Strawberry Fields Forever

Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits. Thankfully in most parts of California, we can enjoy locally grown strawberries year round. Here are some berries from the Silver Lake Farmers' Market today... Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries and Blackberries.

Trying Lotus

Lotus root had long been one of my favorite snacks. The first time I tried it was at a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles years ago. The root is sliced and pickled in a light sauce. When sliced it has a beautiful flower-like pattern inside. It is crisp, savory and slightly sweet and very refreshing for summer. Available at Silver Lake Farmers' Market.

Fruit in Colombia: Granadilla, "How do I eat this?"

Granadilla for Breakfast

"How do I eat this?" was the first thing I said when I was served Granadilla for breakfast at Hacienda Guayabal outside Chinchina, Colombia. There it was sitting among a plate of sliced up papaya, cracked open and filled with black seeds and what appeared to be snot. It was similar looking to passion fruit, but I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. My friend told me to just eat everything inside the shell. I picked up the light weight shell which was shiny and smooth. It was orange in color with speckles. The inside was filled with crunchy seed that looked like black sunflower seeds individually wrapped in tiny semi-translucent gelatinous packets.

Granadilla for sale at the market

The hard orange speckled shell of the granadilla

Inside the granadilla you'll find seeds in individual packets of jelly like fruit

The seeds of the granadilla provide a crunchy complimentary texture

 I held the shell like a little cup and used a spoon to scoop out spoonfuls of seeds into my mouth. First you get the sweet, slightly tart and floral flavor of the fruit from the flesh around the seed. Then as you bite, you get this amazing crunch which is the ultimate counter texture. After hollowing out the shell, there was this strangely beautiful skeleton left inside the shell that almost resemble coral formations. I tried granadilla as whole fruit and it also made wonderfully delicious juice.

The coral-like empty shell of the granadilla

Artichokes at the Farmers' Market in Silver Lake

Artichokes with a beautiful purple to green color at the Farmers' Market in Silver Lake. The market is now on Saturdays in the morning from 8am - 1:30pm and also now on Tuesday afternoons from 2pm-7pm.

The Silver Lake Farmers' Market is located where Griffith Park Blvd. meets Sunset Blvd. near Sunset Junction.

Silver Lake Farmers Market
3700 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA

SAT 8am - 1:30pm 
TUE 2pm-7pm.

more info 213-413-7770

Bok Choy from the Garden

Bok choy is a delicious leafy green. I like to lightly stir fry it with a splash of oyster sauce, soy sauce and garlic in sesame seed oil.

Here is bok choy I recently harvested from my garden.

Bok choy freshly harvested from my garden

Bok choy a different perspective

Deal of the Day - 50% Off Yuca's

Yuca's is a LA favorite for Mexican food. They have delicious asada and their tortas rock. There is the smaller Yuca's stand on Hillhurst where you will find the owner sitting outside the kitchen taking your order on a paper plate or paper bag. Your order will be served on or in your order tag. There is also the larger Yuca's on Hollywood across from Umami Bruger. It has indoor seating and a patio area.

They both serve great food and you can save today with Groupon. Today's deal is $20 worth of food for ONLY $10 from Yuca's.

Get the deal here on Groupon

Fruit in Colombia: Plantains & Bananas

Bananas for sale at local market in Colombia

Plantains and bananas play an important role as fruit in Colombia. Yes, they are different. Plantains or Platanos as they call them in Colombia are much bigger than bananas. Bananas are smaller and sweeter. Plantains are bigger and are used both green (unripened) and yellow. When they are used green in their unripe state, they are firmer and have a more bitter taste. If they are yellow to brown, they are ripe and have a much sweeter flavor.

Bananas growing at Hacienda Guayabal outside of Chinchina, Colombia

Green plantains for sale

When I was in Armenia, Colombia, we were walking to the park one morning and came across this guy selling grilled plantains. As I walked by I could smell the sweet roasted smell and had to turn around to get one. I was so glad I did. They guy cut the the warm plantain down the middle and smothered it in butter. It was one of the best things I've ever eaten. The sweet taste of plantain in melted butter was like a dessert party in my mouth.  Definitely one of my favorite street foods in Colombia.

Preparing my Platano on streets of Armenia, Colombia

Grilled plantain, best ever.

Charred and sweetened to perfection

Grilled sweet plantain smothered in butter. Delicious!

When I was in Barranquilla, I was first introduced to Plantain chips on the streets. They are thinly sliced plantains fried to a crisp chip. They are slightly sweet and totally delicious and addicting. They were a frequent snack on the streets of Colombia.

Plantain chips on sale at the Barranquilla Carnaval Parade

Plantain chips at the Carnaval Parade... just waiting to be eaten.

Yum! Plantain chips, a delicious snack in Colombia

Green plantains are a staple of the Colombian diet, especially along the Caribbean coast where they are used to make Patacones. I even had one stuffed with chicken. The green plantains are less sweet and very firm. So firm that they used a double cooking technique to make them easier to eat. 

