From the farm to the frying pan From the farm to the frying pan (May 07, 2004)

After a rainy winter that suddenly burst into warm, sunny days, farmers' crops are bountiful and brilliant with color. And so will be the corner of Mercy and Castro Streets in downtown Mountain View during A La Carte & Art, May 15-16.

Growers from the Mountain View Certified Farmers' Market will truck in their finest produce for a special festival market. Alongside, local chefs will demonstrate seasonal dishes from around the globe, which festivalgoers will be able to sample.

Farm-fresh organic lettuces and cooking greens, along with peak-of-the-season English peas and other long-awaited spring vegetables, will arrive from Ladesma Specialty Produce in Gilroy and Cortez Farms in Santa Maria.

Cortez and Kika's of Watsonville will offer succulent strawberries. The season's first cherries and apricots, as well as delicate asparagus, will come from Cippeneri Farms of Hughsen. Grown up in the Gold Country, the signature crop of Apple Hill will be available fresh and just-pressed into ice-cold juice from Rainbow Orchards. For nut lovers, Modesto's Teixeira Ranch will feature flavored walnuts and almonds.

The president of the California Farmers' Markets Association, Doug Hayden, takes part in A La Carte & Art every year to offer handy tips on selecting, storing and preparing produce.

What does he recommend for keeping strawberries mold-free and lettuce crispy?

"Refrigerate them unwashed on top of six layers of paper towels in a container with an airtight lid," said Hayden. "With an occasional peek, they should stay fresh for five days."

From 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on both days, local chefs will offer cooking demonstrations of delectable dishes from their restaurants.

Chef Antonio Flores of Cascal will prepare a Brazilian moqueca, seafood in a coconut milk broth flavored with orange and saffron. From Zucca Ristorante, chef Roberto Rodriguez will also highlight seafood as he shares his method for making shrimp butter (with roasted shrimp shells), the secret to the intense flavor of his Spanish garlic shrimp.

Vaso Azzurro's chef Metin Demirci will demonstrate the Italian classic chicken saltimbocca, a layering of chicken breast, prosciutto and mozzarella, which gets pan-fried with shallots and Madeira. Another traditional Italian dish, ravioli, will be prepared by chef Tullio Rosano of Pasta?. His ravioli bella Napoli are stuffed with ricotta and spinach and served with a light cream sauce flavored with red onion, basil and fresh tomato.

Doug Hayden will take advantage of the season's berries to share his recipe for warm berry sundae.

While the chefs are demonstrating, cooks in the neighboring booth will be preparing the dishes in large quantities so everyone will have the chance to sample the food.

"This allows people to watch the chefs at work on a small scale," said Hayden, "and then get the immediate satisfaction of eating the very same dish."

Whether a shopping destination for the week's fruits and veggies or a venue for meeting a favorite local chef, this lively springtime festival will make everybody a little more passionate about food.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.