Fresh Produce

The Hunt for Fresh Produce in Las Vegas

We read so much on the Internet and magazines, not forgetting the television, about how we have to cut our meat intake and eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. The problem is we all love a good juicy steak or succulent pork chop with the fat around the edge just crispy and browned enough.

The confusion increases with the “organic” verses “non-organic choice”. The main difference I see is the price, something most of us have to watch these days. I was in one food store the other day to buy a punnet (English for a box of berries) of strawberries. The organic choice was $5.99, the non-organic $3.99. I went for the cheaper ones as I only wanted them for a smoothie and a few on my Shredded wheat. Not with my glass of champagne at a royal wedding. Another difference I feel is that organic produce doesn’t last as long as non-organic. Which means you have to shop more often, which adds to the price of shopping.

We then read about the horror stories of the “Toxic” poisons the farm-produced fruit and vegetables are treated with. They keep away the creepy crawlies, which devour my meager attempt for home grown delicacies.

So what choices do we have to find genuine fresh farm vegetables and fruit? The obvious is to grow our own but that’s not that easy or economic. It’s a nice feeling though to go out in your back garden to pick a tomato or chilli even a bunch of your own herbs to go with your salad or what ever you’re preparing.

There are the supermarkets that purport to sell the freshest fruit and vegetables. How long has it taken the produce to get the shops and into the dish you are preparing or your refrigerator?

The other choice is the Las Vegas farmers markets. Which I understand is beginning to win its battle with the “marionettes” at city, county and state halls. I thought the farmer’s market was fledgling movement here in Las Vegas. Until I was speaking to a stallholder at a recent market, he assured me the movement started more than 12 years ago.

Something Quick Easy and Inexpensive for Dinner.

Gammon steak with minted potatoes and Broccoli in black bean sauce.

I cooked this for dinner last night and I truly sat down to eat within 20 minutes. This meal can be cooked just using you electric wok, microwave and small grill oven.

What you need, I bought every thing I needed from our local “Fresh and Easy”. www.freshandeasy.com

Except the black bean sauce, rice wine vinegar and corn starch. I already had them in the cupboard.

What you’ll need;

Gammon (ham) steak. Fresh and Easy sell one large one for less than $4 and it’s big enough for 2.

Small honey gold potatoes, as many as needed, remember yellow potatoes have more goodness than the white potato. Fresh and Easy sell a very handy bag.

Fresh mint if you have it, I picked mine from the garden. If not dry will do.

The broccoli stalks, I don’t throw them away. I freeze them to make broccoli soup later. I do the same with asparagus stalks.

Broccoli, as much as you like to eat, I used about 3 cups of florets

A handful or two of cherry or small tomatoes, optional adds colour.

Sesame seeds optional, they add a nice nutty taste.

½ cup of water.

1 teaspoon of Rice wine vinegar.

1 teaspoon cornstarch or corn flour

2 teaspoons of Black bean garlic sauce. You can be a bit heavy with the teaspoon. Nothing wrong with a bit more.

2 teaspoons of canola or Olive oil

1 clove of minced garlic, more if the Vampires are about.

Turn on your grill/broiler to get it up to full heat. I warm my plates on top of the oven. Not directly on the oven but on an old grill tray. The may break directly on the oven top; you can cover the plates with kitchen foil to keep in the heat. Handy for keeping stuff warm

The potatoes:

I use my microwave to cook the potatoes. Wash the potatoes and put into a big enough microwave safe bowl, partially cover with water, add salt if needed. Add the stalks of fresh mint. Cover the bowl with an old plate and cook on high for 6 minutes. Time may vary with different microwaves.

When they’re done leave in the boiled water to keep warm.

Meanwhile:

How to cook the Broccoli;

1. Toast sesame seeds in a small dry frying pan (or your wok before the main event) over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

2. Mix half water, vinegar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add black bean sauce and stir until smooth.

