an open cupboard

These are before and after photos of the pumpkin spaghetti squash goat cheese tart I made the other day. You can tell that one is an improvement over the other because it’s got a nicer hairstyle and better make up (that was subtle… think about it).

I love spaghetti squash. When you’re a kid, the idea that you can eat strands of al dente “spaghetti” that comes from a gourd is very exciting. I’m not sure why, it just is. “Oooh! Spaghetti from a squash that feels like spaghetti when you eat it!” Even as an adult, you never quite get over it.

I had recently bought some small pumpkins, which—with their velvety soft texture and distinctive flavor—struck me as an interesting foil to the spaghetti squash. Some fresh goat cheese would add richness and tang. I had considered chopping the pumpkin into chunks and tossing it with the spaghetti squash and cheese, pasta style. In the end, I decided to bake the whole thing as a tart, which turned out pretty well, I think.

I like the way the rich creaminess of the pumpkin pervades the tart, while the crunchy spaghetti squash provides contrasting texture and body. The goat cheese provides playful sparks of lively flavor (I might include bits of goat cheese within the batter next time). I used bacon fat to grease the tart pan, which added a lovely smoked flavor (you could substitute butter for a vegetarian version of this dish). As an afterthought, I arranged fresh thyme sprigs on top. Like the Dude’s rug, these really pulled the whole thing together.

Note: I’ve always sliced spaghetti squash lengthwise prior to baking. This time, I tried slicing it widthwise instead, following the advice of an article on cooking spaghetti squash. What a difference! The squash is easier to cut (less surface area) and the baked halves are more manageable when combing out the flesh.

pumpkin spaghetti squash goat cheese tart

1 baked spaghetti squash
1 1/2 small baked orange pumpkins
salt and pepper to taste
ground allspice to taste
1 egg
a bit of flour
2/3 lb soft goat cheese or feta cheese
bacon fat or butter
fresh thyme sprigs

• Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
• With a fork, scrape out the spaghetti squash into a bowl. (You might want to chop the spaghetti squash strands into large bite-sized pieces. I think it might be easier to slice the tart that way.)
• Scoop out the pumpkin flesh into the bowl, season, and mix. Taste and correct seasoning.
• Add an egg and combine. Add a little flour to soak up the excess liquid. Mix. You want to stiffen the batter a bit.
• Crumble in the cheese and mix, reserving a little cheese to distribute on top of the tart.
• Grease a tart pan with bacon grease or butter.
• Transfer the batter to the tart pan and smooth the top, so that the batter is even throughout.
• Distribute pieces of cheese on top, then decorate with thyme leaves.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until slightly browned.

Serves 6

Privyet, dear readers of food blog! I am taking break from translating Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” to do favor for Shelly, usual author of blog. I was just getting to juicy part, when phone rang. Expecting call from cursed ex-husband Alexei, I am drop book, [”Blin!” (blin is Russian slang word for a crap, yes?)], and answer phone.

“Da! Shto eto?!?” What you want, I say. (Alexei is rat bastard.)

“Um, hi? It’s me, Shelly.”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, Shellinka! I thought you were Alexei, rat bastard ex-husband. Why you not say is you?”

“Sorry, Masha, I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Kak dela?”

“Kharasho! Am good. All is good when Alexei does not call. May he be like chandelier, hanging in day and burning at night. How are you?”

“Heh, chandelier. Er, yeah, I’m fine, thanks. Trying to throw together some dinner.”

“And I am only trying to earn living, with no alimony from ex-husband and publisher’s deadline weaving over head!”

“Weaving?”

“No, not weaving. How is it? Loom… looming! Looming over head!”

“Yes. Wow. Yeah, that’s stressful.”

“Da. Life is stress. This is why there is wodka. Nu, why you calling, Shelly?”

“Well, with the weather turning cold and all, I was wondering if you had a good borsch recipe?”

“Cold? Weather is cold? Hehehe… you are funny! Is like Siberian summer!”

“Yes, well, I was thinking of making some soup, and I’ve got these beets in the fridge…”

“OK. You have big piece of meat on bone?”

“Um… no.”

“No? You have a fresh dill?”

“No, none of that either. Nope.”

“You have good Russian smetana?”

“I’m afraid not. Just some organic sour cream.”

“You are hear me shake my head on phone? You are feel me pull my hairs out with exuberation?”

“Um, exuberation?”

“Exasperation! I give myself new hairstyle with exasperation because you cannot make the borsch without a proper ingredients!”

“Oh. OK. I guess I’ll just improvise then.”

“Yes. Improvisation makes good results. One percent improvisation and ninety nine percents perspiration. Use deodorant.”

“Um, right, of course. Deodorant. Listen Masha, I’m sorry to bother you. I know you’re really stressed out now.”

“Dostoevsky is waiting for me. You make good soup. Don’t worry.”

“Thanks Masha, that’s sweet.”

“Plum jam is sweet. Poka, Shellinka.”

“Take care, Masha.”

