Just curious, what are the local foods you'd miss if you moved? Or what local foods do you miss from a place you lived in the past?

Buffalo is known for its chicken wings, but now is the season for Chiavetta's marinated chicken on the grill (I'll go into chicken finger subs another time). As bottled marinades go, I love Chiavetta's vinegar-y, spice laden concoction. I'm also a sucker for Bison brand french onion chip dip...I don't buy it because I will eat an entire bag of potato chips and the whole tub of dip in one sitting.

What about you?

Grilled soft-shell crab BLTs tonight, likely prefaced with a St. Germain cocktail of some sort. I just picked up a bottle and can't wait to taste it.

The rest of the weekend is pretty open, though I am planning to make a pan bagnat for our pre-show picnic before Sunday's Canada Day show at Summerstage.

Anyone have any good kale recipes? I have a gorgeous bunch of some sort of red Russian kale and no clue what to do with it.

The only 'local' foods that I have missed are mundane ones: Lilt soda and Toffee Crisp chocolate bars from England and the giant hotdogs from street vendors in (my hometown)Toronto, always served on super-eggy buns. A local bylaw prohibits selling food on the streets here.

I'm currently at a loss for a vegan barbeque. I've got a a bunch of veggies already planned (zucchini, peppers, portobellos), but what about sides? A vegan potato salad?

My favourite is kale steamed with a bit of unsalted butter, but I also think it goes well with eggs:

Epicurious's Kale and Potato Spanish Tortilla:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/107743

Anne in Reno - I usually just like to saute kale in olive oil with garlic and a pinch of salt and red chile flakes. I generally leave a little bit of water on the leaves after cleaning it so that it sort of steam-sautees.

Michelle of Montreal - What about a bean or grain salad? I usually make them often this time of year, and there are a multitude of variations. Over the last couple of weeks I've done a black bean and quinoa salad in chile-lime vinaigrette, a white bean salad with lemon vinaigrette and lots of garlic and herbs, and a barley salad with cherry tomatoes, dill and feta (which you could, of course, omit for the vegans).

minipanda--Soon I'll be moving from LA to NYC and while overall I'm very excited, I'm going to miss California farmers' markets and produce horribly. I know NY has the greenmarkets, but it just won't be the same.

On another note, I'm making jam with some friends this weekend and would love to hear about any interesting recipes involving stone fruits...

erinskitchen--i think a peach and lemon marmalade would be yummy...

erinskitchen, my mother-in-law makes a peach chutney that's so good we fight over the jars! If you have some nice ripe peaches I'd look for a chutney recipe, you'll eat it for months!

erinskitchen,

don't know any stone fruit jam recipes but if you can figure out the recipe for cora's tomato jam (from cora's on ocean in sm), that would be something to take with you to try out with the amazing jersey tomatoes you can get at the farmer's mkts in ny. tomatoes, cinnamon, not sure what else...

Hi MoM!
how about a grain salad with baked tofu bits in it?

MoM, I've had those hot dogs in Toronto and can see that you'd miss them! Though, in Montreal, there's always poutain! I've never had it, but it sounds disgustingly delicious.

Peach chutney sounds amazing.

Michelle-
potato salad sounds great, my recipe is quite simple:
sliced potatoes, lemon juice and olive oil dressing, loads of salt and pepper, thinly sliced red onion or scallions, lots of minced garlic, fresh parsley or dill or cilantro (or whatever sounds good to you.) If tomatoes look good I'll chop some up too. It never goes uneaten and I've converted many folks to making their potato salads in this fashion.

and never underestimate a good guacamole and nice chips. are you marinating any of your veggies? what's your recipe?

abby--I haven't tasted Cora's tomato jam, but my grandmother used to make a mean one. No one thought to get the recipe from her, but I used to watch her make it. She used a finely chopped lemon and a spice bag containing her pickling spice (which I do know how to make) and a few cinnamon sticks. It was heaven. I think I'll have to do some experimenting this summer.

Oh, and while I'd miss the produce, especially fresh Hass avocadoes, Chandler strawberries and Blenheim apricots, my biggest loss would be [sorry] In-n-Out!

I know California ships produce all over the country, but an avocado that's been bumped around for 3 weeks instead of being gently picked and resting in my basket can't be good.

