I Am A Chef - Beating the Heat with Mango Lassis

I love summer...the Farmers Market runneth over with fresh vegetables and fruit...the eyes are assaulted with vibrant colors of heirloom tomatoes, peppers, greens, carrots, corn, fruit and berries.  Bargains scream out to my wallet...10 ears of corn for $1.00, ripe mangoes for $1.00 each.

I always come home laden with produce and then rush to figure out how to use everything up before it goes past its prime.  The peppers are roasted, seeded, peeled and dressed in olive oil.  The tomatoes were prepared in a vinaigrette and topped our fresh grilled halibut two nights ago.  But the mango has been staring at me.

Fortunately, I visit food blogs and this afternoon, being a bit hot, seemed the perfect time to prepare a recipe I obtained from the blog of a local chef, Patricia, (nice name) at her blog, Fresh Food in a Flash!  It is for Mango Lassis.  A lassi is like an Indian Smoothie.  Cool and refreshing it is the perfect compliment for the spicy Indian food or the perfect mid-day drink on a hot August afternoon.  Patricia conducted a cooking class where they prepared Indian dishes and the menu included Mango Lassis.  The recipe is so healthy and so simple that I am going to capture it here on my blog!

Since it is just Jay and I, I only use one mango.  Milli taught me the "island" technique of cutting mangoes easily.  Since the fruit has a large flat seed in the middle of it, you just slice off the large "cheeks" of the fruit and then score it in a checkboard pattern and invert the peel.

Then it is easy to cut the cubes off to eat fresh, put in a salad or toss in the blender for a lassi.

Here are the specific ingredients for 2 small lassis.  It can easily be doubled.
1 mango
1 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1/3 c of milk (I used plain almond milk...but I could use regular or coconut milk)
1/8 c sugar
1 cup of ice cubes
Blend it until it is all smooth and creamy.

I poured the lassi into our Frangipani Wine glasses that we just got last weekend when we visited JoAnn DiStefano Frangipani at their winery in Temecula and then topped it with some ground cardamon to give it an exotic flair.

Jay just loves being my royal taster...one of the "many" fringe benefits of being my spouse!

I Am A Discerning Eater - Enjoying Real Food

About three years ago I began my journey to learn more about the food that graces my plate.  Where did it come from? How did it get to me? What processing has it gone through? How does it impact health and nature?  The journey began by watching a documentary, King Corn, and it was furthered by reading such books as Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, and Food Politics by Marion Nestle.  What I learned was double-sided...it was new in that I was totally unaware of the changes in the food industry and the processing of foods and yet it was old in that it reminded me of the way I ate as a child, my grandparents' gardens, Italian salads, vegetables, greens, tomato sauce made on the stove and vegetables canned in the basement.

As my knowledge grew, I found my habits changing.  I began to grow some of my own food, I began to shop at the Farmers Markets, I began to question the amount of animal protein that I prepared and where I purchased it.  I also found my tastes changing.  I began to crave....Real Food.

There is much in the media today about "real food"...food that is a product of nature rather than a product of industry.  Real food is food that nourishes:  the consumers, the producers, the earth and the communities.  This week I discovered a very interesting chart on the blog Cyber-cise that attempts to define real food.   So as I look forward to the coming week, I feel my salivary glands begin to perk up...what shall we eat this week? 

First thing this morning, the sun was shining and we headed out to the Santa Monica's Sunday Farmers Market.  It is a cozy well-attended market and I am always excited about something new I might discover.

Jay feels the food vendors should also be supported so he had a little snack while listening to a local band perform.

I hit the produce section.  

 Smith's Farms has beautiful organic veggies and just a little way down is Harry's Berry's with their succulent strawberries.  Last week we attended a panel discussion with Farmers and Local chefs and we learned that the Farmers Markets nourish the farmers by providing a niche for their produce.  They are not big enough to compete with large commercial distribution so they appreciate the markets and we appreciate them!  My interesting find for the day...celery root.  I have never prepared celery root before and the farmer said he didn't know how to cook it either...he had grown it by mistake, thinking it was celery.  The plants look similar when they are little. So now he is selling it at his stand and people are buying it. :-) 

Tuscan kale and celery root!

