We’ve filmed and featured so many incredibly delicious dishes, fascinating farm field trips and creative techniques this year. It’s almost impossible to pick favorites, but there are a few that have stuck with us throughout the year. Below is the list of Staff Picks for 2011 we hope you’ll enjoy. But before we unveil our favorite videos, we wanted to announce our HERO OF THE YEAR.

Each year, we chose a hero who has inspired us and our audience in and out of the kitchen. And of course someone who has done a bang-up job on the videos we created with them. The recipe for success on shoots is: 1) timely & accurate recipe delivery – check; 2) mise en place and swapouts ready to go – check; 3) dish incredibly delicious – check; and 4) hero incredibly easy to work with and overall “good people” – check! While they are many that fit the bill, there is a clear stand-out this year we all here at how2heroes agree on:  AMANDA ESCAMILLA!

How do we love Amanda? Let us count the ways. She comes to life in the kitchen creating truly authentic Tex Mex food made from scratch and with deep love and affection for Mexican cuisine and local Massachusetts ingredients. Everything she makes we want to go home and make the next day and we talk about it for weeks. Fans have come to know and love Amanda as well and are always asking what she’ll do next. From Tortillas to Fajitas, to a fresh Ham w/ Citrus Glaze, thanks to Amanda, you can learn how to make genuine Tex Mex fare by watching all her videos on this very site. Last but not least, Amanda is probably THE nicest person you will ever meet. She’s ALWAYS in a good mood, eternally optimistic and positive even at the crack of dawn on her daily runs (follow her on Facebook and you’ll see her daily photo postings). And in true Amanda spirit, she’s always willing to jump in and help whenever she can. We are thankful to have met her and for all of you to get the chance to get to know her and her recipes. Check out Amanda’s 17(!) how-to videos. And next time you want a bright and lively catered dinner or hands-on cooking class, contact Tex Mex Eats! Keep an eye on Amanda in 2012. We think she’s onto something big!

how2heroes 2011 Staff Video Picks

Kate’s Pick
Video:  Chicken Tortilla Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
Hero: Cathy Walthers, author of “Raising the Salad Bar”
“I love this salad all year round! It’s so easy and delicious. A perfect mix of bright tangy flavors and an incredible crunchy texture that you’ll have trouble saying no to for second and even third helpings!”

Kelsey’s Pick
Video: Gingerbread Pancakes with Vanilla Cream
Hero:  Eli Dunn, Beehive Cafe
Kelsey is on vacation but she came back from this shoot raving about these pancakes and saying they were the best thing she ate all year. Considering the hundreds of shoots she went on and the amount of things she’s tried, her seal of approval on this recipe is good enough for me.

Dave’s Pick
Video: How to Cook with Pie Irons
Hero:  Carolyn Waldron-Parr, how2heroes
“How did I not know what a pie iron is? I’m always looking for easy meals to make while camping and ways to avoid doing dishes. The pie iron seems to meet both criteria pretty well! I’m looking forward to experimenting with different ingredients now that I’ve got the basics down.”

Andrew’s Pick
Video:  Tequila-BBQ Chicken Tacos with Peach Salsa
Hero:  Brian Poe, Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake
“What’s better than barbecue, tequila, and tacos? Not much, so luckily this dish has it all! It’s spicy, it’s sweet and so savory! Trust me. It’s impossible to have just one!“

Renata’s Pick
Video:  Sweet Potato Pancakes
Hero:  Eric Palilunas, Trident Booksellers & Cafe
“Lynne brought sweet potato pancakes to the office early this year. It became my favorite immediately. I make it for a weekend breakfast, especially now — Christmastime.”

Carla’s Pick
Video:  South Texas Pork Tamales
Hero: Amanda Escamilla, Tex Mex Eats
“I absolutely love tamales! It reminds me a lot of the taste of an arepa (Venezuelan corn ‘breads’.) This video is very thorough and you can tell Amanda totally knows her stuff. It’s a fun recipe to make with friends and family and you can get creative with the fillings.”

Carolyn’s Pick
Video: Maque Choux
Hero: Heather Tolmie, Culinary Underground
“I think I like this dish so much because of its depth of flavor. First you experience the light crunch & pop of freshly sautéed corn, onions & bell pepper that have been simmering in heavy cream. Then the heat & spice of the dish cleanses your pallet preparing you for another bite.”