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or stir-fry pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and the vinegar, black sauce mix, stir to coat.

Or use your electric wok.

4. Add the remaining half of the water; cover and steam just until the broccoli is tender-crisp, 1 to 3 minutes.

You can add your small tomatoes now or put them on the grill with the gammon.

5. Push broccoli to the sides and pour the sauce mixture in the center. Stir until the sauce begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Stir in the broccoli to coat. Be careful not to let the sauce cook away.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with the sesame seeds.

While the broccoli is cooking put the gammon steak under the grill.

The gammon steak I use is pre-cooked, it could be eaten cold, so it only needs heating through. Grill one side for a few minutes then turn over to heat the over side.

An easy tasty classy meal.

I had a glass or two of a cold crisp Pino Grigio to accompany the dinner. I drank a glass while cooking.

What to do with Green tomatoes?

Fried Green Tomatoes

If you’ve been out to any of the Farmer’s Markets or out door markets, you must have noticed it’s ‘Tomato” season. They’re everywhere. Check out the cooking websites and cooking blogs there’s an abundance of recipe ideas for tomatoes.

If you don’t want to fry in the heat of the Las Vegas, the more ethnic supermarkets carry a great range of more interesting produce.

As the tomatoes I was trying to grow either started to split before they turned red or flatly refused to go red. So “Fried Green Tomatoes came to the rescue. I became hooked on these after watching a couple of movies where fried green tomatoes seemed to be the central theme. Obviously the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” and “The Secret Life of Bees”

Here’s the recipe I use. I know everyone’s Granny has her own secret recipe, this one works for me.

A very satisfying feeling to go out to your tomato patch and pick a few garden fresh tomatoes. In 15 minutes or so you are eating your very own produce for breakfast. 

Fried Green Tomatoes with Red Onion

Ingredients

1/2-cup flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs or 1 egg with egg white to top up the mixture

2 tablespoons water or 1% milk

1-cup cornmeal or Wheat germ.

2 Biggish green tomatoes sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Number depending how many you have to feed.

Olive or canola oil as needed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Optional

Garnish: ¼ cup low fat sour cream and 2 tablespoons minced red onion.

**I liked the sour cream but the onion taste stayed with me all day**

The Method

Heat the oven to 425°.

I cook these fine in my small grill oven. Waste less energy. Also keeps the kitchen area cooler.

In a shallow bowl or pie plate, combine flour, salt, and pepper.

Beat together the eggs and water; I used 1% milk; pour the mixture into another shallow dish or pie plate.

Pour cornmeal into a third shallow dish. Coat each tomato slice with flour (shake off excess), then egg, then cornmeal.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, pour a thin layer of oil to completely cover the bottom of the skillet. Pan-fry the coated tomato slices until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, (I used kitchen foil with a brushing of oil)

Season with salt and pepper.

Place in the oven to finish cooking, about 8 minutes.

The black looking object isn't one a I burnt. It a dark portobello mushroom. Honest!

Place tomato slices on serving plates or a large platter, then top with sour cream and red onion.

Keep warm or serve immediately.

For added touch of class you can add a side of mushrooms and grilled bacon. Pork or turkey.

For us trying to drop a few pounds: Only use one egg and add enough egg white to top up the egg mixture; Use whole meal flour; wheat germ instead cornmeal.

My weekends Boeuf Bourguignon

Well, this last weekend I made Boeuf Bourguignon. It turned very well, but. It could have been better. The Beaujolais Nouveau was not really up to the task; it needed a red wine with a lot more body. The beef I used, although it said it was chuck steak it didn’t have enough flavour. Maybe chuck steak here in the USA is not the same cut as chuck steak in the UK.

I should have used shin of beef, that is my preferred cut of beef when cooking a beef dish slowly. Rump or flank steak, I should think, would be fine.

They were minor self-criticisms; it turned out quite good, very good according to the friends who shared the dish with me.