So far on my mental menu for the coming week I have some of the items we purchased this morning.  Of course, roasted peppers...they are still in season; a sausage/bean soup with the rainbow swiss chard I found there; some braised Tuscan kale and something with the celery root. 

Then with the beautiful Meyers lemons (right off the tree) that we received from friends, Al and Marilyn, a roasted lemon chicken, some lemon bars and maybe a Lemon Olive Oil cake.

Of course we still eat some processed food...after all, most of the dry pasta I regularly prepare was processed someplace, usually in "la bella Italia."  But I do read labels, I do try to avoid anything with long list of chemical sounding ingredients, and I definitely do not buy "food-like substances" that are simply the creation of food chemists in a laboratory. I follow Michael Pollan's advice to "Eat food,.... not too much and mostly plants."

Buon Appetito!!

I Am A Chef - Enjoying Roasted Peppers

I have so many wonderful memories of my maternal grandmother, Frances Rosso Montalto. She was a fantastic woman, a woman ahead of her times.  The oldest daughter in her family, her parents arranged her marriage at age 16 to my grandfather, ending any dreams she had of furthering her education and becoming a teacher. Yet when she was 54 she went back to school and became a licensed practical nurse, working at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lorain, Ohio in the tonsillectomy ward and later at local nursing homes caring for the elderly who were actually younger than she.  She lived to be 91 years old.  I hope I have been gifted with her genes. I know I have been gifted by her in many other ways.

Frances Rosso Montalto - 1963

She passed on to me so many of her interests and skills.  Like the joy of creating things with my hands when she taught me to crochet at a very young age and I crocheted edging on handkerchiefs.  Like the love of gardening when she taught me to always pinch off the deadhead of a flower so the energy would go into new growth for the plant.  Like the creative art of cooking when she taught me to cook my first recipe... Italian caponata.  Like how to laugh and have fun, when she taught me how to say tongue twisters...her favorite being:

 Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked,
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

I think of this and of her whenever I see, prepare or eat peppers.

So she has been on my mind often these days as we are in pepper season in Southern California.  The glorious colors of the peppers at the Farmers Market are so hard to resist.

I have prepared them many ways but this year my recipe of choice has been Roasted Peppers. 

I only recently began to roast peppers and I went to my fount of knowledge when I am trying to learn a new skill...Youtube...to discover the best way to do so.  I have a gas stove so I opted to roast them right on top of the gas jets.

Once they are completely blackened, I toss them in a paper bag to steam and release the skin.  When they have cooled it is very easy to remove the blackened skin and the seeds.

I prefer to them tear them along their natural lines into thin slices.  Next I blend a few anchovy fillets in about 1/4 cup of olive oil and toss the pepper slices in the oil.  Then I layer the peppers with thin slices of garlic, some fresh oregano leaves and about 2 Tablespoons of capers, some salt and pepper and let them just sit for a while at room temperature to marry the flavors.

Looking at them gracing this lovely Italian ceramic plate recalls the many restaurants in Italy where we were fortunate to enjoy their various antipasti.  Last night I served these with our dinner.  My son, Joe, stopped by on his way home to San Diego from Lompoc to pick up his dog...yes, we dog-sit! So he ate with us and put these peppers on slices of toasted Italian bread as a pepper burschetta.  I have also served them with some Burrata Cheese as a salad.  Then today we joined some friends for a walk along the bluffs and pier in Redondo Beach and I made roasted pepper sandwiches for our picnic lunch.  So simple and so delizioso! 

Grazie, Grandma...you were with me every step of the way!

I Am A Shopper - The Mar Vista Farmers' Market

One of the perks of living in southern California is that it is possible to find a Farmers' Market within a five mile radius of our home, every day of the week.  Today, after reading an article in a recent LA Times, we decided to check out the Mar Vista Farmers' Market just off Venice Blvd.  Three streets are blocked off and filled with stalls selling produce, fruit, flowers, nuts as well as prepared foods.

Mar Vista Farmers' Market

While you might think a Farmers' Market by any other name is still a Farmers' Market, each one has it's own flavor and vibe.  Some of the unique aspects of Mar Vista is a special service they provide to dog owners.  Since dogs are not permitted in the market area itself, one stall at the entrance is set up for "dog watching"....a safe friendly place where you can park your pet while you shop.  The volunteers work for tips only and it is even possible to arrange to have your pooch walked in the nearby neighborhood while you shop.  I also heard there is a bike valet there for bikers who have no place to safely park their bikes, but I did not see it.

