Fresh Tomatoes for Supper

You could probably go to a different farmer's market every day of the week in San Francisco. The Bay Area is well known for its local food scene and using fresh seasonal ingredients. The locavore food movement or trying to stick to a 100 mile diet is everywhere now but probably got its start or at least some of its momentum back in the '70s at restaurants such as Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Cooks here are really blessed to have a bountiful choice of fruits and vegetables available year round.

In the spring I went to the Wednesday afternoon Haight Ashbury farmer's market and bought a carton of fresh strawberries and ate them all right there on the spot. That was my first taste of the season and it would be another month or so before I could enjoy local ones here. Also got some really tasty lemon and pear marmalade from the Blue Chair fruit company stand. Sampled some spiced almonds, star thistle honey.....it was pure food bliss beneath the towering trees of Golden Gate Park.


Right now the farmer's markets are at their peak here with so much available all at once for just a short time. If you pick up some tomatoes at the local market or have some growing in your backyard, this is a quick and easy meal you can tailor to your taste. It's particularly good with a variety of heirloom tomatoes but any fresh tomatoes will do. I usually make a few variations of this during the tomato season. Just dice up some tomatoes and put them in a big bowl with some fresh chopped basil. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic or red wine vinegar on top with some salt and pepper and gently toss. It's delicious just like that or you can add whatever else you like: olives, fresh herbs, toasted nuts, chopped anchovies, blanched chopped green beans, whatever you like. Let it sit about a half hour and then make a chunky pasta like farfalle or fusilli. Drain and toss with the tomatoes in the bowl, top with some parmesan or feta, and there's your summer supper.


(Note: I think I originally got this recipe or something close to it in a Mollie Katzen cookbook. She is from the East Coast but moved to San Francisco to go to school around 1970 and while there worked at the Shandygaff vegetarian restaurant. While visiting back east she helped open the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY which is still in its original location today and is a great place to stop for a meal if you are driving around upstate New York.)

Flower Power

Beautiful blooms from Buena Vista to Balmy Alley, the Panhandle to Cole Valley...

East Bay Soul

Here are two funky East Bay soul tunes to start your morning, get you through the afternoon or get your evening happenin. First is Foxy Girls in Oakland by Rodger Collins and next is Find Yourself by Marvin Holmes, both from volume one of Bay Area Funk (1967-1976) on the Luv N' Haight label.

Banksy

In April the street artist Banksy was in San Francisco and left some of his work behind in different neighbourhoods of the city. Here is one on a building on Haight Street...

a san francisco of the mind

Here is a short slideshow film I made about the poetry of Lawrence Ferlinghetti...

Thai Avocado Salad

Walking along Irving Street in the Sunset neighbourhood I saw a woman put a sandwich-board sign out on the sidewalk advertising the specials of the day at Marnee Thai. The appetizer Avocado Salad sounded really good so I stood there and waited for the restaurant to open. A few other people came and were milling around the door also waiting for it to open. Once inside I ordered the Avocado Salad and another appetizer- Potstickers drizzled with Green Curry Sauce- and that was enough for a filling lunch. The food was so delicious I thought I would try and re-create the Avocado Salad at home. Here's the recipe...

THAI AVOCADO SALAD
(this recipe makes 2 main course servings)

2 Tb grated unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup unsalted cashews
12 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 green mangoes
2 ripe avocados
3 Tb lime juice
2 Tb fish sauce
dash of chili flakes

In a small pan over moderately low heat lightly toast the coconut. Remove and set aside. Do the same with the cashews and set aside.
On a baking sheet toss the shrimp with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper, and spread in a single layer. Bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes.
Peel and finely chop the mango. Peel and chop the avocado in 1/2" pieces.
Mix together lime juice, fish sauce and chili flakes.
Divide the mango and avocado among two plates. Toss with dressing. Top with shrimp, cashews and coconut.

Painted Ladies

San Francisco's painted ladies are a real joy to behold. While strolling along the streets you are greeted with bursts of colour and architectural whimsy.

Most of the Victorian houses were built in the late 1800s with redwood from nearby Mendocino and are either Italianate, Stick, Queen Anne or a combination of those styles that make them uniquely San Francisco. When they were originally built many were painted with bright colours, but when they fell into disrepair they were painted over with surplus Navy battleship gray paint. During both world wars cast iron trim was removed and melted down to use for shells. In the late 60s some people began painting the houses in eye-popping colours and it really caught on. Today many of the painted ladies have been lovingly restored and they are one of the many charms of San Francisco.