New to Me: Fresh Cannellini Beans

 The sign at the San Francisco Farmer's Market booth read:  "Fresh Cannellini Beans." Underneath the sign was a pile of long, skinny greenish-white pods with 3-5 little bumps inside them. What? Fresh cannellini beans?? Since when? I love cannellini beans. They are my go-to beans for soups and salads. I always have at least five cans in my pantry. I sometimes even soak the dried beans overnight then cook them for hours. Curious to find out what the beans I loved tasted like fresh, I purchased a pound of them. Still wondering where they had been all my life.

Some background: Cannellini beans are a European white kidney bean. Creamy and mild with a slightly nutty taste, they are used in many recipes from soups and salads to dips and stews or as a delicious serving of just beans on the plate. So why hadn't I seen fresh cannellini beans before? After a quick Google search I learned that most shelling beans (which means you don't eat the pods like green beans and snap peas) are harvested when the beans inside are dry. They become the dried beans you find in the grocery stores year round. But in late summer, you can sometimes find fresh shelling beans, and they are not always easy to find. You have to be fortunate enough to find a Farmer's Market at just the right time of year and a farmer who grows, picks and sells them fresh. Those stars had not aligned for me until last Saturday when I saw the sign for fresh cannellini beans––and then only one booth in the entire farmer's market had them for sale.

One pound of fresh cannellini beans in their pods equals about 1 cup of shelled beans. That might sound like alot of work but the cannellini beans Joe & I shelled came out of their pods easily and we had fun watching our pile of cannellini beans grow larger in the bowl. (If we needed beans to serve lots of people, I would probably reconsider the part about that being fun unless I threw a shelling party.)

Cooking them was a matter of putting them in a pot, adding water about an inch or two above the beans and simmering them until they are done. So it could be 5, 10 or 20 minutes depending upon how fresh they are.  Ours were really fresh so I just kept tasting them and they were done in about 10 minutes. And were they ever deeelishious! Their flavor was light and bright, creamy and, well, there's no better word so I have to use it, fresh! I could have eaten them all myself but since we were having a few friends over for dinner I chopped some celery and tossed it into the beans with some lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. Oh my, a show stopper side dish that took center stage! Next Saturday it's back to the Farmer's Market for more. I'm hoping those same stars will still be aligned.

Veggie Chocolate Mousse––Seriously!

Who doesn't like chocolate pudding? It's been my comfort food of choice since my mom made it for me way back when (we'll not that long ago, she still makes it for me. I just don't smear it on my face and the walls like I used to.) So when I recently signed up for an on-line program called "Nourishing Food Detox for Beginners: 5 Days of Easy & Nourishing Foods for Your Mind, Body & Spirit," I was intrigued by one of the recommended desserts––a Raw Chocolate Mousse. Aha! I would not suffer on this "nourishing, easy, detox"! I wondered what made this mousse healthy since I'd be off all dairy, wheat and a long list of other forbidden foods and mainly living on vegetables and grains like amaranth, quinoa and millet.

OK, ready for this? The magic ingredient that made this chocolate mousse/pudding healthy was one AVOCADO! The rest of the ingredients were amazingly simple: 1/2 cup of raw cacao powder (I used Dagoda, it's an excellent brand), 1/3 cup of maple syrup, 1 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of water. Put all the ingredients into a blender. Blend until thick and smooth. Scoop into a serving bowl or fancy glasses and chill. Amazingly delicious, chocolatey, smooth and very satisfying. You would never know there was an avocado in there! Not a spec of its green color shows up when it's blended. This recipe is now a regular go-to for a fast and easy dessert at our house.

