Visiting a small Korean village in Oxnard

Roadtrip adventures can't be beat, and this particular mini-roadtrip sent us up Pacific Coast Highway to a farming area called Oxnard.

We got lost and got lucky. In the port area, we pulled into a fried food mecca, but stuffed into a corner was a little diamond in the rough called the Fisherman's House.

We sat down at traditional Korean tables, which means no shoes and sitting on your knees, which is not the most comfortable for me, but once they pulled a swimming fish from the water and sliced it up, I felt nothing but the beautiful texture of the fish on my palate. (all ordering was done in Korean, and according to my host, they just asked how many people they were serving and if I could handle sitting and spicy food...)



The sea cucumber was a little cumbersome. You can't really chew it, you dredge it through spicy red pepper sauce and swallow. It's supposedly a popular Korean drinking food.



Obviously, this isn't a white table cloth place - all of the food was served on Styrofoam, but that did not affect the quality and flavor of the dishes.

We were graced with the most presentable, tender, cleanest tasting part of the fish first, so what did they do with the rest of it? How better to handle the bitterness of the innards and to pull the mystery meats from the smallest of the bones? Put it in a spicy soup of course. Damn, it was good.

Hollywood Farmer's Market Kitchen

Good stuff. Read.

SEE-LA Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles

Farmer's Kitchen @ Hollywood and Vine

Epasote and Pumpkin Seed Pesto on Tofu

total time from unpacking groceries to licking plate: 2 hours

The meal went like this:

Jons. Not Vons. Up on 3rd between Western and Vermont. LA

The offerings available around the perimeter of the grocery store would have served me well, but I was on a mission to heat up my own kitchen. From a whiff and a glance I saw grilled meats, some kind of hot rice concoction ladled out in tall, insulated beverage cups, fresh veggies, herbs and pharmaceuticals for the taking - cash only, so maybe next time. If you, like many, believe you should never shop hungry, you don't have that excuse here as it is all provided.

The goal of this meal was to make an adventurous, new dish using Asian and Latin flavors at a cost that anyone can afford. I live in a great neighborhood, rich in multicultural flavors that are affordable. I cannot resist the opportunity. Give me something I don't know.

Brass tacks:

I have not worked with "Perulero Squash" which is more commonly known as Chayote (pic at top). Squash. I can do that.

Chayote: peeled, de-seeded and cut into tiny fry-like (little bigger than matchstick) pieces browned in a little light oil and softened with vegetable stock. I reduced the heat until it the raw was cooked out of them. Finished with a little freshly ground salt, pepper, chopped cilantro and crushed red pepper. Done.

The really interesting part of the experience was the epasote and pumpkin seed pesto I spread between and on top of the golden tofu. Epasote has spicy, floral, herby " je ne sais quois". It was a bit sandy, so after a good soak and dry, I combined it with pumpkin seeds, oil, salt, pepper, two jalapeno peppers and rice vinegar in the food processor. Where's the garlic? Yeah, thought of that after the fact. Next time... there will be a next time.


Next time:

Instead of the bok choy, I'll do a garlic-y tomato sauce, or crushed roasted red pepper as a bed for the tofu
And/or add a grilled portabello mushroom
And/or add adding a layer or topping of crumbled queso fresco and a sqeeze of lime over the whole thing.

OR! - I think the pesto would work well on a thick piece of fish - like tuna or salmon

Wednesday, June 24 - Dinner

Tonight I plan on picking up one protein and 3 vegetables and only have a few dollars to spend - stay tuned to see what I can make of that.

Here we go!

In case you just HAVE to read about cooking (like me), here's an article that I thought was interesting: http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-train24-2009jun24,0,5817763.story. It's about creating crafty cuisine while on a rocking choo choo.

Here's another - it's on tofu... Hey! That's a cheap protein (at some stores) perhaps i can find a new spin on it. I think I'll pick up some tofu from the Korean market, and then go to the Salvadorian one and see what I can combine... hummm....

If you want to try freshly made tofu, go to Tokyo Table on La Cienega in LA - it's next to Laury's. They serve it still warm with toppings of seaweed and salt and pepper. Delightfully soft and subtle - I could eat a barrel of it and want more. Maybe. :-)

p(l)easant food

Pleasant food on a peasant budget.

Explore the world through the local restaurants and grocery stores.