Santa Monica Farmers Market

The Wednesday farmers market in Santa Monica is said to be the best there is in Southern California.  Fresh off my trip to Italy, and searching for some high quality food for a family dinner this weekend, I made the pilgrimage to the market this week.  At the same time, I did am informal market tour for my friends L and S; I hope they had fun and learned a little at the same time!

Many chefs shop for local restaurants at this market.  Though I arrived late morning, I was pleased to quickly see at least one chef still shopping, albeit for flowers~

The market spreads out over several blocks near the Santa Monica Pier.  It was truly a bustling market, with lots of shoppers, and I’d estimate about 100 vendors.  The quality was indeed excellent~

As was the display~

I loved these wooden crates all lined up, but wish they had used something besides the turf to skirt the table~

The citrus was planed up perfectly, even with the plastic crates it was beautiful~

And there was some less beautiful….these carrots are actually orange inside, but my Canadian  farm-girl Mother pronounced them the ugliest tangle of carrots she’s ever seen.  It’s a bad sign also that they don’t have the tops on them.  I bought some anyway for color contrast; we will see how they look on the table Saturday evening!

I also found Nantes carrots, a French variety.  They don’t look exactly like this in France, but I bought them…with fresh tops attached, as they should be….

And happily, there was some fun and whimsy at the market.  The woman selling eggs had a very vocal rooster in a crate, adding nicely to the sounds of the market.  An herb vendor had very pretty window boxes and  planters for sale~

In France I love what is called fraises du bois or wild strawberries.  I’ve always wondered if I could find them in Santa Monica as their flavor is so intense.  And find them I did, though at a dear price.  If I turned the plastic package over, I could also see the ones on the bottom were moldy.  Pass!  There are too many other great strawberries.  These would make a great little garnish, but they were priced for “primo” not “garnish.”

I didn’t find as many “unusual” items as I thought, but I did find abundance.  After some of the smaller markets I have been to, it was great to see lots and lots of produce out on display~

I should have bought these purple carrots; tops attached, at center.  I did get some of the yellow carrots, at right; I will explain those when I show you Saturday dinner~

I found many farms that I know and a few familiar faces.  What was interesting was the amount of merchandise that they were moving, compared to the volume they bring to other markets.  Pudwill berries are fantastic, and they were almost sold out at the end of the morning.  This is quantity!  It is good to see the farmers moving product here.

Top of my shopping list was a true Italian-style artichoke.  I was glad to see lots of artichokes for sale, mostly the smaller size.  ‘Tis the season.  These were very green, and very pretty; I should have bought some of these for table decor but I was on a mission~

Versus other markets, there were no “frosted” artichokes, which it seems are sent to the “lesser” markets.  Some say frost heightens the flavor of the artichoke, or maybe that’s just what they tell us!  Farmers would indeed send their “A” produce here, and move the lesser stuff elsewhere.  Another discussion.  Other ‘Chokes were violet-tinged; closer to what I looking for and more similar to Italy’s Violetta.

A larger variety, displayed well with asparagus.  One thing I love about the better markets in LA is that they get farmers from Oxnard and  the Ventura area; this is a very different, cooler climate and they tend to grow varieties you can’t grow in Orange and San Diego counties.

I was tempted by these baby artichokes….but passed.  I have been burned on them too many times;  woody…pretty but no good unless you get them absolutely fresh. Check the stem cuts to verify.

And in the end, I settled on a dozen of these~

Now, my peeve with this market is that I posed the same questions to six farms: what kind of artichoke is this and does it have a furry “choke”? Only one person had an answer to either question. She also assured me that the entire thing was edible and that it basically had no choke. Let me tell you, that artichoke DID have a choke because I cooked it that evening alla Romana; the stem was tough, the leaves were so tough my knife could barely pare it Roman style, and the only edible part was the small heart . I am not in Italy!  Well, um, there was one thing about the market that did make me feel like Italy, there were people popping up everywhere, asking for money, sitting with donation signs for their plight;  asking if they could carry your basket for you, and even one man in hospital gown garb in a wheelchair, without a word bellying up to sample a fresh beet slice, which the vendor gave him, also silently.  No, I take that back, it was not like Italy, that is a totally Santa Monica affair! And that’s another story.  Back to point:

In French markets, produce is labeled for the variety  and origin, and if you inquire, you will likely hear a lengthy and precise oratory on that variety, how to prepare it, what foods to pair it with, and which wine to have with the meal. No matter if there are 20 people behind you.

