Windsor chef embraces local foods Local ingredients add dazzle to chef's dishes

Janine Bratt shares a smile with a vendor at Market Square Thursday August 5, 2010. Photograph by: Nick Brancaccio, The Windsor Star

DISHING IT UP

Chef Janine Bratt will put her cooking skills to work where she's shopped: at the Downtown Farmers' Market this Saturday, from 10 to 11 a.m., demonstrating a zucchini recipe backyard gardeners may especially appreciate. She'll show one recipe to help use up zucchini, making a spaghetti-like dish from the vegetable with sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts. - - -

Talk, browse, shop.

Like any consumer, Chef Janine Bratt checks her grocery list and looks for the good stuff at the market, whether it's Copper River salmon from Coolwater Fish Ltd., pork tenderloin from Bailey's or produce from the fruit and vegetable vendors such as Kruz & Kruz and Hric's, and cheese from Far Flung Foods, all at Market Square at Walker Road and Ottawa Street.
Perhaps her mom brings in items she's requested from the roadside market Bakhos & Son Produce in LaSalle.
Whatever the item, Bratt looks first for local content.
"I think it's very important. It connects you to the farm," says Bratt, 24. She has two businesses, Taste Bud Food, a food service and catering shop based at 640 Chilver Rd. and Taste Bud Bistro, the restaurant inside the Art Gallery of Windsor, 401 Riverside Dr. W.
"It gives you respect for the food and the people who produce it."
They return the favour, offering Bratt ingredients that may add dazzle to a special. But that only comes from cultivating and patronizing vendors like Jerry Goldhar with Coolwater, or staff at Bailey's who may offer special items.
Bratt offers more tips from her food forays as she forages the shops, butchers and, in the county, farmers such as Jason Hicks, who supplies beef.
She adds she likes to get to the Downtown Farmers' Market, now in its second year at the former bus station between University Avenue and Chatham Street, just east of Ouellette Avenue.
Bratt points to other tips and techniques she's learned in her shopping trips:
- At Market Square, Coolwater and Far Flung Foods both offer debit and credit card payments.
- Bring a cart or more bags when buying in volume, say flats and bushels of tomatoes, because the trip to the car is longer than one may really appreciate.
- Make a list, but be open to unexpected items that look so good because they're fresh and available.
- For an outdoors excursion, a hat and/or sunscreen and exact change are musts. And schmooze the vendors. Bratt says they've gotten to know her, but she adds they can offer home cooks inside information on ingredients for using, preparing and cooking items, as well as recipes.
Goldhar would add that fish mongers and many other vendors may have their best and largest selection on prime shopping days, such as Friday.
Joe Mouawad from Bakhos & Son, 2637 Front Rd. in LaSalle, offers another insider's tip. "Look at the people at the market or stand and see if they're working, moving around, cleaning, helping customers." The busier they are the better for consumers, he said.
"Look for someone who just enjoys produce," he said, adding the family's business is named for his father, Bakhos Mouawad. "We do have a lot of restaurant customers who buy from us. That's something we take a lot of pride in," Joe Bakhos said. Bratt offers still more tips, advising home cooks to think and cook fast on their feet, reviewing their needs and what they can do, especially if the freshest items, like tomatoes, haven't been brought in from the farm just yet. Ask for a substitute, say sweet corn, for a different side dish.

IN SEASON: THE RIPE STUFF

This area's prime harvest season remains underway through September. Produce that has begun showing up recently in stores, roadside stands and farm markets depending on supplies available includes: apples, cantaloupe, eggplant, fresh table grapes, nectarines, pears and squash.
In coming weeks, look for produce including brussels sprouts, crabapples, Spanish and red onions and pumpkins.
To find out what's available and when, the Foodland Ontario website www.foodland.gov.on .ca offers a harvest guide; click a menu link near the top of the main page for the term availability. The site offers information, resources and recipes. The link for Food Facts provides consumer buying, cooking and storage tips. The Essex County Federation of Agriculture's website www.ecfa.ca offers suppliers, farmers and resources who offer a wide variety of locally produced items. There are links to a map and an availability guide for local items.

