A Figgy Weekend

So, it's the end of August -- one of my favorite times of year, not just because the sun at 5pm in RI is golden and lovely. Nope, not cause it's almost fall, when it's someone's birthday and the leaves change color and fall. And no, not because the days are getting shorter.

Instead, one (of many) reasons why I love this time of year is because the produce in the greenmarkets is amazing. The colors. The fragrance (yes, just walking past the Union Square Greenmarket, I can identify what is fresh from the ground with my eyes closed. It's intoxicating, especially when it is tomatoes and basil). And those magical figs.

This past week, I had the luck of hitting the figs just right. I brought home 20 figs, about 10 Kadota (large and green -- looks like Calimyrna, but is an American version of an Italian favorite) and 10 Black Mission (deep purple color and a rich flavor, planted by Spanish missionaries) fresh figs. Figs are known for their fiber, but also are a good source of calcium, potassium, and iron (a good treat after the killer workouts I've recently subjected myself to).

Fig 101: 8-10 o'clock are Kadota figs;
3-5 o'clock are black mission figs

Black Mission figs

Kadota figs

I usually buy dried figs in the market, as here on the East Coast, fresh figs are a rarity (I used to have a coworker who had a fig tree and would bring her bumper crop in to share with us. Heaven!). So, when I see fresh figs in the market, I buy a box or two and have lots of fun. I love figs with arugula, a maple-shallot dressing, proscuitto and shaved gruyere salads. Or a triple cream cheese, goat or cow with wheatmeal crackers and sliced figs. A favorite restaurant in CT serves figs with chorizo, piping hot, in ceramic cazuelas. It is SO good, that, with a couple of slices of their steaming hot bread and olive oil, I can call it a meal. I blame that dish for my recently purchasing their cookbook. Oh, Barcelona I love you.

Back to my twenty tender morsels. What, you ask, did I do with twenty whole figs and just my mouth to feed? Created some colorful, healthy, and yummy figgy dishes. I guess I can share my secrets with you!

Thursday's dinner - and my favorite: Arugula with maple-shallot dressing, aged goat cheese, proscuitto, sliced figs, and a couple of wheatmeal crackers for good measure.

Friday's breakfast: cinnamon oatmeal, topped with chopped fresh and dried figs, with some flaked coconut and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Friday's snack: Molasses/walnut/dried fig granola with a fresh fig (more details on this here)

Friday's dinner: More arugula with maple-shallot dressing, sliced figs, and shaved carrot, with some sauteed spicy Italian sausage.

Saturday's brunch: Chopped fresh figs with greek yogurt, more molasses-fig granola, and a bit of honeycomb on top.

And for le piece de resistance? Saturday's planned dinner (you will have to check back for the full report): attempting to make a fig-red wine vinaigrette to serve with spinach and wild arugula. Serving this with a riff on a recipe from one of my favorite Italian restaurant's in NYC, Sfoglia: homemade pappardelle with brown butter, figs, gruyere, and basil, and possibly some italian sausage tossed in there for protein!

We shall see how this turns out -- so stay tuned for another post later this week.

Spring In New York

So, this past Wednesday, a co-worker and I left the office a little early to visit her friend's emporium of treasure troves. Kid you not - anything you ever dreamed of - antique-wise - may be here. My co-worker had some pieces she wanted to sell. Me? I've been lusting after simple yet elegant rings since last summer. My hope was to find one there.

Ilene's "store" was incredible!!!! It reminded me of the office of a former co-worker at Martha Stewart Living. All sorts of collectibles, objets d'art, and random "junk." I was warned that I wouldn't want to head in the room, as there was hardly room to move, but I was completely mesmerized by everything there. I kept thinking "What do I need? What do I want?"

Antiques, in a way, are as meaningful as locally sourced products - there is a story to be told and shared, and often these pieces are unique, made carefully and by hand. My two rings I purchased? Definitely. They remind me of the "Celebration" rings at a major jewelery vendor here in the city, but have a story (and are probably a quarter of the price!). My white gold and sapphire beauties didn't look that great in the poor florescent lights of the lobby, but when I stepped out onto the street...oh my...I was SO happy!!!!

Oh yeah - back to why I was posting. It was Wednesday. We were near Union Square. What does that mean? FARMER'S MARKET!!! I really don't know where this spring went. I used to visit every weekend, to check out the produce and see what delicious deals I could find (the bacon? Hawthorne Valley yogurt? The jam lady?). Thankfully, spring has sprung, so there was a plethora of spring produce: rhubarb, asparagus, morels, fiddleheads, lettuces...and of course, those hardy fruits and veggies like apples and potatoes that weather so well in the root cellar over the winter.

Though I didn't buy anything on Wednesday (um, cleaning out cupboards and had to attend a "meeting" at Dorrian's on the UES (oxymoronic much, huh?!), I was relieved when I saw Thursday that the farmer's market was back in my neighborhood on the UWS. Some spinach for dinner Friday with the last of my black bean salad, and a savory treat for a weekend meal.

Even when I don't purchase food, "shopping" for the "eye candy" at NYC's farmer's markets are one of my favorite things to do. Even just challenging myself to find some obscure vegetable and to "create" a dish in my head is entertaining. Spring in New York may be one of my favorite times to stroll these stalls...the vibrant colors, petite vegetables and delicate greens, and the excitement that this is just the beginning - there is so much more to come...