And, yes, the detox was successful. I've never felt better and actually lost 9 pounds...even while enjoying several chocolate mousses! Then there was the sweet potato pudding and the pear smoothies. Just know that I did not suffer for good health! The process was truly easy and nourishing. If you are interested, you can learn more at http://www.eatwellenjoylife.com

Argentinian Red Shrimp

 The checker at Trader Joe's excitedly pointed to the bag of frozen shrimp in my cart and exclaimed, "If you haven't had these before you aren't going to believe how good they are! They're from Argentina and only available for a short time. They are amazing––taste just like lobster. You're gonna love'em." And he wasn't even my checker... he was in the line next to me and had gone out of his way to tell me about the possibly unknown treasure I had. The good news is––he wasn't kidding. These shrimp are unique. If I was blindfolded, given one to eat and didn't know it was a shrimp, I'd say I was eating a sweet  bit of lobster––the texture and flavor are definitely more lobstery than shrimp-like.

I sauteed these amazing shrimp/lobsters from Argentina in butter and garlic–added some linguine and cilantro and created the main course to follow the cheese plate (see previous blog post) for New Year's Eve.

It was a delightfully, delicious way to welcome the new year–and with 3 more bags of my newly found treasure in the freezer–2012 is looking pretty good.

Just Say "Cheese"

 It was New Year's Eve Day at the Ferry Building in SF and I fearlessly took a number at the exceptionally crowded Cowgirl Creamery Cheese Store––determined not to be intimidated by all I did not know about buying imported cheeses. People whose numbers had already been called were making tasting faces as they savored the flavors and textures of their tiny cheese samples. The young woman just in front of me had her iPhone out and was checking a detailed list of exotic cheese names and her descriptions of their flavors. "Whoa!" I exclaimed, "What a great idea." I vowed that I would start doing the same. But for now, I was a novice in serious cheese country.

I heard my number called and one of the clerks looked at me expectantly. I was wondering what I was going to say...  "I'd like a creamy blue and two other different cheeses to go on a cheese plate. Maybe something hard and perhaps a goat cheese." That was the extent of my expertise but it resulted in an exciting foray into cheeses with very unusual names: Fourme d'Ambert was the "creamy blue." Divine––creamy, dreamy, with a soft blue note. Queso Leonora was the goat cheese––also creamy but very, very light with an ever so slight hint of lemon. Coolea was a Dutch Gouda that was the response to "something hard" and it was amazing. The perfect counter point to the creamy selections. My taste buds were alive! The tiny samples were promises of so much more than my usual Safeway Camembert. Emboldened by my new found cheese discoveries, I added a slice of Colston Bassett Stilton to my order.

Joe walked up with two loaves of Acme bread (this bread is the best) from their bakery two spaces down in the Ferry Building. We were good to go...one Happy New Year coming up...and here's to many more adventures at the cheese counter!

There used to be Seagulls....

We had just been seated on the deck at Sam's Anchor Cafe in Tiburon when I remarked to my husband, "There used to be seagulls along the railing when we'd come here after volleyball games in the 70's". That's how long it had been since I'd been there. Now I could only see a few pigeons walking around under the tables. No seagulls. Seemed odd for a dining area outside over the water.

We decided to sit side-by-side to enjoy the view across the Bay. The San Francisco skyline was visible and it was a gorgeous day. We ordered clam chowder and fish and chips. When the waitress brought the food, I remembered to take a food-blog picture before diving in to what looked like two wonderful pieces of fish. I asked Joe to move over to the right so I could get a better shot. I took the picture (see above) and as I was checking the camera screen I felt this commotion (that's the only way to describe it) near my right shoulder and out the corner of my eye, I saw something white moving between us.

It took us a second or two to realize what had happened. It was that fast. When I looked at the plate and saw only one piece of fish, I knew we had been raided––from behind–– by one determined seagull! We were stunned. There had not been a seagull in sight but one was diving into our fish before we did!

The waitress casually walked over to our table and just looked at us. I asked her if she could replace our order since the bird had absconded with a piece of fish, knocked over the cup of tartar sauce and for all we knew, grabbed some fries. Then (as opposed to telling us earlier) she gave us the warning: "Yeah, those seagulls are very aggressive. You kind of have to hunch down and hover over your plate so they can't see your food." Seriously?

