Once or twice a month, I pick up a mystery box from Mariquita Farms. Mariquita used to sell at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market but now mainly supplies restaurants and their CSA.
In Julia's words, mystery boxes are "Guerilla vegetable deliveries: Not a CSA, we have one of those. More like a taco truck-meets-the farmers market. No prepayment, no credit cards." Boxes, which are really large plastic bags contain a wide variety of products, that change with the seasons. This week they ranged from orange cauliflower to watermelon radishes, to baby leeks and kale. You can find out more about the program here: http://www.mariquita.com/Farmers%20Market/ThursdayNight.html
I find it both a great bargain--it is an enormous bag--and also some of the best produce available. One of my favorite parts has turned out to be the "mystery" aspect. I've experimented with new vegetables and combinations almost every delivery.My daughter was very excited tonight that the box included potatoes, one of the things that she signed up to contribute to her classroom's "Stone Soup."
Tonight's delivery was at Piccino in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco. http://www.piccinocafe.com
Piccino is a great favorite of mine as well as one of my daughter's preferred restaurants in SF. As I stand in line for our vegetables and bring them out to the car, she heads inside to choose a table and to order, always, a cheese pizza with no green. She reports that it is the best pizza in town.
As for me, I have a little more variety depending upon availability. If the chicken livers are available I often order them and or the meatballs. Tonight I had a sausage pizza with two eggs added on top. For those who have not had egg on pizza I highly recommend trying it. The pizza is presented with two lightly cooked eggs, yolks still runny. In my case I slice them open right away and spread the yolks on all of the slices.I've had this at several Bay Area places including Gialina, Pizzaiolo and Pizzetta 211.
Following our pizzas, my daughter always orders lemon tart with extra whipped cream. I would comment, but fighting her for tastes can be hard. I will say that one of the things I love about Piccino is how they treat my daughter. Although it is very small and can get busy, the wait and kitchen staff have all been kind and accommodating again and again.
Now it is home again, just time for bath and homework before bed for her and a glass of syrah for me. I'm very curious to see what the Mullineux tastes like today.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Twitter Taste Live
Last night two coworkers came over to join me for Hospice du Rhône Twitter Taste Live featuring:
2006 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah, South Africa
2006 The Old Faithful “Cafe Block” Shiraz (single vineyard), McLaren Vale, Australia
2007 Hewitson “Ned & Henry’s” Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia
2007 de Trafford Shiraz Stellenbosch, South Africa
2008 Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia
2008 Mullineux Syrah Swartland, South Africa
This was a very fun night. Essentially we were provided with 6 wines, 3 each from Australia and South Africa and asked to tweet live with other bloggers on the taste Live Site. There was a countdown to start and notification as to when to move on to the next wine (this brought out my ocd, I had to be on the right wine!)
We started with Australia and the Old Faithful. My friends liked this one more than I did. It came in at 15% alcohol and was a big wine to start the night. Lots of fruit, but also oak.
Next up was the Ned & Henry, which I liked more. It was leaner, with lower alcohol and nice spice and was a hit with our bacon pizza. This one I would buy.
We finished our brief tour of Australia with the Torbeck. This one is made from 150 year old vines (nice to have winemaker comments.) It had a very sweet nose that one tweeter described as bubble gum/cotton candy and I had to agree. We were told that this was a very warm year and you could taste that in the wine. Am curious to see how it will taste tonight after being open for 24 hours.
We then moved on to South Africa. We started with the 2006 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah, South Africa which was my favorite of the night. This had a great nose with some great earth and spices. I'm expecting this one to be great today as it would have benefited from decanting. Also expect that it will only improve over the next few years.
Next was the de Trafford. One of my friends suggested that it "smells like a sewer." had to explain that that was not necessarily a bad thing. Earthy, spicy with lots of fruit. Felt that it was a bit hot.
Our final wine of the night was the 2008 Mullineux. This was my second favorite of the night. It was young, but balanced. This one also should be great tonight.
I'll be writing up a bit more tonight as I see what being open overnight does for some of these wines.
So for the Wednesday night report: I'm parenting so drinking very light. Have poured a glass of the Boekenhoutskloof which as expected is truly lovely tonight. I would be very happy with more of this.
