10 posts tagged “events”

Copa D' Oro

Tomorrow night join me at Copa D'Oro in Santa Monica beginning at 7 pm.  Laura Avery will be there and the rest of the Good Food family.  

Vincenzo Marianella serving fresh cocktails at Copa D' Oro

Mar Vista Garden Showcase

To help combat L.A.'s water shortage, the Mar Vista Community Council is hosting a walking tour showcasing 44 drought resistant, permaculture and organic edible gardens.  Find out more about the tour and get a map here.

Anatolian Food & Culture Festival

Good Food Producer, Gillian Ferguson headed to Orange County for the Anatolian Food & Culture Festival.  This is a taste of her culinary journey.  (I wonder if the Obamas are eating this well.)

A visit to the Anatolian Food and Culture Festival offers a whirlwind of flavors from a region whose long history and vast landscape are too often summed up by kebabs and baklava.  The festival showcases more than 40 vendors, many who were flown from Turkey for the occasion, and provides an overview to a culinary history seldom experienced in the United States.

Manti

While the hearty doner kebab and the glistening mounds of baklava are no doubt delicious, the true gems lie in the lesser-known delicacies.  Manti, a traditional dumpling stuffed with ground beef, is topped with garlicky yogurt and a spicy red sauce with hints of parsley, mint and paprika.  Each bowl is made to order.

Aryan is everywhere; the salty yogurt drink, like a savory lassi, is unlike anything I had ever tasted.   The kofte are a must.  Both the Icli Kofte (bulgur stuffed with ground meat and deep fried) and the Mercimek Kofte (a spicy lentil and bulgur patty) are sublime.  For a taste of Turkish comfort food try the Yayla soup, a

Yayla Soup

deliciously subtle soup of yogurt and rice. 

And not to be missed are the Gozleme, balls of dough rolled paper-thin and stuffed with your choice of ground meat, feta cheese or spinach and made fresh on the premises.   For those with a sweet tooth the options are endless. 

Rose Cookies

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My personal favorites were the Quails Nest and the Rose Cookies, both named for their appearance.  The

Quail's Nest

flaky puff pastry of the Quail's Nest, nestled in a bath of sweet syrup and topped with ground pistachios, is the perfect accompaniment to a Turkish Coffee from famed Masal Café.  For a heartier dessert, Ashure, or “Noah’s Pudding” is said to have 40 ingredients.  While each recipe varies, the pudding served at the fair incorporated chick peas, white beans, apples, walnuts and cinnamon to name a few.

Turkish Coffee

The list of delights is endless and one could easily spend a full (no pun intended!) four days exploring what’s on the menu, but fortunately for those of us who can only make it for an afternoon, or who like me have eyes bigger than their stomach, most dishes are available to go as well.

Doner

Head to Orange County for a four-day festival to celebrate the culture, history and cuisine of the Anatolian region (modern day Turkey).

When: Thursday, April 2nd – Sunday, April 5th, 2009; 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Where: Orange County Fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

If you can't make it, one our producers will be there to report on all the yummy Turkish food they have including the doner above.

Join me for a pasta & tomato workshop, Saturday April 18 at Angeli Caffe. 

How to cook pasta.  What kind to buy.

A Year in Chocolate

Master Chocolatier and Pastry Chef Jacques Torres will be signing his newest book, A Year In Chocolate on Saturday, March 21st. from 3:00 - 5:00PM at Madame Chocolat in Beverly Hills.

Books are available for purchase, courtesy of The Cook's Library.

The Farmer's Kitchen

SEE-LA presents the Farmer's Kitchen Benefit Dinner at Pace on Monday, March 16th.

Chef Sandy Gendel, of Pace, is crafting an extraordinary menu celebrating the best of the seasonal harvest from the devoted farmers of the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, including:

James Birch, of Flora Bella Farms
Alex Weiser, of Weiser Family Farms
Phil McGrath, of McGrath Family Farms
Christopher Finley, of Finley Farms
John Givens, of Givens Farms

Don’t miss this opportunity to meet and mingle with other food enthusiasts and our beloved Southern California farmers, at one of the best restaurants in L.A., while supporting the new Farmer’s Kitchen restaurant. This exceptional multi-course dinner will be made with all fresh, locally grown produce donated by the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, with seatings throughout the evening, from 5:30 to closing. You can make your reservations by calling Pace restaurant at 323-654-8583.

Event Invitation

Tomatomania!

Tomatomania!

Encino (Los Angeles), CA
March 27 - 29 Tapia Brothers' Farm Stand

Fillmore, CA
April 4 Only Otto and Sons Nursery

Beverly Hills, CA
April 18 PartyPaperLife

Sonoma, CA
April 25 - 26 Cornerstone Place

Arcadia, CA
May 1 - 3 LA Garden Show

Lothian, MD
May 8 - 10 Greenstreet Growers