Thank you #thehuntingtonlibrary and gift shop for hosting a book signing for the #UglyLittleGreens book today. I met the most amazing people and had the most awesome conversations about #nature and #food. We hosted an interesting mishmosh #family class about #foodstyling and #foraging and #cooking. The kids and parents worked hard and produced some amazing food and photos. We made a modified #recipe from the book. Savory root vegetable cheescakes.The book is available on Amazon and support local bookstores, too. They can order it for you. #savorypies #cookbook #author #photography #kidsart #funthingstodoinLA #transitionalgastronomy #family #uglylittlegreensbook #losangeles
Just a lil' reminder. If you have a little one (ages 7 and up) who's into nature, exploring, food and art, I'm doing a little workshop this Saturday, November 18th on #foraging food and #foodstyling with the smartphone at The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens and Ranch. It's going to be fun and hands on. The tix include one parent (with the smartphone). Let's record some food beauty together. See more and how to get tix at http://bit.ly/HuntingtonForage #losangeles #funthingstodoinLA #transitionalgastronomy #uglylittlegreens #UglyLittleGreensBook
I'll be at the Hollywood Farmers Market this Sunday. Come by and say Hi! ❤🌲🌱 #book signing #UglyLittleGreens #uglylittlegreensbook #cookbook #transitionalgastronomy #losangeles #cooking
Thank you @gingerivey for sharing your photo of your #elderflower #gelato from a #recipe from my #UglyLittleGreens book. It looks dreamy and ethereal. I love seeing how people use the recipes and make them special and their ow. Merci! 🍧🦄🌺 #cookbook #cooking #uglylittlegreensbook #transitionalgastronomy #dessert #icecream #sweettooth #recipes #cheflife
A day at the office: Cool ocean mountain breezes, #blacksage cacao horchata, #manzanita wine with roses and apples, #elderberry #mugwort soda, #lambsquarters, peas and mint tartlets and quail with pickled wild seeds. #catering #glamping #events #cheflife #losangeles #malibu #california #chefsroll #transitionalgastronomy #uglylittlegreensbook #TheQuailLady #wildfood #forage #wildfoodlove
A big thank you to each and every one of you who came out to this free to the public and all ages workshop that focused on the idea of a “Food Desert,” Social Justice, Food Justice, and the idea of ancient versus modern food. See below for the recipes you requested and by all means, let me know how they worked out for you. It was my pleasure and honor to teach this workshop and work with all of you on new experiences! Please keep in touch with me on my website (transitionalgastronomy.com) and on Instagram @transitionalgastronomy! For more recipes and info on wild plants, check out my book at bit.ly/UglyLittleGreens.
Leave me any comments or questions and I’m more than happy to answer.
The workshop was facilitated by Pacoima Beautiful, Big City Forum, Leyna Lightman, Elliot Kuhn of Cottonwood Urban Farm, and me. Thank you, Farmer Mai, Farmer Larry Kandarian, and Farmer Elliot Kuhn for growing native grasses, ancient grains, herbs and providing duck eggs for us. Thank you to Karina Ceja for being a wonderful and accommodating facilitator and nutritionist and community leader Sandra Trinidad for her expertise, input, and joyous enthusiasm. Thank you to Fruta y Cultura Cafe for being so supportive and an inspiration, as well. Big thank you, especially, to Leyna for her big mind and heart.
The workshop would not have been the same if not for the unique group of people from this very special community as well as other parts of Los Angeles. We didn’t quite know how this workshop would go down, but I had so much fun and I think everyone did, too!
P.S. This group ground the grains we brought with a hand grinder and metate and made sweet potato/red fife tortillas and they harvested lambsquarters seeds and cooked amazing, simple, and healthy dishes! Impressive job foodies, awesome cooks, and chefs-in-training!
*Photos by Leyna Lightman
Red Fife Sweet Potato Flatbreads
(serves 4-6)
1 cup whole grain flour
1 cup steamed sweet potato, skins removed
1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
Steam 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes for about 25 minutes. They should give easily when pressed. While they are still hot, but not too hot to handle, peel the skins (which should come off quite easily).
In a bowl, combine the flour and seasonings and mix well.
