Ritz Bites

Sprouting broccoli smackdown: Weiser vs. McGrath

Spring in SoCal is made extra special thanks to the magical world of broccoli. A couple weeks ago on a whim I grabbed a big bag of Weiser's sprouting kind. With no thick central stalk around which the plant is arranged, its spindly skinny stems, purple florettes, and funny leaves shoot out every which way.  What a goofy vegetable.

Being unsure about the outcome, I trimmed the stalks down a lot and mixed it with cauliflower to roast and make one of my veg-pasta standards. It added some nice contrast to what's otherwise quite the exploration of monochromatic foods, what with the pasta, cauliflower, pine nuts, shallots,  Parm and whatnot, but this mix probably just muted the pure sprouted broccoli experience.

So last week at the market I saw McGrath has its own kind. It's not as exotic in the color department; it's basically a dark, iron-promising green. The leaves and stems are shorter and less gnarly than Weiser's, so I just rinsed and roasted with olive oil, garlic and shallots. If only making vegetables were ALWAYS this convenient without involving food science and creepy vacuum-packed bags from commercial supermarkets. When munched raw the broccoli had a little spicy tang, which was mostly lost in the cooking.

Upshot is they're both great. (I'm never much one for competition anyway.) And it would be nice if all these guys could hang around longer. But then they'd be less special. Tough call. Anyway, if you come across some, buy a big bag (it's pricey at about $5/pound, but it's all usable so worth the price), then let the stalks, trees, and leaves be untamed. Let sprouting broccoli's freak flag fly.

New source of Nature Babycare wipes! Locali on Franklin

OK, so that's an item only a few of us will be excited to find, but I'm very happy to pay a few cents more to buy them right down the street instead of national chain stores. (Though I still do love thee, Target.) Locali "Conscious Convenience" is now open on Franklin just east of Mayfair in the standard issue La Mancha-esque early 80s strip mall that also houses the mediocre-but-much-improved Pimai, and I expect to pop in there a lot. I hope the Bronson/Beachwood Canyon folks show support for a new local venture trying to service our little everyday needs and conduct business on a better, more responsible eco and social level. I'll definitely go back for more of that cabbage soup I tried today, and encourage my neighbors and other parents at the park to check it out, and hope that James doesn't get too used to having such easy access to Carmela ice cream. (Check out my LA Weekly newsletter this week for a bit more info.)
5825 Franklin Ave.
Hollywood (bet. Canyon and Van Ness)
323.466.1360

Pitfalls of Dining Out

Butter-laden dishes at AOC last week reminded me of a big upside of in-home eating: fewer calories. Though I'm definitely not a low-calorie or low-fat cook -- nor do I exercise regularly like I should -- I love my veggies, I take pleasant strolls, and chase my active toddler around. I also don't obsess about food intake like I used to through my twenties, which is good for the soul.

So combined with fewer restaurant meals, most of my clothes look better on me than they used to, and I can wear slimmer pants, making jeans shopping a dangerously tempting proposition. Part of it must be in the genes; my sister also experienced this sort of bizarre postpartum weight loss fluke. (I'm also still relatively young. Right? Right?!)

Today the Times points to some dangers of chronicling food and all things gustatory that's a good reality check. After all, my cholesterol levels still give me cause for concern.

My Grandma Pearl, a very wise woman who loved food, used to say "always leave the table half full." More often easier said than done. Now it's time for a couple small bites of the bread pudding H brought me from Angeli.

If you can't stand heat in the kitchen, no problem: Raw Food

The whole raw foods trend doesn't interest me much.  Given that I'm the type to spend six hours cooking a bolognese ragú and a long-simmered puree of carrot and celery root soup, I'm not the target audience.

But I love veggies and I'm willing to try just about anything.  Plus I like some versions of healthy hippie foods, if we're talking like, M Cafe de Chaya.  So I'm surprised to say Euphoria Loves RAWvolution -- name aside -- is pretty good.  It's nice to know there's a place for people who can't stand heat but don't want to get out of the kitchen.   

Kale salad, seaweed, and runny "egg" salad does not a daily meal make.  Yet as an occasional lunch it's filling and obviously healthy.  I'd return to the exotic land of Main Street Santa Monica, which feels a world away from Hollywood, for the pungent and freshly blended soy chai.  Silky coconut pudding is also quite tasty.  Stylistically (brightly colored walls, Indian fabric cushions, white folks with dreadlocks), the space and vibe help preview our visit to Ithaca in May.

Earlier in the day I'd gone buck wild at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market.  The bounty is just so ... overwhelming.  I managed to drop a lot of cash (literally -- I think I lost a Andy Jackson along the way) on more greens than I'll ever have time to prepare, and a can of walnut oil. 

And in keeping with the theme of lunch, I snacked on some raw walnuts and shelled peas as the afternoon wore on.  But when dinner time came along, those peas were blanched and mixed with a slab of butter, and the tender baby spring onions spent a lot of time in hot olive oil and were joined by Flora Bella Farms rapini.  After about 45 minutes, the slow-cooked onion-rapini duo met its good friend, boiled spaghetti.  I still like heat in my kitchen.