I accompanied the dish with plain boiled potatoes, extra fresh cooked carrots and fresh gardens peas. It looked very classy but I forgot to take a photo to show it off.

For wine, I served an Argentinean Malbec, a wine I’m quite partial to.

For starter nibbles there were smoked oysters on crispy toast. For after dinner Roquefort and Camembert cheese with crusty French bread or crackers, also in season cherries.

Cooking and eating won’t be so much fun for me in the next few weeks. I have to fall back onto the South Beach diet plan of eating. I want, no need, to lose 20 pounds. I’d like to do before the winter months set in.

South Beach have some very good recipes and eating ideas, but. It’s the things I love I’ll have to miss out on.

Over the next few weeks I’ll include some of the recipes I use. For those of you like me, who need to shed a few pounds it might encourage you to try as well

Boeuf Bourguignon

The promised second recipe, using a whole bottle of wine.

It has been sometime since I cooked Boeuf Bourguignon, in fact a couple of years. It’s a bit fiddly staying with the recipe, having to prepare the dish in layers. I did manage to cook the dish in my “electric wok” and another time starting the cooking in the wok. Then transferring to my slow cooker to slowly cook away while I was out for the day. If you have a good electric wok you can cook dishes on a low heat setting very successfully.

I searched the Internet for Boeuf Bourguignon and most of the recipes that came up refered to Julia Childs adaption of the traditional French recipe. Comparing her recipe with mine I thought I’d stay with my version. Maybe I’ll try Julia’s recipe another time.

I’ll be making this dish in the next few days, I’ll let you know how I got on and post a few photos.

I have to go shopping for the ingredients I don’t have.

The Brandy, the beef, the salt pork if I can get it, I’ve never cooked salt pork. Maybe I’ll just stick with thick cut streaky bacon I can get from a local shop, Fresh & Easy. The best shop here in Vegas for British provisions, they’re even doing “Mushy peas” now.

Let’s get on with the recipe

Boeuf Bourguignon:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil;

2 large slices salt pork or 6 large slices of bacon;

1 1/2 cups diced carrots;

2-pound boneless chuck or beef rump, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices; Salt and freshly ground black pepper;

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped;

1 clove garlic, minced;

2 shallots, finely chopped;

1/2 pound mushrooms, trimmed and chopped;

1/2 bottle (750-ml bottle) Burgundy or pinot noir;

1/3 cup Cognac.

Method

1. Pour the oil into a large casserole.

Add a slice salt pork. (or 3 slices bacon);

Add the diced carrots and cover them with one-third of the sliced beef in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the meat with half the onions, garlic, shallots, and mushrooms.

Cover with a layer of half the remaining beef and sprinkle with more salt and pepper.

Add the remaining onions, garlic, shallots, and mushrooms and cover with a final layer of the remaining beef.

Top with the second slice of salt pork (or remaining 3 slices of bacon). Pour in the Burgundy and Cognac to cover all.

Season with additional salt and pepper, the recipe mentions a lot of seasoning. I try to go easy on the salt as the bacon or the salt pork will make the dish salty

2. Place the casserole over high heat, and when it begins to simmer, cover and lower the heat.

Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender when tested with a fork.

Suggested accompaniments

Vegetables: Good quality boiled potatoes is traditionally served with this dish. I would also serve roast potatoes, as that’s what I like. Extra potatoes never go to waste.

I think a dish looks more attractive if you serve with a side of colourful vegetables. Such as green vegetable, fresh garden peas would be a good choice, if in season. Carrots always add colour.

Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy.

Keeping for tomorrow:

This is a good dish to cook the day before. Letting it rest for a day will bring out more of the flavours. Much like a curry tastes better when left to rest over night.

When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, or when the meat is fully heated through, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

If you decide to try this dish before I get around to it. Let me know how you got on

A case of 2005 Californian Gamay Beaujolais Noveau

As all of us wine buffs know, Beaujolais Nouveau needs to be drunk pretty soon after bottling. I had this case of wine from Trader Joe’s, www.traderjoes.com (a speciality food and drink shop here in the USA) way back in 2005 and due to travelling and other stuff going on, I never got around to drinking it.