Jeff’s Pick
Video: Corned Beef
Hero: Tony Maws, Craigie on Main
“I’ve always wanted to make a killer corned beef – and this is a super simple and delicious recipe. Plus, once it’s done I have lunch for a week!”

Lynne’s Pick
Video: Growing & Harvesting Hops
Hero: Gene L’Etoile, Four Star Farms
“I am a big fan of the Farm Field trips that open our minds to the source of ingredients. We’ve all enjoyed a frosty beer but how many of us have seen how hops are grown & harvested? It’s incredible to see how the hops climb up to the sky in such a short period of time. The passion and commitment of the Four Star Farms folks to produce a quality product comes through in Gene L’Etoile’s knowledgeable and sincere delivery. And I have to give full props to our crew for their dedication as they needed to make 2 long trips out to western Massachusetts to capture the beginning and end of the growing season to give you the full story.”

Amber’s Pick
Video: Grapefruit Vodka
Hero: Dave Anastasi, Rival Marketing
“Anyone can buy flavored vodka off the store shelves, but making your own is much tastier – not to mention more fun! This recipe took the intimidation out of infusing vodka and was a hit with the many friends I gifted it to.”

Khalilah’s Pick
Video: Buttermilk Pie
Hero:  Tie Lewis, Glutenus Minimus “Dessert has to be more than a sugary treat for me. It has to come with a good story.  Tie’s Buttermilk Pie is an homage to her grandmother, who she credits for her love of baking. With only a handful of ingredients, this is a minimalist pie, and it’s got me covered on tangy and sweet. I like it warm out the oven with a big dollop of lemon curd.”

Jason’s Pick
Video: Vegetable Minestrone
Hero: Marjorie Druker (former Hero of the Year!)
“This soup is so packed with vegetables.  It’s like a full meal but also pairs great with a perfect grilled cheese sandwich.  Everything Marjorie makes is made with love, but you can really feel her love and passion come through in this delicious soup!”

We’d love to know what your favorite videos are and what you’d like to see in 2012. Please let us know and thanks for tuning in!

This season’s crop of cookbooks boasts a few familiar faces here at how2heroes. A number of the excellent food stories and cookbooks published this season come from a wealth of talent and run the gamut from desserts to oysters. We wanted to share in the celebration of our author “heroes” with a Holiday Sweepstakes Giveaway. Here’s what we’ve got for you:

The grand prize winner gets some pretty swanky swag including the Oyster Pack & the Cookbook Pack. Two second prize winners get the Cookbook Pack.

Oyster Pack

• Shucked by Erin Byers Murray + Island Creek Oysters Gift Pack (Shucking Knife, Gloves & Hat as well as 3 dozen fresh oysters, delivered to your door)

Cookbook Pack

• Wild Flavors: One Chef’s Transformative Year Cooking from Eva’s Farm by Didi Emmons
• Notes from a Maine Kitchen by Kathy Gunst
• Rosie’s All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book by Judy Rosenberg
• Cucina Povera by Pamela Sheldon Johns
• Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck
• how2heroes apron

Feeling lucky? Enter here and in the meantime here’s the dish on our author “heroes”:

Erin Byer Murray left a glitzy career in online editing and spent just over a year at the Island Creek Oyster Farm learning the ins and outs of the oyster business. She’s recounted her experience in memoir, Shucked. Check out Erin’s tour of the Island Creek Oyster Farm and watch her whip up some seriously delicious Berg’s Baked Oysters.

Didi Emmons has a few cookbooks under her belt, including her latest book which chronicles the year she spent with Eva Sommaripa, Boston’s herb gardener to the chefs. She also runs Take Back the Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that teaches healthy eating and cooking habits as a means to combat health disparities AND (yes, there’s more) Didi is an amazing cook. She’s shared some delicious garden based recipes with us including this Herbed Egg Salad. Friday we’ll be filming with her again – 2 recipes from her new book. Stay tuned!

