Pot Stickers from LooHoo's Inc Asian Comfort Food and Romance at the Wednesday Farmers' Market

Today I drove down to the Wednesday Farmer's Market in our local mall parking lot. Parking was ferocious and made me glad to be driving a compact. I got out, and cruised the stalls. I like to make a loop before I decide what I want/need that day. I stopped when I came upon this:

I'd heard there were pot stickers at the market but kept missing them. Excited, I ordered a mixed dozen for $10. The lovely Cindy Liu, also a personal chef, caterer and instructor, took my order out of the ice chest, threw oil in the skillet and fired the burners. You can buy them frozen to take home and cook or she'll warm them for you there.

This is her baby, her brain-child. Usually on Farmers' Market days she also has a special, a Chinese beef soup or curry dish but today she was still creaky from the holidays and starting back slow and simple. I didn't mind. :) We talked about her facebook page, for LooHoo's Inc Asian Comfort Food.

She asked what kind of food I like, easy answer, "everything". But I admitted to having a penchant for cooking southern comfort food and/or whatever is fresh and local from our garden or the market. She admitted she loves both French cuisine and concentrating on local foods too.

She kept cooking steaming, sizzling skillets of pot stickers and I watched for a moment before wandering off to explore.

While away from pot sticker land, I pondered buying some organic local beef but my eye strayed and there I was, in front of the apple lady. I choose two Fuji's, two galas, a pink lady and a beautiful round Asian Pear. She was thrilled we were going to sample them and quizzed me on which were which so I could (hopefully) remember and report back on my findings.

Then I came upon gorgeous cherimoyas and bought a perfect heart-shaped one for my sweetie as it's our anniversary. :)

I kept walking and noticed how much beautiful citrus there was. I passed several larger vendors but was magnetically drawn to the man who had only a step ladder, (which doubled as a table), an ice chest and his smile. I bought a container of his sweet satsumas and told him he sounded like Sean Connery. Then he explained he was born in a town "26 Kilometers from Nice" in the south of France when a beautiful older woman who was listening to our conversation jumped in. I left them talking and wondered if romance was in the air?

The Spring Hill Jersey Cheese lady insisted I needed a taste of garlic herb jack, (who am I to say no?) and I considered the last, tiny bunch of kohlrabi for the day. Apparently there'd been a run on it and golden beets!

There was a gentleman selling flat breads and dips who was working his booth like a juggling octopus and literally before I could walk past him I'd stuffed down three samples, a mint garlic cheese spread, lentil spread and cilantro pesto all on spinach flat bread. The prices were all $6 for a container or piece of flat bread. The sweet jalapeno jelly and the mint garlic cheese and spinach flat bread were quite delicious but $18 for them wasn't in my future.

I stopped at Les Bles D'Or (Ojai Bakery) and picked up a $4.50 coffee cake for my sweetie and while the lady was making change a rumble happened behind her and she turned and laughed, saying "there he goes, waving again!". I had to ask and she told me this gentleman always shows up in his loud, rumbling old car each week, circles the market and waves at her. I inquired if there might be a romantic connection..at first she shrugged me off but then she smiled about the potential.

Back to Cindy Liu and her LooHoo's Inc stickers...As I picked them up, a beautiful, smartly dressed Asian woman was eating some and chatting with Cindy. I asked about taking her photo and she refused but said I could photograph her food. What a shame. She was as beautiful as the food.

As I left, I picked up some cauliflower and broccoli. While walking to my car, I saw an older gentleman with fancy-styled white hair and a black leather jacket walking toward me. As he passed, we looked at one another and my instincts said, "That's him!! the waver with the loud rumbly car!" As I got back in my car, he kept turning and staring at me, maybe because I looked suspicious myself or maybe because he was the man who drove by and honked. As he walked into the market, I wondered if our lady of Les Bles D'Or might just end up with a hot date this weekend. The man I "assumed" was Mr. Waver Flirt has quite the ride too parked right next to my car.

I put my potstickers on my dash and dashed home...

When I got home I put them on a plate, got out the chopsticks and prepared for my first bites. Cindy had taken great care to make certain the bottoms and frilly edges were crisped. The pork kimchi were my favorites and had a bit of kick. The chicken were a great, mild, meaty companion to the spicier ones and the veggie, with glass noodles packed throughout were a fascinating texture. What a blast, what a find for a special Wednesday or Saturday Farmers' Market lunch and I cannot WAIT to try some of her specials. Also SO looking forward to following up on the stories of the bread-maker and the waver and the French Sean Connery.

A Day of Discoveries at the Ventura Farmers' Market

Today I had one of those organic days, the kind that just flows. It started at the Ventura Farmers' Market Downtown and before I knew it, I was learning and encountering and my life was filled with wonder. Here are a few of my discoveries.

Heirloom tomatoes in particular are at their peak -- it's been a damp, long, wet season getting here but we are now bursting with purple, green, yellow, orange and red wonders. Some of them look like they are from another planet, maybe they are the hidden alien life form!








