Sunday Shopping

Today we were on a mission at the Hollywood Farmers Market. This is Labor Day weekend - our traditional time to put up salsa. It is usually a very hot weekend, and we throw pounds of tomatoes into boiling water to peel, and then stir steaming pots of tomatoes and chilies in our non air-conditioned kitchen.

Traditions require a little work. You can read about our salsa-making weekend, and see the recipe for this famous (well, within the family) salsa here.

This year we have had air conditioning installed. However, maybe we won't turn it on. After all, working up a good sweat is part of the tradition.

The chiles will come from our garden - we have guayanan habaneros, serranos, jalapeños and fish peppers. However, we have to buy the tomatoes - our plants are woefully under-producing.

So our first stop this morning was at Finley Farms' stall, where we bought 10 lbs of San Marzano tomatoes. These are paste tomatoes - more flesh than juice - so they won't cook down too much and we'll get lots of salsa.

Larry took these back to the car, and then we proceeded with the rest of our shopping. (By the way, I mentioned last week that I had planned to make ratatouille but there was no eggplant. This week, the eggplants were back. I bought one to stuff.)

Here's what we brought home: 1 large and 4 small plain St. Benoit yogurts, 8 large shiitake mushrooms, 1 dozen eggs, 2 heads garlic, 2 red onions, 10 lbs san marzano tomatoes, 1 red butter lettuce, 2 tangelos, 4 limes, 1 cantaloupe, 3 red peppers, 1 eggplant, 1 head celery, 1 avocado, 5 tsugaru apples, 1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, 2 beefsteak tomatoes, 2 heirloom tomatoes, 16 oranges

Creative Cooking

Someone asked me the other day why I used green cabbage instead of red in my spicy coleslaw.

Red cabbage is often considered healthier than green because of the additional protective phytonutrients in the red pigment. However, each variety of cabbage - red, green and Savoy - contains a different combination of health-promoting nutrients, so a variety of cabbages in the diet is a good thing. Diversity is the key to health.

That's the highfalutin' reason I made my coleslaw from green cabbage.

The real reason is that the farmer I bought my fresh organic cabbage from at the Hollywood Farmers Market only had green cabbage for sale. I choose to support local organic farmers, and that means eating what they grow, not necessarily what I planned to cook.

For example, last week I planned to make ratatouille. Sunday morning at the market I picked up organic red peppers and tomatoes, and went on the hunt for eggplants. There were none. For weeks I've been buying eggplants, but now they had disappeared.

I considered going to Whole Foods for an organic eggplant, but I prefer to put my grocery dollars in the hands of the people who grow my produce.

So I turned to Plan B. Instead of ratatouille this week, we're eating stir-fries with the red peppers. I'm making a chili sauce with the tomatoes. Last night I used the zucchini in this kamut pilaf.

And maybe next week the eggplant will have returned and I can make a ratatouille.

This kamut dish is an easy one to put together on a warm summer evening. Cook the kamut ahead and let it cool to room temperature. Then 20 minutes before you want to eat, finish the cooking quickly in a skillet. It has a slightly Asian flavor. Add more tamari if you are used to saltier food. Look for organic rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil at your local health food store. They're a great addition to the pantry.

Kamut with Zucchini
3/4 cup kamut
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp minced ginger root
2 cloves garlic
1 1/4 lb zucchini
2 tbsp mirin (or dry sherry)
1 tbsp tamari (soy sauce)
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Cook the kamut in plenty of boiling water until tender, 30-40 minutes. It's cooked when it's lost its crunch but still has texture - like al dente pasta. Drain and set aside.

Warm the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook a couple of minutes until fragrant.

Chop the zucchini in roughly 1/4 inch dice. Add to the skillet and cook about 5 minutes until it is tender.

Add the mirin, tamari and kamut and cook until warmed through. Stir in the rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil.

