Cooking from the Farmer’s Market

Over the years I have tried a number of Thai inspired peanut pasta dishes, but none of them were just right…until I blended a number of them together to create the perfect Thai style noodles. These aren’t spicy, so if you like spice, you may want to add crushed red pepper or Thai hot sauce to the peanut sauce. This is delicious, though, and if there is any left over, it makes a great lunch.

Thai-Style Peanut Pasta Peanut Sauce: 3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter 1 Tablespoon sesame oil 2 Tablespoons agave nectar 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1. Microwave the peanut butter for 30 seconds in a glass bowl. Stir in other ingredients, blending until thoroughly mixed. Set aside while you prepare the pasta. Pasta: 1 pound linguine 1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and julienned 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and julienned 1 orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and julienned 1 cup carrots, julienned 1 cup bean sprouts 3/4 cup roasted, salted cashews, coarsely chopped Although this could technically be on my Kitchen Shelf too, I put Jodi Liano’s Cooking from the Farmer’s Market on My Book Shelf because of the beautiful histories of common farmer’s market finds, and the vast amount of information. The pictures are stunning and is sorted intro fruit and vegetable sections which are thorough with multiple recipes for each variety of produce. It has such a wonderful variety that it is a good read for chefs of all kinds. Cooking from the Farmer’s Market is a great way to use seasonal produce. One of the simplest recipes that seems perfect for the summer days that can’t quite seem to arrive is the Honeydew-Lime Ice Pops. Honeydew-Lime Ice Pops 1/2 cup sugar 1 lime 1 honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and diced Pinch of salt 1. Combine 1/2 cup water and the sugar in a small saucepan. Using a vegetable peeler, remove two large strips of zest from the lime, and add to the saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Let the resulting syrup cool, then strain. 2. Puree the sugar syrup, melon and the salt in a food processor and process until smooth. Taste and add lime juice if needed to cut the sweetness. 3. Pour the mixture into eight ice-pop molds, add sticks, and freeze until solid, 6 to 8 hours. 1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped 1 bunch scallions, green parts thinly sliced 1. Prepare linguine according to package directions. When prepared, drain pasta and put in a large serving dish. 2. While pasta is cooking, heat grapeseed oil over medium-high heat in a medium frying pan. Add bell peppers and carrots, sauteeing for 4 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Remove from heat and put bell peppers and carrots in bowl with pasta. 3. In the same pan, reduce heat to medium and cook bean sprouts for about 2 minutes, or just until heated. Pour bean sprouts onto pasta. Add cashews, cilantro and scallions to pasta and mix thoroughly. Pour peanut sauce over pasta and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.