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Magazine’s latest takes us to market

By Kim Davaz

Eating Well magazine is dedicated to helping us consume the healthiest and best-tasting food possible. The latest cookbook from the magazine focuses on recipes using the seasonal local foods found in a farmers’ market. A handful of farmers’ markets picked by the magazines’ readers as the best are featured, and the Portland Farmers’ Market made the list.

The introduction is full of useful information on nutrition. Colorful charts help explain which nutrients come from which foods, and how to balance your diet. A list tells which produce you should always try to buy organic, which produce to buy organic if the budget allows, and those foods that are least commonly contaminated - so buy organic or not.

Seven reasons are given for shopping at farmers’ markets, including supporting local agriculture and getting inspired to eat a variety of seasonal produce.

Primary-care physician Dr. Preston Maring tells how he worked to get a farmers’ market established on the grounds of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, Calif. It’s been going strong for more than five years now.

Beyond buying from a farmers’ market, the book encourages signing up for a community supported agriculture share (it’s like a subscription plan for seasonal produce), planting your own vegetable garden and joining a community vegetable garden.

The recipes, which include nutritional information, are arranged by season, beginning with spring. Mixed in with the recipes are four profiles called “Meet the Farmer.”

“Eating Well in Season” has color photos of most of the finished dishes, from the first recipe of spring - a pale green asparagus soup - to the final recipe in the winter section: a beautiful whole pear poached in sweet dessert wine and pomegranate juice, garnished with reduced-fat sour cream, toasted almonds and pomegranate seeds.

The book ends with helpful sections on choosing, preparing and storing produce, quick recipes plus an herb guide.

Another section focuses on kitchen tools, cooking tips, how to decipher nutritional guidelines and a seasonal produce chart.

Garden-Fresh Asparagus Soup can be made with either skinny or thick asparagus. Just be sure to break off the woody ends of the spears first. You might reserve one asparagus tip per bowl as a garnish.

The recipe says it makes enough for 6 appetizer servings of about a generous cup each. It will serve 4 nicely for dinner or lunch.

Garden-Fresh Asparagus Soup

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cups peeled and diced red potatoes
• 3 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup “lite” coconut milk
• 2 cups ½-inch pieces trimmed asparagus (about 1 pound)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• ¼ cup crème fra"che or reduced-fat sour cream
• ¼ cup finely chopped scallion greens or fresh chives

Melt butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in curry powder, ginger, lemon zest and potatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in broth, coconut milk and asparagus. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, partially cover and continue to cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender or regular blender (in batches) until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper.

Whisk together crème fra"che (or sour cream), lemon juice and scallion greens (or chives) in a small bowl and garnish with a swirl of it.

Kim Davaz writes a biweekly cookbook review column for The Register-Guard.