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I am now at about 75% of normal. Whew.
In my continuing quest to find good neighborhood restaurants, I visited Surfas, the new cafe that's par of an ultra-fancy gourmet food and cooking supply place. I was not impressed. Although the snickerdoodle was delicious, the strawberry-basil soda had so much ice that it drowned the delicate flavor almost immediately, and the pastrami sandwich had so much mustard that the bread was sodden. I might try it again for the baked goods, but it's not replacing Clementine. And although I now know where to go should I want a whole goose or foie gras, all the other ingredients I might have bought were priced triple what they would have been had I bought them at any Asian market.
On my way back, I discovered the Culver City farmer's market. Had I but known, I would have gone there for lunch. I decided to stop and buy some greens to stir-fry, but there were no stir-fry greens in sight, only salad greens. I asked the lady about her dollar-a-bunch greens, which had flat, broad, tapering leaves and bunches of buds and tiny yellow flowers. She informed me that it was "ha choy" (I think), that yes, I could stir-fry it, and yes, you eat the flowers. Has anyone heard of this? How do I cook it?
I also bought purple potatos (again, there was a language barrier, but I am pretty sure the guy told me that they were like fingerling potatos, which I believe you roast?), a blood orange, a grapefruit/orange hybird, a mandarin orange, a bunch of carrots, organic beef jerky, garlic, peas, onions, and hot pecan pralines. While inhaling the pralines I heard a familiar voice. It was Sensei Gary! I was very surprised to run across him, as one is when one runs across people one only knows from one location. Apparently he'd also been driving past, then pulled over.
Any suggestions on simple ways to cook all this stuff, together or separately, would be appreciated.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
oyceter, what's the pea recipe again?
In my continuing quest to find good neighborhood restaurants, I visited Surfas, the new cafe that's par of an ultra-fancy gourmet food and cooking supply place. I was not impressed. Although the snickerdoodle was delicious, the strawberry-basil soda had so much ice that it drowned the delicate flavor almost immediately, and the pastrami sandwich had so much mustard that the bread was sodden. I might try it again for the baked goods, but it's not replacing Clementine. And although I now know where to go should I want a whole goose or foie gras, all the other ingredients I might have bought were priced triple what they would have been had I bought them at any Asian market.
On my way back, I discovered the Culver City farmer's market. Had I but known, I would have gone there for lunch. I decided to stop and buy some greens to stir-fry, but there were no stir-fry greens in sight, only salad greens. I asked the lady about her dollar-a-bunch greens, which had flat, broad, tapering leaves and bunches of buds and tiny yellow flowers. She informed me that it was "ha choy" (I think), that yes, I could stir-fry it, and yes, you eat the flowers. Has anyone heard of this? How do I cook it?
I also bought purple potatos (again, there was a language barrier, but I am pretty sure the guy told me that they were like fingerling potatos, which I believe you roast?), a blood orange, a grapefruit/orange hybird, a mandarin orange, a bunch of carrots, organic beef jerky, garlic, peas, onions, and hot pecan pralines. While inhaling the pralines I heard a familiar voice. It was Sensei Gary! I was very surprised to run across him, as one is when one runs across people one only knows from one location. Apparently he'd also been driving past, then pulled over.
Any suggestions on simple ways to cook all this stuff, together or separately, would be appreciated.
oyceter, what's the pea recipe again?
From:
no subject
I haven't tried broiling the purple potatoes before, but I cooked them like normal potatoes, and it works. They're a little harder and waxier than normal brown potatoes, but a little softer than the red ones. Broiling should be fine (with olive oil and salt and rosemary will probably be tasty!).
You have peas!!!!!!! I haven't been to the market for two to three weeks! I must go!! PEAS!!!!
Ahem, right. Anyway, after you shell them, I generally sweat them over low heat with a sprinkling of salt, pepper, dried parsley and olive oil. Um. I wish I could tell you the amounts.... just... add half a teaspoon of the salt, pepper and parsley and increase to taste. The olive oil, I just add about a teaspoon full, I think. And then keep them over low heat until the peas turn bright green and soften a little, but take them off the heat before they turn mooshy.
From:
no subject
From:
no subject
Gai lan is Brassica oleracea -- they're related but not the same, as you guessed. Gai lan is closer to cai soong/choy sum in taste. Gai lan is closer to broccoli, cai soong is closer to mustard greens, or so I think (I'm sure there are people who would disagree with that though).
But I think your thoughts about oyster sauce are mmmmmmmmmmm. I haven't yet met the brassica that didn't get along well with oyster sauce.