New Amsterdam Market

I have to thank my BFF and bon vivant, Sarah Bush, for taking me to the New Amsterdam Market during my most recent visit to NYC. We arrived to the Old Fulton Fish Market on a cool Sunday in May, around noon, to find the festivities had just begun. As we waited on Marianna (and her beau, Dave) to arrive, we strolled the aisles delighting over the infinite possibilities of organic fare and refreshments.

Once the belated duo arrived, Sarah and I aptly chose a lobster roll and grilled rabbit wrap to share, and lemon kombucha to wash it down. We also chose fresh pasta (which the vendor so kindly bagged and put on dry ice for us!), tomatoes, and basil to take back for dinner.

What makes this Farmer's Market so spectacular is the vendors, who are on a mission to feed you and take you back in time. The New Amsterdam Market is reminiscent of the Public Market, which took place in the 1930's. Being that the economy is in a similar state now, the New Amsterdam Market is focusing on reviving small, local businesses and encouraging consumers to eat regional and seasonal product.

I found this amazing picture of the old Fulton Fish Market on the New Amsterdam Market website.

That was then... and this is now.

You can find live plants, such as wild leeks and ginger.

An amazing assortment of local and seasonal veggies.

Handmade stuffed pastas and sauces, which we could not resist.

Even more vegetables! Crazy looking mushrooms that I could not name to save my life.

And look at this... grilled rabbit. It had a chipotle sauce with grilled green onions and fresh cilantro to top.

I think we all know the warm, grilled flatbread was home made. De-vine.

This was easily the highlight of my girls weekend in New York City. One of the many reasons why I love my friends is that they know how to feed me!

Enjoy!

Sarah

Pesto now, Pasta later

It’s hard for me to put into words exactly how much I love pasta. So I’ll take this in another direction… My favorite pasta sauce is pesto.

The most wonderful thing about pesto is that you can use what you have on hand, and it will always turn out tasting fresh and flavorful.

I use sweet basil because it is what we have in our garden. I also use walnuts because pine nuts are crazy expensive. We also happen to always have a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano in the fridge, but feel free to use Romano or Asiago. The cheese just needs to be firm, pungent, and salty.

What you will need:

Two large handful of sweet basil, about 2 cups

¼ cup (or so) of walnuts, pine nuts if you’re fancy

A clove or two of garlic, more if you’re a garlic lover

¼ cup of parmesan cheese

Extra virgin olive oil

Coarse Sea Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Here’s what you do:

Tip: If you would like to freeze the pesto to use in the future, rather than using it all at once, you should first blanch the basil. Blanching the basil keeps it from turning black over time. If you choose not to do this step, the basil should taste fine, but it won’t be as visually appealing.

In a food processor (or blender) combine basil, walnuts, garlic, cheese, and a few shakes of salt and pepper. Blend ingredients while streaming in olive oil. If you are freezing the pesto, you simply want it to form into a paste. If you are using the pesto immediately, add more olive oil until it reaches the consistency you need.

If you find that the taste is slightly off, add pepper to give the sauce more flavor, add salt to enhance the flavor, or add lemon juice to give it an extra bite. Remember that it will taste very pungent initially. Once heated, the pesto takes on it's actual flavor which tends to be much more mild.

Place in an airtight container and move to the freezer.

When using your pre-made basil pesto from the freezer, add slightly thawed pesto to a well-oiled pan to sauté, or slather onto vegetables, meat, or fish as a marinade.

Other ideas:

• Thin layer of pesto onto a sliced baguette, topped with tomato & mozzarella
• Spoon pesto onto a pile of gnocchi, sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese
• Vegetarian-pesto lasagna with seasonal veggies & ricotta cheese
• Slather onto homemade pizza dough with chicken, onion, and olives.. then bake!

Ciao!

Sarah

Inspiration

Food, meet Art...