Serves 3-4

The Week's Granola

Last week I found 1/4 cup of amaranth in a jar in the pantry. I was not happy at this discovery. A quarter cup of this tiny grain is not enough to cook by itself, so I was tempted to feed it to the neighbor's chickens.

But that felt wasteful. Instead, I decided to add it to our weekly granola. Amaranth is high in protein so I knew it would make a nutritious addition to our breakfasts. The key would be to get it to stick to the oats and nuts, and not just fall to the bottom of the granola jar where it would remain uneaten.

Brown rice syrup and honey provided the stickiness, along with some dates, and Larry declared it the best granola I've made. Here's what I did.

Granola with Amaranth

4 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup amaranth

1 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

3 tbsp honey

3 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups chopped pitted dates

Preheat oven to 275°F.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, amaranth, bran, sunflower seeds and walnuts. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and stir well.

In a medium saucepan, warm brown rice syrup, honey and canola oil until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour this over the rolled oats mixture and stir well. (This might be easier with two spoons or with your hands.)

Spread the mixture on a cookie sheet and bake until lightly golden, about 25-30 minutes. Stir occasionally while it cooks. It will feel soft when you take it from the oven, but it will crisp up as it cools. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the chopped dates. Let it cool completely and then store in a large glass jar.

It will probably last a few weeks in the cupboard, if you hide it from your family.

P.S. To make this truly vegan, substitute extra brown rice syrup for the honey.

Cookbook Bonanza

Yesterday was the annual used-cookbook sale at the Hollywood Farmers Market, benefiting the Los Angeles Public Library. I'm always thrilled to see it setting up in the center of the market. Larry starts counting up our cloth shopping bags to make sure we have enough for our groceries and the armload of books I am sure to find.

The last couple of years I found the titles were becoming a little boring, but this year there was a plethora of quirky books to choose from, and with prices from 25 cents to four dollars, it was hard to go wrong. Here's what I spent $10 on.

The Fresh Vegetable by Paul Mayer, published by nitty gritty productions in 1975, promises to have the best method ever for cooking fresh vegetables. How could I resist?

The Higher Taste: A Guide to Gourmet Vegetarian Cooking and a Karma-Free Diet includes over 60 Famous Hare Krishna Recipes. Originally published in 1983, this paperback surprised me by being re-published in 2001.

Cucina Fresca: Italian food, simply prepared and served cold or at room temperature by Viana La Place and Evan Kleiman (1985) is enticing because I know the September heat will wilt our appetites along with my desire to cook, so simply-prepared room-temperature food will fit the bill.

Leone's Italian Cookbook by Gene Leone (1967). Leone's Italian restaurant in New York City was quite the popular place in the '50s and '60s it seems, with great food based on his mother's recipes. At least, that's what Dwight D. Eisenhower says in his introduction to this book. I'm not sure I'll cook much from it but I'm enjoying the black and white photos.

Picnics: over 40 recipes for dining in the great outdoors, edited by Heidi Haughy Cusick (1994) - we picnic nightly on our patio in the summer, and more inspiration is always appreciated.

Ladle, Leaf, & Loaf: soup, salad and bread for every season by Lisa Cowden (2000). I love the idea of a meal of soup, salad and bread. Usually when we have soup, that is the meal - no fancy salads or breads - but I can continue to daydream.

Pilaf, Risotto, and Other Ways with Rice by Sada Fretz (1995).

Great Grains by Linda Drachman and Peter Wynne (1990)

Daniel Orr Real Food by Daniel Orr (1997). There's a hand-written note in the front of this book from someone who gave it as a Christmas present: "I found his cuisine fascinating - subtle. He's on to a new thing…I think for 2001 this book is the most exciting conceptual new approach to food."

The Best of Sunset: Recipes from the Magazine of Western Living (1987). I think of myself retiring to the frozen north and spending winters browsing California cookbooks and remembering when lemons came from the backyard tree and avocados were inexpensive staples at the farmers market.

