eG Foodblog: Pierogi (2011) - Rollin' the bon temps on the Left Co

[Jon Savage]

I have so enjoyed following your blog. It has given me some ideas of how to spend my time on my next trip to the southwest environs of the greater L.A. area. And it is time for another pilgrimage to Acres of Books, assuming they are still there, with a possible jaunt to Planet Books, although I can usually waste spend most of a day at AoB.

Acres of books closed a couple of years ago. It is sorely missed.

[karlos]

I want that burrito right now. No, really, like right now. That looks so good. I love breakfast things, savory only, thanks very much.

[heidih]

The sausage and grapes are something I also enjoy. I first read about it in Marlena de Blasi's 1000 Days in Tuscany and did my own version often when my grapes vines were heavy with bounty. I agree about mix of sausages. I also threw in some garlic cloves and used fresh baked bread to mop up the delicious sauce.

[Pierogi]

YIKES !!! It's been a long, busy day today, and I just dumped 137 (!!!!! ) pictures into Microsoft Picture Manager. AND the computer's running like molasses. I love being 3 lines behind what I'm typing.

So, I'm not sure how much I'm going to get up on the blog tonight. I have another early day tomorrow, my poor, scrungy girls are finally going to the beauty salon tomorrow, early, so I'll have time (hopefully) to catch up then. AND MAYBE a better Interwebs connection. Let me go edit that dump load of pictures (and y'all know I cleaned *that* up!!!), and I'll be back. Maybe by then, what I've just typed will be on the screen. We'll see what we can accomplish tonight....

[Pierogi]

Before we dive into the meat of the day, let's see what came out of the little kitchen first.

I took some sugar, and put it in a saucepan:

Added some water:

And brought it to a furious boil:

Because the hummingbirds in my yard need to eat, too !!

[runwestierun]

I love that you cook for your birds. I am thouroughly enjoying your blog, P. Thank you for describing everything in such detail. Thank you.

Do you get alot of hummingbirds?

[Pierogi]

The pilgrimage to the Asian market, part deux.

After the demise of the camera batteries yesterday at Pioneer Cash & Carry, I plowed on to the Asian market just up the road. I had hoped against hope that *they* would carry batteries, and I could just carry on. Of course, no such luck. So I thought I'd cruise through it, and see if a) it was worth the trip, b) there was anything I wanted to buy and c) if I could do it justice with just verbal descriptions and no photos.

Answers to the above:

a) Oh yeah

b) OH YEAH

c) Not a freakin' chance.

So I decided to come back today, with fresh batteries and spendin' money. Here we go to:

This one is literally a couple of blocks north of Pioneer Cash & Carry (note to self, why on EARTH did I wait so long to come to this neck of my woods?).

Heidih, Andiesenji, Calipoutine, 6ppc and our members in San Diego are probably well aware of, and very familiar with this chain. It has outlets all over Southern California, and is truly an Asian "supermarket". I know there are many other, small, Mom & Pop shops around, but I wanted to try the granddaddy of them all.

Unlike the "cozy confines" (extra points to the baseball fan that can identify that reference. OK, answer below*, no peeking) of Pioneer Cash & Carry, this, as I said, is truly a supermarket. And if we thought we had culture clash in Pioneer Cash & Carry, get ready for a real head trip here.

A HUGE produce department:

This area is mostly small packages of mushrooms, fresh chiles, herbs, and other small nummies:

Wish I'd seen this before I made gumbo the other day !

Check out the size of this mushroom ! Yikes....

And fresh wood ears

Anyone have any idea what one would do with "banana buds"?

Wow ! Tumeric (or tumberic) on the hoof. In case you didn't get enough from that 5 pound bag yesterday:

They had a sign on these calling them jackfruit, but to me they sorta looked like durian. I didn't notice any "odd" aromas, though. Any of our Asian food experts want to chime in on what this actually is?

On the side of the produce area is a cold case with

Kimchi. More kimchi in one place at one time than I've ever seen:

And miso. Not too very long ago, I almost did handsprings (ok, *that's* a stretch, but I was really happy), when my usual MegaMart got red miso. Look at ALL this miso:

All sorts of salted/dried veggies and things.

And some soy products made to look like meat.

Nuggets, anyone?

Or maybe semi-realistic looking ground meat squiggles?

All right. Since this little field trip is going to be pretty picture intenstive, to save what's left of my sanity and good humor, I'm going to split 99 Ranch Market into chunks. Thus concludes the fresh produce/first cold case portion of the program. Back in a flash with the meat case.

