Dressed Up Veggies

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Miso gives an unexpected boost to an array of fresh veggies.

Blanched and sauteed vegetables tossed with melted butter.

Been there. Done that.

Wake things up by mixing an equal amount of blonde miso into the butter first.

Voila! What you get is a really velvety sauce that clings beautifully to the veggies. The flavor doesn’t scream miso soup. Rather it just lends a subtle umami or savoriness to it all.

The recipe for “Saute of Market Vegetables with Miso Butter” is a cinch to make. Even better, you can vary the vegetables you use, according to what’s in season.

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Jack Falstaff Restaurant Celebrates Local Producers

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Tasty things grow at Hamada Farms. (Photo courtesy of Leo Gong)

Chefs routinely chant, “It’s all about the ingredients.”

When it comes to a series of special dinners at Jack Falstaff in San Francisco, truer words were never spoken.

At the restaurant’s 2009 Growers Dinners, Executive Chef Jonnatan Leiva showcases the wonderful ingredients he sources regularly from growers he’s worked with for years. At the monthly dinners, guests get to mingle with the farmers whose seasonal ingredients are the star attraction of the four-course dinner. At each dinner, a San Francisco executive chef acts as guest chef to cook at least one course of the meal. Special beers or wines are specifically paired to the dishes, too.

This year’s series of dinners kicks off Feb. 24 with Hamada Farms in Kingsbury, CA. The family-owned farm, which was established in 1921, grows everything from persimmons and avocados to exotic citrus such as Oro Blanco, cocktail grapefruits, Tahitian pumelos, and African shaddock. The guest chef that night will be Staffan Terje, chef-owner of Perbacco.

The dinner is $85, including wine pairings. For reservations, call (415) 836-9239.

If you miss this dinner, you can still catch others in the future:

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Tyler Florence and “Top Chef” Contests

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Win a chance to cook with Tyler Florence. (Photo courtesy of Macy's)In these dire economic times, who couldn’t use a $2,500 shopping spree at Macy’s for new kitchen products?

Especially if your personal culinary guide is Tyler Florence, a member of Macy’s Culinary Council.

Through April 3, Macy’s and Food Network star Tyler Florence are hosting a contest, in which you can enter your own video showing how to prepare an original recipe. The “Macy’s Keeps America Cooking” contest was launched in conjunction with Florence’s 12-series podcasts highlighting his own favorite recipes.

Each video submitted should be 2 minutes or less, and demonstrate “What gets you cooking?”

In addition to the shopping spree, the grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to San Francisco to cook with Florence, and a feature spot on a Macy’s podcast. Nine runners-up will win a $1,000 gift card from Macy’s.

For a complete list of contest rules, click here.

For “Top Chef” fanatics, there are just three days left to enter the ”Quaker Oats Quick Fire Challenge.”

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In Memory of My Beer Buddy

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 Bill wasn't a fan of bland American lagers. Hopefully, he would approve of this Belgium lager.

When I was still a food writer at the San Jose Mercury News, I remember distinctly when we decided to start running William Brand’s beer columns in our food section.

Bill already had been writing about beer for quite awhile at our sister newspapers, the Contra Costa Times and the Oakland Tribune. I thought we would just reprint those columns in our food section.

But no. Bill was so excited to be included in the Mercury News that he insisted on taking the time to write a separate column just for our publication.

That’s the kind of guy he was.

That guy, so full of knowledge about every brew around, and with a down-home sense of humor that could make you smile even on the dreariest of days, sadly passed away this morning at San Francisco General Hospital, after sustaining massive injuries in a Muni train accident on Feb. 8.

Bill Brand (Photo courtesy of Nick Lammers, Bay Area News Group)

He was 70 years old, an age where he could have easily just ridden off into the retirement sunset on the horse he loved to take out on jaunts on Mt. Diablo.

But no. Bill continued to diligently write his columns for the newspapers, and to write with gusto on his blogs, BeerNewsletter and What’sOnTap.

That’s the kind of guy he was.

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Sustainable Sushi

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Sit down at your favorite sushi bar to order mirugai, bonito, hotate or akame.

Chances are that you’re not really sure what you’re always eating, given that the seafood names are in Japanese. Moreover, chances are even greater that you’re unsure whether what you’re eating is sustainable or being over-fished to extinction.

You may remember my post last year about three new sustainable sushi guides by three environmental organizations. Now, on the heels of those, comes “Sustainable Sushi” (North Atlantic Books) by Casson Trenor, a sustainable seafood expert who’s also a consultant to Tataki Sake and Sushi Bar in San Francisco, the first sustainable sushi restaurant in North America.

Author Casson Trenor

At 110 pages, this book is a more in-depth look at 39 species found on sushi menus. Trenor includes information on such crucial issues as mercury levels, dredging, and crowded fish farms. The species are color-coded so that you can tell from just a glance whether it’s sustainable, unsustainable, or one that you should proceed with caution about. It’s a must-read for any sushi aficionado.

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