Better Late Than Never!

Happy belated fourth of July!  I visited the Arlington Farmers Market again since they were open on July 4th.  I got some fresh vegetables and fruit for an impromptu gathering at my apartment for food, drinks, and fireworks. This is a great time of year to be shopping at the farmers market because the good fruits and vegetables are starting to come out!  There was zucchini, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, onion, nice leafy greens, herbs, raspberries, blueberries and more.  

Since raspberry season seems to be in full force, I bought a 1/2 pint on Saturday, thinking that I'll put them in a salad.  However, as usual, the raspberries did not last past Saturday.  They just tasted so good!  So I bought more on Wednesday in Arlington. Those were safe for my salad.  All week I have been craving a salad with a little sweetness to it.  I took the lettuce that I bought at the Waltham Market and tossed in some raspberries and pecans. Then, I crumbled some maple flavored fromage blanc cheese from the Foxboro Cheese Co. Since I have been reading the new Food In Jars cookbook, I learned that you can make a good dressing with jam.  I had some raspberry jam, which is a local, in the fridge and mixed it with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Yum! My goal for the party was to use as many local ingredients as possible. And the outcome was good! I served salsa, which was all local except for the limes. And if you know where to get local limes, let me know, my salsa would be completely local grown! I used canned grape tomatoes, my last jar from last seasons summer canning, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and the juice of one lime. The canned tomatoes make really good salsa and it's so easy. Put them in the food processor and give a quick pulse. For guacamole, I decided to try something different which I had read about in a magazine. I used lemon juice instead of lime juice. And there was not any leftover, so it must have been a good choice. My guacamole consisted of two avocados, garlic, tomatoes, jalapeño, and juice of one lemon. By adding a pitcher of margaritas to the mix, it started to look like a Cinco de Mayo party. What can I say, I love my chips and salsa!

Some other items I served, which I did not make, were some munchies such as olives and cashews and also goat cheese and crackers with tomato jam.  I have to say that I really got into jam last year after taking a canning class and ended up buying a lot of homemade jam at the market to try it out.  Although, I myself did not make this tomato jam, it will be something that I make this year.  I bought it from Bart's Farm last fall at the Waltham Farmers Market.  I saved it for this long because I wasn't really sure what to do with it.  Last week, I decided that I had to use this jam.  I opened it while my husband was making hotdogs.  I hadn't eaten a hotdog in years.  Maybe I've had one at a red sox game, but it's really just not my thing.  I thought that maybe I could eat a hotdog and use the jam in place of ketchup.  Since last week I have had three hotdogs and I think my husband was beginning to worry.  I usually keep a very healthy diet and I don't consider a hotdog to be a part of that.  So, I needed to use up this jam in another way.  Again, my Food in Jars cookbook came to the rescue.  There is a tomato jam recipe in the book and it stated that you could eat it with a stinky cheese.  Since not many people like a stinky cheese, I went to the market to see what I could find that might pair well with a sweet jam. That day that only cheese at the market was gouda from Smith's Country Cheese, which I love, but would not be a good pairing, and goat cheese.  I was ambivalent about the goat cheese, but I took a chance and bought it anyway.  The outcome, no leftovers!  And it is something I would serve again!

Needless to say, everyone was able to watch fireworks from my deck with their bellies full of local food!

Here are the recipes:

 Fresh Greens with Raspberries and Pecans

1 head fresh green lettuce, I suggest red leaf, romaine, or boston
1 1/2 pint of raspberries
1-2 generous handful of pecans
1/2 container of maple flavored fromage blanc from Foxboro Cheese Co.

Dressing
1 Tablespoon Raspberry Jam
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/3 cup Olive Oil
A pinch of S&P

Whisk together all the ingredients

Fresh Salsa

One can of grape tomatoes (you can also use 10-12 fresh grape tomatoes)
1 small-medium onion diced
1-2 garlic cloves minced
1 jalapeno diced
Juice of 1 lime

Put the tomatoes in a food processor and give a quick pulse.  Put in a bowl and set aside.  Diced onion and jalapeno, mince the garlic, and make sure to wear some gloves while cutting the jalapeno.  Put all the chopped veggies in with the tomatoes and mix well.  Juice the lime and mix in with the salsa.  Stir well and set in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or longer, if you have the time, to let everything settle in.

Guacamole

2 avocados mashed
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup tomatoes diced
1/2 jalapeno diced
Juice of 1 lemon

Cut the avocado in half length wise.  Scoop out the pit and set aside.  Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and put in a mixing bowl.  Mash the avocados with a potato masher until most of the chunks are gone.  I like to have some avocado chunks in my guacamole, so I leave a few chunks in there.  But if you like it smooth, just mix until all the chunks are gone.  Mince the garlic and diced tomatoes and jalapeno.  Mix in with the mashed avocado.  Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl and mix well.
If you are not serving your guacamole immediately, I put the pits into the guacamole to keep it fresh while it's in the settling in the fridge.