*Answer to baseball trivia...."cozy confines" is usually used in the context of describing Wrigley Field in Chicago, where our beloved, but sad, Cubbies play. It's the smallest of all the major league fields. I loves the Cubbies *almost* as much as I loves My Dodgers. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog

[Pierogi]

Continuting on our tour of 99 Ranch Market. The entire rear wall of the store is taken up by the frozen meat & poultry case, the fresh, precut meat case, the service meat/poultry case (which is HUGE by American MegaMart standards, at least the MegaMarts *I* frequent), and the service seafood case. Wow. My jaw was hittin' the floor, my mouth was agape, I was floored. There was actual evidence of actual meat cutters cutting actual meat. IN THE STORE. Just like I remember in the old days, back before the turn of the century ! And the meat looked NICE. Lots of interesting cuts. I'll be back just to play with some of those...

Anyway, onto the frozen meat/poultry case.

I don't *EVEN* want to know what this is....

...or *this* !

Anyone know what part of a beef is a "pizzle"???

First time EVER I've seen deer meat in a SoCal store:

They also had them unsliced. Those were too skeevy for me to photograph. Sorry, I'm a wuss.

They had the feeties un-"cutted" as well. And cow feet, also un-"cutted".

Seriously, in all respect, they had some good looking frozen meat and poultry as well. But they also had, as a percentage, more, shall we say odd, stuff in the frozen case than in the service case or the pre-cut case.

Now *this* cut, I'd buy. Especialy if it were smoked (which unfortunately this wasn't, but I'd still buy it for a pot of pozole...). Can you imagine these bad boys smoked and thrown in a pot of beans? Or split pea soup?

And look at this piece of ham, and that fat. Now if it really *IS* Virginia ham, that's a steal. I was really, really tempted to buy it, but well, my fridge is about to implode. Now that I know it exists less than 10 miles from me, I will get some and soon.

And I thought this was a brilliant idea. Great way to get marinade into the meat, and then crisp it up when you cook it. Loved this !

The service meat case. It was really huge, and I usually shop for meat at Stater Bros. In So Cal, they're the only major chain that still has in-house butchers. Their meat is good, but their service meat case can't rival this one. The cuts looked great too.

Across from the meat was the eggs. This shot doesn't even capture two-thirds of the egg display. I really didn't think they'd appreciate me sitting in the meat case to get a wider shot !

Of course they had 1000-year, or preserved eggs.

On the "back" side of the cold case with the kimchi, miso and soy protein products, there was a case that had a ton of salted, dried fish of every type you can imagine:

Followed by a large assortment of dried Chinese sausages:

And again, more tofu than I've ever seen in one place at one time:

That's about all this post can take. Next up, the center aisles !

[Pierogi]

The Inner Aisles at 99 Ranch.

I have to admit, the wheels sort of came off of this little expedition right after the meat case. I needed to be at the CSA by 2:30 to be able to get pictures and talk to the staff before the other members started coming in for their pickups. I also had several things on MY list 'o' things to buy at the Asian Market I hadn't found yet. So I thought it would be wise at that point to check the time.

Which was, uhhhh, about 1:45, and I'd figured I needed to be on the road by 2:00. Ooooops. "Warp drive Mr. Scott !" (shout out to all the Trekkies !)

An entire aisle of housewares. THIS I will definitely be exploring more thoroughly in the very near future !

Asian snackies:

Didn't some folks around these here boards like Pocky's?

Plenty 'o' cookies:

No fortune cookies, though, wonder why not??

I *LOVED* the name of these crackers !

Not a huge selection of coffee, 'though they did have Cafe du Monde (with chicory), which floored me....

Plenty of tea, though !

Dried seaweeds for dashi, sushi and anything else you need dried seaweed for:

In case you don't like fried gluten...

Maybe some Ravioli-o's will hit the spot (right across the aisle from the fried gluten !)

Or these maybe, which I haven't seen in eons:

But if that doesn't work either, some pork sung might. Anyone have any idea what this is used for? They had shelf after shelf of it. I'm intrigued....

An idea who's time has come:

Some of the live service fish and shellfish. To the left of the live fish tanks is a huge service fish counter, probaby about 1/2 as long as the service meat counter. A wide selection of fish and shellfish, and prepared fish cakes. Due to the time issues, and the fact it was soooo crowded, I couldn't get a good picture of it. Nor could I thoroughly check it out.....Next trip !

Now *THAT'S* a durian ! No, I didn't buy one ! I's a chicken.

And in case you want tortillas with your sushi and kung pao sliced pig ears, right under the tapioca flour, and the rice flour, and the yam flour, how about some masa harina. Yes, Southern California is a true melting pot !

That does it for the field trip to 99 Ranch Market in Artesia. I'll be back !

Next up, what did Pierogi buy???

