Our president, Vikki Proctor, has a gift for finding delicious, easy and healthy recipes that exploit the freshness of market produce. Here’s one. She explains:
This is a fabulous blueberry jam-no cooking, no sugar, 10 min. Read all about it here. I did add 1/2 tsp vanilla. Honestly=AWESOME!
Restaurant/Chef
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Dish
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Producer
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Bake 425
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Fresh Tomato Margherita Pizza | 1st Orchards & Greenhouse |
Gotta B Crepes
Ryan and Kathia Jones
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Raspberry Crepe “S’More” | Seedling Fruits |
Found
Chef Nicole Pederson
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Smoked Ivory Char Marinated Eggplant & Peppers | Lake Breeze Organics & Aqua Terra |
Farmhouse
Chef Eric Mansavage
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Harvest “BLT” Panzanella Salad | Geneva Lakes Produce |
Bistro Bordeaux
Executive Chef Gide Merriman
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Champignon Bourguignon | River Valley Ranch & Kitchens |
Campagnola/ Union Pizza Chef Vince DiBattista
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Wood Grilled Beets & Spigarello, Robiola & Sunflower Seeds | Kinnikinnick Farm |
Cooked
Chef Jona Silva
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Cauliflower Tabbouleh Skirt Steak | M & D Farm |
Boltwood
Chef Brian Huston
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Gast Sausage Plum Mostarda | Gast Farm |
NorthShore University Health System
Chef Lance Daly
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Quinoa & Roasted Vegetable Salad in a Sweet Potato Basket | Green Acres |
Koi
Chef Sandy Chen
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Sesame Noodles Vegetables Chili Peanut Sauce |
Morlock & Girls |
Bravo Cucina
Chef Tim Small
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Harvest Vegetable Bruschetta | Nichols Farm & Orchard |
Peckish Pig
Chef Debbie Evans
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Roast Peaches Polenta Cake | Stovers Farm Market |
Whenever Chef Nicole Pederson of Evanston’s Found commands the Friends Tent at Saturday’s market, the results are full of flavor, and a tribute to the products found every week at our many vendors.
This week’s tasty bite is yours to reproduce at home with the recipe below. You can also download it by clicking here.
Scroll down below the recipe to see a gallery of products and people at last week’s market.
In a large stock pot, combine milks, butter, and salt . Allow to come to a boil and then slowly whisk in the polenta. Allow to simmer, stirring often, until thick and not starchy tasting. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Spread evenly onto 2 parchment-lined 1/2 sheet trays. Cover with parchment and allow to cool in the refrigerator.
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot – btab (bring to a boil) – remove from the heat and cool.
Gently fold herbs and plums into chilled onion oil mixture
Mix together until fully incorporated and smooth.
Caramelize onions in a small amount of butter or oil. Add remaining ingredients and cook down until reduced by 25%. Puree mixture in the blender.
To serve, cut polenta in 2 by 3 inch triangles . Sear pieces in a small amount of oil in a heavy bottomed skillet, until golden brown and heated throughout . Serve on top of goat cheese sauce then drizzle with plum sauce,top with plum relish and baby mustard greens.
(Enjoy making this recipe, but please don’t reproduce online. You can link to this pdf version kindly provided by Found.)
Join us on September 19, from 11:00-1:30 p.m. to celebrate the bounty we find weekly at our farmers markets and the 40th Anniversary of the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market by attending The Evanston Harvest Celebration, a “Truck-to-Table” community event hosted by Now We’re Cookin.’
This event will tantalize your taste buds, as top local chefs partner with prominent Midwest sustainable growers to deliver the culinary event of the North Shore season. For the first time, the family event will be held right at the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market, 1800 Maple Avenue, on Saturday.
Tickets give attendees to a wonderful eight plate tasting. Get your tickets by 1pm, September 5th, and save with early-bird pricing–$40. After the Farmers Market closes on September 5, ticket prices will be $50. Kids 9 and under receive 3 free kid meal tickets.
The Evanston Harvest Celebration benefits both the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market and Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets, a non-profit organization that educates the public about the benefits of eating fresh, locally grown foods, advocating greater access to healthy food for all community members, regardless of means.
Funds raised at the event will be used to continue Friends’ educational projects as well as provide support for its LINK matching program, which enables families who otherwise couldn’t afford the market to buy fresh produce, eggs and cheese. You will also be supporting The Spud Club, an in-market kid’s educational program provided by the Evanston Farmers Market.
Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you!
To register and get your early bird tickets click here.
First, some snapshots from last week Market and Tent Event. The demo salad is a little out of focus, but it you want to see the Chef’s Demos at their best, sign up for our newsletter to get the schedule and visit the Friends Tent at the Downtown Evanston Market from 9 to 11!
In case you missed it: Evanston enacted its ban on plastic bags. It’s not a total ban, only affecting stores in Evanston over 10,000 square feet. Although vendors at the farmers market encourage shoppers to bring their own bags, they aren’t prohibited from offering bags to those without. Some vendors have transitioned to more eco-friendly bags. Some vendors charge a small amount for such bags. It’s fair to say that every venue at the market would prefer to see customers bring their own bags. Still, at the Farmers Market, it’s not a requisite.
For all the details, including a map of affected stores and locations where you can find reusable bag giveaways, visit the City of Evanston website, specifically http://www.cityofevanston.org/sustainability/waste-reduction-recycling/shopping-bag-ordinance/.