On a day far far away from this one, I hope to be able to produce food commentary as romantic as Tiger in a Jar . The founding couple, Matt and Julie, are wildly inspiring. Their blog has a wonderful aesthetic, blending delicious recipes with their artistic eye. One of the greatest challenges in food photography is lighting, something we at One Green Table are still learning... bear with us, I promise the wait will be worth it!

beet cake from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

Stay inspired,

Katie

Granny's Cole Slaw

In the past two years, I have slowly started to outgrow my immature pallet. I was one of those children who grew up demanding chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, and any other “white food” I could think of. I swear just a few years ago, you couldn’t catch me talking about cabbage, much less eating it. I undoubtedly claimed that I didn’t like anything remotely healthy, especially vegetables.

As it turns out, I like most foods. I just hadn't given them a fair chance since age seven (sorry mom).

Now that I’m all grown up, I have really wanted to find a good coleslaw recipe. Cabbage is wonderfully cheap so I thought it would be perfect for my freshmen year in the real world. As always, all the recipes I found were too complicated and called for at least 10 ingredients...and let’s be honest, I just can’t afford that. Nor do I have the patience.

You may think this is my grandmother's recipe from way back when, but my grandmother's name isn't Granny. Ross introduced me to this simple recipe from his Granny and I just cannot get enough of it.

You will need:

• 4 cups white cabbage
• 1 cup purple cabbage
• Mayo
• Red wine vinegar
• Sugar
• Salt
• Pepper

Pick up some purple and white cabbage from your local farmer’s market. Slice and bruise the cabbage by squeezing and cracking it in your fists. Bruising helps the cabbage become softer to eat once it marinates with the other ingredients. If you like your slaw crunchier, you can skip this step. Add a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise and red wine vinegar, just enough to coat the cabbage. If you like creamier cole slaw, add more of these ingredients. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Let the slaw marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, the longer you can let it stand the better.

This recipe is great because it is delicious (and with only 6 ingredients!) but can also be adapted. Add edamame, carrots, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and ginger for an Asian slaw...or cilantro, corn, and lime for a Southwestern slaw. Get creative with this recipe and share your favorite adaptation with us.

Enjoy!

Katie

Somewhere.

Do you ever feel the need to just escape?

I think of this notion in terms of epicurean adventures. Often I find my self dreaming of wandering the spice markets in India or passing through the streets of Paris devouring crepe, after baguette, after croque-monsieur.

But what happens when your boss is not interested in funding your trip around the world? Or your dog let's you know that she is not going to walk, feed, and brush herself during your hiatus?

Let's be honest, the upside to living in this star spangled country is that we have a wide variety of international fare to choose from. In Austin specifically, we are so blessed to have the world's cuisine at our finger tips (most of which can be found in air stream trailers).

Fortunately, It's easy to find yourself in a far away land by simply incorporating a few new ingredients into your pantry. I have a couple of favorite cuisines at the moment from which I can't escape. The flavors and smells are so powerful that it's hard to imagine eating a hamburger ever again.

Indian

• Favorite Indian Eats in ATX: G'Raj Mahal, Tandoori Bistro, and Tarka
• Customary Ingredients: rice, vegetables, many (many) spices (including: garam masala, cumin, turmeric, chili pepper, coriander, garlic, ginger, saffron, etc.)
• How to incorporate it into your cooking: McCormick makes an amazing "Chicken Tikka Masala" spice packet. If you're going the vegetarian route, replace the chicken with your favorite vegetables.

Mexican

• Favorite Mexican/Tex-Mex Eats in ATX: Torchy's Tacos, Papi Tino's, Chuy's, Zandunga Bistro
• Customary Ingredients: rice, cilantro, tomatoes, garlic, lime, onion, cumin, beans
• How to incorporate it into your cooking: McCormick also makes a taco seasoning that adds amazing flavor to meat, rice, and beans. To make colorful Spanish Rice, finely chop onion, tomatoes, garlic, and cilantro and mix into rice along with taco seasoning. Add in corn or black beans for a more complete dish and always squeeze fresh lime juice over the rice.

I will honestly say that I miss Italian food dearly. The Italian fare in Austin is limited, so if I'm craving pasta or gnocchi I typically make it at home. Ross and I dabbled in Ethiopian fare briefly, and it was quite enjoyable. Next on my list is lebanese food!

Isn't it amazing how far your taste buds can venture from meat and potatoes?

Happy eating!

Sarah