Looking for an authority on local, seasonal and organic? Meet Kathy Gunst. She’s a cookbook author (she’s been writing cookbooks with Stonewall Kitchen for ages!) and radio personality who pulls from her Maine garden for cooking and eating inspiration.  She also raises organic chickens and can teach you a few things about butterflying a chicken and grilling it, Tuscan style. Look for her Roast Ham and addictive Pumpkin Seed Brittle videos – coming very soon!

Judy Rosenberg, Boston’s doyenne of chocolate and owner of Rosie’s Bakery doesn’t have to do much to convince you her cookies, brownies and bars are some of the best in town. Just try her Double Whammies and see why it’s an ode to brownies and chocolate chip cookies all wrapped up in one irresistible bar.

Over the big blue sea and in the hills of Tuscany, Pamela Sheldon Johns is living the dream. Between running a successful cooking school out of her farm and writing cookbooks championing the rich traditions of Italian food, Pamela made some time to share a few recipes with us. Check out out her Ricciarelli, a Sienese style almond cookie and  Ceci Stufati, a chickpea stew, for a taste of Italy.

Maria Speck’s love of whole grains led to the publication of her book, Ancient Grains for Modern Meals which was recently selected as one of the New York Times’ notable cookbooks of 2011. Combining keen research skills with an insatiable interest in culinary traditions, Maria’s work had lead her to write pieces for a number of top notch publications like SAVEUR and Gastronomica. She’s shared some recipes that use these ancient grains with us including, Bulgar w/ Butter Almonds & Cinnamon and Wheatberry Fools w/ Grand Marnier Figs.

So if you love cookbooks (reads them like novels, comb though them page-by-page, with a stack on your nightstand) or have some cooks on your holiday gift list, enter our Holiday Sweepstakes today. Good luck and Happy Holidays from how2heroes!

Is Tuscany everything you hear it is? Rolling cypress-lined hills with fields of grapevines and groves of olives at every turn? Yes. Towering hill towns, each filled with history, simple but delicious food, and scenic vistas of the valleys below? Check. Incredible shopping with artisanal products you never have enough room for in your suitcase  — olive oil, truffles, confections, leather goods, scarves, clothes, shoes? Indeed. Should you rent a car to truly experience Tuscany? Absolutely. Will a Garmin GPS device help you navigate? Absolutely not. Throw that thing out the window and have a friend be your co-pilot with an iPhone and follow that green dot on Google maps. Old school physical maps wouldn’t hurt either for those times when you lose the satellite signal (not that often but it’ll save you a few missed turns).

Following are some of the highlights of my trip. I doubt that you will go wrong no matter where you go in Tuscany but because there are so many options, it might be helpful to have at least a few things in mind when you get on the plane. We were a bit overwhelmed before we went but just having a few ideas in our pocket made the trip easier and the other discoveries easily presented themselves to us. What we were surprised to find is that almost everyone spoke English. And those who don’t, you find a way to communicate. Italians seem to like Americans. Yah!

We started the trip in Firenze, aka Florence. Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance. Michelangelo, Botticelli and Da Vinci all created their masterpieces here. Be sure to visit the Ufizi Gallery, one of the most beautiful museums in Europe where you can see Botticelli’s stunning Birth of Venus. Michelangelo’s David is housed at the Accademia di Belle Arti and is definitely worth a special visit. And of course don’t forget to visit the Duomo, the beautiful cathedral with stunning views of Florence. We were only in Florence for a couple days so that’s about all you’ll get in if you’re there for a short time. There are many other cultural options should you stay longer.

Fashion designers Roberto Cavalli and Guccio Gucci are famous modern day residents. And you know what that means. Great shopping! We ran ourselves ragged hitting the shops as well as the open San Lorenzo Market which is a must visit – mostly leather goods and scarves. Just be careful of the knock-offs from China and be brave. Negotiate!

Behind the San Lorenzo Market (and a little tricky to find) is the Central Market. Now we’re talking! The Central Market is an indoor food market filled with vendors selling cheese, meat, pasta, wine, olive oil, mushrooms and more. There are also several places to eat. My former intern, Tess Gittleman, tipped us off to Nerbone as a good lunch spot there. Everything is made from scratch – of course. You stand in line, grab your food, then sit at tight tables and dig in. They were serving risotto, tripe and pasta but what truly shined was their slow cooked beef sandwiches with 2 sauces on top – a spicy red sauce, and a bright, green sauce. Make sure you get both sauces on there!

