Beyond Freshness at the Farmer's Market

Years ago, when I first began visiting the Crescent City farmer's market (occasional Saturday morning), my objective was usually to find something so fresh that is was just picked the day before or maybe even that morning. Or maybe it was to find something unique from a local farmer that you may not see in your neighborhood supermarket. Something so fresh that you just had to cook it that day to do it justice. Back in those days I only knew of the market on the corner of Magazine St and Girod in the warehouse district. But as my interest grew I learned that there were other locations that had markets throughout the weekdays and after Katrina, a market also emerged in the cozy neighborhood of old Gretna. In addition to that I discovered fairly recently that very early on Saturday mornings (6am-9am) the vietnamese community, located in the far reaches of desolate New Orleans East, holds their own informal farmer's market as well. Although based on location I generally like to go to the Gretna market, but this Saturday morning I decided to drag my family out of the house at the crack of dawn to first pay a visit to the vietnamese market, then swing by the warehouse district to see what they had to offer there. The vietnamese market is a simple market. By simple I mean there are about a dozen or so local farmer's (mostly women) who have blankets laid out in areas of a strip mall parking lot selling the various types of greens and produce they grow in their home gardens. Just about all of the produce here consists of ingredients you would generally find in vietnamese cooking (of course) and I would bet most of it was pulled from the ground within in a mile from where I was standing. Asian pears, cilantro, bean sprouts, lemon grass, purple basil and the list goes on. However there is a language barrier here so communication and transactions are challenging. Even though you are still in Orleans parish, you get the sense you are in a completely different country. This market is about the garden next door. On a different scale, the market in the CBD is more organized and diversified. This market has booths with about 15-20 vendors who represent not just the neighborhood, but this whole region. From produce farmers from Folsom, tamale makers from Independence, citrus gurus from Plaquemines to artisan chocolates, homemade croissants and freshly-picked flowers, the challenge here is to walk away empty handed. After visiting both markets what left the biggest impression on me was not just how great local, fresh products can be, but how interesting and diverse the people growing and developing them can also be. These people are our neighbors and local farmers and artisans who are a part of our community. All of them may not live down the street but they live close enough to make the morning commute. If I had it my way I'd get all my food from folks like these, but that's just not possible. Not yet...

The Complex Simplicity of Vietnamese Food

Salty. Spicy. Sour. Sweet. The layers of flavor hit you from all sides at once. Crunchy and tender, the contrast in textures takes this meal to a whole different level. Unlike other traditional cooking methods, where a variety of ingredients cook together for a given time to become a homogenized, flavorful sauce or soup, Vietnamese cuisine is more of a celebration of how the simple, individual ingredients all work together to create a complex experience for your palate. One of my favorite dishes to date is the Rare Flank and Beef Noodle.
There is no easy way to read a vietnamese menu and this is basically the translated description you're going to find for this one. Now on this recent visit I decided to get this food to go, so I had the opportunity to assemble it myself. Once you open the take-home bag, you will find three containers to work with. In one container there is a comforting, salty, homemade beef broth, which I first throw into a pot to bring to a boil. In the second container there is thinly slice raw flank steak, chopped green onions and rice vermicelli noodles. The reason the steak is raw is because it is going to cook to a perfect medium rare when you pour the hot broth over it. The third container (actually a small plastic bag) includes fresh sweet basil, bean sprouts, sliced jalapenos and fresh lime wedges. This is the side salad to most vietnamese dishes, however it is not meant to be eaten alone, but in fact added to your dish to add a dimension of freshness and flavors that balance the other ingredients in your bowl. Even with my considerably limited knowledge of vietnamese food, it is my opinion that this dish is a fine example of all the interesting flavors this cuisine has to offer, simply divided into seperate containers so you can appreciate what each ingredient contributes to the dish.

September!

Our next dinner will be on Saturday, September 8 at 12:00. 317 Henry Clay Ave.

Bradford and I are excited about hosting everyone in our (not so) new house. I will trying a new recipe for Shrimp and Grits. The theme is comfort food meets southern hospitality.

I don't have any pictures of shrimp and grits, but I thought you would all enjoy and snapshot of wrigs.

Much Love,
Missy

The Perfect Burger in Poboy Town

There is no one reason why Camellia Grill may have the best burger in town. Maybe its because food just tastes better when you are sitting on a stool at an old fashioned lunch counter. Maybe its because when you order the burger they don't ask how you would like it cooked; they just cook it perfect everytime. Or maybe its the simple combination of a little mayo, lettuce and grilled onions along with perfectly golden fries and a chocolate freeze (milkshake) that make you realize you just can't get this anywhere else in the city. This is the way I believe hamburgers were meant to be enjoyed. Ask a local for a good place to eat a poboy and they will rattle off at least two or three "can't miss" places right off the top of their head. Ask the same local for a place to find a good hamburger and you may see a whole lot of thinking. Let's face it, New Orleans isn't a burger town. We've made our mark on sandwich history with the poboy. It's uniquely ours, it's who we are and quite frankly you just can't find bread like that anywhere else in the world. But there is something simply satisfying about sitting down to a good hamburger in the right environment. It's all american and all delicious.

Good Times

Yes, it's been confirmed. When I build my own house, the kitchen is going to be the biggest room in the house. This is the room that everyone wants to be in. Maybe its the sound of food sizzling on the stove top that peaks your curiousity. Or maybe it's because you follow your nose, and upon the first smell of something delicious you must find the source and do whatever it takes to sneak a taste. Whatever the reason may be, the kitchen always seems to be the place to be. This past Saturday, as all 11 of us are standing in my small, hot kitchen, I can remember initially thinking "there's too many people in the kitchen." Then I smiled. This is a good crowded. If my kids and your kids grow up remembering there was always too many people in the kitchen, then I think we will always have plenty of memories and stories to tell. Long live the over-crowded kitchen!