where the image is meant to titillate and inspire the cook
Summer vacation, ahhhh! We’re trying new restaurants, exploring new sites, visiting old friends, playing lots of basketball, swimming, bicycling on the beach and enjoying the charms of my hometown here in Los Angeles County. My brother, sister-in-law, and nephews are visiting and we are having a blast! Earlier in the week we spent a couple days at Terranea Resort on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
You’ve heard the expression “like a kid in a candy store?” Well that kid was me this past weekend at the Farmers’ Market in Palos Verdes. If it looked tasty, I bought it. No restraint whatsoever. From Japanese eggplant to okra to heirloom tomatoes. And asatsuki, carrots, red serranos, beets, patty pan squash, spinach, garlic, Anaheim chiles, Thai basil, mitsuba…I had no plan, no recipe in mind. I was simply vegetable-crazy.
8-layer farmers’ market fantasy
curried fresh carrot juice sauce with blanched okra & mitsuba
grilled green & yellow patty pan squash
sautéed spinach with sesame, garlic, soy sauce
crispy polenta cake
fire-roasted anaheim chile
fresh goat cheese & asatsuki
cumin dusted grilled beet
spicy smoky heirloom tomato & thai basil
roasted japanese eggplant, maldon smoked sea salt flakes
lacy pickled lotus root
Just like the previous post on spicy pickled cucumber & wakame, lacy pickled lotus root is a unique summer side dish that offers a refreshing counterpoint to grilled meat, poultry or fish. In addition to its slightly crunchy texture and mildly sweet flavor, this aquatic vegetable graces the table with its circular stenciled patterns, a delight for the eye as well.
japanese cucumber, wakame, serrano pepper
sea-flavored sweet & sour garlic marinade, toasted sesame seed
society garlic blossom garnish
Lively, crisp, and vinegary – spicy pickled cucumber & wakame is a perfect summer accompaniment that offers a refreshing counterpoint to grilled meat, poultry or fish. Crunchy Japanese cucumber, fiery serrano chile, and briny silky wakame combine to make a cool & spicy restorative hot weather side dish.
Continue reading “spicy pickled cucumber, wakame, garlic blossom”
Tofu Salad à la Provençal
Heirloom Tomato, Tofu, Olive, Sweet Pepper, Scallion, Anchovy, Mitsuba
Garlicky Tamari Vinaigrette
WANTED: Colorful summer salad recipes with flair! Drab dull ordinary salads need not apply. Does your salad have what it takes? One that incorporates esoteric flavors and uses summer crops at their peak. Will it make us feel satisfied on the hottest dog days? We’re looking for salads that go well with cold-dry-pink-wine. Must be full-flavored, nothing wimpy! Willing to experiment. Unlimited opportunity. Apply soon, before summer passes us by.