Sunset Host & Hostess Book (1940). This goes in the category of entertaining reading.

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten with a foreword by Martha Stewart (1999). The photographs in this book are lovely - hopefully they will inspire Larry and me to elevate our game.

Sunday Shopping

As we passed the Flora Bella stand at the Hollywood Farmers Market today, I assured Larry that I was going to show great restraint and not buy one of their adorable spaghetti squashes. And I didn't. I did, however, bring home a small pumpkin. It feels early for these autumn fruits, but it was a cute one  that I couldn't resist. I hope it's cool enough this week to turn on the oven to bake it.

Here's what we came home with:
4 mountain-grown peaches, 1 small watermelon, 6 ears of corn, 1 red sails lettuce, 1 red butter lettuce, 3 small bartlett pears, 1 white patty pan squash, green grapes, 2 small romaine lettuces, 3 zucchinis, 8 shiitake mushrooms, 2 red peppers, 4 shallots, 4 lbs marzano and early girl tomatoes, 2 onions, 2 garlic, 1 small pumpkin, 4 honey crisp apples, pistachios in the shell, 1 dozen eggs, 3 yellow peaches

And an armload of second-hand cookbooks from the annual  sale benefitting the Los Angeles Library. All together a good shopping morning.

Spicy Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a great dish to have in the fridge. It pairs well with grains, beans, casseroles, marinated tofu - it even goes well on a green salad in a pinch.

And it's very healthy. Cabbage is one of the healthiest foods we can eat, especially for the colon. It's full of good kinds of fiber and anti-cancer nutrients.

The other day I made this creamy spicy coleslaw to liven up some leftover black beans and rice. We ate it the next day with leftover tofu, and I was impressed at how it had become even more spicy with rest.

You can vary the spiciness by using more or less chiles. I used fish peppers, which look like serranos and are also very hot. The plants were very popular at the farmers' market this year, and I can see why because they grow into a pretty variegated bush of green and cream leaves. They're heirloom peppers originally used in fish stews in the Philadelphia area, hence the name. If you don't have fish peppers, use serranos or jalapeños. If you don't like heat, use a couple of tablespoons of bell pepper.

I added raw corn to the slaw. This is a luxury only available in corn season, and I recommend you take advantage of it. Raw corn adds a crisp sweetness to whatever you sprinkle it on. I don't think I'd munch a whole cob of raw corn, but a few kernels in a dish are great.

The base of the dressing is mayonnaise. I used to use Hellman's (Best Foods in the west), but now I'm an organic obsessive so I use whatever organic mayonnaise I can find, usually made with a base of organic canola oil. It's not mayonnaise, but it is a fine creamy addition to this spicy slaw.

I rarely sweeten my food, but in this slaw I used a spoonful of brown rice syrup in the dressing. This is a complex sweetener found in health food stores. Feel free to leave it out, but you might need to add more mayonnaise to smooth out the flavors.

The leftover dressing is excellent on green salads. Or you can make some more coleslaw. You can't go wrong with cabbage.

Spicy Coleslaw
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp brown rice syrup
1 ear corn
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 red pepper
2 fish peppers
2 scallions

Toast the cumin seed in a small heavy skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Remove from the heat.

Combine the mayo, garlic, cilantro, cumin, lime and brown rice syrup in a blender. Purée until smooth.

Husk the corn and place the cob vertically on a chopping board. With a large knife, cut carefully down the ear, separating the kernels from the cob, but leaving all the tough pieces of cob behind.

Put the corn kernels in a bowl with the cabbage. Seed, quarter and slice the red pepper and fish peppers and add to the bowl. Chop the scallions and add them too.

Pour half the dressing over the salad and stir well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate the remaining dressing separately.

Taste before serving and add salt, pepper and more lime juice to taste. Serve the extra dressing on the side.

Serves 4-6

Yummy Spaghetti Squash

I had some leftover whipping cream in the fridge from the peach ice cream I served to our guests recently.