Sending the Aussie wines with my ex-husband for a tasting with some of his friends tonight so hopefully can get even more feedback.
More info about Taste Live is available at http://www.tastelive.com/
2006 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah, South Africa
2006 The Old Faithful “Cafe Block” Shiraz (single vineyard), McLaren Vale, Australia
2007 Hewitson “Ned & Henry’s” Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia
2007 de Trafford Shiraz Stellenbosch, South Africa
2008 Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia
2008 Mullineux Syrah Swartland, South Africa
This was a very fun night. Essentially we were provided with 6 wines, 3 each from Australia and South Africa and asked to tweet live with other bloggers on the taste Live Site. There was a countdown to start and notification as to when to move on to the next wine (this brought out my ocd, I had to be on the right wine!)
We started with Australia and the Old Faithful. My friends liked this one more than I did. It came in at 15% alcohol and was a big wine to start the night. Lots of fruit, but also oak.
Next up was the Ned & Henry, which I liked more. It was leaner, with lower alcohol and nice spice and was a hit with our bacon pizza. This one I would buy.
We finished our brief tour of Australia with the Torbeck. This one is made from 150 year old vines (nice to have winemaker comments.) It had a very sweet nose that one tweeter described as bubble gum/cotton candy and I had to agree. We were told that this was a very warm year and you could taste that in the wine. Am curious to see how it will taste tonight after being open for 24 hours.
We then moved on to South Africa. We started with the 2006 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah, South Africa which was my favorite of the night. This had a great nose with some great earth and spices. I'm expecting this one to be great today as it would have benefited from decanting. Also expect that it will only improve over the next few years.
Next was the de Trafford. One of my friends suggested that it "smells like a sewer." had to explain that that was not necessarily a bad thing. Earthy, spicy with lots of fruit. Felt that it was a bit hot.
Our final wine of the night was the 2008 Mullineux. This was my second favorite of the night. It was young, but balanced. This one also should be great tonight.
I'll be writing up a bit more tonight as I see what being open overnight does for some of these wines.
So for the Wednesday night report: I'm parenting so drinking very light. Have poured a glass of the Boekenhoutskloof which as expected is truly lovely tonight. I would be very happy with more of this.
Sending the Aussie wines with my ex-husband for a tasting with some of his friends tonight so hopefully can get even more feedback.
More info about Taste Live is available at http://www.tastelive.com/
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Makin' Bacon-Quick thoughts, more later
Just got back from Makin' Bacon. More info available here: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2009/11/makin_bacon_2.php
The class consisted of demos on making homemade bacon from pork belly with a dry rub. To the dry rub you could add maple syrup or any flavoring you like with pork, sweet or savory. That was followed by 3 kinds of sausage with grinding and stuffing. In general, I thought I learned enough that I would be comfortable trying again on my own or better yet with a group, which is always my goal of this sort of class.
To be honest, I think I am A LOT more likely to make bacon rather than sausage. Not only do I eat bacon and cook with it more often, it is simply easier. Sausage, with the need to chop and grind meat and stuff just seems like a special occasion product. I suppose the easier way would be to just make patties.
We tasted a maple, brown sugar bacon as well as a savory garlic bacon which was wonderful. For sausage we had a sage version, a sweet Italian, and my favorite, an unsmoked andouille. All paired with "Bitch" red wine.
They plan another glass in January so keep an eye out. Once I have it, I'll post a link here.
Does anyone make their own sausage? Do you use a kitchen aid grinder or a stand alone?
The class consisted of demos on making homemade bacon from pork belly with a dry rub. To the dry rub you could add maple syrup or any flavoring you like with pork, sweet or savory. That was followed by 3 kinds of sausage with grinding and stuffing. In general, I thought I learned enough that I would be comfortable trying again on my own or better yet with a group, which is always my goal of this sort of class.
To be honest, I think I am A LOT more likely to make bacon rather than sausage. Not only do I eat bacon and cook with it more often, it is simply easier. Sausage, with the need to chop and grind meat and stuff just seems like a special occasion product. I suppose the easier way would be to just make patties.