I was attempting to tidy out a few cupboards the other day and came across the case of wine. I knew it was there but it had slipped way back in the recesses of my brain. So I thought I’d have to do something with this wine, even if it’s just to clear the drains.

I tried a bottle to drink, it wasn’t too bad it still tasted like wine and not vinegar. But after a few glasses I thought, no not for drinking. Instead of just clearing the drains I thought, I must be able to cook with this. But I needed recipes that used whole bottles of wine. The first two that came to mind were “Coq au Vin” and “Boeuf Bourguignon”.

The recipes I had needed a wine with more body Like a Pinot noir or Merlot, something like a Bordaux. But for a whole bottle of best wine, that seemed extravagant. I did add a little from wine I had left over from unfinished bottles. I never throw unused wine away.

Unless of course, you’ve dribbled in the glass.

First a recipe for the Coq au vin, it’s easier. The Bourguignon can be a fiddly dish to prepare.


This can be cooked in your microwave and electric wok. You can prepare the wine mixture in your microwave. Careful not to let it bowl over using the low power or defrost settings.
Using the electric wok makes it easier to control the heat settings to simmer.


As it takes a while to cook and you need to keep an eye on what's happening, it's best to have a nice friend with you and a bottle of wine with some light snacks. Smoked oysters on crackers or thin toast are my preference.


Coq au Vin Recipe.

Ingredients

1 bottle pinot noir
 (or as I did a bottle of 2005 Beaujolais)

1 chopped carrot,                                             
1 chopped stick of celery.

1 small onion, cut into quarters


4 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with a knife,

Plus 1 peeled and finely sliced.

1 or 2 bay leaves. Small bunch of thyme

1 tbsp butter


150g Of thick streaky bacon cut into thick chunks. 
Better if you can get a single piece.

2 tbsp plain flour


4 chicken thighs, 2 chicken legs

20 baby onions or 10 shallots, peeled but left whole.
 (drop them briefly in boiling water first to loosen the peel)


20 button mushrooms, or 10 white mushrooms, quartered.

4 tbsp cognac.

Method

1. Pour the wine into a saucepan and add the carrot, celery, onion, crushed garlic, bay leaf and 4 sprigs of thyme. Bring to the boil, let it simmer away to reduce by half, then strain and discard the flavourings.

2. Heat the butter over a medium-high heat in a large, heavy-based pan with a lid and then add the bacon. Cook until golden, then lift out with a slotted spoon and put aside. Meanwhile, tip the flour on to a plate and season well. Roll in the chicken pieces to coat them.

3. Put the chicken in the pan, in batches if necessary, and brown well on all sides, then lift out and put with the bacon. Your bacon should have given off enough fat for there still to be enough in the pan for the next stage, but if not, add another tablespoon of butter or a glug of olive oil.

4. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the onions or shallots. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are beginning to caramelise, then add the mushrooms and the sliced garlic and cook for a further 4 minutes, then lift out of the pan and set aside (but not with the chicken).

5. Turn up the heat, pour a little of the reduced wine into the pan and scrape the bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon, then put in the chicken and the bacon, keeping a few bits of the bacon back as garnish. Pour over the brandy and set it alight, then, when the flames have gone out, add the rest of the wine and thyme leaves. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer gently for an hour.

6. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic and simmer for another 20 minutes, keeping the lid only half on this time. Taste for seasoning and serve with the rest of the bacon sprinkled over the top.

I served with roast small potatoes un-peeled, a mixture of red and white potatoes adds a nice touch. I washed the potatoes and boiled for 5 minutes in the microwave before roasting in a little olive oil.

I heated the oil then added the potatoes coating them with oil and cooked till starting to brown.

