On a recent brainstorm with our staff, we thought, “wouldn’t it be great to have beverage pairing suggestions for some of our sandwiches?” What a delicious idea, especially since we have such a fantastic line-up of specialty Boylan’s sodas and our house made artisan iced teas and lemonades.

So, of course, we got to straight to work and sampled away (another great part of my job).  After our taste test, we came up with a selection of the best combinations that will be extraordinarily pleasing to your palate.

Since cherry and orange both taste great with the flavors of cranberry, goat cheese, and green apples, we highly suggest Boylan’s Black Cherry and Orange Cream Sodas with our Highway 128, a roasted chicken, Herbes de Provence marinated Cypress Grove’s goat cheese, ancho chili cranberry chutney, organic farmer’s market greens, green apple on wheat, and our Drunk N’Goat in Paris, a Herbes de Provence marinated Cypress Grove’s goat cheese, cranberry chutney, French brie, caramelized onions, green apple and organic farmer’s market greens on curcama hazelnut.

The dark, sweet, spicy flavors of cola and root beer are classic matches with beef and pork. (That’s why these sodas are also common ingredients in many meat marinade recipes.) We recommend trying the Steak BLT – carved steak, applewood bacon, romaine lettuce, roasted tomatoes, herb aioli, caramelized onions on toasted rustic white bread – alongside the Boylan’s Root Beer and Cola.

For a savory sandwich – especially one with chicken – a refreshing, fruity black iced tea makes a terrific match.  That’s why the Passionfruit Iced Tea from Sugarbird Sweets and Teas is perfect for the Chicken MBT, a sandwich with roasted chicken, Gioia fresh mozzarella, basil pesto, tomato, balsamic vinegar, and organic farmer’s market greens on ciabatta.

And, last but not least, tart and sweet citrus is a wonderful partner for fish, especially with tuna. Try our Success With Citrus (Tuna), an all white albacore tuna with citrus aioli, green apple, organic farmer’s market greens, tomato, red onion on buckwheat bread with our housemade Farmer’s Market Blood Orange Lemonade.

We hope you have a chance to enjoy these combinations soon, and we’ll let you know if we come across any new delicious findings.

We are so lucky to be living in Southern California, where there is a Farmer’s Market being held somewhere in the city every day of the week.  Two of my favorites are Santa Monica’s, on Arizona and 2nd, held on Wednesday and Saturday, and Hollywood’s on Ivar and Selma, held on Sunday.

Since these markets also happen to be the largest and most popular in the area, a good plan will help you maximize your time and value.  Here is my list of tried and true Farmer’s Market tips that will help you do exactly that.

Prep Work:

Know that it’s cash only, even for restaurants like us! Make sure to stop at the ATM. 

Expect to pay about $30-40 a week, if you cook at home a lot, or less if not.

(Keep in mind that fruits are more expensive than vegetables.)

To haggle or not to haggle? Farmers typically price their items to sell so they are usually priced just right.

Pack up a few reusable totes for all of your purchases.

Parking:

Santa Monica – Free parking for up to 1 ½ hours is available at several public parking lots on blocks surrounding Arizona.

Hollywood – Since it’s on a Sunday, the meters along perimeter streets, like Sunset, Ivar and Cahuenga are free, but they go quickly. Even better is parking in the Arclight Cinemas’ lot (entrance on Ivar off of Sunset). Right next to an entrance point and costs around $4.

When To Go:

The markets are best right when they open, between 8am and 9am.  Not only is parking easier, but you’ll have the first pick while enjoying the quiet energy of the market getting ready for it’s busy day.

What To Buy:
Some of our favorites (and mainstays on the Mendocino Farms menus):

Jaime Farms and Underwood Farms – leeks, chard, beets, kale

Life’s a Choke Family Farms – cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus and artichokes

McGrath Farms – baby beets, Seascape strawberries, and winter greens

Coleman Farms – leafy greens, winter greens and herbs (when in season, custard apples and cherimoyas)

Tutti Fruitti Farms – heirloom tomatoes (summer) and butternut squash (winter)

Ha’s Farms – Fuji apples, Asian Pears

Stay in touch to let me know how it goes.  I’d also love to hear some of YOUR favorite Farmer’s Market tips and experiences too!

Post your comments or e-mail me at judy@mendocinofarms.com

Chef Judy

What you’ll need

During your weekend shopping purchase a pre-made pizza dough – varieties at Trader Joe’s make for a good crust.