In another bowl, mash 1 cup of the warm sweet potato with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mash until there are no lumps. Sprinkle the flour over the potato mixture and fold until well combined. Cover the mixture with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let it cool for about 10-15 minutes so the flour can hydrate and the dough will be pliable and stick together.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (you should get about 10). Generously dust a cutting board or surface with flour and with a rolling pin, roll them out into very thin discs (about the same width as a typical flour tortilla).
Heat a heavy bottomed pan (or cast iron pan) to medium-high heat. Brush the bottom of the pan with a tiny amount of olive or vegetable oil. Place the rolled out flatbreads in the pan and cook for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Set the cooked flatbreads under a clean dishtowel until ready to serve so they don’t dry out. Continue to brush the bottom of the pan with a little oil between flatbreads.
Because we added sweet potato, the flatbreads will remain soft and pliable. Enjoy with a quick summer squash succotash (see below).
Summer Squash Succotash
(serves 4-6)
4 small squash or zucchini (any kind will do), medium cubes
1 large pasilla chile, seeds removed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small white onion or 1 large shallot, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
The juice of 1 lemon
Salt and white pepper to taste
In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onions, and chile. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chile is soft and the onion translucent. Add the squash and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until squash is soft. Add the garlic and oregano and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. You can enjoy this hot or cold or inside a warm whole grain and sweet potato flatbread like we did! Garnish with some watercress (berro) and purslane (verdolagas) for crunch.
Pacoima Seed Bombs (Lambsquarters Seed Cakes)
P.S. You can use quinoa or amaranth seeds instead of the lambsquarters seeds and spinach or kale instead of lambsquarters leaves.
(serves 4-6)
1 cup dried lambsquarters seeds
1 cup fresh lambsquartets leaves, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon dry sherry or dry white wine (optional)
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 large shallot or 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs of your choice (we used rosemary, thyme, and oregano)
1-1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup crumbled cotija-style cheese or grated cheese of your choice
1 duck egg or a large chicken egg, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste (keep in mind the cotija cheese is very salty)
Add your lambsquarters seeds to a small stockpot or rapidly boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the seeds well and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon of the oil, herbs, and onion to a saute pan over medium-high heat and cook for about 5-7 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the sherry or wine and the drained lambsquarters seeds and cook another 2-3 minutes until the liquid evaporates. Turn off the heat and let this mixture cool to room temperature.
Transfer the cooled mixture to a bowl and combine with the breadcrumbs and cotija cheese. At this point, taste the mixture for salt and pepper. Add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly. Make slightly flattened 1-inch balls (about 1 oz) from the mixture (approximately 10-12) and set aside.
Wipe out the pan you used to saute the vegetables and heat the rest of the oil and a tablespoon of butter (add more oil if you are not using butter). Over medium-high heat, pan-fry each side of the balls for 1 to 2 minutes each until well browned on all sides.
Enjoy as we did with a generous drizzle of crema oaxaqueña and a little pickled red cabbage (see below).
Mia’s Cabbage Crowd Pleaser
(serves 4-6)
1 small head of purple cabbage
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
3-4 tablespoons chopped chives (or herbs of your choice)
Combine the salt and sugar together in a small bowl. Using a very sharp knife, shave the cabbage into fine strands in a large bowl. Sprinkle the salt/sugar mix evenly over the entire bowl of shredded cabbage, tossing and distributing the sugar and salt to all the cabbage. Gently massage the cabbage for 2-3 minutes with your hands and then let it sit for 10 minutes. The cabbage will release some liquid. Drain and discard this liquid and add the vinegar and chives. Toss well and served chilled.
Cactus Kiwi Chia Cooler
(serves 4-6)
2 cups fresh cactus pads (needles removed), cubed
5 kiwi fruits (skins removed)
The juice of a large lemon
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2-3 tablespoons agave syrup
3-4 cups water, depending on how you’d like the consistency
Add everything to a blender or food processor. Sweeten to your taste. Store in the refrigerator for about an hour to allow the chia seeds to bloom. Enjoy over ice or with sparkling soda.
I hope you enjoy these recipes and I look forward to seeing each and every one of you again at a Talleres Publicos Workshop or one my own classes (check my website for updates).
Reworking some recipes for development during a little downtime. How I wish it would rain hust a little bit more. Sweet braised fennel and pineapple, cattail and pineapple weed/chamomile. Photo by @davidkiang #forage #wildfood #testkitchen #transitionalgastronomy #cattail #fennel