When I studied the "crime scene" I saw that one seagull perched on the roof above the deck dining area and watched for just the right moment. No longer did the seagulls hang out on the railing waiting for food to drop or be thrown their way––they just went for what they wanted. They'd certainly evolved over the past 30 some years. This one saw his opportunity when I asked Joe to "lean to the right so I could take the mandatory food-blog picture."

When our very low-key waitress brought the replacement fish, we "hovered over and covered"our plates (try it––you lean forward and hunch over your plate as you look furtively around to make sure the coast is clear!) and––fortunately, the fish was delicious. We just tried not to think of the Hitchcock movie about some other aggressive birds. So we ate and ran––just in case.

The lesson here is––if you do choose to dine on the outdoor deck of a restaurant that is over water and you don't see any seagulls––you might ask why or request a window seat, with a view, inside.

Presidio Social Club

The rest of the USA is having a heat wave. As the fog rolled into SF Bay and over the Golden Gate Bridge we put on our jackets and said a silent "thank you" for nature's natural air conditioning. If you like warmer summers this wouldn't be your ideal summer day but it works for us.

After a visit to the Legion of Honor for an exhibit of Dutch and Flemish Masterworks that was truly a visual feast, we headed for lunch at the Presidio Social Club. Based on a previous visit there with daughter, Megan, I wanted my husband to give it a try. And yes, this was after our early morning visit to the Farmer's Market, that's why you go early––so you can eat again before the drive home.

I ordered lobster bisque and a Jamaican-style red lager beer. Sounds like an odd combination but it was actually quite good. The bisque was absent of any pieces of lobster but the flavor was absolutely captivating–– it had a roasty, nutty, slightly salt-water taste that kept me anticipating each spoonful. There were a few tiny springs of sliced basil, just enough for flavor. The surprise was the few kernels of roasted corn that hung out in the bottom of the soup. When those got added to a spoonful of the bisque it was a wonderful pop of flavor. Although this was a simple bisque every flavor counted and it was delicious.

My husband Joe had the burger and fries. The fries were addictive and some of the best we've had. (Are you noticing how I'm sharing his lunch with him? There is more of that coming up...) I had just a small bite of his burger and it was almost creamy––the meat was smooth and just greasy enough to be tasty. I'm not a burger lover but I'd add this to my short list of burgers I will eat: Shake Shack in NYC is at the top––this burger is number 2––and there is no number 3.

Joe had to try the brioche beignets and Mexican hot chocolate. I'd been dreaming about them since my last visit–– so hungry or not (whose ever really still hungry for dessert?) we ordered them. They arrived hot and liberally sprinkled with sugar & cinnamon. They were totally delightful even though we decided they could have used a bit more time to cook...they were just a tad doughy. But we did find ourselves making that little "hum of happiness" sound as we ate them, enjoyed the spicy Mexican hot chocolate and marveled at how fortunate we are to live so close to a food mecca like San Francisco.

Ever heard of a Watermelon Radish? Or a Black Radish?

I discovered French Breakfast Radishes last year. Slice, salt and put them on buttered French bread and you have a snappy little treat. Those little radishes have a punch of taste that will wake up most people's taste buds.

Yesterday at the Farmer's Market I was looking for those breakfast radishes when I saw a plateful of different colored slices of some small root vegetables––I couldn't tell what they were so I asked. The vendor explained that "The pink and white one is a Watermelon Radish and the other is a Black Radish––it's really peppery." Whoa, who knew? I tasted the watermelon radish and it was slightly sweet. The black radish was indeed peppery, but it snuck up on you so by the time I left the vendor with my purchase, my mouth was on fire....well, to me it was on fire. Maybe you could say my mouth was "alive" and I didn't need more than that one slice to get the idea that this was one different kind of radish.

So now you and I both know about watermelon radishes and black radishes. They are worth looking for and will introduce you to an entirely unexpected taste from the familiar red radishes we all find in the grocery store.