1 Lb. Monterey Jack Cheese or Mozzarella  - I prefer to shred the cheese myself as it tastes fresher and is more gooey when you melt it

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce of spaghetti sauce

4 oz. of thinly sliced prosciutto

Fresh arugula

How To

Bring the dough to room temperature – take out or fridge at let sit on floured surface for about 10 minutes

Set your oven rack to the bottom most setting and preheat oven to 450°

Take out a sheet pan and dust with polenta or corn meal (don’t worry – you can substitute flour)

Dust the dough with flour – stretch, don’t knead the dough, to fit your sheet pan

Gently brush the dough with olive oil

Spread out about 3-4 tablespoons of tomato sauce on the dough

Sprinkle with shredded cheese

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating once about halfway through, until dough is golden and crispy, and cheese is bubbly

Remove from oven and quickly layer thin prosciutto over pizza

Finish with a sprinkling of fresh arugula

Cut and serve with your favorite salad

Enjoy!

People often ask me how I manage feeding my family every night while juggling a very demanding chef’s job.  Although at times it can be quite hectic, with a little planning, it is possible to have dinner on the table in no time.  The key is to go to do all the grocery shopping and major prep duties during the weekend so that you are set up to make dinner quickly during the week.

This week, for example, we are having chicken.  I bought some already cooked rotisserie chicken and fabricated them out into pieces.  I then took the carcass, covered it in cold water and simmered it for 3-4 hours to create a simple chicken stock.

The first night we had rotisserie chicken for dinner, served with some roasted potatoes and a simple pasta.

The second night I chopped some vegetables I had in my refrigerator, like carrots, onions, celery, zucchini, and cabbage and threw it into the pot with the chicken stock I made the night before.  I enhanced the flavor of the chicken stock by adding some chimicchurri, which is a simple blend of garlic, parsley, cilantro and lemon zest, immediately before serving.

On the third night, I shredded some of the left over dark meat of the chicken and mixed it with some barbecue sauce.  I made a quick coleslaw with shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, some picked herbs like cilantro or parsley, and a Dijon vinaigrette.  I served it open faced on a piece of naan that I warmed up in the toaster with some cheese.

On my final night I shredded the remaining chicken meat and tossed it in some citrus vinaigrette.  I then added some arugula, greens, julienned apples, and kohlrabi and made a simple but healthy salad for dinner.

It’s all really basic cooking, but even for a busy chef, it’s more a matter of getting healthy, nutritious, and delicious food on the table as quickly as possible to feed a hungry family.

To get the right flavors in a great sandwich you need to start with the freshest and best ingredients, from the highest quality proteins all the way down to the last little leafy piece of greens.  If you’ve ever wondered what you’re getting when you order something with “Organic Farmer’s Market Greens” on our menu, you should be happy to know that you’re getting just that – the freshest, highest quality, locally grown produce you can find.  We would love to share with you about the great farmers who produce the beautiful lettuces we receive fresh every day from Kenter Canyon Farms.

Owned and operated by Andrea Crawford and husband Robert Dedlow, Kenter Canyon farms now harvests over 80,000 pounds of produce per year from its three locations in El Centro, a winter farm in Baja California, and Fillmore.  Andrea’s talent for growing fine produce stretches back to her love for gardening growing up in Kentucky, and became more serious while waiting tables at Chez Panisse in the Bay Area.  During her time in San Francisco, the kitchen crew of the restaurant would regularly borrow from her backyard garden.  Quickly her gardening hobby became full time employment, and she began selling lettuces to Chez Panisse.

In 1985, Andrea moved to Southern California and started Kenter Canyon Farms, utilizing the biointensive method of farming, an organic farming technique focused on getting as much from a small amount of land as possible, while improving the earth.  Today, Kenter Canyon Farms grows a large variety of plants, mostly herbs and lettuces, and is committed to staying local – once harvested, produce arrives to Downtown LA distributors within 24 hours.

Working with our distributor and Kentery Canyon Farms we have developed a custom blend of certified organic greens called “Mendocino Mix”, which includes green romaine, green tango, mizuna, lollo rosa, triple red, red oak, and purple Osaka mustard – all grown on their ranch in Ventura.  So every time you’re chewing on those greens, eat well and enjoy knowing you are getting the best, and at the same time, promoting small sustainable, local farming!