So I have become obsessed with the farmer’s market near my apartment in Hollywood, not surprisingly known as the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. I’ve decided that every time I go I will buy something new that I’ve never tried before, bring it home, and cook it. My rule is I bring a $20 bill with me and that is all I get to spend – after all I am the Starving Artist. Last week I took mom and discovered a beautiful thing – the mushroom tent. It is, as you might guess, a tent full of all kinds of mushrooms, most of which I have never seen or heard of before. And what I love about it is that the owner divvies up the mushrooms into little, flat-priced paper bags. I honed in on these little beauties:
You might have guessed from the title that these are known as Lobster Mushrooms, and you can clearly see why. The color is spot on and I have to say that even the texture is reminiscent of lobster. I didn’t want to do anything crazy to them, so I cooked them very simply in olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper. I also added asparagus, chives, and finished it off with a squeeze of fresh lemon. I ate it with a sliced heirloom tomato, also purchased at the farmer’s market. So fresh and delicious.
This was so successful I’ve decided that each week I visit the market I will buy something I’ve never eaten before and see what I can come up with. I have a feeling I may be on a mushroom kick for a while. And you know what, I’m ok with that.
3 comments
How interesting! I’ve never seen that before. I love your ritual of the $20 farmer’s market visit. Over the last 3 1/2 years I’ve sold arts & crafts and painted kids faces at local farmers markets. I’ve loved the community, creativity, music and fresh food. When I started, in 2009 I worked a Sunday market in West LA. Since Mondays are dark, the produce vendors would have to offload all of their soft fruits or throw them away. I made jams, compotes and glazes with fresh peaches, plums and strawberries. Really wonderful experience. Hope to hear about more of your exciting finds!
Wow that sounds fantastic. I may need to find a job like that! 🙂
It’s the do it yourself kind. All you need is a canopy & a display. There’s a small fee. Not always lucrative, but enjoyable just the same. Recipe books would probably to pretty well… market selection is also key. Try a few before you pick a regular spot. 😉