On a break between long hours in his kitchen at Osteria 7.13 in Burns Court, Head Chef Marco Vedovo roams the Sarasota Farmers Market on a Saturday. Some he’ll take home, some he’ll take back to Osteria for the coming days. Sunday through Wednesday, Osteria’s guests will likely find something Vedovo picked up just days before and down the street.

Brussels Sprouts    

Fresh Test: Take the little veggie in your hand and feel that it’s crunchy. The color should be a light green. Pro-tip from the master chef: good Brussels sprouts will smell like cauliflower.

The Dish: Vedovo says: “First I cut it very thin. Then I sauté the Brussels sprouts with a little bit of butter and a little bit of the rosemary and garlic oil that I make. On the bottom of my plate, I put a bed of Brussels sprout sauté, then a scallop on top and then I chop raw asparagus and marinade it with lime, olive oil and mint. Chop the asparagus very thin, but still crunchy. Or I put it on my veggie pizza—sauté just a little bit because otherwise they’re going to be too crunchy, then put it on top. A really nice and easy way to cook Brussels sprouts if you have an oven: cut them in half and put them on the baking pan. Put on some olive oil, Parmesan and a little bit of butter. It comes out sweet and crispy.”

Kale    

Fresh Test: When it comes to kale, a deep dark green is preferable and the leaves should retain a solid crunch. At peak freshness, you don’t even have to cook it. 

The Dish: Vedovo says: “I chop the kale, then put some lime on top and olive oil in a bowl and I leave it there for a couple of minutes and let the kale absorb the juice. When it’s ready, I put it in another bowl and put in avocado and cherry tomato. Last week I put some yellow grape tomatoes that I found at the farmers market. Sometimes I change the seasoning or the marinade—put some coriander on top.”

Asparagus  

Fresh Test: Inspect the asparagus from top to bottom. The top should be a tapered point—open means the vegetable is old and approaching the flowering stage and bears ill for the taste. Then make sure that the bottom of the asparagus is white but that the paleness doesn’t extend too far up the stalk.

The Dish: Vedovo says: “I like to grill it and put it on the veggie pizza. Last week I made fettuccini with prawns and asparagus—I just sautéed the asparagus with a bit of rum and a bit of butter. Not too much rum—make sure that all the alcohol has evaporated. With fresh prawns it tastes very nice. If you want you can even put some cherry tomatoes. A cherry tomato is always nice.”

Osteria 7.13, 543 South Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, 941-552-8657.