I could have made more ice cream, but that's not really healthy.

So instead I combined the cream with one of my favorite foods - spaghetti squash - to make this decadent yet vaguely healthy side dish. The crisp spaghetti squash strands in the creamy spicy sauce make a great combination.

It's the second spaghetti squash recipe (out of many) I've made that Larry enjoyed. Take this as a strong recommendation, and make it yourself when you see a nice little spaghetti squash at the market.

Yummy Spaghetti Squash
1 small spaghetti squash
3/4 - 1 cup whipping cream
2 fresh hot peppers
2 tbsp monterey jack cheese

Wash the spaghetti squash with a little earth-friendly coconut-based dishwashing liquid like Planet. Bake in a 350°F oven about 30-45 minutes until it feels soft when you squeeze it.

Let the squash cool enough to touch. Meanwhile, put the cream in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the sliced peppers (I used fish peppers, but serranos or jalapeños would be fine too) and let simmer until the volume is reduced in half. The cream boils over easily, so keep an eye on it. Boiling won't hurt the cream, but if it bubbles too much the burner and stove will be a mess.

When the cream is reduced, turn off the heat and let it sit until you're ready to prepare the meal.

Cut the ends off the squash and discard. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and goop, and discard. Scoop the thick strands, which still should be tender-crisp, out of the shell and into a bowl. Separate the strands with two forks.

Pour the cream (and peppers) over the squash and stir to combine. Transfer to a small casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the top, cover, and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes until it's hot and bubbly and the cheese is browned.

Serves 2-4 depending on the size of the squash.

Isn't it beautiful?

Sunday Shopping

It was a sunny morning at the Hollywood Farmers Market. The produce looked beautiful in the slanting August light. Maybe that's why I had to tuck so much into our shopping bags. Here's what we'll be eating this week:

radishes, cilantro, parsley, tomatoes, carrots, green onions, spaghetti squash, black beans, avocado, eggs, yellow onions, red onion, cantaloupes, pomelo, plain yogurt from grass-fed Jersey cows, 'sugar and gold' corn on the cob, eggplant, arugula, red butter lettuce, green cabbage, red peppers, orange pepper, cherry tomatoes, oranges (well, we already ate these juiced for brunch), jack cheese, mountain peaches, Santa Rosa plums, gala apples, limes

And Russ sharpened two knives while we shopped.

The Joy of Leftovers

One of the great things about cooking a big meal is having leftovers.

And a great leftover to have is grilled eggplant slices. We had some left over from Saturday night dinner, so on Sunday I stirred them up into a tomato sauce that we ate on penne. That was a great break from healthy eating. The next night we were back to beans and greens.

If you don't have leftover grilled eggplant, then start by slicing an eggplant and grilling or frying it. I recommend using a grill pan because the eggplant can't absorb as much oil as it can in a fry pan.

This recipe is based on one in Anna Thomas' classic 1972 book The Vegetarian Epicure. This was one of my first vegetarian cookbooks, and I still turn to it regularly for basics like this sauce. Although, 40 years on, I find I automatically reduce the amount of oil and dairy products in the recipes. I'm sure she does now too.

Eggplant Pasta Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 - 1/2 lb grilled eggplant slices
1 green pepper
28 oz can whole tomatoes
2 tbsp sliced black olives
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp dried basil
6 oz tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and let it warm.

Chop the eggplant slices in chunks. Seed and dice the green pepper. Drain the tomatoes and chop them coarsely. Add all to the pan along with the olives and capers. Stir well, coating all the vegetables in oil. Add the basil, tomato paste and wine, stir again, and cover the skillet. Let simmer gently over low heat for about 1 hour until it is rich and dark. Stir occasionally to keep it from sticking, and add extra wine or water if it gets too thick.

Makes about 1 quart of sauce, enough for pasta for 4-6 people. It freezes well too.