I’ll give you 3 more food highlights in Florence. The rest you will just stumble on yourself. Vivoli – best gelato. Pick the size of cup you want at the register and pay then get in line and choose your flavor. Highly recommend the hazelnut. It’s life changing. For dinner, try  La Giostra. While there are a lot of Americans eating there, the food is 100% authentic Italian and there is a story about the owner being a prince which is an interesting tidbit. The main waiter is a character you won’t miss. He looks like a Pirates of the Caribbean extra with 30 bracelets up one arm, big rings on his fingers and multiple necklaces. Entertaining for sure. Highlights of the meal include octopus ceviche and rabbit roulade. Another great dinner spot is Buca Del’Orafo right near the Ponte Vecchio (a bridge over the Arno river, riddled with touristy jewelry shops). One of the chefs is a young American girl named Karly who is a cousin to our former intern, Molly Siciliano. Food Network’s Giada de Laurentiis gave the restaurant a great review in her blog — “Best meal ever.”

My last note on Florence is if you are looking for a lovely affordable place to stay, try the Monna Lisa. This is my second time staying there and I loved it both times. It has a lot of character, a lovely outdoor garden, beautiful breakfast buffet in the morning and a quaint little bar for a nightcap. It is centrally located, less than 5 minutes from the Duomo. Florence is a very walkable city (which is a good thing because there’s no subway).

When we hit the road from Florence to our destination in Buon Convento which is 2 hours south of Florence, we decided to stop in San Gimignano. We had heard it was beautiful and it was a nice break for us to get out of the car and get some air. San Gimignano is a medieval walled town with lots of shops (a little on the touristy side but well, we’re tourists) and stunning views. It was also our introduction to Tuscany’s obsession with “cianghale“  (wild boar). We saw many a stuffed wild boar in the shops. We bought some cianghale salame with pistachios and it was excellent. Later in the week, we had cianghale ragu with pici (Tuscany’s signature hand rolled spaghetti) which was also amazing. If you see cianghale on the menu in Tuscany, order it!

We arrived in Buon Convento a little before dinner. We stayed at a vineyard called Casali di Bibbiano which is actually just outside of Buon Convento in Bibbiano. Alberto Guadagnini is the owner of Casali as well as several restaurants in Philadelphia and Florida. He was a very gracious  and accommodating host and helped arrange one of my bucket list activities – truffle hunting! The property is beautiful as you would imagine. Alberto makes several red wines and one white – all of which we had unlimited access to at dinner every night. He also makes grappa, strong stuff made from  grape skins. Beware. You can easily just sit by the pool with a glass of wine and gaze at the scenery. Or you can take a nice hilly walk into town and grab a life changing ganache-filled croissant or shop for hand-knitted scarves. Chef Italo Marone made us stunning meals every night with whatever was available from the market or in his garden on the property. Every time I asked him what was in a dish, I realized it was just simple, high quality ingredients. Get to know Italo and watch him whip up an easy Barley Salad with Pesto. So good! I can’t wait to make it myself.

So let me tell you about the truffle hunting. If I wanted to go, Alberto told me I had to meet him at 6:30am. I think he thought I’d decline but hell no, I was going! My friend, Melinda, was a trooper and came along as well. We drove into town and met up with a third generation truffle hunter and his trusty, adorable truffle dog. We then drove to a truffle reserve where we started sniffing out truffles. Truffles grow underground which is why you need a dog to sniff them out. They used to use pigs but apparently the pigs were eating the truffles. Can’t say that I blame them. It was so much fun to watch the dog dig wildly with both paws, stick his head in a hole then let his owner dig a little further to see if there was a precious white truffle in the hole. After two hours of hiking around, no white truffles. However, just as we were about to give up, resting on the surface…a small black truffle! Looks like a big piece of dirt. Amazing they’re able to find these things. Next time you have truffles with your meal, don’t balk at the sky high prices. It’s justified.

