute for 5 minutes. Add the leaves and allow to wilt with the help of the water clinging to the leaves and the tablespoon of vinegar. Stir until almost tender, about three minutes. In the last two minutes, add spinach and continue to stir until it is also wilted and combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

There's a new butcher in town.

Finally!!! We have a butcher peddling meat over at Chelsea Market. Dickson's Farmstand Meats, is moving in. Started by Jake Dickson, the company brings together small meat farmers and makes them available to the hungry public. The product just has to meet a few criteria:

• The entire supply chain (farm to slaughterhouse to point-of-sale) must be no more than 400 miles long.
• Animal based feeds, prophylactic antibiotics or added hormones are not administered at any point of the animal’s life.
• The animals from which our meat comes must spend their life on the farm - no CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) or feedlots.

In addition, Jake makes it possible to "get to know" the source of your burger. On his website, he lays out the farmers that supply him, with a description and map location with the farm-to-market mileage listed. All this is just fine and good, but here's the kicker: the meat is delicious!
I always shop conscientiously; keeping in mind the environment and ethics, but as a chef,I must admit, sometimes the goal is simply to find what is the best product. Dickson's does both.
They will be selling their meat in front of their future home in the Chelsea Market from Thursdays to Saturdays. Come by and check it out!