eG Foodblog: heidih (2011) - A slice of life in the South Bay of Los A

[heidih]

The green beans from the farm stand were giving me the evil eye in the fridge. I boiled them up and dipped them into the sour cream/wasabi/mustard sauce I made earlier in the week to go with the beets. Perfect little snack. They were getting a bit flaccid. I should have used them a day earlier but they were sweet and not stringy at all.

[CaliPoutine]

Great to meet you today Heidi. It was a happy coincidence that I was going to be in Long Beach for the next week(dog sitting). Normally, I'm in Santa Clarita which is about 50 miles away.

My aunt bakes those cookies for Primal Alchemy caterers( In Long Beach) and he sells them to various coffee shops around town. Her profesional version looks very different. They are bigger too. 3 of them sell for 3.50. My aunt developed the recipe. There is some port wine in the filling.

I'll send you a picture of what they normally look like when my aunt gets back from her trip.

[David Ross]

That seafood is beautiful.

[heidih]

"Dinner" tonight is going to be in three leisurely courses spread out over the evening.

First up is the Thai inspired, coconut enriched soup with beet greens that I posted about on Sunday. The added slices of pineapple core contribute both crunch and a hint of sweetness. The beet green stems have turned it quite purple; the shirataki noodles absorbed the color as well. For crunch I nuked some Vietnamese rice crackers. They are really a fun item. The end result is like a shrimp cracker in terms of puffiness and crunch. I also see them with white sesame and in a spicy version with dried shrimp which is my favorite.

The rice cracker package

Prior to microwaving for a minute

The first course

[heidih]

Second "course" is the opaka fish from Sunday mashed with the rest of the sour cream and wasabi mix along with the raw kale salad I made. I must say that I prefer the raw kale salads I have made with Cavalo Nero - this kale is almost too resiliant. Who knows, it may mellow out before the end of the week.

The third course will be a late night nibble consisting of cornbread cubes from yesterday's vegetable version crisped under the broiler (but not burned - I will not leave the kitchen) and dipped into the leftover tamarind chutney and cilantro chutney from the Indian take out

[Kim Shook]

I am sitting here GREEN with envy over your amazing selection of fish and, mostly, lunch with Miss Cali!

[LindaK]

Heidi, thanks for the fish porn. That selection puts to shame anything I can find here. It looks like there's a good selection of prepared seafood dishes, too. Any favorites? Did you buy anything?

[Shelby]

Great to meet you today Heidi. It was a happy coincidence that I was going to be in Long Beach for the next week(dog sitting). Normally, I'm in Santa Clarita which is about 50 miles away.

My aunt bakes those cookies for Primal Alchemy caterers( In Long Beach) and he sells them to various coffee shops around town. Her profesional version looks very different. They are bigger too. 3 of them sell for 3.50. My aunt developed the recipe. There is some port wine in the filling.

I'll send you a picture of what they normally look like when my aunt gets back from her trip.

Those look SO freaking good. My husband loves fig newtons.

[heidih]

Heidi, thanks for the fish porn. That selection puts to shame anything I can find here. It looks like there's a good selection of prepared seafood dishes, too. Any favorites? Did you buy anything?

They also have a selection of fillets and steaks. As I noted, my absolute favorite is the local spiny lobster which I have them cook. They use ancient pressure steamers that look like old autoclaves. Sometimes the Dungeness calls to me, and I have tried the local crabs. They are firmer and less sweet but delicious.

I used to crave their squid plate which had battered and fried squid, decent fries and lousy coleslaw (from a tiny food service packet). The squid was cut in 2 x 4 pieces and about 1/4" thick with a batter that actually stayed on when you took a bite instead of sliding off. Apparently it was not a popular item and they took it off the menu

A recent lunch special was excellent - grilled mahi mahi and scallops as the seafood component. I sometimes bring my own tartar style sauce as they provide only useless little packets that yield less than a teaspoon of processed tasting glop. Their sides could definitely use improvement, but I am there for the seafood.

You can also select any fresh item and have it grilled or fried. On days when I am just there for a break and the view I often pick up one of the ceviches or pokis. They are served with a thick fried corn tortilla (tostada) and packets of Tapatio hot sauce. Another nice snack are the dollar packets of mixed smoked fish scraps. Perfect for a nibble while watching the boats and people.

We did not pick up anything on this trip. Mexican was calling. Gotta remember that CaliP was in a Mexican food wasteland up in Canada for quite a while

[heidih]

I am headed up to the South Coast Botanic Garden to catch up on some work. No food is grown there as the unknown toxins dumped during its landfill phase preclude it.

