I suggest you join the site Cook’s Country right away!  Great, well tested recipes.  Here is one for apple slaw.   I’ll use Fuji instead of Granny Smith and add cranberries.  Try it with what you have in your crisper!

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Toss cabbage and salt in colander set over medium bowl. Let stand until wilted, about 1 hour. Rinse cabbage under cold water, drain, dry well with paper towels, and transfer to large bowl. Add apples and scallions and toss to combine.
2. Bring oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, and pepper flakes to boil in saucepan over medium heat. Pour over cabbage mixture and toss to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. Serve.

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

It’s Mardi Gras time!  I love flipping through the old Gourmet Mags to get the creative juices flowing.  The vintage graphics and old school cuisine are always inspiring – somehow modern and current, while maintaining that retro vibe.  I love to take the ingredient list and add a “culinary update”, but traditional flavors are traditional for a reason.  I also love that if you are ever looking info on the food etymology of a subject-say, gumbo or Mardi Gras check the February issues of any of your favorite magazines!

This issue, Gourmet February 1957, does not disappoint.  There is a complete story on Mardis Gras and Chef Diat writes about crepes and beignets.  An article titled, Song of the Soup Kettle features the history of and several recipes for gumbo!  The beautifully written stories are little research projects with a few recipes at the end.  For example:  “Okra came to New Orleans with the African slaves.  In Angola, the Africans called the plant kingombo.  Shortened to gombo then gumbo, the name now refers loosely to any mixture thickened with okra or file.”  Love it!

Also shared in the article was a Southern proverb;  “A big man can tote a heavy load, and a good gumbo can ‘most carry a dinner”.  The Creole Gumbo recipe sounds awesome with chicken and 3 dozen oysters!  Though the shrimp gumbo or the gumbo z’herbes sounds good too.  It seems appropriate to cook up a kettle of gumbo this time of year and I will pick up the ingredients at the farmers market Sunday, for a dinner party next week.  Yum!

Gumbo Z’Herbes

1 pound           pickled pork, cubed

1                        ham bone

1 bunch            turnip greens

1 bunch            mustard greens

1 bunch            beet tops

2 pounds         spinach

1 head               lettuce

8 leaves            cabbage

12 sprigs            parsley

6                        scallions

4 sprigs            thyme

2T                        butter

4                        cloves garlic, minced

2                        onions, diced

2T                        flour

2T                        vinegar

1                        hot red pepper, seeded

salt and pepper

Simmer pork and ham bone in water to cover for about 1 hour.  In a separate kettle simmer greens and herbs in very little water (or stock) for about 20 minutes.  Remove and chop finely (maybe chop first?), reserving liquid.  Sautee onions and garlic in butter, add flour to make a little roux.  Add everything together and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Recipe from the February Gourmet 1957.  Harry Marinsky cover art.  Educated at RISD, he was a well known artist and magazine art director.  He donated a collection of his works to Parsons.

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Soup Swap

It’s time people, National Soup Swap Day has arrived! We have several teams swapping and you can to.  If you would like to participate, please drop me an email ( LBSM@mac.com ) and I will partner you up with some eager swappers.

The idea of bringing 4 frozen quarts of soup was two fold-they could sit out for awhile during market…and you could make them way ahead of time.  So, you can chop, puree and simmer today then freeze for Sunday!

Wandering up and down the aisles for ingredients made it hard to choose a direction.  The list of soups so far is impressive!  A great variety of clear, cream, puree and even fruity dessert soup!  I am looking forward to reading through all the recipes for inspiration and then testing for the cook book!

New Farmers

This past Sunday we welcomed Fresh Flowers from Vista!  They have a great selection including Tulips, Alstromeria, Lilies, Tuberose, Asst Greens and much more…

Fresh Pressed Juices, assorted farm grown fresh fruit juices.  They grow all their own fruit. Can’t wait for spring when they’ll be bringing the source material too.

New Food Vendors

Stuff-It Olives joins us from Northern California.  They will be a regular vendor in So Cal and we are happy to have them join us in Cal Heights.  Their olives are crisp and tasty!

One of the flavors the market needs is that cilantro, pickled carrot, fresh baguette combination found in the  Banh Mi sandwich.  There have been many tastings carried out at storefronts along Anaheim.  Alas, none can come to market…they are too busy!  But—hearing the plaintive cry—Chef Gregg from Culinary Coach stepped up and has added the fresh, crisp  and slightly hot jalapeno topped Vietnamese sandwich specialty to his menu for us.  I saw lots of thumbs up at the benches last Sunday too.

Every week is a new adventure at the market.  See you there!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Stop by the market (the next 3 Sundays) to register your team for the 1st Annual Sunday Market Soup Swap.  Then join us in three weeks to celebrate National Soup Swap Day!

January 24th we will host our first Soup Swap at the Sunday Market, the weekly certified farmers market in California Heights.  Check out the Soup Swap site for ideas and take a peek at swaps held around the Nation. What a great reason to make soup, share soup & break bread!

