Carrots are a year 'round item at the Hollywood Farmers Market. But this time of year particularly beautiful carrots can be found in an array of colors, sizes and shapes. I love the little round French carrots; so sweet and carroty. They are the perfect size to pop in your mouth like a little carrot bon-bon, and that’s exactly what I do with them.

So this week I chose carrots for my Market Matters post. Not just any carrot however, I chose a variety of the most unusually colored carrots I could find. Because once you get out of the PigglyWiggly you will discover that there is way more to a carrot than orange. There are red carrots, purple ones, even yellow, white, and two-toned varieties.

You needn’t be frightened of these carrots. They are not some mutinized hybrid with a lot of genetic hanky-panky going on. Nope, most of these carrots are heirlooms.

It happened again. I ripped off KCRW’s Good Food. This time my victim was Jean Francois Meteigner the chef at La Cachette Bistro in Santa Monica.

When I left the house this morning for the Hollywood Farmers Market I had an open mind about what I would find for my weekly Market Matters post. I was determined to pick something this week that I was unfamiliar with– something new to me, something that would necessitate putting my brain in gear. Stretch myself. Grow a little. Try something new!

I saw English shelling peas in the pod, they super tempted me. Not that they are all that original. I cook with peas almost every week of my life. Still when they are fresh from the market, it’s easy to throw all your other plans out the window. But I decided that the peas were not really peaking yet, and I’d rather wait a few more weeks and be rewarded with perfect peas. Besides there was that promise I made: Stretch myself. Grow a little. Try something new!

This is one of those recipes. It seems like there are a lot of steps. It's best if you can do it over a day or two. But I promise you these are the very things that make this recipe EASY! It's especially good if you spend a bit of time in the kitchen one day, but know you will have limited time later in the week.

Or you can accomplish a few small steps over several days. Because all the steps take only a few minutes of actual activity each. The cooking itself is very easy and can be made easier with a self-timed oven.

Besides it is an opportunity to use up that day old bread, and those less than ideal off-season tomatoes you stupidly bought. Plus, it's fun to introduce new tastes to the people in your life who may take a bit of prodding when it comes to unusual or strong flavors.

This is my entry in My Legume Love Affair from the Well Seasoned Cook. I call it a Three Bean Winter Panzanella Salad with Preserved Albacore Tuna.

I know that even the title is long and perhaps daunting. But it's a terrific salad consisting of green beans, cranberry beans, and great northern white beans. I call it a panzanella because rich, savory, toasty chunks of bread are a main ingredient. So are tomotoes.

But every one knows February is not a great time of year to eat tomatoes. That's why I call it a winter panzanella.

Because I have a trick. I am taking the only halfway decent variety of tomato you can find this time of year (the cherry or grape tomato) and roasting them slow and low in the oven. This will amplify the sweet nature of the tomato and mellow it's acidic (off-season) nature. Add them to the salad while still warm and you have a great combination of tastes, textures and tempertaures. Savory, sweet, and satisfying. Cruchy, soft and oozey. Warm but crisp!