We picked up sea beans at the Foraged and Found Edibles stand last Sunday at the Ballard Farmer’s Market. I bought them mainly because the name makes me giggle. They are bright green, have a super satisfying crunch and look a little like stick bugs. They taste like crispy, crunchy ocean! The treasures from Foraged and Found have been a mainstay of our diet for the last few months. We are in love with pasta with mushroom and cream sauce and have been relying on Foraged and Found for our weekly fungi fix. This week we also got a tip: Paul Stamets, of Fungi Perfecti, is doing amazing things with mushrooms. Amazing things with mushrooms! I don’t even know what that means. But I’m intrigued.
Our pasta purveyor is Pasteria Lucchese. Their pastas are luscious; they truly make the dish. Every week we buy one or two varieties. I love the opportunity to say, “ciao!” and “grazie!” to the very friendly Mr. Lucchese. He treated us like old friends the first time we met. Note to other market vendors: this is a great way to inspire loyalty.
This week we had both troffie and pappardelle. We used the mushroom cream sauce on the pappardelle. Every week our mushroom pasta is a variation on this recipe:
Saute half a sliced onion in olive oil and butter (2-3 T of each) until soft. To that add 1/2 cup or so of chopped morels (or whatever wild mushroom is available) and some fresh herbs (thyme or sage are good choices) and salt and pepper. Once the mushrooms have softened, add 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Then pour in ~1/4 cup of whole cream. Adjust seasonings. Sometimes I add a roux to this sauce if I’m in the mood for something a little thicker.
We had sea beans on the side. Blanched them for a moment, splashed on some olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and toasted sesame seeds.
I just bought sea beans at the same market stand after having a delish meal with them at Sitka & Spruce the other night. I also bought garlic tops at another stand – not sure if I’ll figure out a way to incorporate them both into a dish, but we’ll see. I also buy pasta from that same vendor. My favorite phrase is “ciao bella,” and I ask them additional questions just to hear their accents. The only market food experiment so far that didn’t go very well was the nettles – not a fan.
How did you prepare your sea beans? And what did they do with them at Sitka & Spruce?
For anyone who can eat aged cheese without triggering a migraine, here’s a garlic scape recipe I came across the other day:
http://mixedgreensblog.com/2008/06/12/eat-local/a-garlic-escape/#more-607
I haven’t prepared my sea beans yet – I’m thinking maybe sauteed and then added to a farro salad with some feta. At Sitka they had sauteed them with chopped dates, but I can’t remember what else exactly. It was a side dish to some lovely sea scallops. I’m looking forward to going back there again soon!
I had pappardelle in Reggio Emilia, Italy a few weeks ago in a lasagna dish and I must say it melted in my mouth. The sauce was made with a rich cream and butter. The cook stood in her kitchen window with a very serious look on her face. What was she thinking? I’m still dreaming about that amazing dish.
Ha! I did a Google search for Pasteria Lucchese and look who’s site I found! I’ve been dreaming of that chestnut troffie we had at the cabin, but they are hard to find. I discovered they sell their pasta at the Sunset Hill Greenmarket. On my way there tomorrow. Meanwhile, I will definitely be experimenting with your wild mushroom sauce. I love pappardelle!
Hey, Jackie. We bought some chestnut troffie today (and pappardelle, too). Pasteria Lucchese is always at the Ballard farmer’s market. Maybe we can met you down there some Sunday.