cook: inspiration from the farmers market

I’ve already stated that the husband and I don’t go out to dinner because 1)I cook more deliciously than most restaurants, 2)we dislike a crowded dining room, and 3)I really appreciate how much I’m not overspending. However, I do go out occasionally to socialize, to celebrate, to try something new, and to just take a break. This past Saturday I stopped at the farmers market after swimming to buy vegetables. Despite the dreary weather (and I love to run or swim when it's raining), I thought the view of the Bay Bridge and the Peninsula spectacular.     

And I was excited to pick up this kabocha squash, daikon radish, and gai lang or Chinese broccoli from an Asian farmer.

I'm gonna love thinking of how to cook these vegetables. I consider take-out or even casual food truck orders a dine out even if there are no drink orders or table service and waiters. And instead of stopping at the supermarket to pick up a sandwich roll, I decided to order a couple of steamed buns from the Chairman Bao food truck: a tender pork belly with turmeric pickled daikon, red miso glaze and green shiso; and a Coca-Cola braised pork with Savoy cabbage, preserved mustard seeds, and garlic mayo. 

Omigosh. Totally worth the splurge. I've always loved the yellow pickles from the Japanese grocery, and I never knew they were daikon colored sunshine from turmeric. And so maybe I'll make a turmeric pickled daikon with one of the radishes and the other will be a pickle with carrots for a bahn mi. I remember my mom making siopao, which is the same kind of dough in a bao. Heck I think I can make my own version of these steamed buns. To loosely quote Sesame Street, I wonder...what if?..let's try. I know I want to make a kabocha squash and coconut milk soup and top it with crab. And I'll be making a birthday dinner for Cecilia of Vietnamese American garlic noodles, chili sautéed lobster for which I now have a green vegetable of gai lang. YAY for changing up my rotation with what's in season.