Santa Monica seems to have some farmers selling, but lots of staff; when asking general questions like tell me about your blood-orange-infused olive oil, I was told talk to him. Him of course being the owner, who was on his cell phone. I appreciate farms that educate their staff on what they are selling. Sampling helps a lot; as does slicing something open so you can see what's inside. My favorite farms such as Maggie’s Greens, Sage Mountain and Valdivia understand this. I also found that depth of knowledge here at Betty B’s, all the way from Ramona, San Diego County. This gentleman knows his stuff~

I purchased these limequats from him.  Thin, edible skin.  Intense flavor.  I don’t know what I will do with them, perhaps on the salad on Saturday, but the leaves were fresh and green, these had clearly just been picked.  Oh, and the best of it was, he said he “recycles” the little boxes.  You can buy the produce, but you can’t have the box.  I just dumped them into my basket.  I love it!!

The rest of his display was simple but well done, and of course I loved the basket and burlap combo.  You can see exactly what you are buying with the sliced blood oranges in front.  He had samples available too, though I only tasted the limequat, which he sliced for me  with a small knife.

At the end of the morning, my basket was full.  Our meal will be Italian-inspired, and to me that means start with what is local and what is fresh and seasonal.  With that in mind, I loaded up on foods like fresh garlic (flat leaves at right), artichokes (fingers crossed), cremini mushrooms, various carrots, various beets, Oxnard strawberries, fantastic Swiss chard (at left, eaten same day), and the limequats.

I hope you enjoyed this little market tour.  Stay tuned for the dinner menu, which will be include our own fresh pasta….

To Market, French Style

Two of my favorite shoppers at Rancho Santa Fe market on Sundays are Marlene and Gerard. They are, but of course, French! Gracious is their middle name, they are toujours impeccable, and they came by today as they do each week to chat and catch up on news. Today, however, was different, as they left in a vintage open USMC Jeep, which they brought with them from Massachusetts 15 years ago. I threw Biscuit in the mix to complete this photo op~

The irony of French, not Americans at the wheel; the perfection of the couple of Gerard & Marlene, two people, having too much fun~can you please adopt Biscuit and me?~ we want to go along on this ride~

A more adorable couple you might not find, but what I loved was their pride in driving a U.S. Marine Corps vehicle; Gerard is a student of History, and I love this generation, which has such an appreciation for America’s role in the liberation of France; Marlene is never without her Moroccan Aix-style basket that she has used for over ten years, here behind her seat~

Among the final shoppers of the day were this Mother & Daughter pair. Look at their hair cuts and fringed bangs, look at their perfect trench coats, handbags casually over the shoulder. Mom has stylish and age-appropriate hoop earrings, and Daughter must know that Ray Bans are now the “it” sunglass for French women….A+ Ladies~

Meanwhile, in the middle of all this Frenchness, I was doing pre-shopping for next weekend’s family dinner, which will be Italian style prepared by my sis and me. Here my favorite Candystripe beets, fresh garlic and Radicchio Tardivo de Treviso (Late, from Trevisio, near Venice) from my favorite farm Sage Mountain; I also got hydroponic basil for pesto and a variety of other goodies. All fit perfectly in a little mini Moroccan basket~

I have more to show you from Italy, but I can’t resist the opportunity to show today’s pics, and confess, yes, my heart still does belong to France!

Giveaway Winner

I am behind.  On many things.  The hats have also still not arrived and I am having an email crisis.  So I am just picking the Hat Giveaway Winner today, who is, thanks to Random.org, #2 TRay – Tara.  Congratulations Tara and please send me your mailing address!

I am going to offer a discount to all of you who commented here if you would like to buy a hat; email or leave a comment here if you are interested.   Here is my shopper Clarissa last summer in the natural hat; this is with the brim tilted up to frame the face perfectly…

The next shipment of hats will include the medium brim; here is Laura from Décor to Adore looking very adorable in the medium brim in black, accessorized by my little girls Honey and Biscuit.  These hats can be ordered in any color.

I’m off to address my email issues!!  Wishing you all a lovely day and thank you for entering the giveaway!!

Pasta Perfetto

In my mind, Italian food is synonymous with Pasta, Pizza and Gelato.  I don’t know if I am being perfectly fair, but let me say immediately that on Italy on this trip I ate the best pasta I have ever tasted; to the point of it being an art.   I have been to Venice many times, but I don’t remember eating such great pasta.

In France, there are a few great but very common foods that I use to judge a restaurant; for example, Croque Monsieur and Crème Brulee….these are staples that appear everywhere, but can be made in infinite ways with variations in the bread, its thickness, the ham, how it is toasted, how it is sliced and how it is presented.  Ditto for Crème Brulee.  I often feel that  if I order one of these two dishes, I will understand a restaurant or brasserie. 