Michelle- how about a cold Israeli couscous salad? I do one with olive oil, fresh parsley, julienned cukes, craisins and lemon juice- but you could mix it up with whatever you have...it's super quick and feeds a bunch of people.

Or what local foods do you miss from a place you lived in the past?

Inexpensive fresh fruit. I grew up in California's Central Valley. Nowhere have I been able to get the huge, juicy grapes that we used to have there.

Also... virtually all forms of cuisine other than pizza. Phoenix is outstanding at pizza, good with coffeehouses, and devoted to the $8 chi-chi sandwich... but after that, you're on your own.

Not sure this qualifies, but my father's medical practice was near the queens/nassau border. To get to him, my mother would have to pass what was the last farm within New York City limits.

Not sure there is any one item I miss from the farm as much as I miss the fact that there was one that lasted long enough for me to remember it.

Mmm, I sauteed that kale and ended up tossing it in a fritatta with some baby zucchini (also from my CSA), sun-dried tomatoes and onions. It was a rousing success! Thanks for the tips, all!

Just curious, what are the local foods you'd miss if you moved? Or what local foods do you miss from a place you lived in the past?

Just about everything? I'm from Austin, TX. I'd miss the insanely large variety of salsas, Tex-Mex, Salt Lick's Lauren sauce, Dublin Dr. Pepper, Real Ale pale ale, fresh Elgin sausage, and Lockhart BBQ.

As for what I miss from my past, I'd say red birch beer, homemade Amish vanilla pie, Yuengling lager, Guer's Iced Tea, and a large variety of pierogies in PA. We have pierogi here, but they only come in 2 flavors: onion and cheese.

Thanks for everyone's vegan side dish suggestions. Ended up using a bean salad recipe from allrecipes that my sister suggested:
(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Black-Bean-Salad/Detail.aspx)

eat more lemons,
I'm keeping that potato salad recipe on file! The bf likes a creamy salad, but I'm getting a little sick of it.

minipanda,
Montreal poutine is a classic, though best consumed in winter. Just be careful with the pronounciation when you order it, as it sound a little like putain , which means whore.

MoM - all of the sudden my comment about POUTINE seems very dirty...must take note of proper spelling!! Thanks for the heads up!

What can I do with beets? There were two in my last CSA basket -- not enough to make borscht, but enough for a nice summer slaw/salad. Any good recipes?

I'm from New England (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine but always by the ocean). I would miss the seafood, not just the food itself, but the relationship you have with the ocean when it's so local. We get lobsters from the lobstermen who live down the street in Maine, and we collect our own mussels and clams, and although I'm not based in the Cape, I love wellfleet oysters and have wonderful memories of eating the oysters on the boat as we pull them out of the water. Most of those foods are pretty widely available, but I think the experience of eating them can be so different in other places.

Similarly, I love apple picking in the fall, and maple syrup.

I miss rhubarb pretty much the instant it's out of season.

I miss all the amazing cheeses (particularly chevre) and the ice wine from Montreal. I miss the pizza in New York.

I suppose it's not so much the food, but the experience around the food that I end up missing the most-- the markets that I went to and the restaurants and the way I cooked.

Not 'cooking', but summer for me has started with homemade icecream! The local orchards have opened thier farmstands, which sells dairy products from local farmers!

A question, does anyone know of a reuseable container that I could store my ice cream in while it's in the freezer? I thought I could find some sort of product that looked like a carton, but no luck so far!

Fresh beets are awesome when they are simply roasted and served as a salad. They have such a natural sweet taste and great consistency, they don't need any help at all. You can dress with a little olive oil and citrus or any kind of vinagrette. My favorite way to serve is topped with a little blue cheese and toasted hazelnuts... also you can mix with baby green salad. They take a long time to roast but are so easy otherwise. Scrub the beets, leave on an inch of stem and some roots, lightly toss in olive oil, roast at 350 for an hour, let them cool a bit and then trim roots and rub/peel off skins. Served sliced or diced. You really can't mess them up!

Clover, how about Ziplock's Twist&Lock? The larger one offered.

I hope this doesn't get lost at the end of the "Open Thread" :)

Has anyone tried the "Bialetti Dama Espresso Maker" before? If so, thoughts?