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THE SANTA MONICA FARMERS' MARKET COOKBOOK Seasonal Foods, Simple Recipes, and Stories from the Market and Farm by Amelia Saltsman Foreword by Deborah Madison Blenheim Press August 2007 $22.95/soft cover ISBN-13: 978-0-9790429-0-4 Book Information

What gives old-fashioned tomato soup its comfort-food super-status is its perfect sweet-acid balance. Sample tomatoes at the market and if they are too acid or too sweet, add a few of another variety to your shopping bag to adjust the flavors (especially important when using low-acid Japanese, orange, yellow, or white tomatoes). Chervil adds a delicate celery-like flavor that complements the tomatoes.

1 leek, white part only (reserve green parts for making stock), finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 center rib celery with leaves, finely chopped
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded (page 24), and chopped
2 sprigs parsley, 1 sprig thyme, and 1 bay leaf tied together in cheesecloth
5 cups Vegetable Stock (page 52), or 2 1/2 cups canned diluted with 2 1/2 cups water
2 ounces mild goat cheese such as Redwood Hill plain or herbed chèvre, at room temperature
Small handful of fresh chervil leaves, coarsely chopped

In a wide pot, cook the leek, carrot, onion, and celery with a little salt in the butter over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes, covering the pot halfway through the cooking time. Uncover, add the tomatoes and herb bundle, season with salt and pepper, and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat as needed to maintain a gentle boil, and cook, uncovered, until the tomatoes break down and thicken slightly, about 10 minutes. Add 4 cups of the stock, bring to a boil, and cook for 20 minutes, reducing the heat if the soup becomes too thick.

Puree the soup with an immersion or stand blender. For a refined puree, pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot to remove any stray seeds or lumps. If the soup is too thick, add the remaining 1 cup stock. If too thin, cook uncovered over medium heat to reduce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top each serving with a spoonful of goat cheese and a sprinkling of chervil.

Farmer's Tip: To enjoy good-tasting tomatoes long after the growing season has past, tomato grower Ed Munak recommends freezing whole ripe tomatoes on a baking sheet, and then storing them in re-sealable plastic bags. When you are ready to use them, rinse the frozen tomatoes briefly and the skins will slip right off. Ideal for winter soups and sauces.

Make this cold-weather side with Swiss chard, collards, beet greens, or a kale, such as dusky cavolo nero, from the Carpenters or the Colemans. Bill Coleman also grows spigarello, an ancient leafing broccoli with no heads, that is delicious in this recipe. Turn this into a main dish by adding 3 or 4 cups of southwestern beans, such as Indian Woman Yellow, cooked with extra chipotles and a couple of smoked tomatoes from Windrose.

2 bunches winter greens, such as kale or spigarello, leaves only, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water
2 chipotle chiles
6 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, sliced
Kosher or sea salt
1 cup stock, any kind (page 52 to 54), or 1/2 cup canned diluted with 1/2 cup water

Cook the greens in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 5 to 10 minutes, and drain. Bring the water to a boil in a small pot, drop in the chiles, and simmer for 10 minutes to soften (or combine in a bowl and microwave for 4 minutes). Drain, reserving the water. Remove the stem and seeds from the chiles (keep some seeds for a spicier dish), then use scissors to snip into 1/4-inch pieces.

In a large sauté pan, fry the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until moderately crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan, and return the pan with the bacon to medium heat. Add the onion, stir to scrape up any browned bits, and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent and soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and chiles and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Add the greens, season with salt, and sauté about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, pour in the stock and reserved soaking liquid, cover, and simmer gently until the greens are tender and the flavors are blended, 10 to 20 minutes.

Chef's Tip: Louisiana-born Steven Roberts, chef-owner of Café Boogaloo in Hermosa Beach, uses smoked onions he prepares himself to give extra depth to vegetarian braised collard and mustard greens. To efficiently cut collards or other broad-leaved greens for cooking, Steven stacks the leaves after stripping out the stems, rolls them up into a bundle, and then cuts the bundle crosswise into strips.

A great white nectarine is unforgettable-sweet, floral, with hints of burnt sugar, qualities that can be easily overpowered. A quick sear in a little butter heightens caramel notes, keeps raw flavors intact, and protects the fruit from discoloring, which means you can prepare this simple dessert ahead. Look for Snow Queens from Honey Crisp and Harvest Pride (labeled Stanwick there), Stanwicks from Summer Harvest, and Lovely Lolitas from Fitzgerald. These white nectarines aren't the prettiest girls at the dance, but they are the most fascinating. Fitzgerald's or Pritchett's white donut peaches and Tenerelli's late-season Indian Blood peaches are also delicious prepared this way. Too often, white stone fruits are sweet but uninteresting, so taste before you buy. Use a full-flavored honey, such as earthy buckwheat or molasses-like eucalyptus from Bee Canyon Ranch in Saugus.

2 tablespoons full-flavored honey, warmed
2 tablespoons water or dessert wine such as muscat
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
4 fresh bay leaves (optional)
4 ripe nectarines or peaches, halved and pitted
Boysenberries, blackberries, or raspberries

In a small bowl, stir together the honey and water. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Film the pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter and add the bay leaves. When the butter sizzles and the bay leaves start to blister, add half of the fruit, cut side down. Cook until the cut surface is browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer the fruit, cut side up, and the bay leaves to a platter. Repeat with remaining fruit and 1 teaspoon butter.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour the honey mixture into the pan. Stir, scraping up any brown bits, and then simmer until deep brown, about 2 minutes. To serve, divide the fruit among dessert plates, lightly drizzle the fruit with the honey, and then scatter the berries around the fruit.

How to Choose White Nectarines: Look for burgundy-russet rather than pink tones to the blush and dusky gold skin tones. Some sugar cracking is fine.

Cook's Tip: In autumn, sear buttery D'Anjou pears from Cirone Farms or Penryn Orchard. The trick to choosing a good pear lies in the orchard. "Pears should be picked firm and mature," Mike Cirone explains. "If left on the tree until ripe, they get grainy and pithy." Slightly underripe D'Anjous can be refrigerated several weeks, then ripened on the kitchen counter. When ready, the skin will have turned from green to light yellow, and the fruit will have a slight give. Consume ripe pears within a few days.