This past Wednesday, I got to sample brown turkey, strawberry, white and black mission figs at the Midtown Farmers' Market at the mall but today a lovely gentleman turned me on to Adriatic figs. They were stiff competition for my current favorite, the strawberry figs and he's the only vendor I've found in the area.



As we're again in a shoulder season, the Asian stand at the market has long beans in both purple and green and pea shoots for a brief period. They also had okra finally & lovely bitter melons.


Tiny Thai eggplants made an appearance, they are delicious in curries. Here's a recipe that uses both long beans and Thai eggplant.


And angled luffa gourds showed up looking like pod people! If allowed to mature on the vine, they turn into the scratchy luffas you use in the tub but can be eaten when picked immature and green. You can stir fry it into sauces or soup, here for example is an angled luffa and clam soup recipe. Their juice is also reported to be a natural cure for jaundice!


Part of what I learned today is that prunes are not just dried plums, they are very specific type of plum that's a more oval shape. I bought two kinds to try, some are better for cooking, others for eating fresh. Though not fashionable, I love the taste of plums, can't wait to taste them!




Another coup is that Spring Hill from Petaluma is back at both Ventura Farmers' Markets! They have organic fresh cheeses and butter and lots of samples to taste. Their cheese curds are divine, they also have a spicy one called Firehouse that has a soft beginning note and a spicy finish and a garlic variety and an organic sage cheddar that I crave. I no longer have to have my sister go to the Ojai Farmers' Market to get my fresh cheese curds which I use in almost everything I cook. Whew.

As usual, Peacock Farms had amazing displays, especially with their round purple eggplants...


All varieties of potatoes were there:


Bi-colored sweet corn was also featured for a small window of time, perfect for grilling or roasting.


Asparagus spears were lined up like sentinels, guarding the artichokes...


And this has been the best season for white nectarines. Ever. You simply must sample them before they are gone!!


Tuberose is making its brief appearance. My honey bought me some and my whole house is perfumed with their heady aroma.
They are from the agave family and traditionaly used to make leis and for Indian wedding ceremonies -- I could imagine someone planning a wedding around their blooming season. An elder gentleman saw us carrying our bouquet, inquired where we found it and literally sprinted across the market to grab some. I wonder if they were for him or another?

Jumbo Asparagus!! The Harbinger of Spring

I love when food proves me wrong. I'll take a thumb to the nose from an artichoke any day if it means I'm learning about fabulous tastes!

This week my lesson came in the form of large verdant spears known as jumbo asparagus that interestingly enough belongs to the lily family.

For some reason my snobbery only permitted me to go toward the tiniest of spears. I use them in anything and everything but my very favorite preparation is grilled with olive oil, salt and pepper until they are slightly charred and melt in my mouth. This week was different. We were made a point of gathering as unfamiliar (to me) vegetables as we could at the Farmers' Market. Sometimes I get in a rut and it's easy to reach for the same flavors over and over. As I was trying other new flavors, Chris said, "why not?" when I mentioned I hadn't ever cooked with jumbo asparagus and he was right. Why not grab the ingredient I hadn't personally used and make my own real, first-hand decision about whether I liked it or not.

After taking the photo above -- notice the spears are as large as or larger than my thumb...I snapped off the giant heads as I do with smaller spears and instantly noted not as much came off! I investigated the large ends assuming they were woody beyond hope but they weren't! Barring about an inch on each spear, the rest sliced easily beneath my knife. My first assumption, that they were somehow tougher, was wrong. As their circumference is bigger, I made medallions and prepared to saute them.

The first dish I used it in was a frittata, the second a stir fry and my final dinner with it that I'm eating now is my healthier version of pasta carbonara. It is beyond the beyond yummy, still gives me the creamy, sharp cheesy and salty flavors of the richer version and I've decided jumbo asparagus is my new spring ritual! I will still appreciate the tiniest of spears and continue to grill them but now I'm infatuated. If these are at the market again next week, consider them sold!

*Little known fact: Jumbo asparagus actually comes from the youngest of plants. Unlike trees that grow larger with age, these grow larger with youth! That's why the spears are so tender and more rare! Quick, try to get your hands on them if you still can. But if you are at the Ventura Farmers' Market please please save a bundle for me!

*California produces 70-80% of America's aspragus

(I didn't write down exact quantities but wanted to give you the idea of how to make a healthier carbonara yourself)

Healthier Pasta Carbonara:

Boil some whole wheat pasta, (I used corkscrew). Slice and saute jumbo asparagus spear medallions in a bit of olive oil and butter and a few cayenne flakes. Add some slices of pre-cooked turkey bacon to the asparagus. When asparagus is almost soft add a bit of organic 1/2 n 1/2 or milk if you prefer (2 tblsp or so). Grate in some parmesan cheese, stir and lower heat. Drain cooked pasta, add to saute pan and toss. Add salt n pepper to taste, grate a little lemon zest over it for freshness and voila, mange! Mushrooms, peas or sliced colorful bell peppers would be an excellent addition to this dish.