Beans and Greens and Mushrooms

I was buying cilantro and chard at the South Central Farmers Cooperative stall at the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday when I noticed some beautiful burgundy leaves. I was told they were amaranth, a green that we have not eaten before. So I bought a bunch to try.

When I nibbled a leaf, I found it was surprisingly bitter. So I decided to cook it with some curly kale (for texture) and beet greens (for sweetness). I combined them with mushrooms and white beans for a simple and nutritious dinner.

You could make this recipe with any combination of greens you like. I recommend the curly kale because it bulks up the dish - it doesn't shrink quite as much as chard and other types of kale. Some arugula or rapini would be nice for flavor. And a gentle green like collards or beets is always appreciated.

I used a variety of mushrooms because I was feeling adventurous at the market. Plain creminis would be fine too, or even white mushrooms.

The white beans look pretty against the greens, but any bean can be used. If you don't feel like cooking your own, drain a 14-oz can of whatever strikes your fancy.

Beans and Greens and Mushrooms
1/3 cup dry white beans
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lb mixed mushrooms (I used oyster, shiitake and cremini)
1 bunch curly green kale
greens from 1 bunch of beets
1 bunch purple amaranth

Cook the white beans in plenty of simmering water until tender, about 90 minutes depending on the beans. Drain and set aside. (At this point they can be refrigerated overnight if needed.)

Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Peel and chop 1 shallot and 1 clove garlic and add to the oil. Cook, stirring, until onion is translucent and garlic is golden but not brown.

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Remove the base of the stem if it's dirty, and remove woody stems from shiitakes and oyster mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms and add to the skillet with 1/4 tsp of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are brown, about 5 minutes. Remove them to a bowl and set aside.

Wash all the greens. Cut the tough stems from the kale and discard them. Slice the leaves into 1/4 inch ribbons. Cut the beet stems at the base of the leaves and discard them. Slice the leaves crosswise. Remove the stems of the amaranth and discard. Chop the leaves coarsely.

Put the skillet back on the heat. Warm 1 tbsp oil and peel and chop the other shallot and clove of garlic. Add to the pot and cook until soft. Add the curly kale, stir well, season with a little salt and pour in about 1/4 cup of water. Stir again, then cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes until the kale is wilted and cooked down a bit. Add the beet greens and amaranth, a little more salt and pepper, stir well, then cover and cook another 10 minutes until all the greens are tender.

Add the reserved mushrooms and white beans to the skillet, and cook some more until everything is warmed through. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Summer Entertaining

Summer is an easy time of year to entertain. The fresh produce is spectacular and needs very little fussing - serve plain old corn on the cob and everyone's happy. And many dishes can be made ahead and served at room temperature on these warm evenings, so the chef can mingle with her guests.

Saturday night, we invited Shane and Emma to dinner. We poured glasses of hibiscus-lime iced tea and strolled the garden. I picked some herbs, greens and cherry tomatoes to round out the main course, and Shane picked blueberries for dessert.

We chatted over corn chips and our homemade salsa while I dressed the greens for the grilled eggplant salad. I had grilled the eggplant a couple of hours before when I got home from work, and left it at room temperature.

Warming up in the slow cooker was a white bean and tomato stew I had cooked early that morning. It had a little heat from our home-grown poblano and jalapeño peppers, but was still a gentle foil to the tart and spicy greens on the eggplant. (The slow cooker is a great way to warm food without having to watch that it doesn't burn.) Larry cooked corn on the cob, and we sat down to an easy yet delicious meal.

Dessert was peach ice cream that I'd made Wednesday evening with mountain-grown peaches from Ha's Apple Farm. I felt bad turning this luscious fruit into ice cream, but it got rave reviews, especially with our homegrown blueberries scattered on top.

As we ate dessert, the night grew dark and we lit candles. An owl flew to the top of our cypress tree, and the full moon rose. There's nothing like a simple summer dinner in the garden.