Any colourful vegetable adds nice touch. Asparagus is in season so that’s what I served. You can never go wrong with baby carrots and broccoli.


For a wine I'd suggest a good quality red. A Pinot Noir or a Merlot. I like the Malbec you can get from Argentina.

 If you're making it the day before eating, which will improve its flavour, then lift the solidified fat off the top before reheating. Healthier without all the fat.

Another Healthy Idea

 With the price of tuna, especially here in Las Vegas, let's say the American supermarkets. Add Ahi in front of tuna and charge an extra $10 a pound. Why make burgers out of Tuna?

There must be a number of reasons, but mine are. It’s something different, especially those of you with children. Once they’re made it’s a quick an easy healthy lunch time snack or even breakfast. Serve them with brown rice and a salad for dinner. Even sweet potato fries, go on then some big fat potato wedges.

Mutrah fish market (Souq) Muscat Sultanate of Oman

I first made these while working in the Middle East; tuna was nothing like the price they charge here. I could make around 20 for $10.

I find the best place to buy fresh seafood and fish here in Las Vegas is at the Asian and Mexican stores. I went to one some months back and I thought I was in a foreign country. I suppose to me America is a foreign country.

Brixton market fish stall

I know a few markets and shopping areas in the UK like that. Brixton market in south London, mostly Caribbean.

You can get just about anything at Brixton market

You'll even see some famous faces shopping there

With a designer bag

There's always time for a pot of Tea

Streatham, just up the road Middle eastern and international, not English, Earls Court anything Australian or New Zealand.

 The Melton road going out of Leicester and you could be in India. Close your eyes and just smell the spices.

With the biggest Saree shop I've ever seen.

Diwhali, the festival of lights, is celebrated as fervently as any where in the world.

During the Holy month of Ramadan the whole area is like a ghost between the hours of sunrise and sunset.

I’ve wandered away the tuna burger. You can make a batch of these and have them ready in the freezer. Be careful not to squash them before they’re frozen. I wrap them individually in cling film and put them in a plastic container.

The Tuna Burger

What You Need

½ lb Tuna (250 grms)

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, depending how garlicky you like your food.

Finely chop or mince the cloves

Piece of finely grated/chopped fresh ginger, amount to your taste.

Light soy sauce to taste. Not too much as the burger will be too wet.

A handful of chopped coriander/cilantro.

Olive or canola oil.

Burger rolls or ciabatta bread or any bread you prefer.

Lettuce, tomatoes and avocado to serve.

Thai sweet chilli sauce for dipping.

Optional.

Finely chopped onions, fish sauce. For a Thai taste you could add finely chopped Thai ingredients, such as, lemon grass, galangal, Thai basil or kaffir lime leaves.

What to do.

Dice the tuna as small as possible, or Mince* the tuna.

*If you mince the Tuna, have it slightly frozen, the same goes for mincing

Liver.  Having it slightly frozen will stop it going to pulp.

*Mince = Ground.

In a big enough bowl to get your hands in, mix together the tuna, coriander, garlic, ginger and soy sauce and any optional ingredients.

These quantities should make 6 to 8 burgers, depending how big you make them.

If you’re not in a rush to eat the burger. Leave the mixture to stand for a while to let all the flavours come together.

Then mould them into the burger size that suits you. I’m not that fussy, I just mould them into the shape of the palms of my hands squeezed together. You could use proper burger size moulds.

If you’re going to cook them straight away, place them in the freezer for ten minutes to firm up before frying in olive or canola oil.

Heat the oil in a good non-stick pan and cook the burgers for 2 minutes or so both sides or cooked to your liking.

Serve on the warmed bun or bread, topped with lettuce, tomato and avocado. You could be quite adventurous and make the salad more substantial with maybe, chopped celery and red bell peppers.

I prefer them on an open a ciabatta with some of the salad on the side and the Thai sweet chilli sauce as dip.


© John Bromley www.myworldandyourewelcome.blogspot.com