September is an interesting month. We still have nearly all of summer’s bounty, but the cooling weather trends and shorter days lead us towards the starchy comforts of cozy fall foods. This month we’ll bridge that divide by showcasing late summer’s best and brightest in the trappings of fall’s coziest foods. September is also classically regarded as the harvest month, and in that light we’ll be returning to the broader sense of seasonality explored in the early months of the Seasonal Food Guide, with an exploration of seasonal cheeses and the harvesting of sea salt.
CHERRY TOMATOES: Summer may have peaked, but these lovely little fruits in the guise of a vegetable are still in full swing. They are all that is great about a tomato in condensed, compact form: the tomato flavor comes through more vividly, while the sometimes mealy texture that turns people off of this fruit are absent. And there’s so much to do with them! Try a spicy tomato jam or surprisingly nuanced, simple tomato sauce to preserve their flavor for those dreary late winter nights.
THIS MONTH: BAKED PASTA WITH CHERRY TOMATOES, FRESH CHICKPEAS AND CHEESE
SHEEP’S MILK CHEESE: Cheese isn’t seasonal in the same way that, say, a fig is seasonal. On an industrial scale, of course, cheese isn’t seasonal at all. But when you turn to small-scale cheesemakers, a sense of seasonality emerges. Milk production typically ramps up in spring, when mother animals are making milk for their young. Goat cheese peaks at this time, as well as young cheeses that don’t require a great period of aging to mature. I stopped in at Rainbow Grocery, whose cheese department is staffed by a stellar group of people, among them my friend Andy, and Gordon Alton, the man who wrote the awesome memoir Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge. He pointed me to sheep cheeses, which reach their peak at this time of year. The nutty quality of many sheep’s milk cheeses makes them perfect for fall.
THIS MONTH: BAKED PASTA WITH CHERRY TOMATOES, FRESH CHICKPEAS AND CHEESE
BLACK GRAPES: Over the years, table grapes have been bred for increased sugar content and decreased tartness. The flavor of many table grapes suffers the consequences, as much of the depth and subtlety and interplay of tart and sweet is bred right out of them. Look for heirloom cultivars to find a more complex grape flavor. This month we’ll infuse black grapes in a puckery vinegar bath to produce a classic, old-school vinegar shrub.
THIS MONTH: BLACK GRAPE VINEGAR SHRUB
CALIFORNIA BAY LAUREL is stronger both in fragrance and flavor than its Mediterranean cousin. The leaves of both are noted for their pungent, aromatic qualities and essential in many stews, roasts and braises. Typically the leaves are removed before serving a dish. And here’s a case where too much of a good thing isn’t so great: overuse of the leaves can turn a dish bitter.
THIS MONTH: ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH PRESERVED LEMONS AND BAY LEAF BUTTER
CORNISH GAME HEN: Smaller than a chicken, cornish game hens are noted for their strong, concentrated chicken flavor. Their small size and higher price make them great for intimate dinners and special occasions. But you can use them in any context that calls for chicken. Contrary to their name, they are not a game animal at all, just a young hybrid chicken breed with a fancy name.
THIS MONTH: ROASTED CORNISH GAME HENS WITH PRESERVED LEMONS AND BAY LEAF BUTTER
PADRON PEPPERS: The allure of these typically mild, dynamically shaped little peppers is that one in every ten or so packs a surprise punch. And you never know which among them will send you to a capsicum-induced state of euphoria, which makes the consumption of them all the more fun. They’re most frequently prepared simply in a skillet until blistered, and then finished with coarse salt, which is exactly how we’re preparing them here.
THIS MONTH: PAN FRIED PADRON PEPPERS WITH SEA SALT
SEA SALT: There is no single ingredient more universally necessary or more polarizing than salt. Despite the debate in recent years over salt’s role in various health issues, it’s still an essential element in anchoring and enhancing the flavor of, well, pretty much all food, as well as in its preservation. In Roman times, salt was so highly valued that soldiers were paid with the stuff, hence our word for salary.
THIS MONTH: PAN FRIED PADRON PEPPERS WITH SEA SALT
FRESH CHICKPEAS are the younger sibling of the legume best known to us in dried form and in hummus. The mature, yellow-beige pea that we’re familiar with is left on the vine to dry, hence the difference in color. When fresh, you can actually eat them raw – they are sweet, crunchy and green with a streak of their characteristic nutty flavor throughout. They only need a few minutes to cook and will retain their green color. You can find these attractive, edamame-like pods at middle eastern groceries, farmer’s markets and specialty produce markets. Chickpeas require a cool growing season, which is probably why they’re relatively easy to find in San Francisco and along California’s mild coast.
THIS MONTH: BAKED PASTA WITH CHERRY TOMATOES, FRESH CHICKPEAS AND CHEESE
by Kimberley
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