Farmer's markets across the nation are in full swing with produce ranging from spicy arugula to heirloom tomatoes. I decided to blog about farmer's markets because I not only strive for food sustainability but also find inspiration in the wonderful array of eatable color.
     Farmer's markets act as a popular, eye-catching tip of the sustainable food iceberg, and this role is essential in spreading the news about sustainable food. I remember my first trip to the farmer's market in downtown Lawrence, Kansas: tents filled with fresh produce, fresh baked bread, and an inviting culture. After my first visit, I slowly became more involved in the farmer's market to a point where I could easily name the diverse produce and their seasonality. The new and wonderful ingredients strengthened my palette and culinary creativity; I began creating recipes rather than following them. Naturally, I questioned where the food came from; thus, I began exploring sustainable food. I had found my passion. Underneath the farmer's market hides true sustainability, the local farmers who are dedicated to ethical, eco-friendly practices. These people hold the knowledge that make the magic happen. I strongly suggest asking your curious questions because, believe me, the farmers love to talk about their farms. The more you know about your food, the more rewarding food can be.
     The farmer's market acted like Hagrid and introduced me to an entire new world. I hope those interested in food find the farmer's market as enchanting as I have. To find a local farmer's market, follow the link below.
http://www.localharvest.org/

Melba: A Child's Dream

Self-serve frozen yogurt currently entertains every American child's day dreams. I personally love this new fad; however, melba, a Bulgarian ice cream dessert, takes first place in the dessert nostalgia challenge. This ice cream sundae screams childhood with multiple flavors of ice cream topped with apples, oranges, strawberries, whipped cream, fruity syrups, cookies, and naturally sprinkles. Give any child melba, and they will be happy for a week.

Bruschetta

I make my bruschetta classically by rubbing garlic on sizzling toasted bread. The strong garlic flavor combined with a crunchy texture makes bruschetta adaptable to almost any meal as a vehicle to soak up sauces or a light evening snack.

1 loaf good bread, 1/2 slices - please splurge a little on this step; it will make all the difference
Peeled garlic cloves cut in half
Olive oil
salt and pepper

Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil. Season liberally with salt and pepper. In a pan over medium high heat, toast both sides of the bread. This will only take a few minutes on each side so be ready to flip. When both sides are toasted, immediately rub garlic cut side on the bread till you can smell the warmed garlic. Simply delicious.

For the past three days I have stayed in Veliko Turnovo, a small town built upon cliffs in the Stara planina mountain range. With narrow streets, spectacular views, and, of course, wonderful food Veliko Turnovo easily became my favorite adventure while living in Bulgaria. I first ate at a restaurant where I sat hanging off the edge of the cliff; the bird's eye view of the Tsarevets Castle was amazing. I began my meal starting with tarator, a cold yogurt cucumber soup seasoned with plenty of garlic. This cool dish acts as a simple and refreshing end to a hot day hiking up and down the mountain. Then came the guvech, a Bulgarian vegetable casserole with sausage and plenty of cheese baked in a clay dish. After the tarator the guvech added a nice contrast with its complex flavors coming from the long cooking hours. 

We quickly passed through a farmer's market; I could have stayed all day and taken pictures of the fantastic produce. Summer sees copious amounts of cherries in Bulgaria. Everywhere I look small red stars begging to be picked decorate trees. I have been eating cherries for dessert because they are simply delicious. All these cherries have me thinking about cherry pie. Maybe I will create a cherry pie recipe when back in the states. Yum. 

Shopska Salad

Background: I happen to be living in Bulgaria for a month with vegetarian friends. This happenstance results in eating shopska salad, a Bulgarian staple, morning, noon, and night; however, I never tire of the fresh bite. Maybe it is the fresh organic produce so easy to find in Bulgaria that makes this simple salad delicious. I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad that the poorest country in Europe (Bulgaria) can have higher quality, yet cheaper produce than America has. I guess I have industrialized agriculture to thank for that. Last night I made a midnight snack, and the recipe goes a little like this:

1 cucumber, cubed
2 tomatoes, cubed
1/2 an onion, sliced
3 ounces feta cheese crumbled
Dill and parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Oil and vinegar

In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and feta cheese. With the last three ingredient pairs season to YOUR taste. Experiment with your taste buds to find what works well. Developing a sense of taste helps enormously when kicking a dish up a notch. Shopska salad is a great place to start exercising taste because of its simple flavors and ingredients. Apply the taste test when preparing any dish and watch your food quality rise.

Homemade Pasta

1 pound of semolina flour
*if you cannot find semolina flour, use all purpose
5 eggs
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Water enough to smooth out the dough

Put the semolina flour on a clean surface and using your hands make a well. Crack the eggs into the well. Season with salt and add a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Whisk the egg mixture with a fork and slowly work outwards to incorporate the flour. When the dough is thick enough, begin using your hands to knead the dough. If the dough seems dry, wet with a little water. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes until elastic.

Follow the directions on your pasta machine to roll and cut the dough.

Boil for 3-5 minutes until tender.

The Bulgarian yogurt culture, L. bulgaricus, is a powerful antioxidant and provides many health benefits. Due to the culture's increasing popularity, you can find it at your local grocer. Look for L. bulgaricus on yogurt label to give it a try. Read more at the website below.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/163951-lactobacillus-bulgaricus-benefits/

I went to the Balkanski circus, second best only to Cirque du Soleil. I felt like I travelled back in time when I stepped inside the colorful circus tent. Vibrant stands built into the trailers featured classic treats like popcorn and cotton candy. Ironically, a stand sold "American Style Donuts" and were nothing like I have had in America. I guess anything deep fried is given the name American to fit the stereotype. Haha.