Park Your Pet!

It is not unusual to see a local politician pressing the flesh like Janice Hahn, who is running for our newly vacated Congressional seat.

We have our regular routine.  Start in one spot walking up and down the front of the stalls to get a feel for what is in season this week and what the prices are.  Then we retrace our steps to make purchases.  It is days like this that I wish I were a talented painter...to capture the colors and vibrancy of all the items on display.

Tomatoes are beginning to show up and we decided to purchase two kinds for a taste test later:  an heirloom Purple Cherokee and a Shady Lady Hydroponically grown.  Homeboy Industries Bakery had a stall also and we bought a loaf of rye bread with currants that looked wonderful.

Homeboy Bakery

Citrus abounded and we bought Cara Cara and Navel oranges, two lush lemons and some Blood Oranges for an Olive Oil and Orange cake recipe I want to try.

This is the perfect time for strawberries.  The farmers come in from the Oxnard fields and the berries are so deliciously sweet.  They are smaller than the strawberries on steroids that you can find throughout the year...you know the ones...huge, dry and often with big white shoulders.  These smaller gems are red clear through and are lush and succulent.  I got a three pack of the wonderful Caramosa variety and we are having them with some sparkling wine before dinner.

What we bought...see the two types of tomatoes!

Jay's job is to keep track of me and to carry the produce bag.  His reward after the shopping is done is a treat...today we bought two taco's from Larry's Grill.

There is good news and bad news to Farmers' Markets.  I feel like breaking into song with the words..."How ya gonna keep them in the "supermarket" after they've seen the "Farmers' Market."  The good news is that the produce is so ready to be eaten, so prime, so seasonal that it leads to the bad news...I find myself dissatisfied with produce at the major grocery stores and will go without before I will settle for the produce that is lacking in taste and texture.

We appreciate the relationship that exists between the farmers and the "city folk."  Last year we attended a Panel discussion in Santa Monica where various farmers talked about their farms.  We realized that the Farmers' Markets provide an niche marketplace for the farmers who wants to make a living growing produce but are too small to compete in the large distribution chains.  So they pack up their goods in the wee hours of the mornings and set out to the city.  Here is a delightful video, worth the 7 minutes to watch, about A Tale of Two Carrots that was recently posted to the SlowFoodLA website:

A Tale of Two Carrots from Sustainca on Vimeo.

So I raise my eyes and glass in gratitude that I live in the "land of fruits and nuts...and vegetables!" Salute!

I Am a Hostess - Preparing Strawberry Tiramisu

A few years ago we were invited by some like-minded friends to participate in a monthly discussion group.  This gathering calls itself "Philologue" which is kind of a mix between philosophy and dialogue.  It is a safe place where we are able to discuss and share opinions and insights on any topic of our choice, knowing that we are all seeking a better understanding of issues and that our thoughts and opinions will be respected.  So tomorrow is our gathering for April and it is being held at our home.

The routine is to discuss the month's topic for 2 hours, then break for refreshments, then gather again to discuss the logistics for the next month...topic, date and location.  I enjoy hosting the event because it gives me an opportunity to try some new and interesting refreshments.  Summer has finally arrived in Southern California so I am think refreshing and cool.  This morning at the Farmers' market most stalls were hawking their STRAWBERRIES.  For the past year or so we have had strawberries available almost year round.  But most of the time they are hot house versions of berries that may be grown organically, but they are not really in season and they lack the sweet, ripe flavor of a naturally grown berry.  But it is April and what we are seeing now are berries picked yesterday in the fields around Oxnard.  I prefer the smaller berries that seem to pack more sweetness.

While googling for some fresh strawberry recipe ideas I stumbled across one for Strawberry Tiramisu made with ladyfingers, mascapone cheese, an orange liquore (I used Grand Marnier).  Recipe is here at "Kathleen's  Gonna Want Seconds Blog". I tried it last week as a trial run and we loved it...I can't believe we ate the whole thing!

So, tomorrow I will serve this Tiramisu, a new vegetable dip made with my fava beans, spring green garlic, lemon, olive oil and goat cheese, (recipe here...thank you, Simply Recipes) some crackers and cheeses....and of course, lemonade!