[Pierogi]

So, what did Pierogi buy at 99 Ranch? Well....had I had the time to really look at things, I probably could've done a lot more damage, especially if it hadn't been 80° outside (sorry Shelby), and I had another, about hour long-stop to make before I got to a fridge/freezer (not that I have any room in either after this week....oy).

I bought some makings for homemade dashi:

That'd be konbu and bonito flakes. This thread, over here, and this one, over there, got me wanting to try this myself. I see miso soup in my future.

I got some seasonings I've been looking for, for, well, forever.

I got some produce, lime leaves, galangal (which I've also been looking for, for, well, forever), some maitake mushrooms (WOW, they use those on Iron Chef. The ORIGINAL Iron Chef !) and some "white beech mushrooms":

Anyone got any ideas on what to do with the 'shrooms? I'm thinking just stir fry them, and maybe put them on top of rice or noodles. And I'm assuming the galangal will freeze, like ginger does. Am I correct?

And finally, one of the bazillion choices of dried Chinese sausage.

Anyone got any suggestions for that?

That's all for tonight folks. We'll catch up on tonight's dinner and the trip to the farm tomorrow morning. I'm too, tooo tired to do any justice to either of them, and the farm, especially deserves my close attention.

Later, 'gators !

[Dejah]

Ranch Market was a treat to wake up to! Thanks for producing "Chinese market" envy so early in my day...

Pork Sung is shredded cooked and seasoned pork. Great topping for congee in our family. I think a poster here made a sandwich with it.

Our kids used to sneak small handfuls and just pop it into their mouths.

Chinese sausage: slice it up and stir-fry with veg, in fried rice, deep fried and sliced as appetizer, in sticky rice in bamboo leaves or lotus leaves, or simply lay acouple in with your rice and let them cook at the same time as the rice. The "fat" seeps into the rice to create a lovely flavour, especially on the burnt rice at the bottom of the pot if you're cooking rice on the stove top!

Thanks for such a fun blog, P!

[PopsicleToze]

Just loving this blog. It's only 6:30 in the morning, and a friend already took us on a fantastic field trip to the market.

Headed to the coffee pot now -- can't wait to check back and see what you make!

Rhonda

[nickrey]

Use the Chinese sausage in your fried rice.

Jack fruit is quite different from Durian. The latter smells horrible, like sewerage, the former more like onions.

I've had jackfruit as a fruit component part of an Asian breakfast, where it tastes like a tart banana. It can also be eaten as part of a savoury meal: today we had a delicious Indonesian jackfruit curry.

[baroness]

A few comments on your Ranch 99 pix:

Banana buds (blossoms) are used in Vietnamese salads. I haven't tried one yet, but understand they are quite tart.

In the snack area, look for the "Ding Dong" snack mixes from the Philippines -- even my very particular CAT loves them!

"Want Want" crackers are quite tasty; as with most Asian sweets, they are lightly sweet.

Black vinegar is very tasty, and I like Shaohsing rather than sherry for most uses.

We have a variety of Asian markets here, some small and some quite mega. I just visited the brand-new H Mart in Edison (NJ) -- huge and quite elegant, with granite and other stonework. Unfortunately, there was also a large sign at the front door prohibiting photos.

[Lolagranola74]

Just floored by your wonderful blog- from Polish to Asian to NOLA via SoCal, all in a week and from the comfort of my couch. Thanks so much for all the effort- it's been appreciated word by word and picture by picture.

[Shelby]

What a great market!

[heidih]

Great trip through 99 Ranch market! Mine is a cookie cutter of yours except that yours is a newer larger space. What has delighted me in the 20 years that I have frequented 99 Ranch is their evolution from Chinese market to Pan Asian and beyond.

I now see significant numbers of Indian (South Asian), SE Asian, Caribbean, and Hispanic customers. The latter appear to be there for the seafood - so directly across from the seafood counter is an end cap with tortillas and hot sauces. The banana bud and the pre-shredded carrot and papaya strands appeal to the SE Asians. You will find longanisa in the freezer and tocino for the Filipino customers (and those Vienna sausages may be targeted at them?). The Cafe du Monde coffee is I believe a nod to its use in Vietnamese coffee preparations.

Be thankful you did not hit the market on a Friday during Lent - the fish counter is particularly insane during that time. I see a lot of whole fried fish going out the door on Fridays. Weekends can also be crazy but they are taste sample days - ladies cooking up frozen dumplings, packaged soups and curries, lumpia and more. Beats the frozen pizza samples at Costco

[blue_dolphin]

Anyone know what part of a beef is a "pizzle"???