While there are too many highlights of the trip to count, personally my visit to Montelpuciano to film cookbook author Pamela Sheldon Johns was the highlight. Pam is originally from the United States. About 20 years ago, she started visiting Tuscany and teaching classes. One day she and her husband (an artist) decided they would move to Tuscany. And now they live on a beautiful farm, Poggio Etrusco, with their daughter, that they run as an inn and have been chosen as one of the best cooking class experiences in Tuscany by Food and Wine magazine. Pam is a local now. When we visited, it was olive harvest time. She had some folks harvesting the olives (Melinda and I got to pick a few – fun!) and spoke beautiful Italian to them. They joined us for lunch at the farm table in her dining room which was delightful. Also joining us was her daughter’s “adopted grandfather” Virio Neri who is featured in her book. A charming man. My own regret is that I didn’t stay there for a couple of days to spend more time with Pam and to learn more great recipes! Strongly recommend that you do if you go.

Pamela’s house could be a movie set for an authentic Tuscan home and her kitchen is adorable. As you’ll see in her videos, she has a wood burning oven! Every little pot, pan, gadget, bottles of olive oil (they’ve already pressed 2900 kilos this year!) & jam perfectly fill out the kitchen you want to hang out in with a nice cappucino (which we did). Pam has a new book out called Cucina Povera. It is one of my favorite cookbooks in a long time. All of the recipes are peasant recipes that have lived on in Tuscan kitchens and now you can make in your own. Each recipe has a story which makes you want to make the dish even more. Pam and I selected two dishes for her to make that we could film. One is Ceci Stufati (Stewed Chickpeas) – a simple, soul satisfying side dish or add pasta and make it a meal. The other is Ricciarelli, almond cookies indigenous to the Siena region of Tuscany. While this is typically a very complicated cookie to make, Pam came up with a simplified version that’s very close to the original. Pam is a wealth of knowledge as well as a warm and wonderful person. She is so passionate about the food she cooks and it comes through on camera. I hope that you enjoy the videos as much as I enjoyed filming them. Pam will be in New York and Connecticut this month for a short book tour. Go and meet her if you have a chance. Or pick up a copy of Cucina Povera for yourself or a gift. It’s a wonderful cookbook.

While there were many more culinary highlights to the trip, I think you get the idea and that if you are planning a trip, the highlights I have featured will be helpful to you. Feel free to comment below if you have any questions or email me at lynne@how2heroes.com. Buon appetito!

I want to thank my longtime (not old) friends Lisa LaFrance and Melinda Warren for allowing me to mix business with pleasure and thanks to Melinda for standing in as how2heroes staff photographer. I’d also like to thank my new friends, wine writer JoAnn Actis-Grande (who introduced me to Pam) and Fa Lundeen, for joining us on our Tuscan adventures.

Get the Flash Player to see this player. Watch and see truffle hunting in action.

On a bright and sunny Monday, the how2heroes team set off for the ‘burbs to go to the dark side and shoot our annual Halloween video.  There is a tradition here at how2heroes to capitalize on Halloween’s penchant for costumes, elaborate makeup and gratuitous use of dry ice by including all three in our Halloween videos.  Have a look at the Witch’s Brew video or Zombie Makes Zombies and you will find costumes, make up and dry ice present in generous amounts.  But frivolities aside, the creation of a video, from start to finish, relies on the creative talents of  the whole team.

This year we questioned what to do with all the candy left over from Halloween and decided to go the cold & creamy route and made an ice cream terrine that moonlights as creepy tombstones.  Coming up with a recipe was easy enough, but figuring out what candy to use required lots of dreadful testing. Imagine, sitting around munching on Snicker’s and Butterfingers, trying to figure out what candy would work best for the recipe. It truly is the worst sort of torture. After a few trial runs and a group taste testing, we arrive at a conclusion and a final recipe is decided upon. Then we shoot the video.

The set is created, the lights turned on, we are mic-ed up.  We shoot the video with minimal retakes. It’s a testament to the staff who create an environment that is simultaneously professional and light-hearted making it really easy to be on camera in a casual and relaxed way.

We wrap up the shoot, the videos go into post production and Halloween comes and goes with a whole mess of candy left over, candy we hope you use in this year’s Halloween recipe for Frozen Frankenstones.

Amanda and Adam of Tex Mex Eats

If you weren’t eating whole, roasted pig and listening to a live bluegrass band while sippin’ some brewskies last Sunday, October 2nd, you were in the wrong place. Not to make y’all jealous, but here are some highlights of the fun and festivities at our annual Hoedown.