Americans! Making borsch with sun-dry tomato and sushi. Is con-fusion cuisine!

con-fusion borsch with chard and garbanzo beans

butter and olive oil
1/2 large or 1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6-8 baby beets, chopped
1/2 thumb-sized piece of ginger
1 15 oz. (425 gr) can garbanzo beans, drained
water and/or vegetable stock
several handfuls of chard, rinsed
1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
ground carraway seeds to taste
1/2 tsp mild honey

• In a heavy pot, heat the butter and olive oil over a low to medium flame. Cook the onions until almost golden, then add the garlic.
• Add the chopped beets and stir, then add the garbanzo beans.
• While the beets and beans cook, chop the ginger and add it to the pot.
• Pour in the water or stock to cover, then pour in a little more, about an inch or so (2.54 cm) above the vegetables. Cover and simmer.
• While the soup is simmering, chop the chard into ribbons. When the soup is bubbling, stir in the chard.
• Slice the lemon in half and using a strainer, squeeze the juice of the lemon into the soup.
• Season to taste with salt, pepper, and ground carraway seeds. Taste seasoning and correct, using the honey to balance the tartness of the lemon juice.

Garnish with any of the following:

• Sour cream
• Soft goat cheese
• Raw leftover chard ribbons
• Korean aged black garlic, chopped

I try to get to the farmers market every Saturday or so, barring torrential rains or an insatiable need to laze around the house on a Saturday morning. While the Ferry Building farmers market in San Francisco is not the cheapest around, it’s still my favorite for its varied, high quality products, as well as the sheer fun of people watching. (There’s always an interesting array of locals and tourists, fancy city folk and laid back farmers.) The Ferry Building farmers market offers just about all the groceries you need, except perhaps, toilet paper. Among the goods: beautiful seasonal produce grown by local growers, freshly baked bread, fresh pastries, cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses both fresh and aged, grass-fed beef, pastured chickens, ducks, and eggs, the most delicious charcuterie around, nuts, jams, preserves, pickles, pasta, beans, fresh tortillas and tamales, and even wool yarn and blankets.

The purveyors sell their wares outdoors in front of and behind the ferry building all year round. The ferry building itself houses food-related shops such as a mushroom shop, meat shops and delis, an organic pastry shop, a chocolate shop, an ice creamery, an olive oil shop, an excellent cheese shop, as well as a combination wine shop and tasting bar, a tea room, caviar and oyster bars, and several very good restaurants.

The ferry building and the farmers market surrounding it is teeming with deliciousness that is constantly changing. The ebb and flow of the seasons bring herald new produce, which in turn inspire chefs, jam-makers, sausage-makers, fishmongers, bakers, pastry chefs. New stalls sprout up selling something new and different. And it’s quite common to see growers exchanging goods and sharing ideas. This is a living organism—a supermarket is dead in comparison. (Those of you who’ve been to a lively “shouk” or “souk” can attest to that!)

This past Saturday as I started my weekly round of shopping, it occurred to me that I had never photographed the farmers market I most often frequent. I’ve blogged about markets in Stockholm and New York, why not the local joint? And so I did. The following photos capture most of the foods I bought this week, and illustrating something of my favorite purveyors along the way. Bear in mind, I only captured a fraction of the market and its remarkable bounty. It would take several months of blogging, or perhaps a book, to document the market in its entirety.

Mariquita Farm, one of my favorite vegetable growers. I love the little cards they pin to the vegetable crates explaining the variety of each vegetable and suggestions for preparation.

Bodega Peruvian goat cheeses are delicate and light. I typically get the cilantro serrano chile spread and some fresh feta-style farmer’s cheese.

Della Fattoria sells European style breads baked in wood-fired brick ovens, as well as pastries such as cupcakes and cookies.

This is what’s left at the Fatted Calf stand in the early afternoon. Everything sells out fast, so it’s best to place your order in advance through their website (which, luckily, I remembered to do). Those saucissons secs in the jar are great for snacking.

Spring Hill produces excellent butter, often churned the day before. They usually offer tastes of all their cheeses, so their stand gets very crowded.

Stone Free Farm is where I like to buy greens such as chard, spinach, baby bok choy, and mountain spinach.

Marin Sun Farms is famous for its very fresh pastured eggs, which are typically sold out by 11am. A carton of their eggs is like a small multicultural egg community, with different sizes, colors (from white to grey, brown, or pale green), and variations in shape. They also sell some excellent grass-fed beef and lamb. The Marin Sun stand is conveniently located adjacent to the Hayes Street Grill stand.

The farmer’s daughter recommended Huckleberry potatoes as her favorite variety. I bought Huckleberries, Purple Vikings, and Katahdins from Little Organic Farms. The potatoes are dry-farmed, a method that results in more flavorful produce.

My favorite little apple stand (I’ve forgotten their name!) has a number of unusual varieties such as “Black Twig” and “Wickson.” Wicksons are very small apples, only about an inch and a half in diameter (about 4.5 cm), perfect for snacking or cooking with meat or poultry. I love the old-fashioned wooden crates in which the apples are displayed, and the explanatory text for each variety. You can also buy apple tree twigs, apple syrup, and cider at the apple stand.

I’m a tough customer when it comes to olive oil. Having lived in Israel for twelve years, I was spoiled by a relatively affordable selection of good Mediterranean olive oils. In the Middle East, spicy olive oils tend to be popular, as opposed to milder, buttery olive oils. I suspect this has to do with the variety of olives used, or perhaps their ripeness at harvest. Consequently, I’ve had difficulty adjusting my palate to the admittedly excellent California olive oils. Bariani is an exception. The flavor of their olive oil has a powerful flavor that reminds me of the dominant olive oils beloved in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

G.L. Alfieri Farms sells an incredible variety of nuts and nut products, including nut butters, chocolate covered nuts, and nut brittle. The bittersweet walnut brittle had me hooked on the first taste.