We tasted a maple, brown sugar bacon as well as a savory garlic bacon which was wonderful. For sausage we had a sage version, a sweet Italian, and my favorite, an unsmoked andouille. All paired with "Bitch" red wine.
They plan another glass in January so keep an eye out. Once I have it, I'll post a link here.
Does anyone make their own sausage? Do you use a kitchen aid grinder or a stand alone?
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Brandied cherries
Sadly, did not really feel well enough to go out to dinner tonight. To comfort myself, I'm having homemade brandied cherries with lemonade and some extra brandy mixed in. Kind of like cough medicine, right?
The cherry making was a very long day. I met my friend Lisa in Oakland at 9 a.m. We drove out to Brentwood where we picked 40 lbs of organic apricots (oops) and 20 pounds of cherries. We then headed back to Oakland and spent the entire day canning--brandied cherries, brandied apricots, cherry chutney, apricot chutney, apricot jam and my favorite, apricot amaretto jam. I think we'll make most all of them again next year, but on separate days. That day, I was lucky to make it home by 9 pm!
Lisa and I have been canning together for more than a year now. We've done cherries, apricots, strawberries, tomatoes, green beans, carrots, cranberries, quince, blackberries, pomegranates and I may be forgetting something. I had always been scared of canning, but have found that once you know the basics, it is a great way to take advantage of the farmers market and backyard produce.
Next up are more pickles, hopefully including beets and cauliflower this time. In the future, I hope to acquire a pressure canner for more options.
Any suggestions? Anything that has worked well or failed you? If you are local, come join us some time.
My favorites, btw: brandied cherries, amaretto apricot jam, pickled green beans, Mariquita tomato sauce and strawberry-balsamic-pepper jam.
The cherry making was a very long day. I met my friend Lisa in Oakland at 9 a.m. We drove out to Brentwood where we picked 40 lbs of organic apricots (oops) and 20 pounds of cherries. We then headed back to Oakland and spent the entire day canning--brandied cherries, brandied apricots, cherry chutney, apricot chutney, apricot jam and my favorite, apricot amaretto jam. I think we'll make most all of them again next year, but on separate days. That day, I was lucky to make it home by 9 pm!
Lisa and I have been canning together for more than a year now. We've done cherries, apricots, strawberries, tomatoes, green beans, carrots, cranberries, quince, blackberries, pomegranates and I may be forgetting something. I had always been scared of canning, but have found that once you know the basics, it is a great way to take advantage of the farmers market and backyard produce.
Next up are more pickles, hopefully including beets and cauliflower this time. In the future, I hope to acquire a pressure canner for more options.
Any suggestions? Anything that has worked well or failed you? If you are local, come join us some time.
My favorites, btw: brandied cherries, amaretto apricot jam, pickled green beans, Mariquita tomato sauce and strawberry-balsamic-pepper jam.
Friday, December 4, 2009
The Little Things
This morning my 7-year-old woke up asking for scrambled eggs and bagel with jam for breakfast. After realizing my protests about it being a school day were silly, I rushed through my shower and set about scrambling. Scrambled eggs. A very basic thing, right? All the same?
Well, as some of you know, the 7-year-old is notoriously picky. Halfway through her eggs she said, "Mama, your eggs are much better than at Daddy's." The reason: Soul Food Farms CSA eggs. The opportunity to talk to your child about the difference between their eggs and supermarket eggs: a great way to start the day.
For the record, the bagel was not homemade, we've been baking all cookies all the time recently. But the jam, homemade from berries from Mariquita.
Things I'm looking forward to this weekend:
dinner canceled Saturday. Stomach still iffy. Sad.
and Makin Bacon on Sunday: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/90935
Well, as some of you know, the 7-year-old is notoriously picky. Halfway through her eggs she said, "Mama, your eggs are much better than at Daddy's." The reason: Soul Food Farms CSA eggs. The opportunity to talk to your child about the difference between their eggs and supermarket eggs: a great way to start the day.
For the record, the bagel was not homemade, we've been baking all cookies all the time recently. But the jam, homemade from berries from Mariquita.
