farm to table Archives | Page 66 of 78

More often than not, I go to the farmers market without a plan. I walk past every table, seeing what’s available and taking note. In a way, I let the items speak to me, coming home with those that have the loudest voice. As I start to purchase beautiful vegetables, fruits, and herbs, a plan will start to come together in my head. Sometimes it’s a well articulated one, other times it’s a general idea. One Saturday in particular as I walked around the market taking part in my usual routine, the thought of a turmeric curry popped into my head. It seemed odd at first seeing as it was probably 90 degrees out at the time and I was drenched in sweat at 9 in the morning, but I decided to go with it. To follow my gut. I returned home with a bag full of pale green Asian eggplant, tangled green and purple long beans, and a voluminous bunch of both sweet potato greens and basil. These beautiful, local goods were destined to be cooked in a turmeric spiced broth laden with fresh basil.

I held off on sharing this one at first as it wasn’t very fitting for the weather we were having. Hot and steamy weather doesn’t really pair well with hot and steamy curry. As I woke up this morning in my bed, my room darker than usual and the rumbling sounds of thunder off in the distance, I knew today would be perfect. Too bad there aren’t any leftovers to enjoy while the rain starts to beat out a familiar pattern on the leaves outside my window.

This curry is adaptable to whatever vegetables you have available in your area. Houston has a rather different growing season than most others so I urge you to use what you have and what you like. If you aren’t really feeling curry in the summer, come back to this recipe in the fall or winter and use the vegetables that are available to you in those seasons. Like I said, it’s completely adaptable to what you have. The only thing to keep in mind is that firmer vegetables (like roots) will need to cook a bit longer in the broth than less firm vegetables and leafy greens. I really wanted to use some lemongrass in the version I made but they had just sold out at the market by the time I got to the table. Perhaps I’ll use it next time. If you make your own version of the curry, share what veggies you used in the comments below 🙂

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Simple Fig Skillet Cake (vegan/gf recipe) | seasonal plant-based recipes via The Sweet Miscellany Blog

Figs stud the batter of this simple vegan and gluten free cake that is baked in a skillet. Once baked, the figs turn into lovely sweet and jammy pockets of flavor! Serve this cake with a dusting of powdered sugar or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I rarely bake with fresh figs because I prefer them raw, either straight up or sliced onto my breakfast if I’m feeling fancy. Since my visit to Knopp Branch Farm a few weeks ago when I got to taste the first ripe fig of the season (picked directly from the tree and put directly into my mouth), I’ve been not-so-patiently waiting for the first figs to arrive at my farmers market. The day they finally arrived, I was beyond giddy. I was actually able to exercise a bit of restraint and wait to sink my teeth into one until after I returned home.

Though there are many reasons for my love of figs, I think the most prevalent one is attached to childhood memories. When I was younger I would get to spend time with my grandmother at her house in Beaumont, just the two of us. If I was there during the summer, my stay would usually involve a trip over to my great aunt’s house to pick figs from her trees. I would do some picking (but mostly eating) and a bit of tree climbing before we would return home. At home, my grandmother would cook up enough jars of preserves to last until the next harvest. Something as simple as eating a fig has the power to automatically transport me back to one of those muggy summer afternoons, little me perched in the tree branches, my hands sticky with figgy juices and my belly full.

I decided this summer to actually branch out from my typical method of using figs (i.e. eating them raw) and incorporate them into something baked. I knew I wanted to keep it simple so that the sweet figs were the focus. Though I really wanted to try for a clafouti, I ended up going with a skillet cake. It’s rather humble looking, until you take a bite. As the cake bakes the figs create these wonderfully jammy pockets of goodness. And, if that description didn’t convince you, there’s only 2 flours involved and a rather short ingredient list as far as gluten free/vegan baked goods go. It’s something that can be whipped up quickly on the fly either for a summer dessert, or a lazy weekend breakfast. I ended up enjoying mine on Saturday morning so I kept the added sugar on the lower end, but I encourage you to adjust it to your liking. If you are serving it for dessert, do me a favor and serve it warm from the oven with a scoop of your favorite vegan ice cream 😉

Simple Fig Skillet Cake

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 35-40 minutes
Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

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coconut oil for greasing the skillet
6–7 large figs, either sliced or cut into small wedges (you want about 1 cup total)
30g coconut sugar, plus 1 tsp, divided
100g chickpea flour
30g almond meal/flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
zest of 1 small lemon
140g almond milk (or other plant milk of your choice)
1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
powdered sugar or ice cream for serving

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 6-inch cast iron skillet or cake pan well with coconut oil. Arrange about 3/4 of the figs on the bottom of the skillet, then sprinkle them with 1 tsp of coconut sugar. In a bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Add the almond milk and lemon juice and mix until a smooth and thick batter forms. It should resemble pancake batter. Pour the batter into the skillet over the figs. Then, arrange the remaining figs on the top of the batter. Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the sides of the cake have pulled away from the pan. Makes 4-6 servings.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with a scoop of ice cream before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container and eat within one day.

Notes

I wanted to keep mine small so I used my 6-inch cast iron skillet. You can also use a cake pan or baking dish of a similar size.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Category: dessert