Passover; a Bicycle Built for Chew; Bush Loves Spice; Italian Sparklers; Raw Food; Apple's America

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Recipes and Resources from today's Good Food

The Los Angeles City Council is considering passing an ordinance that would charge weekly fees to all farmers' markets in the city. This added expense could put a lot of nonprofit markets out of business. To weigh in, contact your City Councilperson or go to SlowFoodLA.com. (To learn more about the ordinance being considered, tune-in to this Reporter's Notebook" segment of Which Way, LA?, which aired in June, 2004.)


Laura Avery spoke about Lilacs.


Evan Kleiman talked about Passover and offered some great ideas for menus at home. She is also offering a Passover Dinner at Angeli Caffe on Sunday, April 24 at 5pm, for $35. Evan also shared two of her Passover recipes.

Haroset all'Italiana (Italian Haroset)
All over the world Jews prepare the ritual food of Haroset (also charoset or charoses) in different ways. The sticky, denseness of the dish symbolizes the mortar which ancient Jews used to build the pyramids in Egypt. The mixture is traditionally a combination of nuts and fruits , apples in Eastern Europe, and often dried fruits in the rest of the world. In this recipe whole oranges are added, including the peel to cut the sweetness of the dates and other dried fruits. The red wine is thought to symbolize the Red Sea which parted so that the Jews could cross.

  • 1 lb pitted dates
  • 2 oranges
  • 1/2 lb raisins
  • 1/2 lb figs
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 - 1 cup toasted pine nuts or almonds, chopped
Check dates to be sure there are no pits. Trim the stem end of the oranges and cut them in quarters. Pass all ingredients through the meat grinder attachment of your mixer. Place ground fruit in bowl. Add wine and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Mix in pine nuts or almonds or use for garnish.

Pesce in Carpione (Marinated White Fish w/Pine Nuts and Raisins)
Serves 4

  • 2 lbs whitefish fillet, skin on
  • Flour for dredging
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Vegetable oil for pan frying
  • 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced
  • Small handful of coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)
  • 1/3 cup champagne vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 shallot, peeled and minced
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 head radicchio or butter lettuce
  • 1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
Remove pin bones from the fish using tweezers, pliers or your fingers. Cut the fish fillet crosswise into pieces about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil until hot but not smoking. Lightly dust the fish with the seasoned flour, add to the pan, and fry until golden. Carefully remove the fish from the skillet and arrange it in a nonreactive baking pan of stainless, glass, or enamel

In a medium skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil and saut- the onions until very tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the onions, chopped parsley and raisins, if desired, over the fish.

To make the marinade, in a small bowl whisk together the remaining 1 cup of olive oil, vinegar, mustard, shallot, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the fish and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Separate the radicchio or butter lettuce head into individual leaves, and arrange on serving plates. Lift the fish, topped with the onion mixture, out of the marinade and arrange on the lettuce leaves. Garnish with pine nuts.


Marian Burros, New York Times columnist and cookbook author talked about the role of the chef in the White House and the firing of Walter Scheib.


Jonathan Gold spoke about Yi Cuisine, a place he describes as "a little black dress bar.- In addition to the many of the little Japanese specialties like Kobe beef tartare or seared ahi which are very popular, Chef Rodelio Aglibot offers a few Filipino dishes. One of the favorites is deep-fried pig elbow served with vinegar and a foie gras dipping sauce.

Jonathan also discussed a Spam degustation menu he attended at Yi. Menu items included Spam Carpaccio topped with shaved foie gras and Spam Arroz Caldo with beautiful baby bok choy and laced with sesame, and the "piece de resistance,- Spam Wellingtons, Spam-fill puff pastry creations that looked like cans of Spam.


J. J. Jenson is a volunteer member of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, a nonprofit group that advocates increased bicycle use in the city and lobbies for more bike lanes, racks and signs. Jenson spoke about the Taste of LA Bicycle Tour, which takes place on Saturday, April 23. Riders will sample food from 5 different ethnic eateries: tamales, Greek tzatziki, Ethiopian food, Korean noodles and a Salvadoran dessert. Event registration is at 8am and the bike ride begins at 9. KCRW Good Food listeners can pre-register by April 22 for $35.00, or $40.00 the day of the event. Ride begins at the Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street; parking is $10.00 or you can arrive by Blue Line, stop at Pico. Registration fee also includes the Bike Expo being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center that Saturday.


George Cossette of Silverlake Wine told us about Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine. He recommended the following selections (all of the prices at Silverlake Wine include tax):

Mionetto, "Il Prosecco-, $9.75
Mionetto, "Prosecco Brut, $11.50
Bison, dei Colli Trevigiani, $16.25
Mionetto, "Sergio-, $21.00
Silverlake Wine offers tastings three times a week.
Sunday afternoons, from 3-5pm, features 3-5 wines with hors d'oeuvres, $20
Blue Mondays, from 5-9pm, includes 3 wines with cheese from the Silverlake Cheese store, $12
Thursdays, from 5-9pm, pours 3 whites or 3 reds, price varies


Raw food enthusiast Janabai tells us about her new shop in Santa Monica. Euphoria (310-383-1513) is located at 717 Broadway.


R. W. Apple, Associate Editor of the New York Times, spoke about his new book Apple's America : The Discriminating Traveler's Guide to 40 Great Cities in the United States and Canada.