I dropped down to Portland early this morning to run some errands, and I decided to take a quick walk through of the Saturday Farmers’ Market, and there were a few late season surprises. The Savoy cabbage wasn’t a surprise, but the fact that so many farms were offering them and most of them were good looking – my sources in Seattle don’t seem to have recharged yet. For my palate, and for those in Northern Italy the Savoy cabbage - Cavolo Verza - is the King of cabbages and nothing else can touch its sweet flavor. It seems to have been named for the Duchy/Kingdom of Savoy, which prior to the 17th century included both what is now France’s Savoy region and Italy’s Piedmonte region. I prefer it when farmers leave the dark green outer leaves on the head, since they are loaded with flavor, and their color stays bright green when briefly sautéed. When buying, the head should be firm and have some weight.
I was also stunned to see dried Tarbais beans grown by Viridian Farms. These are THE BEAN preferred for Cassoulet in Southwestern France, and if you can find the imported versions, they cost an arm and a leg and are more than likely two seasons old. I had heard that a number of small farms in Oregon were growing European heirloom beans like Tarbais and Zolfino, but I wasn’t sure where to find them. I may do something with both the beans and cabbage, and more than likely side bacon.
While I was initially stunned to see the crate of Forelle pears among over a dozen other pear and apple varieties, I then remembered buying them from the same farmer last year. While most of the Forelle’s I’ve had before have had a more uniform ‘pear’ shape, these seemed a bit squatter. I love the bright red blush, the bright, sweet flavor, and the size, which is perfect for a light snack and a manageable dessert. There was a crate of Seckel pears right next to the Forelle’s, so I bought a few for comparison. The Forelle hails back to the end of 16th Century Germany while the Seckel was developed in 18th Century Pennsylvania by the farmer for which it is named. As you can see from the lower right image - Seckel on the left, and Forelle on the right separated by my lens cover - the Seckel is typically half the size of the Forelle or smaller. I have always thought that the Seckel was just too small. They do have significant differences in flavor. Both the flesh and the thin skin of the Forelle combine for a ‘bright’ pear flavor while the Seckel’s flesh has a more intense and complex ‘pear’ flavor, its thick skin is very dry with a touch of a bitter finish - the skin makes a much bigger to the overall flavor of the Seckel.
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