In Italy, I dared not attempt to  taste every pizza in town; across France and Italy, it is all thin crust, fresh ingredients, and not too sloppy with sauce.  R’s favorite Saturday lunch in Beaune is from the “Pizza au feu du bois” truck at the market; that is, if he is alone, because if I am there I will prepare something more elaborate from the market, like Coquilles Saint Jacques.  We have a big late lunch and a light dinner. 

There are several pasta dishes I will try over and over again in Italy and never tire of.  One is Pasta Carbonara, which is spaghetti with a sauce of egg and pasta water and parmesan cheese (usually) though of course there are many variations.  The killer ingredient is guanchiale, or the cheek of the pig, fried in olive oil.  I have yet to investigate Guanciale in the US, but I can tell you that the USDA is VERY strict and you will never ever eat Guanciale or Iberian Ham like you get in Europe in the United States.  Even the Pancetta I bought here is nothing compared to the Pancetta of Italy.  Sniff sniff sob sob….

So, when in doubt, I ordered the same dish, and the result was very interpretative.  Definitely, much less sauce and much less portion than we get in the States.  Here is a sample~

And another; I love this one for Italian parsley and the fine sprinkle of some kind of spice for a finish~

Other key dishes are pasta alla’matriciana which someone told me is the “hungry persons food,” with rigatoni or other kinds of pasta.  It is often slightly spicy, and was always delicious…..here in Florence~

In Florence my sister ordered spaghettini with fresh peas; they are less green here than truly fresh, but my Sis raved that this was one of the best plates she had while on this trip~
We ate (and later made) all kinds of pasta on this trip, including cappeletti, or little hats; totally delish with whatever they are filled  with~

And ravioli; these were filled with butternut squash and dressed with sage, I have had variants of this in NYC and this dish is one my all-time favs for pasta, though in NYC you don’t see it presented as it is in Italy….lip smacking good~

We had a few dishes with seafood; here in Florence~

There was pasta on display everywhere, in the market in Florence~

and in Roman shops; this one caught my eye~

Somewhere along the trip I found this display of dried but perfectly pale pasta….tempting in a basket~

I have always wanted to make fresh pasta.  I know it is easy to make, but hard to make well; so I scheduled two cooking classes, making sure they included pasta.  First up, in Rome, we learned how to make the well of flour, “Typo 00”~

Add  in a generous pinch of sea salt; the trick is in the proportion; we made pasta for 20 in this class, which was great as that’s my average dinner size for parties.  Our instructor Chef Andrea says it is easier to make for 20 than it is for 4, I think that is true.

We added 10 fresh eggs into the well and began to whisk with a fork; sprinkling in a little flour at a time~

At the end, it was a big mass of dough, and it was kneaded by hand at that point~

How to do all of this is a longer post, but we put the strips through the hand crank machine multiple times, to refine the dough~

and eventually to cut it into the final shape, which we tossed in semolina flour to keep it from sticking together.  Chef Andrea tells us this pasta is best made a few hours ahead of eating; otherwise it dries out; it takes him about 20 minutes to make enough pasta for the whole night of a busy restaurant; this is indeed a skill, and the Italians work the pasta quickly~

It hardly needed to cook, it was so fine and fresh~

I did not think about it before going to Italy, but the difference between the dried pasta and the fresh pasta is the addition of egg.  Dried pasta like the kind we find in our grocery stores contains no egg.

But  the fresh pasta as shown here is very yellow, from the egg yolks, which contain carotine from the chicken feed.   In Italy, or rather in the European Union, the eggs all must be branded with a code, which tells you where this egg came from and which grower and when. For example, starting with

0- Organic
1- Free Range
2- Barn
3- Cage
UK - Origin
##### - end digits represent the registered flock number.
An example code is 1UK 12345

This gives a very clear food chain; here is the egg we used in  Rome….

On top of the pasta, the cheese is rather specific. Pecorino  Romano ONLY on pasta carbonara.   I found so much beautiful cheese across Italy, I will not pretend to understand all the combinations,  but the cheese is amazing….…..

I should have brought some of this home, I know, but I will return, and that is another post ~

Next I will show you our pasta class in Tuscany. …

Original Slow

I was on my way to the Vatican one day, when I decided that I needed a coffee, badly. Sounds like the start of a good comedy routine, right, except the joke was on me! 

I had taken the 7am “fast” train from Florence, arriving in Rome 45 minutes later, versus the 4 hour “slow” train.  I walked to the vast area of the Vatican, making  my way toward  the Museum.  But feeling a little sluggish, on my first full day in Italy and with nothing for breakfast, I decided to pop into a gelateria for a café.  The coffee bar was very small and narrow, and its entire counter space was occupied by two men in dark suits with elbows extended, and the server behind the counter was oblivious to my attempts at eye contact though there were no other customers in the shop. C’mon C’mon I felt myself saying, I have to get to the Vatican Museum by 10:30!

