April 20, 2007, Organic vegetables, By Gonzalo Martinez

When I was growing up, my mother always packed my school lunches, adding boiled beets and sheared carrots (with salt and lime juice, of course.) It sounds great right now, but when you are eight, I don’t know.

At the hotels where I’ve worked, such as the Windsor Court in New Orleans, we bought seasonal vegetables and specialty produce at our local farmers markets. We also bought hard-to-find items, tasty and attractive, via UPS at Farmer Jones, which were delivered in tiny boxes. You know us chefs—if you can eat it and nobody knows what it is, we put it on a plate.

So coming back home to San Miguel, it was a shock to me that great organic vegetables were hard to find. Why here in Mexico, a country that has such rich soil and a strong agricultural culture, was it so difficult for my produce people to find fresh artichokes, baby carrots, beets and different varieties of lettuce? Maybe it’s because our Mexican culture has never been big on salads, until this current generation, which is appreciating the taste and diversity of vegetables more and more.

Don’t get me wrong—we have an abundance of great produce: beautiful tomatoes, chiles, swiss chard, romeritos, sweet Yukon gold potatoes, corn, and seasonal treats like cuitlacoche and tunas. Specialty produce, however, does not yield a big selection. But the good news for vegetable lovers is that there are places here in San Miguel whose emphasis is on fresh, organic vegetables, free of additives and pesticides. One is west of Centro, on the way to the railroad station—I call it El Ranchito. Ask for Polita and she will be more than glad to help you. The other is north of town, close to Atotonilco. They deliver to San Miguel a few times a week and the owner is Luis.

At both places, you can find varieties of lettuce, baby vegetables, yellow corn, edible flowers, mustard seeds, artichokes, spaghetti squash and fresh herbs. They also will be more than happy to grow any specialty produce for you, as long as you bring the seeds. Just make sure your seeds are organic as well.

I know you will enjoy this natural produce—as a nice addition to our local market produce—as much as we do here at Casa de Sierra Nevada. And remember to try the boiled beets with lime juice. But add a touch of oil, sherry vinegar and honey. After all, we are not eight years old any more!

Gonzalo Martinez is the Executive Chef at Casa de Sierra Nevada. Born in San Miguel, he spent 12 years working with renowned chefs in some of the finest US restaurants, including the legendary Windsor Court in New Orleans. Each month in Atención, Gonzalo shares recipes and secrets of seasonal products and innovative Mexican cooking. www.casasierranevada.com.

Jicama and Serrano ham salad with sweet truffle emulsion

Ingredients:

1 head of romaine lettuce

A 100-gram package Serrano Ham, cut into strips

1 small jicama, cleaned and sliced

1 cup parmesan cheese, shaved

1 baguette for croutons, 3x3 inches

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

Grilled assorted baby organic vegetables marinated in oil and herbs

½ cup honey

¼ cup thyme, chopped

¼ cup white truffle oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl, blend the sour cream, Dijon, thyme, honey, salt and pepper.

Add the truffle oil and reserve in an air-tight container.

In a separate bowl, toss the lettuce with Serrano ham, jicama and croutons.

Serve as individual portions or on a party plate.

Top with baby grilled vegetables

Garnish with the shaved parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!