Return of the Farmer's Market Dinner

[dorchadas]

I logged on to work this morning to an email from my boss's boss scheduling a meeting entitled "quick chat." That's the "We need to talk" of the business world, so I spent the morning a bit worried about what was going to happen--they just ordered me a laptop, but did they actually order it for me or were they just covering while they put in the paperwork to let me go? My brain spun up a bunch of terrible scenarios, and I did a bit of meditation before the meeting so I could calm down before going in.

...and then it turned out that I was getting a surprise raise because market analysis had revealed my salary wasn't in line with market rates. So this special dinner is celebratory even though it wasn't originally meant to be.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you might remember the old series of Farmer's Market Dinners that I wrote about that was a summer tradition. I didn't do it in 2018 or 2019, but I wanted to bring it back for 2020 now that I'm settled into a new place that's closer to the market location. Normally I'd go to the market in person, browse around among the offerings, and then pick some things out and decide what to get based on what I saw, but thanks to coronavirus that's not possible this year--all market offerings are available online, you shop through them, and then reserve a time slot and pick up the food in person. So, that's what I did.

I only ordered a couple hours before the deadline, and since I didn't have much time to decide, what I picked this time didn't require as much cooking effort as it might otherwise would. That'll change in future weeks.

Pre-made Spicy Stir Fry Tofu Salad (it's clearly 麻婆豆腐 mapo tofu) from Phoenix Bean Tofu, with asparagus from Hardin's Family Farm's roasted in butter and mixed in, and store-bought roasted sunchokes with red pepper flakes and oregano.

Phoenix Bean Tofu is just down the street from me, but most of their sales are to wholesalers. At one point hoping to find some source of 高野豆腐 (kōya-dōfu, "freeze-dried tofu"), schoolpsychnerd went in to ask if they had any and would sell to her, but they didn't have any and wouldn't have sold it if they had, so I was surprised to see that they were offering pre-made dishes at the Farmer's Market! Since they were, I had to try it. The asparagus is roasted as per meadowyravine's suggestion, and the sunchokes were sliced thinly, tossed in olive oil and spices, and oven-roasted. Everything was spicy and delicious, and I drank four cups of water while I was eating it, but I scarfed it all down and then drained off the excess mapo tofu sauce and put it in the fridge. I'm going to save it for something later.

Cardamom bun from Lost Larson. Andersonville is famous in Chicago for its Swedish heritage, and while there aren't really a lot of Swedish people or infrastructure remaining there other than the Swedish-American Museum and a couple restaurants--Erickson's Delicatessen closed years ago after having its license suspended--those restaurants are still pretty nice. I've been into Lost Larson but I've never gotten anything from them, so this was another "now is my chance!" moment. It was slightly sweet with a faint taste of cardamom, and it was pretty refreshing. Most American desserts are loaded with sugar and sickly sweet, and while I do love me some ice cream, I love extremely dark chocolate too. This focused more on subtle flavors instead of strong ones, and while nothing can replace the lost Swedish Bakery (RIP), Lost Larson seems like it'll be a good place to go.


Now that Chicago is getting back into Phase 3, my schedule is getting a bit more active again. There's no theatre, obviously, and though restaurants and so on are open I really don't want to go to them. But I've been seeing a small group of friends, one at a time, with a few days in between each event--if any one of us is sick, we should be able to catch it before it spreads. And I'm not in contact with anyone at risk unless I'm wearing a mask--a stylish mask, since I just bought one that says 危 ("danger") on it. At least in Chicago, people are still wearing masks in public. But I'm certainly not going to sit at home, alone, until I get a dose of vaccine administered to me. Even if the Oxford trials have zero problems at all, I'm not in any risk groups, so I probably won't be eligible for anything until late next year at the earliest.

And now, book group! We read The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee. It was very predictable, but still a fun read.

Comments

[corvi]

Good things! Possibly if the tofu place normally sells to restaurants, their business has taken a hit and they are experimenting with other models (farmers' market) to make up the shortfall.

