From Farm to Table: Pickings at the Market

About 80 percent of fruits and vegetables we use at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco come from the farmers’ market. I try to go to the Marin Civic Center Farmers’ Market a couple times a week because I like to pick out the produce myself. It gives me the opportunity to see what’s available—see if the peaches are actually ripe. I go in the morning, come home, clean up, and then head to work.

What produce is available at the market drives our menu and sets the tone for the whole week. I’ll see big bunches of beautiful grapes and know I need to get them. I might not know how to use them initially, but we always figure it out.

This week for example, there were many ripe varieties of apples and radishes that spanned the market. Everything looked so appetizing that I picked out several of each kind. From that trip, I created a brand new dish that could utilize the produce gathered—a slow-cooked suckling pig with grape juice. I simply chopped up the apples and radishes, tossed with olive oil, added the mixture right on top of the meat, and voila! A new menu item was created.

So the next time you head to your local farmers’ market, go in with an open mind. Scan and see what’s available. Oftentimes, the small farmers have the more interesting selections. There are so many options, so be adventurous with your cooking.

Cheers,

Chef Ron Siegel
The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
600 Stockton st.
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.296.7465

Slow-cooked suckling pig with zinfandel grape juice, Asian pears, assorted apples and radishes

Servings 4

Ingredients

» 4 pieces of pre-cooked pork with skin

» 16 spinach leaves

» cup zinfandel grape juice

» 3 different radishes

» 1 scallion

» 2 Asian pears

» 3 different apples

» olive oil

Step 1

Lightly season pork, place in a hot pan, and roast in the oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Step 2

Cut pears into steaks, lightly season, and grill.

Step 3

Chop up scallion, radishes, and apples into desired shape.

Step 4

Steam spinach and lightly season.

Step 5

Place grape juice in a pot and reduce until it becomes a syrup. Sauce the plates with the grape juice. Lay out spinach. Place pear on plate and pork on top.

Step 6

Lightly toss the apples, radishes, and scallions with olive oil and place on top of pork. Serve.