Oh my, I didn't know they actually labeled the packages that way! I heard a piece on "Bull Pizzle Soup" on KCRW's Good Food just before Valentine's Day. They used every bad pun you can think of!

Edited March 11, 2011 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Blether]

Anyone know what part of a beef is a "pizzle"???

... They used every bad pun you can think of!

I'm certainly interested (and simultaneously disconcerted) to hear how they're prepared.

[Shelby]

Well, I learn something new every day I'm on here.

I had no idea that I frequently give my dogs a pizzle to chew on.

[CaliPoutine]

I think the last time I went into a 99 Ranch market was in Culver City in the late early 90's. I dont think we have one here in Santa Clarita. Thanks for reminding me about them.

I took copious notes re: your pierogi making. My partner is Polish( from Wisconsin)and she hasnt had a proper pierogi since leaving home.

Thanks for a great blog. I *LOVE* Breakfast burritos. My favorite is from The Coffee Cup Cafe on 4th/Termino.

[Toliver]

It's been a while since I've been through the local Ranch Market here but ours was/is skewed much more to the hispanic/latin market. I guess it's a reflection of its local customer base.

Thanks for taking the time to post all of the pictures. I am thoroughly enjoying your blog!

[andiesenji]

I think the last time I went into a 99 Ranch market was in Culver City in the late early 90's. I dont think we have one here in Santa Clarita. Thanks for reminding me about them.

I took copious notes re: your pierogi making. My partner is Polish( from Wisconsin)and she hasnt had a proper pierogi since leaving home.

Thanks for a great blog. I *LOVE* Breakfast burritos. My favorite is from The Coffee Cup Cafe on 4th/Termino.

The one in Van Nuys, on Sepulveda, just north of Victory isn't too far from you. It's on the east side of the street so you get off the 405 at Victory, turn left, turn left again on Sepulveda and there you are.

I'm also a big fan of breakfast burritos (as well as huevos rancheros). I have long been a proponent that a little spice gets the metabolism perking along.

A good way to "store" galangal is the same way to store ginger. Plant the rhizomes in a pot (a wide one at least 8 inches deep) with loose, very sandy soil. They will produce buds and more rhizomes and you live in the perfect climate for it.

[Pierogi]

So, we're goin' down to Yasgur's farm...(raise your hand if you remember that arcane rock & roll and cultural reference !)

No, not quite, but we are goin' to the farm. A farm that's smack dab in the middle of Long Beach, California, a city with about 500,000 population. Just on the other side of this railroad viaduct is my CSA.

It'll be off to the left there, behind the support embankment for the tracks. Over where that stand of trees are.

Here we are:

The Growing Experience is, I think, unique among other CSAs that I'm aware of. It's not based at a commercial, for-profit farming operation. The Growing Experience is a 7-acre farm, on repurposed land at the edge of the Carmelitos Housing Development in Long Beach. Yes. A farm on public land, in a low-income housing complex. It is TRULY local food ! Everything that The Growing Experience currently offers is produced on that 7-acre plot of land. Talk about knowing where your food comes from.

The land had originally been destined to be used as a tree farm for other LA County agencies...median plantings, roadside trees, etc. About the time the land was cleared, the demand for this type of horticultural products declined. The manager of the current program, Jimmy Ng, had already been hired to over see the tree farm. He was already very active in local food production, CSAs and sustainable agriculture, so he persuaded the county Housing Authority to convert the land to community gardens instead. At first, the purpose of the agricultural plantings were to provide food to the Development's residents. There are currently about 60 raised beds in another area of the farm that are used by Carmelitos residents to grown their own crop. The success of the community gardens led Jimmy to develop the rest of the 7-acre plot as gardens to supply a small CSA.

When you come in to the office area, Jimmy has all the week's produce sorted out in boxes for the members to bag up and take home:

The blue boxes are for the small shares and the gray ones hold the large shares:

That's what we're takin' home this week ! YAY, more avocados.

The Growing Experience currently offers sage honey from Honey Pacifica. The company is also based in Long Beach, and has hives all over Southern California.

Jimmy has plans to add other, staple bulk items, such as grains, nuts and dried fruit, to The Growing Experience's offerings as well. For these products, sources would likely be outside of Long Beach proper, but would be sustainably produced in California.

So let's go see where Pierogi's veggies come from !

[patris]

So, we're goin' down to Yasgur's farm...

Spooky - I have had my ipod going all morning at work (helps me concentrate sometimes, when I have a thorny writing project to endure), and Woodstock was the last song it played just before I plucked my earbuds out so I wouldn't shatter my eardrums during my Triscuit-based snack.

Great blog - your lovely climate and farm-fresh produce make this Buffalonian yearn for Spring.