What is "freeze dried tofu"?

[dorchadas]

That's certainly possible! I don't remember seeing them in the past, so maybe this is a new endeavor.

Freeze-drying to make kōya-dōfu is an old way of preserving tofu, since it takes out a lot of the moisture. You end up with something that looks kind of like a vaguely-tofuish brick that's totally inedible, but when put into a liquid it rehydrates and, more importantly, absorbs all the flavors of that liquid much better than standard tofu does. Back in Japan I used to put it in my miso soup all the time, or sometimes in other foods with a liquid base like curry.

Sadly, it's either impossible or prohibitively expensive to get in America.

[mudousetsuna]

Congratulations on your raise!! That is the best news!

That food looks so good, ugh D: I am jealous. I order my vegetables online now too. I'm just not ready to shop in person except when I have to (My roommate insists we go sometimes but I make it quick).

Good luck with your phase 3 and those safety steps you take, here in Dallas nobody even bothers to wear masks half the time and it makes me so nervous.

[dorchadas]

Thank you!!

I think it's the general urge toward caution in Chicago that makes me more willing to accept a bit of risk. When I go to the grocery store or to buy take-out ice cream, everyone inside has a mask, so I can be reasonably sure that people are aware of the risks and being careful. The Farmer's Market was fenced off with people controlling how many people went in and out and masks were required to go in--even then, the Phoenix Bean people told me they were putting the bag down on the table and I was going to pick it up rather than handing it to me.

If no one cared about it, I'd be much more likely to want to stay home too.

[mudousetsuna]

That's uplifting to hear they're taking it seriously! :) It gives you some freedom back. I suppose we will learn eventually to be cautious again. Fingers crossed, lol. :<

On the bright side the food delivery people here seem to have a contactless system down even if in-person shopping does not.

[dorchadas]

Oh! How do they do it? When I get take out sometimes I ask for non-contact delivery, but often the people will ring the bell (I guess they don't think I want the food just left on the stoop like I asked?), so I usually end up having to go down masked to pick it up anyway.

[mudousetsuna]

If I order doordash or grubhub, they generally (maybe 85% of them) will ring the doorbell and then put it down and walk away. By the time I have gotten to the door they are on their way back to their car. I also get a text alert about the delivery, automatically. Not good if they put it on the wrong doorstep, probably something they need to consider, but I have not had a problem so far.

My grocery delivery is the same, they text me with a picture of where they put the box on my back porch. I have more regular contact with my mailman if I have to sign for something! (and even he will ring the bell, step back about 8 feet, and wait for me to come sign the page for him).

[dorchadas]

Oh wow! They definitely have that down better...though maybe some of it is that I live in a condo and don't have a porch or anything, so maybe they're worried that I won't personally be able to get it.

I've mostly been grocery shopping in person, though, and cooking and home, so my only sample size is a bit of take-out. Maybe with grocery delivery they'd have the routine down.

[angelofthenorth]

Congratulations on the pay rise

[dorchadas]

Thank you!!

[helvetica]

Wow, your employer is truly a gem. What a way to keep people on board!!!

That tofu looks so good I'm literally drooling looking at it. Tofu is one of my most favourite foods! I've never even heard of freeze dried tofu before though, is it just a method of storing it or is it desired for a change of texture or something? Do you have to soak it and then prepare it as normal or what?

[dorchadas]

Yeah, they haven't let anyone go and keep paying bonuses and still gave out raises this year, plus an extra one for me! I love working there.

Originally the freeze-drying was for ease of preservation, but now it's a texture and flavor thing--since it's freeze-dried it absorbs liquid its placed in better. That can be water, but I'd often dump it straight into miso soup or curry and it'd fill with the liquid and pick up a ton of flavor from it.

I miss my kōya-dōfu miso soup like crazy

[helvetica]

Mmm sounds good!! I hope I get a chance to try it someday :) thanks for the info!