The market report: Carrots

At the Santa Monica Farmers' Market, Laura Avery talks to Paul Thurston of McGrath Family Farm about his organic French knot, purple haze and Yellowstone carrot varieties. Thurston likes his roasted in olive oil and butter with rutabagas, beets, potatoes and garlic. At Little Fatty, chef David Kuo pickles the carrots he buys to add color, flavor and crunch to his zhajiang mian. "Zhajiang mian translates to 'fried sauce [noodles].' So in that tradition, we caramelize the black bean sauce and sweet flour sauce with the pork and onions to even further develop those umami flavors. I use fresh wheat noodles, cooked until al dente and top the dish off with refreshing cucumber ribbons, pickled julienned carrots and chiles. The raw vegetables, combined with the acid, balance the richness of the meat sauce." Find Kuo's recipe on the Good Food blog.

Music: "La Matriarca (Bossa Nova)" by Armando Trovaioli and "Low Tide" by Freddy King