Farmers Market Month, Day 1: berries, coconut, salmon, acini de pepe

[rachelmanija]

At today's farmers market, I bought so much stuff that I had to call it quits early as I could literally carry no more. I now have berries (rapidly diminishing, they are PERFECT), kale, Chinese broccoli with edible yellow flowers (broccoli rabe), mandarin oranges, goat cheese, apricot kefir, pickled daikon, tempeh (for snacking - it's Korean style and very tasty), six eggs (white, brown, and blue-green), golden beets, sweet potatoes, onions and garlic, green garlic (garlic sprouts), and salad greens (which got so squashed that I decided not to make a salad tonight).

At the market, I bought and drank a green coconut, ate half the meat, and took the rest home. Not at the market, I ate a mango pastry I'd brought back from Tucson and warmed in the microwave. It was delicious. So were the things I made for myself:

Blueberries and raspberries in a coconut half:



Broiled soy-garlic salmon (an old stand-by) on a bed of acini de pepe, with capers, pickled garlic, and kimchi. Elderflower cordial.



Salmon from freezer. Acini de pepe from pantry. Let me explain the acini de pepe. I had a box of it which I bought a while back on a whim. It's rice-sized pasta (pastina). I decided to use it up in lieu of rice, since it's been sitting in the cupboard for ages. I have never cooked the stuff before and thought it would make about two cups. It made something like eight cups. Or more. I now have a giant bowl of acini de pepe that I need to make use of.

I'm thinking "in lieu of rice" and... um... maybe a grain-based salad? Heat with butter and maple syrup for breakfast? I believe it's normally used in soup, but I don't feel like making soup. Will take non-soup ideas if you have any. Especially if they involve any of the ingredients I already have. I also have Chinese sweet sausage I want to use up - maybe I could make a sort of fried rice with it, and eat with stir-fried garlic greens and/or Chinese broccoli. It's perfectly nice, neutral pasta, just... there's a lot of it.

Comments

[minoanmiss]

I've cooked with orzo, which is pretty similar to acini di Pepe. I definitely think you can make fried 'rice' and 'rice' salad with it -- being pasta, it doesn't get as hard as cold long grain rice does. Just be careful about cooking duration, so it doesn't turn tough or burn, and about additional liquid, so it doesn't turn mushy.

Also I am envious. It's 2 months to the farmers' markets here and I've never seen a coconut at one. *calls up the picture of berries in a coconut half and licks screen*

[nestra]

You could try something with the pasta, the goat cheese, and whatever vegetables you want to put in. I would normally make it with couscous, feta, dried cranberries, and assorted vegetables (plus meat).

[laurashapiro]

So envious of the green coconut! Nom.

I use pastini in soups, especially bean soups, but you could also just add butter and cheese and eat it as a main or a side.

[yhlee]

Reading about your food adventures is delightful. :) I can't wait for the weather to turn spring properly here so we can try the local farmers' market! I will say that I miss the amazing produce available in SoCal.

[ellenmillion]

Sooooo envious of your local produce right now. Our window for such things is so short, and so intense; it's very odd to read about it happening in February.

[movingfinger]

I read your post just after closing the cheap plastic greenhouses over the pelargoniums I'm trying to carry through this winter, and boy, do I miss California farmer's markets now.

[duskpeterson]

WHERE IS THIS MARKET CAN I LIVE THERE?

[benbenberi]

The classic comfort-food preparation of acini de pepe, endorsed by a million nonnas, is a bowl of it hot with a lot of butter and grated cheese. For extra comfort, beat an egg into the hot buttered cheesy pastina (sort of like a carbonara, or tamago kake gohan).

[illariy]

This all looks delicious.

I don't know about pastina but if it is not too salty, it might work similar to a sweet breakfast made with millet, just instead use pastina, prepare with hot milk and add sugar/whatever plus fruit as desired. I also have a delicious quinoa salad recipe that might work with acina de pepe instead of quinoa but it's in German. Here: https://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/3021541454956278/Pikanter-Quinoasalat-mit-Tomate.html

Plus the stir-fry idea sounds nice. With different veggies on different days. Hope you have a good week, food-wise and otherwise!

[brigdh]

I'm so jealous of your farmer's market! I've been doing a CSA/farm share for about a year now, and for the last few months here in NYC it's been all turnips, radishes (SO MANY RADISHES) and onions. At least the eggs are delicious year-round!

[movingfinger]

Maybe you need an "acini de pepe" tag?

[athenejen]

Maybe it's just the latent Midwesterner in me, but my immediate thought was casserole. I bet it would make a delicious broccoli-cheese casserole variation in place of the rice, for example, or tuna noodle casserole in place of the noodles. The nice thing about casserole is that you can add pretty much whatever you have on hand to it and flavor it however you like as long ss all the ingredients go together.