Green Papaya with Cilantro Vinaigrette

I was really excited to get my first delivery from St Pete Locally Grown.  When we moved, finding a local food source was important to me…and now I have to figure out how to cook the local produce.  So I decided to go on a culinary adventure and order green papaya. 
The green papaya salad I tried first looked a lot like a slaw.  It had shredded green papaya and carrot with a fish sauce vinaigrette of sorts and peanuts on top.  (I found this recipe online here.) ) But I grossly over estimated the amount of shredded papaya I needed, so I ended up with lots of raw material left over.  I have been mulling ideas around for a few days and here is what I did with the leftover papaya.

Green Papaya with Cilantro Vinaigrette

Combine in a large bowl

2 cups peeled, seeded and shredded green papaya

1/2 cup shredded carrot

In a food processor pulse until finely chopped

1 clove garlic

Add and process until well blended

1 cup cilantro leaves

juice and zest from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon cumin

dash cayenne (or more if you like that sort of thing)

1/4 slightly heaping teaspoon salt

Add and continue processing until all ingredients come together

1/3 cup olive oil

Blend 3/4ths of the dressing into the shredded papaya mixture or more to taste.  Chill for 30 minutes to 2 hours before serving at room temperature.

I put mine on a tortilla with some refried beans, shredded cheese and sour cream.  I think it would rock the socks to add shredded chicken or black beans to the salad and I intend to try it that way next time.

I still have a whole green papaya left over…maybe I’ll try a cold teriyaki green papaya and chicken salad next.  With toasted sesame seeds on top, yumm!

Plump & Plentiful Pluots!

The pluots on our Market this week were amazing and many are ripe despite having been stored in the refrigerator.  A pluot is a hybrid stone fruit which is 3/4 plum and 1/4 apricot. I have had to cook some of mine as I could

Grouper Cheeks with Cajun Lime Sauce

This was wonderful!  I took fresh lime basil from the garden and used both the leaves and the flower buds which are wicked tangy.  I melted a few teaspoons of butter in a fry pan and added a little coconut oil. Then I sprinkled in cajun spice and stir fried the lime leaves and buds until coated and soft.

I added thawed Grouper Cheeks and fried on medium on just one side.  Then, as I would with any fish, I Turned each cheek over after about 2 to 3 minutes and covered it for about two minutes at which point I remove it from the burner and let it finish in the pan.  This holds in the moisture and doesn't overcook the fish.  Serve immediately! It was DELICIOUS!

Pan Fried Red Grouper with Rosemary & Summer Salad

Fresh homegrown, dressed summer salad greens topped with backyard Florida avocado served with pan-fried Red Grouper topped with rosemary.  Nestled in between, our summer vegetable favorite-- callaloo.

SALAD FIRST: Take fresh summer greens of green and purple sweet potato leaves, wild amaranth, purslane, Egyptian spinach, Okinawa spinach, and Moluccan spinach and drizzle with that fabulous Japanese Ginger dressing I keeping raving about. Top with some ripe avocado from the backyard.

COOK FISH LAST: Pan fry Red Grouper with Rosemary in some hot (not spitting) coconut oil for three minutes. Turn the fish over, cover for one minute and remove from the heat. Let it finish cooking for just a few more minutes then serve it immediately..

Summer Salsa from the Market

So here's an interesting mix for a summer salsa: nectarines, Okinawa spinach, and bunching onion tops.  All fresh ingredients: two from Nathan's garden and the fruit from our Market.  Nice to use some of our fresh summer greens.

This salsa was easy and made very quickly once I realized that
our plates needed some color and Chef Emily's roasted pork deserved a bit of "savory tang"!

Add some organic brown rice, fresh callaloo from the Garden and YUM!

Fresh Ham Roast from Chef Emily Golden Drews - OMG!!!

Chef Emily cooked one of our Market hams from Ferguson Farms! check it out... yum yum. 

and here is how Chef Emily created this masterpiece...

The skin, rind, is still in tact. If you're brave you can pluck the remaining hairs and make cracklins.

Free range pork has a beautiful dark pink flesh. Comparatively, CAFO pork is quite anemic looking.

Removing the skin. I scored it so I could remove it in sections.
I have saved it so I can render the bits of fat that remain on the inside.

Scoring the fat cap allows it to render while creating a nice crisp shell when the roast is finished.

My flavor rub: lemon zest, fresh crushed garlic, chopped fresh rosemary, sea salt and rendered bacon fat.

Cover tightly and refrigerate 12-24 hours.

Heat your oven to 500 dgrees. Your top rack should be on the second place from the bottom. Cook for 20 min. and lower heat to 400 degrees. At this time, take out the ham to baste with the rendered fat and the drain it off. return to the oven for about 2hrs or until your meat thermometer reads 165. Check close to the bone. This ham is about 9#. Adjust your time accordingly depending on your size. During this time, remove ham about every 30 min to baste and drain the fat. If your top fat is brown and crisp before the roast is done, cover it loosely with foil. Let the roast rest at least 10 min before carving.

VERY IMPORTANT! Save the fat! Don't throw it away! Strain the hot fat and let it cool. This is an excellent, nutrient dense, extremely valuable and stable cooking medium.

Applewood-Rubbed Salmon & St. Pete Locally Grown Greens

Customer Elizabeth C. reports that "As a first-time customer, I just have to rave! I made dinner tonight featuring the sauted greens

Calabaza, Corn, and Coconut Soup from Epicurious.Com

Customer Lind A. shared this wonderful soup recipe she found on Epicurious.com in her search to cook the beautiful calabazza squash she purchased from Nathan's garden!