2010 in Food

I've been planning this post for months in my head, centered around the theme of foods I tried in 2010-early 2011 that I'd never tried before and that were pleasant surprises. The summer of 2010 was the first summer I got all my veggies from the farmer's market. I'd been meaning to do that for a few years, but didn't actually dredge up the energy to go out of my routine until this past summer. It was an absolute delight. I know all the gurus on the Food Network are constantly saying this, but there truly is nothing like local, seasonal produce. In fact, I was so converted that I've been privately semi-pretentious about it all winter. As I push my cart around the grocery store, I go whizzing by the tomato section, saying in my head, "I wouldn't go near those washed out tomatoes right now - they're not in season." And this while I remember the pints of glowing red and yellow cherry tomatoes that I halved and ate over arugula with home made balsamic dressing and shaved Parmesan cheese at the height of summer.

Without further ado, here are, in no particular order, 10 new things I tried this past year and really liked:

1. Celeriac. I had heard of this, but didn't really know what it was. Now, I must admit, I didn't make a coleslaw out of it like the French always do because I'm not really a fan of mayonnaise. I did, however, use it in pureed soups and liked how it helped out the texture and added a very delicate celery flavor.

2. Radicchio. As I discovered, radicchio is rather bitter, but that can be a nice touch to some salads. I did make the mistake of adding too much radicchio to a dish once, but I learned my lesson and now have a healthy respect for its potency. I also sauteed it once with some other vegetables as part of a stir fry and it was an interesting addition. I think in the future I would like to make a salad with it that includes some other strong flavors, like maybe a pungent cheese. I'll have to do some recipe searching, and if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

3. Asian gourd. I can't be more specific because it was at the Asian vegetable stand at the farmer's market and it was marked as "gourd." It was in the shape of an enormous sausage and was a pale green. When cooked, it had the texture of a cantaloupe and a refreshing coolness about it, even though it was warm. It also was mildly sweet. It was really special and I will totally be looking for it this summer.

4. Golden Zucchini. I absolutely fell in love with this over the summer. It is part of the zucchini family, but is bright yellow, has a firmer texture than zucchini, and a more delicate flavor. I sliced it up, sauteed it with thyme (salt added only later so it wouldn't get soggy), and served it with whole wheat rotini pasta and olive oil and fresh lemon juice for a dressing. I ate this meal so many times last summer and it was divine. It was even better when I added cherry tomatoes to it (and shaved parmesan if I was indulging). I have never seen golden zucchini at a grocery store, which means I will be haunting farmer's markets for it this summer so I can get my fix.

5. Arugula. I can't believe I'd never had this before. Trader Joe's sells a good-sized bag for $1.99, which I hadn't realized. It has great texture and a great flavor. I have now gotten hooked on salad greens with either great texture or flavor, which means I pretty much only buy fresh spinach and arugula for salads now. I can't go back!

6. Seven-minute eggs. I have always been a fan of poached eggs, but have never owned a poacher as an adult. When I was leafing through my vintage copy of Julia Child's The French Chef, I saw that she describes a way to poach eggs in the shell. I was immediately intrigued. The directions are as follows: boil water in a pot, insert egg and boil gently for seven minutes if the egg is right from the fridge, and 6 minutes if the egg is room temperature. Run under cold water for about 30 seconds, and then gently peel, halve and sprinkle with salt. SEVEN-MINUTE EGGS HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE! They are like the ultimate comfort food. The white is cooked, but the yolk is about half-cooked and has the texture of cheese sauce. Oh my gosh, I love seven-minute eggs. I actually just finished eating one on top of a spinach and grated carrot salad with balsamic dressing. Whenever I make them, I feel like I'm giving myself a huge treat. I was actually fantasizing the other day about making Challah and then having some toasted with some seven-minute eggs. That might have to happen this weekend.

7. Fennel. This came to my attention thanks mainly to Heather Davis, who loves to make apple and fennel salads. I'm not sure when its peak season is, but it's been looking lovely and fresh all winter long. So far, I've sliced it thin and added it to sliced apples with some lemon juice, salt and pepper on top (so yummy, especially the pepper). I've also thinly sliced it and added it to a Russian style salad, with beets, potatoes, pickles, peas, etc. It adds some nice freshness.

8. Purple carrots. They tasted just like normal carrots, but they looked so awesome when sliced! I made a home made pizza with onions and these carrots and it was just fun!

9. Purple peppers. They look just green peppers, but are purple and are less bitter. What can I say? Purple vegetables are just fun!










10. Risotto. I can't believe it, but I had never eaten risotto until this past fall. And as my friends at school will attest, I ate it for every meal for several weeks in a row! I made it with kabocha squash and it was dynamite. I just love how every bite was bursting with butter and white wine. That risotto may be why I had gained a few pounds by the end of the semester! (Well, that and all the pasta I ate during finals).

There it is, 10 new things I tried this past year and my life is better for it!