Verrill Farm hosted us at their scenic farm in Concord, MA. Cowboys and cowgirls from far and wide rounded up their best duds to spend the day sharing excellent food from area chefs and good laughs.

Amanda Escamilla of Tex Mex Eats has a personality as big as the two 70-lb pigs she roasted (huge thanks to Image Unlimited for sponsoring)! Amanda was the first one at the farm, prepping the pigs in La Caja Chinas for a slow roast. Despite the hours she and her team spent perfecting the pigs (and they were freakin’ perfect!), she never stopped smiling, hugging & serving. Thanks, Amanda!

Aside from the pig roast, folks enjoyed chef demos, a Hoedown Baking Throwdown sponsored by King Arthur Flour (bake-off blog posting coming soon), live bluegrass music, pumpkin decorating, and…get this: Frito Pies. Yes, FRITO PIES! More on that below…

In true how2heroes spirit, there was enough food to feed an army. We trust that nobody left hungry. For starters, there was Tequila-BBQ Chicken Tacos w/Peach Salsa (made by Brian Poe of Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake, pictured, #5). Warm flour tortillas stuffed with spicy, tequila-braised chicken and topped with zesty peach salsa. Erwin Ramos of Olé served aromatic Roasted Mexican Vegetables (including fresh, local Hen of the Woods mushrooms) in Green Mole Sauce (pictured, #6).

Our soup mama from the New England Soup Factory, Marjorie Druker (pictured, #7) ladled out generous portions of heavenly Sweet Potato & Caramelized Onion Soup. The aromas of Fall wafted through the air from Marjorie’s table and her electric energy lit up the tent. Experience Marjorie’s warm personality in her Vegetable Minestrone video.

Stephen Butters of Butter Café & Bakery, served hot n’ spicy Chili (a hoedown “must”), Ben Lacy from Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro, mixed it up with seasonal Sweet Corn & Kale Salad w/ Point Judith Calamari Escabeche & Bacon-Tomatillo Vinaigrette, and Keith Pooler of Bergamot sliced up tender Beef Brisket (which cooked for 3 days!) & Cornbread. The Verrill Farm team put the “comfort” in comfort food with their Shepherd’s Pie, Smoked Pulled Chicken Sliders and farm-fresh Apple Crisp w/ Oat-Streusel Topping.

And last but certainly not least, in addition to the Pig Roast, Amanda Escamilla served up Frito Pies. We have yet to see people quite so happy as when they were eating these! Yes, we’ll get to the details very soon (Frito Pie fans Lisa LaFrance & Jean Nagi pictured, #9)!!

Other fun activities included pumpkin decorating (see photos #2, #3, #8) and tastings from local companies – great suds from Beer Works, artisanal chocolates from Taza Chocolate, and freshly-roasted coffee from Sean Harrington of Unta Coffee.

Alright, alright. You’ve read this far to learn about the Frito Pie. If you aren’t from Texas, this will be a foreign but fascinating concept to you. First make the 2 key components to this treat: Frijoles a la Chara (Cowboy Beans) and Chili of your choice (we recommend the delicious Austin Chili video). THEN, follow the photos below to assemble. Stick a fork in it, and enjoy!

STEP ONE: CUT THE BAG OF FRITOS

STEP TWO: LASSO UP THE FIXINS

STEP THREE: SPOON ON THE FIXINS

STEP FOUR: TOP 'ER WITH CHEESE

STEP FIVE: EAT 'EM UP!

Stay tuned for a blog posting on theHoedown Baking Throwdown winners, including a few recipes from the Hoedown chef demos, and watch our Hoedown Highlights Reel. Also, for upcoming Fall and holiday recipes, sign up for our newsletter which includes weekly featured content and seasonal menu ideas.