Today, I went to a traditional Bulgarian restaurant. The menu included items like Braised Veal Tripe and Eggs Panagurski style (picture7) all for around five US dollars. Eggs Panagurski is poached eggs topped with yogurt, dill, and feta (Bulgarians top everything with feta, including french fries). The yogurt adds a sour element deriving from the unique Bulgarian milk culture, l bulgaricus, while the cheese and dill add subtle salty, fresh flavors.

The top photo is a bulgarian street food called doner. The closest comparison is the gyro, but this is much better. The chef slow roasts the chicken on a spinning spit and slices to order. The wrap is topped with lettuce, french fried potatoes, and a lemon yogurt sauce. Needless to say, I will be eating a lot of these.

The last photos come from a fantastic vegetarian restaurant fully supporting the slow, local, fresh food movement. They grind their own grains, and this process adds a fantastic texture and organic flavor. The water bread and walnut bread is served with humus with hints of coriander and lemon. The second condiment is an eggplant and red pepper spread. 

The restaurant itself was decorated with reused materials, maintaing the restaurant's environmentally friendly motto. Even the plaster in the walls held grain inside to and a rustic speckled effect. I admire the creativity and integrity of this amazing restaurant. 

Steamed Artichokes with Parmesan/Garlic Aioli

• 2 artichokes
• 2 lemons cut in half
• 5 garlic cloves
• white wine
• water
• 3 eggs
• white wine vinegar
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• A smidgen of thai chili garlic paste
• salt
• pepper

For the artichokes:

Preparing artichokes can be a little intimidating...but never fear. Kitchen shears are your best friend when prepping artichokes. Cut the tips of the petals off to remove the thorns. Then cut half an inch off the top of the artichoke. Peel the stem with a paring knife. The stem is delicious and eatable. Waste little when it comes to big money items like artichokes. Tip: artichokes turn brown so work as quickly as comfortable.

Combine lemons, 2 smashed garlic cloves, white wine to cover the bottom generously, water to match the wine volume, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook 40 minutes or until the petals release easily. Take out of cooking liquid and serve warm or cold.

For the aioli:

In a food processor combine the eggs, three splashes of white wine vinegar, thai chili garlic paste (a little goes a long way), and plenty of parmesan cheese. Blend. While blending, very slowly add the vegetable oil. The aioli will have thickened into a wonderful dipping sauce. Taste for seasoning. Serve with artichokes.

Dip, scrape, and enjoy.

This is my great summer recipe that was featured in a local newspaper.

Lemon/Blueberry Goat Cheese Cheesecake

• 2 1/2 cups graham crackers
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 stick cinnamon
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 16 (2 8-ounce pack) cream cheese at room temperature
• 11 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 pint sour cream
• 2 lemons zested
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the crust:

Grease a 10-inch spring form pan.

In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers into crumbs. Meanwhile, melt the stick of butter. Continue to heat until browned. Make sure to swirl the butter to brown evenly. Combine the graham crackers, browned butter and cinnamon. When the graham cracker crumbs are all moist, put the mixture in the spring form pan. Form a crust with your hands or a measuring cup by pressing the mixture up the sides and covering the bottom. Chill until ready to use.

For the filling:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a stand mixer, combine the cheeses and mix on low until smooth and combined. With the mixer still running, add the eggs one at time. Add the sugar, then sour cream. Then add the lemon zest and vanilla.

Pour mixture into the crust. In another pan, pour in an inch of hot water. This prevents cracking and provides moisture. Place both pans in the oven, the cheesecake above the water. Cook for 40 minutes.

Then turn off the oven and let the cake stand in the oven for an hour. Remove and cool. Chill in the refrigerator (overnight is best).

For the topping:

Over medium heat, combine blueberries, cinnamon stick, juice and zest. Cook for 10 minutes. If the released liquid has not thickened slightly, continue cooking. Chill the finished product. Place the topping on the cheesecake. Enjoy!

Lemon/Almond Olive Oil Cake with Raspberries and Cream

Cake:

• 7 eggs separated (7 egg whites, 5 yolks)
• 3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil, plush extra for brushing
• 3/4 c. granulated sugar
• 1 c. of all purpose flour
• zest of  2 lemons, juice of one lemon
• 1 c. slivered almonds toasted and chopped
• pinch of salt

Raspberry Sauce

• 1 pint of raspberries
• zest and juice of one lemon
• Whipped cream to top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Brush oil on sides and bottom of 9-inch spring-form pan.

Add egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice into a mixing bowl. Whisk until doubled in size and pale yellow. Add extra virgin olive oil slowly while whisking. Meanwhile, add a pinch of salt to 7 egg whites and beat until stiff peaks (turn upside down without spilling). Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the yolk mixture and stir. Fold in the remaining egg whites, 1/3 at a time. When combined, slowly add flour. Finally add the toasted, chopped slivered almonds. Pour batter into prepared spring-form pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until golden brown.

For the raspberry sauce: combine raspberries, lemon juice, and zest. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir often. Let cool before serving of cake. Top cake with sauce and whipped cream.