One day on the Island of Barú on Playa Blanca off the shore of Cartagena, we met a woman named Maria. This is your introduction to her, as I will be blogging about her more soon. Maria made us an amazing feast on the beach. She made us some fresh fish and fresh homemade patacones on the the beach. We enjoyed her delicious meal on the white sands looking out at the turquoise waters.

Green plantains, whole in the peel

Sliced green plantains ready to be cooked

First, slices of green plantains are fried in oil

Then the cooked slices are pressed flat in a hand press to form a patty

Maria fries the green plantains a second time

Maria prepares the fried fish and patacones for us to eat on the beach

Patacones (fried green plantains) served with fish

First Real Food I had in Colombia

Yes, the first thing I had in Colombia was a Coffee from the Juan Valdez Café at the airport in Bogota. But once we scrambled around all morning and ended up on a six hour bus ride to Barranquilla, I was definitely getting hungry. I needed a snack.

Indian and Coco Bread hang from sticks wrapped in plastic bags.

Man selling Coco Bread on the bus in Colombia

Delicious Coco Bread in Colombia, the first thing I ate.

Fortunately at all the toll booths, there are men and women selling all sorts of things. There are armfuls of fried savory snacks with cheese, plain and bacon flavors. There are sweets and breads, popsicles and soda pops. Often people board the bus selling these delicious treats when you stop in village or at one of the local toll booths where they walk up and down between the cars and hop on buses for a short ride. I was very grateful for this service.

Stuffing my face with Coco Bread

At one point a man boarded the bus with several sticks loaded with bread hanging. What he described as "Indian bread" was apparently naan. I love naan - it's one of my favorite breads. Luckily for me he also had a "coco bread" which was naan laced with coconut. I went for that and it was incredible at the first bite. The bread was moist and slightly oily from the coconut. The inside was flecked with coconut shavings. Sweet and simple - I couldn't have asked for a better snack.

Slightly oily, but full of flavor - Coco Bread

Coconut flakes inside the wonderful Coco Bread

Fruit Loop - Crazy fruits of Colombia

Fruit in Colombia: Tomate de Arbol, Pitahaya, Lulo, Granadilla, Maracuya, Curuba, Feijoa

One of my favorite things to eats is fruit. Since I was a kid, I've loved fruit. Strawberry, watermelon, nectarines and citrus being among some of my favorites. Occasionally in California we get to see some tropical fruits like dragon fruit or plantains. But on my recent trip to Colombia, I was thrown for a loop. I encountered fruits I've never seen or imagined. At one breakfast, I found myself asking, "How do I eat this?".

Buying fresh fruit at the market in the plaza

Most of all thought the strange textures, bright flavors and exotic looks of the fruits of Colombia inspired me. Fruit is widely available on street corners at small stands throughout Colombia in cities and small villages. It's common to buy fruit on the streets from a cart or a freshly squeezed orange juice. Better yet, a freshly made juice from Lulo or Zapote will really make your mouth happy. Fresh fruit juice on the streets of Colombia became one of my favorite indulgences. Though everyone says to avoid fruit and juice on the streets, I ingested both daily without any problems. Just be wise and trusting of the person you buy from. If you're buying juice make sure it is made with bottled water or milk. Bagged water or milk is okay too... It sounds strange to us, but the often use bagged water. It helps cut down on cost and waste.

Fruit sold on the streets of Barranquilla

PLANTAINS & BANANAS

GRANADILLA

First thing in Colombia, Coffee

Colombians like their coffee. Usually, black or tinto as they call it. First thing was first while waiting at the airport in Bogotá was I need a coffee. It was early in the morning and I had been up for too many hours thanks to Continental Airlines screwing up the first day of my trip because once we were on the plane, they discovered that "the computer was not up to date". How reassuring.

Café con Leche at Juan Valdez Café

Anyhow, I needed coffee to wake me up. So I went to have my first Colombian coffee where any Colombian would get theirs. The Starbucks of Colombia, Juan Valdez. Yes, the guy we grew up seeing with his donkey on TV commercials is the mainstream Colombian coffee chain. You will find these in malls, airports and stand alone cafes throughout the country. And you can count on it to be a fresh, good cup of coffee. Better than any Starbucks in the states.

Pastry with guava filling at Juan Valdez Café

So, I had a great cup of coffee sweetened with panela (dried sugar cane) and a pastry filled with guava. Yum.

Use Panela (dried sugar cane) to sweeten your drinks for a richer flavor

I'm back!

It's been nearly a month since I've shared anything with you. That's because I've had a month long journey through Colombia and now I have alot to share with you. I'll be posting all the delicious meals I've experienced in South America. Some of the best street food I've ever had - fried to perfection; Refreshing fruits along the Caribbean Coast and strange fruits made into wonderful natural juices; Amazing restaurants with dirt floors on the beach, culinary delights recommended by Anthony Bourdain, and home cooked meals at my friend's mom's restaurant in Bogotá.

Man selling fruit on village street in Colombia

I'll be posting all week, so check back everyday for new discoveries from Colombia. Also follow me on Facebook for more details and photos.