We’re sad to say that today was our last day at the Cambridge Center Farmers’ Market for the season. We have had an amazing summer hosting a wide range of talented chefs from the Boston area who have shown week after week how to turn fresh, local produce into simple, delicious dishes. Thank you to David Gilson of the The Herb Lyceum for inviting us to participate again this year. If you missed any of the demos, through the magic of video, you can still watch them. Check out our Farmers’ Market section: http://how2heroes.com/videos/farmers-market

Today was a great day to wrap things up. Gorgeous weather, bountiful pickings and a live demo with Chef Michael Leviton of Kendall Square’s new hot spot Area Four. Michael toured the market for his ingredients before “not” cooking for the crowd – a no-cook Israeli Tomato Salad whose secret ingredient, sumac, delivers a bright lemony punch to the salad. Try it today while everything is at its peak of ripeness! Recipe below. Video up by Friday. Thank you to Chef Leviton. Great job!

Israeli Tomato Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For Vinaigrette (makes 1.5 cups):

• 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 4 oz canola oil
• 4 oz olive oil
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp toasted & ground sumac

For Salad:

• 1 lb ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 small cucumbers (2 Armenian or 1 English recommended because they have less seeds), cut to ¼” half moons
• 2 roasted red peppers (buy already roasted or roast yourself – how-to below or watch this video)
• 4 oz Picholine olives, pitted & halved
• 1/2 red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
• handful of Italian parsley leaves
• 4 oz sumac vinaigrette
• salt & pepper to taste

How-To:

For Vinaigrette:

1. Add Dijon mustard to a bowl and slowly whisk in the oils
2. Stir in rest of ingredients and put aside

For Salad

1. Roast bell peppers over open flames until charred all over (or buy peppers already roasted)
2. Place in a bowl and cover tighly; let stand 10 minutes
3. Rinse under cold water to remove skins.  Cut to small squares, removing seeds
4. Mix peppers remaining ingredients in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste
5. Dress with vinaigrette.  Serve immediately

It is a sad realization that this was our second to last week at the market. It has been a wonderful run and flown by so fast. It seems like just yesterday, we were stir frying bok choy and spinach. Now we’re eating peaches and canning heirloom tomatoes. But, it’s not over yet folks and we have one more week so let’s save the tears.

Chef Michael Scelfo of the beloved Russell House Tavern in Harvard Square payed us a visit this week. Really getting into the farmers’ market spirit, Michael made a fresh and fantastic Warm Shrimp Salad w/ Cherry Tomatoes, Tarragon & Corn.

Using ingredients that could almost all be purchased right there, Michael showed a true example of how to eat simply and seasonally. The salad was light and flavorful with spicy garlic, anise tasting tarragon and tart lime juice. Great dish to eat on a breezy summery day. Michael suggested pairing it with some bread and white wine. Sound good to us!

Stay tuned for the video. It will be live next week!

Join us next week at the final Cambridge Center Farmers’ Market where Michael Leviton of Area Four will be cooking for us!

As we are well into August, the abundance of vegetables and fruits is remarkable. There is more eggplant, zucchini, carrots, blueberries, and corn than any one person would know what to do with. It is inspiring and the amount of ripe produce really gets us thinking creatively of all the possibilities in the kitchen.

Last week, our good friend, Johnny Diamantopoulos of All Star Sandwich Bar visited and wowed us with a fun spin on the Potato Salad by making it Greek. Just coming off a three week trip to Greece, where a lot of his relatives live, Johnny couldn’t get the food and beauty of the country out of his system and it really came through in his dish, Greek Potato Salad. Using golden, red and purple potatoes, green beans, and cherry tomatoes, the color of this salad was vibrant and attractive. The addition of Kalamata olives, fennel, lemon, feta, red wine vinegar and Greek yogurt was what really gave it the Mediterranean flavor which is perfect for light summer food. We learned that Greek cooking is rustic and simple and when using fresh and ripe ingredients, you wouldn’t want it any other way. Thanks Johnny for sharing your passion for Greece and it’s unique cuisine! The crowd was impressed and I think many people there were feeling Greek for the day.Click here to view Johnny making his Greek Potato Salad!

This past week we had a sweet treat from how2heroes Producer, Kelsey Clark. Kelsey used one of the most loved summer fruits, the peach. Peaches have a very short season and they are at their height of ripeness right now. Kelsey took advantage of that by making us, Peach Melba Bars.