As if on cue, the men in suits slowly pushed back from the bar and turned toward each other, and silently glided around me on either side, as I suddenly realized that they were not “men in suits” but a pair of very serene priests.    God’s way of telling me to slow down? Perhaps. If I spent much time around the grand colonnade by Bernini (1598-1680), I suppose I too would feel a sense of time and history and would reduce my pace…..

I found Italy to be refreshingly slow.  Rome has a pulse to it, like any major city, but without an aggressive edge.  My sis was worried about the day trip by car to Chianti; frankly I am more stressed driving in Southern California than anywhere in Europe.   I would LOVE to sputter up the road the the Saturday market in an old Piaggio…. I am sure I could pile all my baskets in the back…..

The Italian’s idea of “fast food” is generally pizza or panini and gelato.    I thankfully noticed just one McDonalds in Rome, near the Spanish Steps. I saw one Starbucks with the logo but some other words.    And at the Rome farmers market, I noticed a lot of “prepared” fresh food.  Peas were shelled on site and for sale~

The same man shucking peas was eating a potato roasted in the coals where he burned his pea hulls; the farmers were I think a little charmed by my basic Italian as I asked “patate carbonara?”  Si.   I was offered a taste, dang my wrap got in the way of the pic left side.  It was a delicious potato.   Good food is universal; like children on the playground, we get past our language boundaries and we know good food when it is handed to us~

As compared to France, I found many foods “prepared” such as this lettuce chopped and ready to eat.  Chef Andrea explained later, as with the artichokes, “Romans don’t want to get their hands dirty” with prep work, though they like to eat fresh; so some food is sold  ready to eat, like this amazing salad mix~

Puntarelle is similar to fennel, and it was also sold prepped; I have no idea what to do with it, but it was all over at the market~

Chef Andrea addressed the Italians’ attitude toward food and presentation during his cooking class in Rome. “Why should the cook prepare all these dishes and sauces, to have them mixed on the same plate?”  Why pile it all on the same plate?  Italians use separate plates for each course, savoring each bite, and of course the portions are much more modest; at the end of the meal you do not feel full.  I could not help but think of the master of the place settings, Yvonne from Stone Gable; she knows how to set the table, and she would be right at home in Italy!

Chef Andrea knows the international movement of Slow Food, and he comments, “this (Italy) is the original slow food.” Italians take time to eat, they prepare their food with care, eating is a very ritualistic event.  Versus others who might eat “like an animal”  Chef Andrea says.  I admit, on Sunday my family went out to dinner and we spent less than one hour for the whole affair; it was like speed eating; heck if I had been in Italy I would have barely been through the menu and my first course in an hour!

In Florence, I waited for my sister to sleep off her jetlag while I enjoyed a hot pot of tea for two hours; the waiters were perfectly accommodating for more hot water.  The view of the square was fine and the restaurant itself dates to 1772.  Slow to the point of boredom? No, it was raining and the café was a fine refuge~

In Florence, the pace is even slower than Rome.

I was encouraged by the rows of bikes, which I didn’t see in Rome, though Florence is a very manageable “bike” city~

The activity in Florence is at its peak right before 9am, when everyone is supposed to be at work.  Here is my “rush hour” Florence style~

Rush Hour, Florence Italy

Everything closes in Florence between about 1 and 4.  Go home for lunch...be with your family.  Can you imagine if we were able to go home for lunch? Dream!  Arm in arm, the old folks stroll.  It is not a bad life~

At night, I joke that everyone walks around until 9am until they decide where to eat.  While not as late as Spain, the Italians eat later than the French. 

Central Florence, 8am.  I love the solitude of this man and his paper and his dog~

There was work being done at he Ufizzi Museum. A large crane bought supplies, which a worker unloaded.  In between loads, he sat down for a smoke.  Truly slow….

I will bookend this post with another sort-of “joke.”  I got stopped at the gate as I boarded my plane to leave Florence and was ushered into the bowels of the small terminal, amidst the rotating baggage carrousels.  Two tall Italian police officers in their tall hats, two gate agents and an Air France agent stood around me as the police asked “Miss-eh, what do you have in your bag-eh, SAND-eh?”  No I replied, it is flour to make the pasta, as I showed them the bags;  we all shared a laugh and I came home with lots of Italian Flour but no touristy or high-end leather goods.  Maybe I did learn a little about the Italian Slow Down…..I will post on the fresh pasta soon….