Here’s how you can swap with your friends at the market and make a big party out of it: (...)
Read the rest of Celebrate National Soup Swap Day January 24th!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2009.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Another fun day at the market! We had our second cooking contest. Cookies! They all looked yummy and there was a great variety.

Kids Division:

1st place – Lily Leventhal with a Lemon Drop

2nd place – Jennifer & Jordan Gonzalez with Chocolate Christmas Tree

Decorated Cookie Division:

1st place – Cindy Whitlock, Gingerbread Trees with Juniper Berry Glaze

2nd place – George Janquart, Peanut Butter Snowmen

Open Division:

1st place – Cindy Hinderberger with the Mexican Wedding Cookie

2nd place – David Pemberton with Molasses Cookies

3rd place – Sandy Riehl with Molasses Crackle Tops

Thanks to all the folks who were able to find time this busy Holiday Season and participate in our 1st Cookie Baking Contest at the Market! Special, special thanks to Sharlene, Tom, Sam, Justina and Sasha for getting it all ready and judging. Thanks to the talented Denise Hahn from In My Blue Room for the banner and all the fabulous ribbons! And a shout out to the good news website – Everything Long Beach for always printing our press releases!

Good times.

Oh! Next month is the Soup Swap. Sunday January 24th is National Soup Swap Day! We will be hosting a Soup Swap Party at the market with prizes awarded for the team with; Most Interesting Soups, Best Presentation of Soups, Best All Around Variety of Soups.

See you at the Market!!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2009.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Cookie Contest

This Sunday, December 20th, at the market we have lots to see and do. Our Cookie Baking Contest is sure to become a neighborhood Holiday tradition! Bring 1 dozen cookies to contest tent, we will accept entries until 9am with judging to begin at 10am in three categories; Kids, Open and Decorated. Come by and see the winning cookies on display, recipes for all the cookies will eventually be featured in our 1st Long Beach Sunday Market Cook Book. Enter by filling out the contact form…subject line COOKIE, include your name, cookie and division.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Santa will also be making an appearance! At 12:00 noon, Santa will be at the market to receive those holiday wish lists. Bring your camera, your toddler or teenager and get a photo with Santa.

Holiday Gift Ideas

There are also many, many things to choose from at the market to fill your gift giving needs! A basket of honey, soap and a bees wax candle would make a teriffic gift for anyone. Justina, pastry chef of Shortnin’ Bread is taking cookie orders for pick up this Sunday at the Market. Please take a look at the following list and email your orders directly…the link is below-

Shortnin’ Bread

From Justina-We are expecting a large request this week for decorated holiday cookies and would like to suggest that you pre-order cookies for pick up this Sunday please let us know via e-mail (earlier the better – no later than Thursday December December 17th for delivery to the Farmer’s Market on December 20th). We will continue to offer the very popular Snowflake in pink, blue and white, the Snowman and the Christmas Tree. Also we are experiencing a very good response to the newly introduced Hello Kitty decorated cookie.

The holiday cookies are based on our popular short bread cookie and hand decorated with fondant and royal icing. These make great stocking stuffers or additions to gifts for that personalized touch. We also have our other product offerings available for order as well:

Hand Decorated Christmas Cookie – 1 for $4 (specify colors for snowflake orders please)
Hello Kitty Hand Decorated Cookie – 1 for $5 (Holiday or regular)
Short Breads – 5 for $3
Valrhona Cocoa Short Breads topped with sea salt – 5 for $4
Brown Sugar Short Breads with Pecans – 5 for $4
Holiday Spiced Gingerbread Cookies – 5 for $5 (sorry to those of you on Sunday as we sold out early on this item)
Chocolate Mocha Gingerbread Cake – 1 for $5
Sour Cream Cranberry Coffee Cake with semi-sweet chocolate and toasted pecan topping – 1 slice for $3
Raw Organic Vegan Chocolate Bark available in Peppermint, Pecan and Almond Bark – 35 grams for $5

See you at the Market!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2009.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

We are hosting a pie making contest in honor of that fabulous pie holiday…Thanksgiving!

We want your pie! Give us your fruit and your custard. We want them raw or baked, sweet or savory. We just want them.

Our goal is to gather up some great recipes and compile them in to our first (of many) Market Cook Book. There are few rules in this inaugural bake off, just give credit where credit is due. If you use Trader Joe’s puff pastry, tell us, we want to use it too! If your Mom’s pie dough is from Betty Crocker tell us that too…we love Betty.

Our contest will be judged by a jury of your peers, so come out have some fun. Eat pie, play chess and enjoy the fresh air.

To enter, visit us this Saturday November 7th at the Longfellow Carnival from 11am – 3pm or fill out the contact form on the about page if you would like to register online. For the contest, just put pie in the subject line and send it off…

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2009.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh