Another beautiful Saturday with sunshine, bacon, and fresh veggies. Below are the produce finds for the week and a strawberry showdown between two vendors.
Forstbauer Farm. Romaine lettuce. Sadly no squash blossoms this week, but I have already used the romaine in a caesar salad and believe that it was 100% better than store bought!
Klippers Organics. Arugula, garlic scapes, and the first batch of test strawberries. I plan to make a pine nut and arugula pasta later this week and I will be using the garlic scapes to make a pesto for a cold pasta salad. In other words, there will be much carbing this week.
Paul's Produce. Mixed varietal bell peppers. A lovely bag of multi-colored bell peppers for only $4? Perfect. These peppers will go in a curry this week as well as possible fajitas and gumbo. The possibilities are endless.
Langley Organic Growers. Radishes, bok choy. I found these amazing multi-colored radishes and couldn't resist them, despite having radishes in the fridge already. These are meant for munching. The bok choy will go in a curry with the bell peppers.
And then there is the strawberry showdown. I bought the first pint of strawberries from Klippers Organics. Since I enjoyed them so much last week I decided that it would be foolish to resist. Two stands further in the market, there was another strawberry vendor and I purchased a pint to taste-test. Unfortunately I cannot read my own handwriting and therefore have no idea who these came from, so we shall call them Vendor X. In the end it is a simple truth that size isn't everything. Granted the smaller strawberries from Klippers had tons of seeds, but they were tiny, delicious, and practically burst in my mouth. My second pint from Vendor X was much more similar to traditional grocery store strawberries. They were fairly juicy, but simply couldn't compete.
Living in the West End of
Vancouver is a bit like having a small-town community. There are social
get-togethers, friendly nods, nice yards, and geriatric scooter drivers. In the
summer the community feeling is truly cemented by the Saturday Farmers Market
on Comox St. I have been looking forward to the start of the Farmers Market for
weeks and was almost worried that it wouldn’t meet my high expectations from
last year. Despite the fact that there are always fewer vendors at the
beginning of the season, the market was wonderful and I have decided to do a
weekly summary of my purchases with vendor information and my plans for cooking.
Feedback is more than welcome!
Hui’s Farm. Certified
organic mushrooms. Today I purchased oyster and baby shitake. Currently
planning to use the shitake in a stir-fry with bok choy and baby corn. I have
no plan for the oyster mushrooms, but they just looked too good to pass up.
Forstbauer Farm. Squash
blossoms!!! At sixty cents each, this is definitely a deal! Tomorrow for lunch
they will be stuffed with fontina and basil, tempura battered, and fried.
Delicious!
Klippers Organics. Leeks, golden
beets, and the first of the season’s strawberries. I plan to caramelize the
leeks and use them as a side dish later this week. The golden beets will go
into my beet and goat cheese salad. The strawberries will be gone by midnight
tonight. I should mention that Klippers was my favorite market vendor last year
and that they have amazing produce at a reasonable price. I definitely
recommend a visit during tomato season!
With my home state currently
in flames and my adopted province being drizzled in rain, I haven’t had many
opportunities for summer enjoyment this week. Luckily, I am always just one
grocery trip away from New Mexican summer fun in the kitchen.My food addictions are vast and
delicious, but there is nothing better than a fresh batch of guacamole and pico
de gallo. Since moving to Vancouver most of my salsas have been fairly mild,
but Urban Fare finally came through with some amazingly spicy jalapenos! I
learned this pico de gallo recipe from the wonderful Chef Michelle at Santa Fe
Community College. It is an adaptable ratio that can be used for large groups
as well as small gatherings.
Pico de Gallo
2 tomatoes
1 jalapeno
¼ bunch cilantro
¼ onion
1 lime (juiced)
salt
pepper
Mince jalapenos and chop
tomatoes, cilantro, and onion to desired size.
Add the lime juice, salt and
pepper.
Guacamole
3 avocados
3 large spoonfuls of pico de
gallo (above)
½ tsp cumin
salt
pepper
Mash the avocados using a
fork.
Combine with pico de gallo and cumin. Check seasoning and add salt and
pepper as desired.
I have come to the conclusion that the best blog writing atmosphere involves sunshine, a glass of
rose wine, and an ocean view. What paradise is this? Salt Spring Island. I am
lucky to have my parents living on Salt Spring Island because it means I am
just one ferry ride away from a vacation. There is a thriving community here
year-round, but during the tourist season, it is like a different world. The
restaurants have flair, the farmer’s market is bustling, and everyone has a
smile. Since my parents moved here last May, I have sampled several of the local
restaurants and one of my favorites is Auntie Pesto’s. Auntie
Pesto’s is a vibrant harbor-side restaurant with Italian dishes and local
flavor. Having been there multiple times I can say assertively that for lunch,
this is a truly amazing restaurant. Recently while visiting my Dad, we went to
dinner at Auntie Pesto’s and it had a completely different dynamic. At night
the restaurant is less energetic and the main visitors (during the week) are
locals. Additionally lunch is superior because of the option to order half-size
pasta dishes. Given the huge portion sizes, this is a definite plus.
