Cheese Myths; Umami Burger; Squirrel Wars; Growing Greens

Guest Interview

Market Report - Great Greens ()

Sassan Rostamian has Tuscan kale on the menu at his restaurant Sauce on Hampton Drive in Venice.  Sassan leaves the stem on the kale.  To cook, start with a hot pan with a little water.  Cook down the kale and add more water as needed.  In the last 4 or 5 minutes, add garlic and a dash of red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar.  If you're cooking a lot kale, keep the pan covered to steam it a bit.  The leaves turn a dark green when ready.

 

Eating greens are part of the Persian New Year tradition.  They signify prosperity and the new growing season.  In a typical celebration, you'll find a basket of greens on every table including mint, dill, and parsley.  Persian New Year starts on the first day of Spring.

Maggie's Farm sells all kinds of herbs and fast-growing greens.  Owner Nate Peitso sells a lot of cilantro, basil, mint and tarragon during Persian New Year.  Right now, basil is fresh and so is flowering arugula which Nate recommends sprinkling on pasta or quiche.

Guest Interview

Terrence Howard Saved Her Life ()

Margot Dougherty is a senior editor at Los Angeles Magazine.  Once, while she was interviewing actor Terrence Howard at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills,  Margot choked on shrimp sushi. Terrence Howard saved her life.  Terrence told the story on Ellen.

Music break: Budha by Zaman 8

Guest Interview

Stoves for Darfur ()

Spencer Brodsky, a high school junior, is currently working with CHF to provide fuel- efficient stoves to Sudanese women in need.  Trips to gather firewood outside of Darfur camps, can be dangerous for the women and children looking for firewood.  These stoves provide an alternative to those treacherous trips.  Donate to Spencer's "Stoves for Darfur" project here.

Spencer's project started with Darfur.   Recently, the Sundanese government expelled aide groups, including CHF.  Spencer has decided to expand his project to other countries in need of these fuel efficient stoves.  CHF vows to return to Darfur and continue their project.

Music break: Dig Dis by Hank Mobley

Guest Interview

Demystifying Cheese ()

Andrew Steiner owns Andrew's Cheese Shop in Santa Monica.  According to Andrew, hard cheeses contain a minimal amount of lactose and should be okay for people with lactose intolerance.  Examples of hard cheeses include Parmigiano- Reggiano, Aged Gouda, and Pecorino.  Soft cheeses include Brie and Camembert.

Raw milk cheese means that the milk was not heated more than 100 degrees during processing.  The FDA does not allow raw milk cheeses aged for less than 60 days to be distributed in the U.S.  Pregnant women should avoid cheeses under 60 days old.  Listeria is a bacteria that can sometimes be found in homemade, young, raw milk cheeses.

Music break: Doodlin by Horace Silver (Church Grape Piece)

Guest Interview

A Church Vineyard in Lomita ()

Lyn Miles and Suzana Rockhold are in charge of the St. Mark's Presbyterian Church vineyard in Lomita.  Judy Cuthbertson is the pastor and Nancy Knapp is the church historian.  Their 34 vines grow concord grapes, Cabernet grapes and Zinfandels.

The church had an active vineyard 50 years ago until a construction project tore them down.  While doing research for the church, Nancy discovered that two parishioners had grapes growing in their backyard.  Their vines came from cuttings from the original church vineyard.  Lyn and Suzana first made juice from those grapes.  Then, they started replanting the vineyard in a grassy stretch next to the parking lot.  Their grape juice is served at communion.  With the leftovers, they make jams for the church bazaar.

Lyn Miles, Suzana Rockhold and Nancy Knapp

Music break: Gread Dub in the Sky by the Easy Star All-Stars

Guest Interview

Farming in the South Bay ()

Judi Gerber is the author of Farming in Torrance in the South Bay and the blog LA Farm Girl.  The area was once an agricultural center.  Lomita grew celery, Gardena berries and Palos Verdes had an abundance of garbanzo beans. 

Tom Ishibashi and his family are still farming in the South Bay.  This is the 60th year that a member of the Ishibashi family has been farming in the South Bay.  The farm stand is now open at the Torrance airport: 24955 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA.

Ishibashi Farmstand, 1990

Torrance, 1931 (from the Cal State Dominguez Special Collections)

Verburg Dairy in Torrance, 1947

Music break: Eddie's Rubber Band by Eddie Bo

Guest Interview

Growing an East Coast Salad Bowl ()

Ben Dobson is the president of Locally Known in Maine.  Their mission is to provide the East Coast with local, organic produce.  They are creating a regional distribution network for New England's organic farmers.  Their produce currently sells at Whole Foods and Trader Joes in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.

Dandelion Soup

This one is tangy, like the dandelion leaves. You can collect the dandelions anytime in the spring.
1 apple
4-5 big dandelion leaves
baby spinach
dash of sea salt
two teaspoons raw organic honey

Cover the apple with fresh water.  Add remaining ingredients.  Blend well. Serve in a bowl. You can add currents, raisens, sunflower seeds, pepitas as a garnish.

Music break: The End of a Love Affair by the Wes Montgomery Trio

Guest Interview

Squirrel Wars ()

Marlena Spieler documents the current war between gray squirrels and red squirrels in an article for the New York Times.  Many Brits are putting squirrel on the menu; Fergus Henderson of St. John in London braises squirrel with bacon, porcini mushrooms and shallots.

Braised Squirrel and Watercress
(Recipe from The Independent)

4 squirrels, skinned by butcher
Duck fat
12 shallots
1oz dried porcini
Splash of eau de prune, or cognac
Approximately 1 pint chicken stock
1 Glass dry white wine
4 pigs' trotters
4oz bacon, cut into small chunks
1 carrot and 1 onion, both roughly chopped
Bay leaf
6 peppercorns
Bunch watercress, roughly chopped

Scrub trotters, cover in water. Simmer with carrot, onion, peppercorns and bayleaf for several hours until tender. Cool. Strain. Extract meat and return to liquid. Leave to jellify. Keep overnight in fridge.

Cut squirrels into five – back legs, shoulders, saddle. Remove hearts and livers, brown in duck fat, splash with eau de prune, mash into paste, reserve. Soak porcini in a little hot water for half an hour. Drain, reserve liquid. Cook squirrel gently in duck fat until lightly browned. Flame in eau de prune, add wine. Place in casserole. Fry bacon and shallots in same fat, adding porcini. Season. Add to casserole, with porcini liquor and four tablespoons trotter jelly. Cover with stock. Add lid. Braise in 325 oven for two to three hours until tender. Stir in watercress. Serve with liver paste on toast.

Music break: Ecaroh by Bob Holroyd

Guest Interview

Umami Burger ()

Jonathan Gold is the Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic for the L.A. Weekly, where you can read his review of Umami Burger.  Umami is a Japanese term for the "fifth taste."  It's a meaty, savory taste found in mushrooms, parmesan cheese and soy sauce.  Find everything you ever wanted to know about umami, including a list of umami-rich foods here.

Umami Burger
850 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA

Guest Interview

The Street ()

Susan Feniger, of The Border Grill fame, is opening The Street, a solo venture on Vine in Hollywood.  The restaurant is featuring street food from around the globe, including dumplings.

Susan in Kolcutta with kati kabobs and carmelized onions

Susan and Executive Chef, Kajsa, testing menu items for The Street

More videos here.