Things I'm looking forward to this weekend:
dinner canceled Saturday. Stomach still iffy. Sad.
and Makin Bacon on Sunday: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/90935
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Bonny Doon Cigare Volant 2004
This is a comfort wine for me. I learned to drink wine with Bonny Doon wines. In college, I dated a fellow student who was a wine fan. We found a wine shop in Baltimore that was friendly to young people. I think that they were charmed that a couple in their early 20s (just a slight exaggeration) were buying wine and not kegs or cheap vodka. Our budget was fairly limited, but we were happy to explore whatever the salesman suggested. I still remember the stress of spending $50, a fortune on a student's budget for a birthday bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape. But it was Bonny Doon with its lower price point and fun blends that we returned to again and again.
When we eventually moved to California, it was the first winery we visited. When we got married, we served a Bonny Doon wine at our wedding. (I suppose I should follow that with a Bonny Doon wine being the first wine I had post-divorce, but I think it was a french rose. ) It is true though that I was delighted when I heard that I would be working on Randall Grahm's book, Been Doon So Long. Here's a link to our book page: http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/11286.php
and a link to the site that Bonny Doon has done for the book: http://www.beendoonsolong.com/
Anyway, Cigare Volant has always been a favorite. It probably led to my love of rhone grapes. The 2004 is lovely right now. The blend is 38% grenache, 35% syrah, 12% mourvedre, 8% carignane and 7% cinsault, with 13.5% alcohol. It would pair beautifully with food, but I must admit I am drinking a glass while blogging.
When we eventually moved to California, it was the first winery we visited. When we got married, we served a Bonny Doon wine at our wedding. (I suppose I should follow that with a Bonny Doon wine being the first wine I had post-divorce, but I think it was a french rose. ) It is true though that I was delighted when I heard that I would be working on Randall Grahm's book, Been Doon So Long. Here's a link to our book page: http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/11286.php
and a link to the site that Bonny Doon has done for the book: http://www.beendoonsolong.com/
Anyway, Cigare Volant has always been a favorite. It probably led to my love of rhone grapes. The 2004 is lovely right now. The blend is 38% grenache, 35% syrah, 12% mourvedre, 8% carignane and 7% cinsault, with 13.5% alcohol. It would pair beautifully with food, but I must admit I am drinking a glass while blogging.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Contradictions
Had far too much fun at the JJ Buckley Bordeaux tasting tonight at La Folie. Had a chance to taste some affordable Bordeaux and meet some great people. How many I wonder not only blasted country music all the way home (thanks Max) and stopped at Bob's for a fritter?
Like I always do, I have scrawled kind of illegible tasting notes. In the bargain category one could buy lots of the 2008 Festival Rose. At $7.99 it is the kind of rose that would appeal both to casual drinkers and to wine loving friends. I think it would be perfect for holiday parties. In the sweet world I loved both the 2006 Fougeres La Folie Graves and the 2007 Chateau Le Fleur Des Pine Bordeaux Blanc, also a deal at $13.99. My favorite of the night? 2006 Chateau Bourgneuf Pomerol. A bargain at $29.99. In general, I enjoyed quite a few of the wines. I've always been more of a Rhone or Burgundy girl so it was great to have the chance to taste some Bordeaux I could actually acquire. Also great prep work for the Fine Wines Bordeaux book coming next fall.
I'll have more to report later, but for now, a fritter awaits me. And, the sliders at La Folie were really all that.
Like I always do, I have scrawled kind of illegible tasting notes. In the bargain category one could buy lots of the 2008 Festival Rose. At $7.99 it is the kind of rose that would appeal both to casual drinkers and to wine loving friends. I think it would be perfect for holiday parties. In the sweet world I loved both the 2006 Fougeres La Folie Graves and the 2007 Chateau Le Fleur Des Pine Bordeaux Blanc, also a deal at $13.99. My favorite of the night? 2006 Chateau Bourgneuf Pomerol. A bargain at $29.99. In general, I enjoyed quite a few of the wines. I've always been more of a Rhone or Burgundy girl so it was great to have the chance to taste some Bordeaux I could actually acquire. Also great prep work for the Fine Wines Bordeaux book coming next fall.
I'll have more to report later, but for now, a fritter awaits me. And, the sliders at La Folie were really all that.
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