While
at the restaurant, my Dad and I enjoyed the Salt Spring Mussels appetizer which
was delicious, albeit a little salty. It is always a joy to order local and
seasonal items while at a restaurant and the mussels were no exception. My only
real suggestion for this plate is the need for more bread. Any true mussel
lover knows that the broth is the best part of the dish and that large amounts
of bread are necessary to enjoy it.
For my
main course, I ordered the pasta carbonara, which has never failed me at Auntie
Pesto’s. It is well seasoned and delicious. The portions were huge and I only
managed to eat half of my plate and save the rest for later. My Dad ordered the
beef stroganoff that was sadly less than spectacular. The beef was tender and
the egg noodles were wide, but the dish seemed to be missing several crucial
ingredients. One of which was salt. Again the portion was huge and there were
plenty leftovers.
In the
end Auntie Pesto’s is an excellent restaurant for both tourists and locals, but
should be visited at lunch on a sunny day for the best experience. While my
most recent experience was less than amazing, I have faith that my next lunch
there will more than make up for it.
Being an introvert in
Vancouver can be a bit difficult given the huge variety of things to do. On any
given weekend there are parades, races, parties, festivals, and more. One of my
favorite summer activities is the summer night market in Richmond. Imagine
going from Canada to China and back one evening. There are so many wonderful
things to see and do that everything becomes magical. With over 200 vendors and
70 food stalls, there is an amazing experience for everyone. Need socks? How
about some crazy Korean ones at 5 pairs for $10? Jewelry? Sometimes tough to
find the classy amongst the tacky, but I managed. What about bedding? Or iphone
covers? Have a burning desire for everything Hello Kitty? And this only covers
a small portion of the non-food vendors!
Why yes, my socks do say "I am a sheep and a strawberry"
But let’s talk about the
food for a second. Imagine traveling across Asia for months trying to sample
delicacies from every region. Now imagine condensing those months into a few
nights in Richmond. I wish I could say that I have tried every stand, but the
thought makes my stomach hurt. Plus there are way too many squid stands. I can
assertively say that the Xin Jiang Style BBQ is to-die for! New coconuts are
always delicious as well, although at $5/each, I would rather get something
else next time. I would recommend trying a potato hurricane as well as the bbq.
Sadly, I was absorbed in eating the hurricane and failed to take a photo, but I
promise to rectify this next time.
Abalone shell jewelery
In the
end, all I can say is that the night market really
does deserve the highest praise.
In the five months since graduating from culinary school, I have been trying desperately to find my bliss and stay afloat financially. This blog has become more than a hobby; it is closer to being an obsession. I think up posts weeks in advance, read books on food photography, and apply for one in a million blogger jobs. This is my passion, but sadly, it doesn’t provide me with income yet. I spent the first month out of culinary school, selectively choosing places to apply. In that month I applied to maybe four jobs. Nothing happened. In the second month I began to get worried and applied to about twenty jobs. I had an amazing interview, but again, nothing happened. Month three was a rush of job applications, with at least one daily, but despite my best efforts, I remained jobless. Last month I decided to take my own kind of action. If I had trouble getting an excellent job, then I would just create one myself.
My dear friend Jaime created her business Allow Me-meals to go, and I decided to do something similar. Thus Adventures with Salt meal prep was born. This was the first week of actually being in business and I believe that the Quiche Lorraine with Garlic Rosemary Mushrooms and Tomatoes was a huge hit. This is the start of a new beginning and with any luck I will soon start to make a profit instead of trading services with wonderful people such as my dog walker Denise. I truly hope that I will soon be able to rely fully on my prep meals and blogging, thus living the dream!
For more information about the Adventures with Salt meals, please comment or email adventureswithsalt@gmail.com
I have never been much of a
breakfast person. Despite my love of most breakfast food, not to mention my
addiction to bacon, it just didn’t seem worth it to wake up early and eat.
Which is why brunch is one of the best creations ever. Recently I received a
coupon for a free mimosa with brunch at Ensemble Tap on Smithe. I visited the
original Ensemble last year and was excited to try the new restaurant (and get
my free mimosa).
First of all, the mimosa was
amazing! They come in guava flavor as well as orange and were delicious and
perfect for brunch. I ordered the pulled pork with barbeque beans and was
amazed by the depth of flavor in the bowl. The only problem was that the beans
and pork were so well flavored that I couldn’t taste the poached eggs. Despite this, the dish was excellent. I
was lucky enough to have my mom as my brunch buddy and she ordered the three
farm eggs with bacon. Despite the comparative simplicity of her meal, the eggs
were amazing and had vibrant yellow yolks. Her plate also came with the best
sourdough toast I have tasted at a restaurant.
Overall the meal was excellent. There were some small imperfections, but I strongly believe that Ensemble Tap will become a popular new brunch place. And since I left with a new mimosa coupon, I definitely intend to visit again.