White Bean and Tomato Stew
1 cup dry white beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large tomato, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 poblano pepper
1 jalapeño pepper
1 heaping tablespoon fresh basil
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1/2 cup parsley

Cook the beans in plenty of simmering water until tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours depending on the age of the beans. They should be just cooked, not mushy, because they will cook further in the stew. Drain them and set aside. They can be refrigerated overnight. If you prefer, you can use 2 14-oz cans of cannellini beans. Drain them and rinse them well.

Warm olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the garlic, tomato, and seeded and chopped peppers. Cook a couple of minutes and add the beans. Season with salt to taste. It can be refrigerated now if necessary.

Chop the fresh herbs and add to the stew as it warms. If it gets too dry, add a splash of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve warm.

Serves 6

Poblano peppers - like green peppers but with a little heat

Sunday shopping

I took a very short shopping list to the Hollywood Farmers Market today. Yet we were somehow weighted down quite quickly. Six ears of corn, a giant cantaloupe and a small watermelon contributed to the weight - none were on my list. It's going to be another week of good eating.

Here's what we came home with:
4 shallots
2 garlic
cilantro
gingerroot
2 yellow onions
1 red onion
chard
purple amaranth
16 oranges
9 limes
2 dozen eggs
2 red butter lettuce
1 red pepper
5 zestar apples
1 small watermelon
1/2 lb mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, oyster)
5 small plain St. Benoit yogurt
1 Homeboy baguette
1 lb coffee from Cafecito Organico

Beet Salad

Beets make great salads. They can be cooked ahead, refrigerated, then tossed with simple ingredients to make a colorful supper.

Here's the beet salad I made the other night.

Beet Salad
1 bunch beets
1/4 cup spring onions
3 tbsp walnut oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup goat cheese
lettuce

Cut the greens from the beets and save them for another use. Scrub the roots and bake them in a covered casserole at 375° until tender when pierced with a knife. This will take 30-60 minutes depending on the size of the beets.

Let cool. Peel if desired. They can now be refrigerated a day or two before continuing with the recipe.

Whisk together the onions, oil and vinegar. Combine half with the peeled and quartered beets.

Cover a platter with lettuce. Put the dressed beets on the lettuce, and scatter the walnuts and goat cheese over top. Serve the additional dressing on the side.

Serves 2-3

Warm Cherry Tomatoes

Hunting through the fridge the other day, I found a container of organic cherry tomatoes that I'd bought at our local grocery store. We've been enjoying locally-grown cherry tomatoes recently, and these well-travelled ones had been pushed to the back of the fridge. They were a little wrinkled from dehydration but otherwise fine. I didn't want to compost them, but they were not very appealing to eat raw. Instead, I warmed them in a little butter with mint. They rehydrated and turned into plump juicy minty morsels that added color to the dinner plate.

Warm Cherry Tomatoes

2 tbsp butter

1 small shallot

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

3/4 lb cherry tomatoes

Warm the butter in a skillet. Peel and chop the shallot and add it to the pan along with the mint and tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the tomatoes are warmed through, about 5 minutes.

Serves 2-3

Sunday Shopping

We're planning to have friends over for dinner next Saturday, so we bought the groceries today at the Hollywood Farmers Market. An advantage of buying fresh food directly from the farmers is that it will all still be beautifully crisp in a week. In fact, the peaches will take a couple of days to get perfectly ripe, and the organic corn will still taste sweet and delicious - some modern breeding miracle I'm sure.

Here's what we brought home: 6 grapefruit, 2 butter lettuce, 3 tomatoes, 4 plums, 4 apples, 4 peaches, cilantro, 1 bunch of beets, 4 small plain yogurt, dill, 16 oranges, cantaloupe, 4 pickling cucumbers, 6 ears of corn, 2 onions, and 1 heavy pomelo crusted in dirt that was so ripe that it fell to the ground in the orchard and Jorge - knowing my appreciation of pomelos - saved it for me.