Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2017)
Page 4C East Oregonian EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE Saturday, April 29, 2017 Sprawling nighttime food markets pop up By BETH J. HARPAZ AP Travel Editor NEW YORK — Clouds of white smoke rise into the black sky from outdoor grills. The night air is scented with the fragrances of dozens of cuisines from around the world. Vendors in tiny stalls stir noodles, toss crepes and fill dumplings as lines of hungry customers stretch into the dark. That was the scene at the Queens Night Market as it opened for the season in New York City. It’s one of a number of sprawling nighttime food markets — inspired by the massive night markets of Asia — that have started popping up around the U.S. There are also regular night markets in Philadelphia and Southern California, and occasional night markets held elsewhere. The Atlanta area became the latest destination to host a new night market in late April, attracting 50,000 people and 130 vendors at its first three-day event, with another one scheduled for November. In St. Paul, Minnesota, the Little Mekong Night Market attracted 18,000 people one weekend last summer. Some of the markets are primarily Asian-themed, others promote food from around the world. The inex- pensive, temporary market stalls also offer first-time entrepreneurs an opportunity to hone recipes and business skills without having to lay out the big bucks required for a brick-and-mortar shop or even a food truck. Some of the events even operate as non-profits with proceeds going to charity. Lines can be long, as small quantities of food are being made to order on the spot. But part of the fun is watching the preparation as vendors stretch and fold crepes, pinch dumplings, sizzle and blend fillings and toss noodles. Other types of Big summer for Disney: Pandora and Guardians Associated Press AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz This April 22 photo shows the Queens Night Market in New York City’s Corona, Queens, neighborhood, with people waiting on line at Burmese Bites and other food vendor tents. The market showcases about 50 food ven- dors, many of them immigrants selling examples of cuisine from their home countries. merchandise — arts, crafts, toys, along with games — are typically offered onsite as well as live music. The events have a different vibe from laidback farmers markets or retail food halls. Instead, they have an after- dark energy and excitement that seems to pick up as the night goes on. Some charge a few dollars’ admission, but food items typically average $5. Go with a friend, and for $25, you can stuff yourself sharing four or five dishes — a perfect budget outing. QUEENS, NEW YORK John Wang spent his childhood summers in Taiwan, his parents’ native land. “Every single night, I wanted to go to the night market there,” he recalled. Those memories inspired him to start the Queens Night Market. The market kicked off its third season April 22 with 50 food vendors. Some 8,000 people turned out to sample everything from tamales stuffed with fried crickets to Indonesian coconut cakes. The market is held on the grounds of the New York Hall of Science, a museum whose history makes it a fitting site for the interna- tional market: It was part of the 1964 World’s Fair. Wang is committed to keeping the market afford- able for both visitors and vendors. The location is a working-class area with a diverse immigrant popula- tion, most menu items are $5 and food vendors can take part for $135. “The last thing I want to have is a tourist trap but not get the locals,” he said. “I want this to be the most accessible thing in New York City.” ATLANTA The Atlanta International Night Market, held April 21-23 at Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth, featured vendors selling food from around the world along with a “vegan village” for non-meat-eaters. Founder David Lee, who was born in Vietnam and owns a chain of restaurants called Saigon Cafe, sees the market as a “platform” for Atlanta’s diversity. “When you have the food, culture, music, you bring everyone together,” he said. He hopes to hold the market four times a year, with the next one scheduled for Nov. 3-5. PHILADELPHIA Night Market Philadelphia began in 2010, and typically attracts 60 to 80 food vendors and 20,000 attendees. The cuisine ranges from empanadas and Jamaican jerk chicken to Khmer satay. “We try to elevate folks’ food festival standards and offer more interesting fare than corn dogs and pizza,” said Diana Minkus, spokes- woman for The Food Trust, the local organization behind the markets. Disney theme parks have a big summer ahead of them with major new attractions opening May 27 based on two movies, one about the Marvel Comics superheroes from “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the other about the lush alien world of Pandora from the James Cameron film “Avatar.” The Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission BREAKOUT! attrac- tion opens at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California. Pandora — The World of Avatar — is a 12-acre land opening at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. But the creative designer behind the attrac- tions says you don’t need to know anything about either movie to enjoy them. “This is not a revis- itation of a plot line of a film you already saw,” said Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde at an event Monday in New York City previewing the attractions. “This is your opportunity to go to an amazing world and have adventures of your own. ... The story is about you.” The premise of the Guardians of the Galaxy ride is that the Guardian superheroes have been captured and riders must participate in an adventure with a character called Rocket Raccoon to free them. “It is a prison breakout story,” Rohde said. The ride incorporates multiple scenarios for resolving the story line so that riders have a slightly different experience each time they go through it. Put a little spring in your hummus with roasted carrots By ELIZABETH KARMEL Associated Press Hummus generally contains five basic ingredi- ents; chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic and olive oil. Once you have these ingredients combined, it is easy to add other herbs, spices and even roasted carrots — like I do here — to flavor and season basic hummus. In the early spring, I love to roast fresh carrots until they are deeply caramelized and puree them to add to the base of chickpeas and tahini. To deepen the golden color, I add a touch of turmeric. The combined result is a deep golden yellow hummus that is the perfect color for daffodil season. Served with flatbread for breakfast in some Mediterra- nean countries, the protein- rich and fiber-filled chickpeas make hummus a good way to start the day. In the U.S., hummus has become a popular appetizer and snack. Although hummus is sold at virtually all supermarkets, it is so easy to prepare that you really should start making it yourself. The secret to creating the creamiest and freshest hummus is making sure that the skins of the chickpeas are removed and discarded. Many brands of water-packed cooked and canned chickpeas come mostly skinless, so this is not as labor-intensive as it may sound and it’s well worth the effort. I tested this recipe both ways and the skinless creamy texture made all the difference in the world. The skin-on version was rougher and chunkier and the texture took away from the delicate nature of the hummus. Serve the hummus with crudites for a springy colorful snack or appetizer and pita chips. I like to make my own pita chips baked with a light brush of olive oil and seasoned with a sprinkling of coarse salt and za’atar. Once they are seasoned, you can cut them into triangles — six per pita bread is a good size — and bake them in a 350 F. oven until they are crisp. AP Photo/Richard Drew Mia via AP ROASTED CARROT HUMMUS Servings: 16 appetizer-sized portions Start to finish: 50 minutes • ½ cup well-roasted carrots, cut into small pieces (about 6 small carrots) • Juice of 2 lemons, plus more as needed (2 ounces) • Zest of 1 lemon • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnishing hummus • 2 generous tablespoons tahini (sesame paste), with some of its oil • 2 15-ounce cans drained chickpeas, liquid reserved and skins removed • 2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste • 1 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste • Pinch of cayenne pepper • ½ teaspoon ground cumin • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric • Paprika, a sprinkling for garnish • Curly parsley for garnish • Pita chips • Raw vegetables Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat carrots with oil and season with salt. Place on a sheet pan and roast carrots. Remove from oven when soft and browned in places, about 30 minutes depending on the size of your carrots. Cut into small pieces and set aside. Place carrots in a food processor with the lemon juice, lemon zest, tahini and olive oil and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Put remaining ingredients except the paprika and the parsley in a food processor and begin to process; add a couple of tablespoons of the chickpea liquid and more olive oil as needed to allow the machine to produce a smooth puree. The amount will vary every time you make it based on how much liquid is in the chickpeas. Taste and adjust the seasoning (I often add more lemon juice). Serve immediately or chilled in a shallow bowl with pita chips and raw vegetables, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of paprika and some parsley. Will keep up to five days in refrigerator. Nutrition information per serving: 129 calories; 81 calories from fat; 9 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 220 mg sodium; 10 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 3 g protein. Roasted asparagus with lemon dressing. