And... We're back!

We’ve traveled far, and eaten well, but coming home to southern California produce in August is as exciting/comforting as sleeping in our own beds. So our first menu makes the most of the market. 

Mel is making Gazpacho, our favorite way to consume summer. Full of Tutti Frutti Farm’s ripest tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and onions, our version is smooth and creamy, with olive oil and a touch of bread. 

For proteins, we have some of our go-to things to grill: wild, Pacific swordfish, grass-fed hanger steaks, and Peads and Barnetts salt & pepper sausages. Since it was such a hit last spring, Mel is marinating and sous-viding another round of salmon so that it’s cooked and ready to flake and eat as is or flash on the grill to make it hot and crisp. And the International House of Spatchcock is making a classic summer bird: a free-range chicken marinated in smoked paprika, garlic, lemon, and thyme.

To garnish any or all of these meats, we’re making a batch of peperonata. This pepper relish is loaded with a mix of charred, organic peppers stewed with onion and garlic until silky and marinated in olive oil with capers, sherry vinegar, oregano, and thyme. Or pile it on some Bubb and Grandma’s jumbo baguette with some burrata or ricotta cheese from Gioia Cheese Company in South El Monte.

If turning on the grill is too much heat and effort, we have all the fixings you’ll need for an LA nicoise salad. We have tins of our favorite Ortiz bonito tuna and Agostino Recca anchovy filets, as well as jars of nicoise olives and Forage’s classic dijon vinaigrette. Of course, there will be potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, and eggs in the produce box, so you have everything you need. 

For staples to have on hand, we’ve added sliced Nueske bacon to the mix. Get a loaf of Proof’s buttery brioche loaf and sandwich the season’s tomatoes. While you’re at it, maybe you’ll make a homemade aioli for your BLT, then spread some on a crostini to swirl in your gazpacho or dollop it on grilled swordfish, salmon, chicken, or steak with some peperonata and/or nicoise olives on top.

For something sweet, our friend Adel Aschenbrener is bringing us a batch of classic French galettes filled with Tenerelli Orchard’s Zee Lady sweet-tart yellow peaches in a flaky all-butter crust. 

We’re excited to share that Jason Kim has moved his beloved neighborhood restaurant, Forage, into the space above Farm to Curb. Jason and I cut our teeth and rubbed elbows on the line at Lucques some 15 years ago. Since then, I’ve felt lucky to live up the hill from Forage, where there’s something for everyone and produce is sourced directly from farmers. And now, you can grab a coffee or a drink, a meal and a moment on their lovely outdoor patio when you pick up your Farm to Curb orders. 

See you Wednesday!