smells comforting
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)
Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the memoir Coming to My Senses by Alice Waters1 chef and cookbook author, whose name is associated to the renowned restaurant Chez Panisse2 in Berkeley, CA, which she opened in 1971 (with Paul Aratow), the farm-to-table movement and the Edible Schoolyard Project.3
I listened to the audio book, narrated by Waters. I enjoyed learning about certain aspects of what makes Chez Panisse special, like the beautiful menus. Listening to Waters’s stories, it’s important to remember that ideas like farm-to-table restaurants, now mainstream, were new when she started implementing them. I don’t share any of her experiences in terms of “food awakening” as I grew up in Italy and with strong connections to food producers.
Waters describes her travels to France and other parts of Europe. She writes off Italy, where she had an unpleasant experience. Initially I was irritated by her words, then realized that I have done the same with France, after an unpleasant experience in Paris. Indeed, first impressions leave a lasting mark.
I don’t have any of Waters’s cookbooks, but I share her focus and delight in cooking with fresh, local, seasonal ingredients (ingredienti freschi, di produzione locale e di stagione). This is the season of peppers, sweet corn and fresh onions (cipolle), including sweet Walla Walla. I was inspired by a recipe from Saveur magazine: Creamy Poblano Rajas With Corn by Fatima Khawaja.4 In my version, I oven roast poblano peppers and sweet corn, the balance of ingredients is more towards the peppers, and I use fromage blanc rather than Mexican crema or crème fraîche. The result is drier, to be served as a side dish.
People who follow me on Instagram know that I celebrate farmers and their products by creating still lifes like the one below, which include two of the recipe ingredients.
from the farmers’ market, including a poblano pepper and fresh oregano
In the spirit of a Chez Panisse menu, below are the sources of the ingredients used in the various rendition of this recipe, purchased at local farmers’ markets or farm stands:
poblano peppers: Happy Hearts Farm, Luna Farm, Shakefork Community Farm
sweet corn: Earthly Edibles, Flood Plain Produce, Shakefork Community Farm, The Corn Crib
Walla Walla onion: Neukom Family Farm
garlic: Happy Hearts Farm, Luna Farm
fresh oregano (origano): Woven Hearts Herb Farm
Foggy Morning (fromage blanc): Nicasio Valley Cheese Company
ready to start cooking
When sweet corn and peppers are in season, roasting them is a kind of ritual I follow once I get home from shopping.
For efficiency's sake, I recommend roasting at least 2 fresh ears of corn, still in their husks and with silks attached (otherwise wrap them in foil before roasting).
Place the corn on a baking sheet leaving a bit of space between the ears and roast for 20 minutes. Let the ears cool briefly, then remove the husks and silks (or foil).
Working in a shallow bowl or dish, stand the corn vertically and use a knife to cut the kernels and scrapings from the cob. (Save the empty cobs to make stock or broth.) Weigh the necessary amount, toss with a fork to separate the kernels, and set aside. Refrigerate (or freeze) the rest.
Heat the oven to 375 F / 190 C.
Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the peppers 180 degrees.
Roast for 15 more minutes, then turn the peppers. Repeat after 10 minutes. The peppers are ready when their skin has turned dark and is detaching in places. If necessary, continue roasting for a few more minutes.
Put the peppers in a sealed container or paper bag to steam, then peel off the skin, discard the stem and seeds, and the liquid they release.
Cut the flesh into strips ½ inch wide x 2 inches long (1.25 cm x 5 cm) and transfer to a bowl. Transfer the corn to the same bowl.
In a 10-inch / 25-cm deep sauté pan or large skillet, warm up the olive oil and butter (if using) over medium heat. Add the onion, stir well, turn down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and beginning to brown, 8-10 minutes or as needed. Add the oregano and garlic and cook until fragrant, less than 1 minute.
Add the poblano peppers and corn and stir well, then add the fromage blanc in small dollops and stir to blend.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle the sea salt, taste and adjust, then serve.
Notes
Roast the sweet corn and poblano peppers ahead of preparing the dish.
FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own
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