I keep looking at the many tangerines and decided today was the day to expand my use of them. This topic on dried tangerine peel beef and a quick google for online instructions such as these convinced me I have no excuses. Time to freeze some juice and dry some peel this afternoon.

[Pam R]

The rice cracker package

I've never seen rice crackers like that -- are they similar to rice paper wrappers?

[Peter the eater]

Heidi, your corner of the continent is fascinating. All that citrus and Pacific seafood is speaking to me. What do most folks do with the conch and urchin whole from the market?

[IowaDee]

I just finished reading An Embarrassment of Mangoes in which the author talks about cooking

conch. From her description it sounds a lot like abalone. She mentions needing to beat it

with a mallet. Is conch similar in taste to abalone?

[heidih]

I've never seen rice crackers like that -- are they similar to rice paper wrappers?

They look like thick rice papers and have the same markings as if they were dried in bamboo mats. You could not just wet and roll one though. I have seen photos of them being held over an open flame at street vendor stalls to toast them. The microwave is an easier less scorch-likely method.

[heidih]

Heidi, your corner of the continent is fascinating. All that citrus and Pacific seafood is speaking to me. What do most folks do with the conch and urchin whole from the market?

I have never seen anyone purchase the conch. This is turban shell which is much much smaller than the conch that we hear about in the Caribbean. My favorite knowledgeable vendor at the market was not working when we were there. I will ask him next time. I usually see folks buying the sea urchin, cracking them open, maybe squirting with lemon, slurping them in their raw state and moaning with pleasure.

[heidih]

I just finished reading An Embarrassment of Mangoes in which the author talks about cooking

conch. From her description it sounds a lot like abalone. She mentions needing to beat it

with a mallet. Is conch similar in taste to abalone?

I just finished that book as well as The Spice Necklace by the same author and have been jonesing for conch. I have never eaten it. My abalone experience dates back to the era when the snorkelers harvested them off the rocks on Catalina Island. Pounded, grilled, buttered with a quirt of lemon = a singular taste memory from 40 years ago!

[IowaDee]

I'm about half way through The Spice Necklace. Now, in addition to tasting conch, I want to make a necklace! When I was

a kid, our family went through a rough patch and skindiving friends would bring us abalone. Most of them were from the

Santa Monica beach area. At the time, it was "poor food" but I sure would like to afford it today!

I'm so enjoying your blog, it makes me homesick, but it is worth it for the enjoyment of seeing my favorite part of the

country.

[AAQuesada]

It's been fun reading this. Although I grew up around Westwood, I do teach occasionally as an adjunct instructor in CA at LA Harbor college. One of the things I love about SoCal is that there is always somewhere else to explore and something new to eat

[heidih]

It's been fun reading this. Although I grew up around Westwood, I do teach occasionally as an adjunct instructor in CA at LA Harbor college. One of the things I love about SoCal is that there is always somewhere else to explore and something new to eat

Then the taco truck is just down the street from you at PCH and Vermont

[heidih]

Moving into a more meat-centric mode I went to Alpine Village Market this afternoon. The center itself was a hotbed of German immigrant festivity when it first opened. There was a least some sort of festival going on every month or two. Children's dance groups would perform in costume, live music was played by men in Lederhosen, and lots of sausage and beer was consumed. There was a German language movie theater with an adjacent candy store (all imported and coveted by us kids). Today the restaurant is more of an older singles dance hangout and not a food destination. The theater and candy store are gone. I would not be surprised if the daily swapmeet ( a really downscale one) provides most of the revenue. I think they still do a big Oktoberfest month. However, the market is a true destination. The shelved are filled with quality imported canned and dry goods. The deli counter is scary - how does one choose? I only got off a few shots before the "no pictures allowed" call went out so what I am posting is just a snippet. My dad the former butcher and sausage maker finds their products impressive.

So here we go

Some outside shots of the location

[heidih]

As you walk in

Wall of pickles

The few shots of the deli case before I was "caught"

[heidih]

And the take home -

I plan to have tastes of these the rest of the evening. Wish you could share. I will post a picture of the platter. I think some of the cucumber quick pickles will add a nice tart edge.

[chezcherie]

excellent stealth camera work, undercover agent heidih.

[andiesenji]

Geez! Now I'm hungry for bratwurst!

[AAQuesada]

It's been fun reading this. Although I grew up around Westwood, I do teach occasionally as an adjunct instructor in CA at LA Harbor college. One of the things I love about SoCal is that there is always somewhere else to explore and something new to eat

Then the taco truck is just down the street from you at PCH and Vermont

Have you been to Carniceria Flores aka Flores meats on Anaheim by the 110? great burritos, very flavorful and in-expensive!

La Epanola just down the way as well. Lots of great food in the area

Edited May 6, 2011 by AAQuesada (log)