I think it will be a welcome treat after digesting the heavy topic of the "Current government situation and what it will take to make the government work better!"  Hum....I wonder if after that topic I need to also serve something stronger than lemonade???

I Am a Chef - Meyer Lemon Spaghetti

Jay is usually my "main squeeze" but this week I am squeezing citrus!  January is a wonderful month for citrus in southern California.  A walk through the neighborhood takes you past homes with orange and lemon trees heavily laden with golden globes of fruit.  The farmers' markets stalls overflow with every variety of citrus imaginable: blood oranges...reminiscent of la bella Sicilia, cara cara oranges, Fremont tangerines, oroblanco grapefruit, Mexican limes, and sweet Meyer lemons.   If you are as fortunate as I am, you also have a friend like Gloria who calls and says..."Please come over and pick some Meyer lemons.  The limbs of my tree are going to break!"

So what to do with such a bounty?  In years past we have gone all out and made Limoncello. We created our own Italian version of a moonshine still on our kitchen counter, carefully peeled off the lemon zest, soaked it in Everclear Grain alcohol, mixed it with simple syrup and gifted it to friends, but somehow the urge to repeat the process isn't present this year.  As I looked at my overflowing basket, I thought.

Some lemons would be squeezed into ice cube trays and then bagged as frozen cubes of fresh juice for future recipes.  I am watching my calories, so lemon pie was not an option.  I can also make some more preserved lemons for my Morrocan chicken Recipe.

Then I remembered a wonderful dish we ate in Sorrento, Italy many years ago.  Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast is Lemon Heaven and the fount of Limoncello in Italy.

Limoncello and our Kitchen Clock from Sorrento!

The dish was a simple spaghetti dressed in a lemon sauce.  Such a recipe is not part of my family lore, so I went to Google.  Among the 1, 210,000 links returned when I searched for "lemon spaghetti recipe" was one from a blog, In Erika's Kitchen, with a recipe that looked perfect!  This recipe uses Meyer Lemons and Goat Cheese.  The recipe is here.  It was quick and easy to make and we enjoyed it.  The Meyer lemon is sweeter than regular lemons so it is a subtle lemony taste.  The other recipes were similar but did not call for the goat cheese, so it could be left out.  However, it did not overwhelm the dish and created a creamy essence to the sauce.  So now I know... when life hands me lemons, make lemonade...or lemon spaghetti.   

Grazie!...Gloria and Erika.

I Am a Farmers Market Shopper

Wednesday morning = Westchester Farmers' Market. Any farmers' market in the month of August is like a trip to the Land of Bountiful.  I have my routine...starting at the south end of the vendor stalls and walking the entire length to check out who has what...what looks especially fresh and enticing...and performing a price comparison.  When I reach the north end, I stop at Jun's Fish stall and buy my fresh cod, for my mother and for me. This man is the greatest!  I asked him to tell me how he gets his fish.  He lives in Long Beach, goes to the airport every night at 12:30 am to pick up the fresh whole fish he has ordered the day before.  Once through customs, he takes the fish to Oxnard where two employees at his warehouse, cut and package the fish. He packs his van with his ice coolers full of fish and heads out for the day's Farmers' Market. The market usually closes by 2 pm and he heads home to sleep until his alarm wakes him at 11 pm. to head back to the airport.  He says it is hard work but it is good work.  His fish is wonderful.

Here my purchases today:  The Cod fillets and also one small Halibut fillet.  I will saute it and make a shallot and wine sauce with some of the crimson seedless grapes I bought.  Yellow and red onions...I never seem to have enough.  Green scallions from the Japanese grower.  Five luscious yellow peaches...I am thinking peach cobbler (Don't tell Marc or he will eat it all!)  A firm eggplant to grill. Some mixed baby lettuce and a cucumber with NO wax coating! Strawberries from Oxnard...sliced with balsamic vinegar...yummy. Black figs, only available for a few weeks but so delicious.  Will broil them stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese and wrapped in prosciutto and lay them on a salad...if I can wait that long.  An assortment of grapes, some muscat and some concord with seeds but so tasty. 

So I bring it all into the kitchen and delight it its beauty...what to prepare first?