Starting with a buttery and moist shortbread that is topped with raspberry preserves, Kelsey then adds a layer of fresh, thinly-sliced peach. Another layer of sweet crumble on top with one last layer of peaches. This dessert was so popular we had to ask people to wait for the demo to start before they could have a sample. Being a professionally trained chef, Kelsey taught us many tricks of the trade like putting a pretzel or piece of bread in your brown sugar to keep it from clumping. After tasting the delicious Peach Melba bar, it was proven that this girl really knows her stuff!

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Please join us next week at the Cambridge Center Farmers’ Market where Michael Scelfo of Russell House Tavern will be joining us.

Private Chef, Amanda Escamilla of Tex Mex Eats really knocked it out of the park this past week at the Market. Due to such popular demand of the Texachusetts Corn Salsa recipe (we ran out!), we rushed back to the office to post it here right away. Amanda put her South Texas roots and cooking expertise to work with local ingredients including the sweetest corn we’ve had in a long time from Groton, MA. Amanda drew the crowds in and it was so great to see her family along with her, including her Mom visiting from Texas. This recipe is SO easy. No cooking required unless you choose to roast the corn which is optional. Enjoy the recipe and watch the video of Amanda in action seen below! For more of Amanda’s delicious Mexican recipes, click here.

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Texachusetts Corn Salsa

Ingredients

2 cups diced tomatoes

1 cup corn kernels, fresh or roasted*

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

¼ cup diced sweet onions

6-7 small field tomatoes (cherry, grape, etc.), quartered

1-2 chiles, seeded & minced (jalapeno, serrano, etc.)

juice of 1½-2 limes

1-2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

1 tbsp chopped oregano

pinch of salt and pepper

¼ cup olive oil

How2:

• Mix ingredients and serve with your favorite chips, with chicken or fish or on tacos or burritos. Endless possibilities!

*To roast corn, trim any silk that is sticking outside the husk away (these will catch fire.) Keep corn in husks and place on a medium-high grill, turning frequently as the husk starts to blacken, about 1-2 minutes per side. Peel away husks and trim corn off of cob with a large chef’s knife

Visit us this week at the Cambridge Center Farmers’ Market where we will have Johnny Diamantopoulos of All Star Sandwich Bar cooking up something fabulous at 12:30!

We are at that point in the summer when the produce is flooding the market and the variety of different things is so exciting. In the past couple weeks we were happy to see broccoli, cauliflower, several different types of squash and zucchini, carrots, garlic, raspberries, blueberries, snap peas, cucumbers (great for pickling) and beets, just to name a few. The plethora of produce really gets our culinary juices flowing and has us racing to our kitchens to see what we can cook up with such fresh ingredients. Luckily, we have a lot of inspiring chefs to give us great ideas. It’s been hotter than blazes out as we have hit mid July and our thirsty patrons have really enjoyed our Sweet Tea and Rosemary Lemonade we have been serving up. Everyone seems to be looking for a refreshing reprieve from the sun so we are happy to provide that for them.

Robert Sisca of Bistro du Midi payed us a visit and really wowed us with a Marinated Octopus w/ Eggplant Caviar dish. The crowd was skeptical at first as many were not octopus fans but they were willing to try. Let’s just say, Robert made a convert out of many that day as they were so impressed with the texture and taste of the octopus, the crowd kept coming back for seconds and thirds. First, he taught us how to braise a whole octopus. It needs to simmer in the braising liquid for about 2 hours for it to reach the perfect level of tenderness. Once it was ready to go, he sliced the tentacles up and mixed it with his eggplant caviar, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, sherry vinegar, olive oil, and chives. This Mediterranean flavor combination was rich but also somewhat light and a perfect summer dish.

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Next up, we had the fabulous and Glamorous Buttercream Blondie, Meghan McGarry. Meg brought us something sweet with her Peach & Almond Crumble. It couldn’t have been better timing as peaches made their first appearance that day at the market. This simple dessert really showcased the juiciness and sweetness of the peach. With the addition of a crunchy and sweet topping including sliced almonds, oats and brown sugar, the Peach & Almond Crumble was delicious and a real crowd pleaser.

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Come see us next week at the Cambridge Center Farmers’ Market where Carolyn Johnson of 80 Theroeau will be making a Melon Gazpacho w/ Smoked Swordfish & Almonds. Check our Farmers’ Market Page to view the schedule for the rest of the summer.