I can stop my whining about the lackluster fare at the markets – spring has finally arrived, and at long last, the farmers are toting something fresh and new in the backs of those huge trucks. There’s lettuce and baby greens, ramps, asparagus, the first teeny-tiny strawberries, and so much more! And the best part: once the floodgates open, the produce just keeps getting better and better each week as the balmy weeks of summer unfold.
After all of the excitement of our extended weekend, Brian and I took it easy on Sunday and enjoyed a stroll in one of the smaller markets in the East Village. I have tons of love for the chaotic Union Square market, but with the construction on the park going on, it’s been a bit claustrophobic for me. Luckily, there are markets all over, happening at different times of the week, you need only chose the closest to your home or office, using this amazing map.
We ended up checking out the market at the Stuyvesant Town oval, since it’s really close to the apartment, and never seems to be crowded. I was psyched to discover that there were gorgeous bulbs of spring garlic (aka, green garlic) and even some tomatoes (hydro grown, so not the real deal, but an improvement over supermarkets).
And just like that, our dinner was born.
My favorite thing about the markets of June – November, other than the quality of the produce, is that they provide us with the opportunity to eat a menu dictated largely by nature. During these times, it becomes so freaking simple to pick up a ton of whatever is in season and work backwards from there, dreaming up (or researching) the best ways to use each week’s haul.
Sometimes, we have a lot of fun finding elaborate ways to use the fruits and vegetables, other times, a simple brush with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper is all we need to create a satisfying meal.
This bruschetta recipe falls sort of in-between. It’s very simple, and the mild, juicy spring garlic gives the prefect garlic flavor, without overwhelming you with bite. We grilled our bread, but you needn’t be as fancy, toasting under the broiler or even in the toaster oven will do. Be sure to only add salt right before you are ready to eat to avoid drawing the liquid out of the tomatoes. It’s the perfect accompaniment to other grilled veggies, or a crowd-pleasing starter at any BBQ.
Spring Garlic and Tomato Bruschetta Recipe
Serves 3-4 people
4-5 tomatoes on the vine
1 bulb spring garlic, chopped finely
1 large handful of fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/2 loaf baguette, cut into 3/4 inch thick rounds
Combine chopped tomatoes, spring garlic, and fresh basil in a bowl, gently mix, and refrigerate for at least two hours (no more than 
to allow the flavors to meld.
When you are ready to serve, remove tomatoes from the fridge and pour off some of the excess liquid, so the mixture is not too soupy but also not bone dry. Prepare your grill or turn on the broiler of your oven. If grilling, place the bread rounds on the grill and toast them on both sides, being careful not to burn them. If using the oven do the same, with the bread up close to the top of the broiler.
Arrange bread rounds on a plate. top each one with a few tablespoons of the tomato mixture, and allow a little of the juices to seep into the toasted bread. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.
3 Comments
I’m actually tempted to go grab some tomatoes and garlic and fire up the grill despite the fact that it’s 10:30PM… Next time you’re up (which we hope will be soon!) we need to introduce you to Marty, the local beef guy. He raises his cows on an organic grass fed diet and sends them to a slaughter house where he can oversee to make sure he’s getting his cow meat back (apparently not the norm). He has a stand at our local farmers market but welcomes guests to his house to meet the cows and pick your “cuts” in the freezers downstairs. Could definitely liven up your spring marketing adventures!
I always tell myself that I’m going to make it down to Union Square, but just the idea of fighting the crowds makes me want to run to the supermarket instead. I lived down there for about a year, and am so glad to be in a quieter area now. Thanks for the map link – I had no idea there were so many little markets all over the city!
Great flavor from the grill. Nothing like really fresh tomatoes to knock a bruschetta out of the park. So so so good!
One Trackback
[...] Here’s what I’m up against. Each morning, I roll into class in my clean, pressed cooking uniform. I put down my knife roll, open up my binder of baker’s formulas, and I look over at a massive stainless steel shelving unit along one end of the wall. It’s got rows and rows of shelves spanning from floor to ceiling, and in the morning, it is completely empty. It is the job of the twelve people in my class to get down to the business of filling those shelves until they overflow, by no later than 3 PM, and that is what we do. We work in teams, doing our part to scale and mix, to fold and monitor, shape, score and bake. Although the formulas are scaled up from the proportions we were making as home bakers before we got ourselves into this venture, we still care every bit as much about each and every loaf, the very same way that home bakers care for a loaf that they are baking. Our goal, making the end result as delicious and as beautiful as we possibly can, is not diminished as we scale up to professional quantities. That is why I am in this predicament. When I get to class, I tell myself that I will not take bread home at the end. Then, three o’clock rolls around, and I look over at the shelving unit, overflowing with the beautiful bread that we’ve worked so hard to make. It’s beautiful. It looks out at us as we wipe sweat and flour from our brows, with sad little bread faces. It feels wrong not to take it, and so I fill my flour sack and go on my way. It used to be that my freezer had balance; some veggies, some meats, a pie crust or two. Today, open my freezer and out falls the semolina bread from week three, with the olive bread in tow. Try to store anything else, I dare you, without removing the massive loaf of pain de mie from week 1, just waiting for the day when I host a massive brunch, at which point it will become French toast. Houston, I’ve become the “bread lady”. It’s time for us to dig out and use up what’s been stored. This ciabatta came first. Consider this less a recipe and more of a jumping off point for your own experimentation. Bruschetta starts with bread that you love, grilled. If you pair it with flavors that you enjoy together, you simply can’t go wrong. Peaches are in season, but I was disappointed by how these performed. They were a little too hard, but I expected the grill to magically soften them into drippy, peachy mush, which I had envisioned draping over the toasted bread slathered with goat cheese. They stayed firmer than I imagined they would, but were still lovely. With the sweet, smoky, and savory all going on, these can star on either the dinner or the dessert menu. Or, if you’re looking to go the more traditional route with tomato season just around the corner, click here. [...]