Saturday Lunch and Market

Leftovers into the Soup

Once again I find myself having miso soup for lunch. Best thing is, eating several heaping bowlfuls of soup is a great way to get rid of leftovers as well as the last bit of certain veggies that have been hanging out in the fridge making me feel guilty for bringing in fresher, crisper and bigger vegetables. So with some water just shy of simmering, I placed the last of some nappa cabbage into the water, some scallions that had seen better days and let both cook for about a minute. A pot of rice from two days ago was starting to get a little soggy from being in the cold refrigerator so in went about a cup of cooked rice. Less than a minute later I added the rest of a batch of steamed broccoli that I had generously sprinkled with vinegar kept on hand in the fridge for three days. As soon as the broccoli was thoroughly heated I turned off the heat and stirred in a generous wooden spoonful of miso and a tossed in big handful of mung bean sprouts that, if left a day longer, might not be so crispy and crunchy. The last addition was some kim chee and accompanying juice to give the soup a spicy kick. The soup was mostly vegetables and provided a warm and hearty feel with the brown rice. A few droopy carrots or the last of a bunch of celery would also be great in this kind of soup. Cook these heartier veggies first in the water before proceeding with any pre-cooked veggies or items you may want to eat fairly raw. A great way to deal with the odds and ends in the fridge!

At the European Market

This charming farmer’s market in Bangor is called the European market although I think only two of the vendors actually come to us directly from Europe. There is a lovely, older eastern European couple who sell homemade soups, stuffed peppers and pickled vegetables. While the lady with the gourmet soups next to them interacts with a few curious customers, this couple with their soups in various mis-matched pots and eclectic assortment of ladles and spoons can’t serve their customers fast enough. There is also a lovely woman there who is of Acadian heritage who makes rum cakes and plays traditional songs on the accordion. Our favorite Chinese restaurant is also represented with trays full of chicken kebabs and spicy green beans. My favorite vendors to buy food from, however, are the organic vegetable farmer and the bran new fish guy! I’m glad everyone is there with their varied and wonderful offerings, but my weakness is crisp, colorful, luscious vegetables and freshly caught, local sea food. I took a couple of photos today.
I bought an entire bag of rutabagas because I know that they will keep for a while and I’ve been having visions of mashed rutabagas with millet and roasted garlic recently. I might also consider making a stew with them and some amaranth grain, onions and carrots. Not sure yet, however. I also picked up two leeks because you can’t always go for onions, sometimes it is nice to mix it up a little. I also bought some fresh flat leafed parsley and cilantro. The fish guy had a bounty today and I had a very difficult time making up my mind. I stood staring, and possibly drooling, in front of the selection for at least five minutes. I finally settled on the last tuna steak which was caught locally and had not been previously frozen. This is a rare (no pun intended) thing here in Bangor. I also opted for the scallops because we’ll probably cook everything tonight and I thought I could come up with something nice for this evening that uses both the tuna and the scallops. Of course, that is yet to come. Soon I’ll go in search of some inexpensive white wine, or possibly miren to use in this evening’s meal. I’ll let you know how it goes.