SQUEEZE, POKE, PROD: TIPS TO BROWSING FARMERS' MARKETS

Self-proclaimed supermarket guru Phil Lempert researches and reports on the food industry and food marketing efforts across North America. He offers his favourite tips for shopping farmers' markets to avoid feeling overwhelmed and to pay attention to food safety.
His top five tips:
- Preparation. Bring reusable bags or backpacks for stashing fresh produce. While vendors may offer plastic bags, they're flimsy when stuffed with fresh veggies.
- Bring cash, coins. Small bills and exact change speed purchases in the hot sun.
- Hurry up and wait around. Early-bird shoppers always get the first and best pick of the crop. But browse the market for the best vendors with the best value.
- Chill. Unless heading straight home, bring an insulated bag or cooler so foods won't spoil in a warm car on a summer day.
Pay special attention to storing freshly prepared fruit or vegetable products, such as hummus, salsa and fruit salads. These can pose potential health risks if not handled correctly, Lempert writes. Make sure they're refrigerated -- before and after the sale.
- At home. Refrigerate purchases immediately and eat within days. If any freshly prepared fruit or vegetable products have not been properly refrigerated, they should be discarded, Lempert cautions.

GIVE FRUIT A HEALTHY TWIST
GRILLED FRUIT WITH MASCARPONE CREAM

Mascarpone cheese is rich and decadent. Substitute ricotta cheese for a lighter dessert in this recipe from Foodland Ontario. This simple summer dessert could be served with yogurt or ice cream. Recipe makes four to six servings, takes 10 minutes to prepare and 10 to 13 minutes on the grill.

1/4 cup (50 mL) brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp (25 mL) butter, melted
1/4 tsp (1 mL) vanilla
2 peaches, ripe but firm (pitted and quartered)
4 plums, ripe but firm (pitted and halved)
2 nectarines, ripe but firm (pitted and quartered)
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
2 tbsp (25 mL) almonds, sliced toasted (optional, as desired)
Mascarpone Cream:
1/2 cup (125 mL) mascarpone cheese
2 tbsp (25 mL) maple syrup
2 tbsp (25 mL) plain yogurt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) lemon rind, grated
In small bowl, combine sugar, butter and vanilla; set aside.

In large bowl, toss together peaches, plums, nectarines and lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss again. Place in single layer in aluminum pan (approximately 8 by 11 inches (19 by 30 cm). Barbecue over medium-high heat for 10 to 13 minutes, stirring once, or until lightly browned and tender.

Mascarpone Cream: Combine mascarpone, maple syrup, yogurt and lemon rind. Serve with warm fruit. Sprinkle with almonds, if desired.

Nutritional Information: One serving contains 170 calories, 1.5 g of protein, 6 g of fat, 29 g of carbohydrates and 2 g of fibre.

FRUIT QUESADILLAS

This healthy snack, breakfast or dessert can be prepared on the stovetop or the grill. Recipe from Foodland Ontario makes 16 quesadilla-style wedges.

1 each nectarine and pear, ripe but firm (pitted or cored and diced)
2 plums, ripe but firm (pitted and diced)
2 tbsp (25 mL) brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
4 oz (125 g) cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp (15 mL) maple syrup
1 tsp (5 mL) grated orange rind
4 large whole wheat or regular flour tortillas
Icing sugar

In a small bowl, combine nectarine, pear, plums, brown sugar and cinnamon. In separate bowl, combine cream cheese, maple syrup and orange rind. Spread each tortilla with about 2 tbsp (25 mL) cream cheese mixture. Top one half of each with 1/2 cup (125 mL) fruit. Fold over each tortilla to cover filling and press down gently.
Cook in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes on each side or until crispy and browned.
Remove from heat and let stand for 1 minute. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges, sprinkle with icing sugar.
Serve immediately.

- Tip: To grill quesadillas, cook over medium-high for 11/2 to 2 minutes per side or until crispy and browned. - Nutritional Information: One wedge contains 105 calories, 15 g of carbohydrates, 2 g of protein, 4 g of fat and 1.5 g of fibre.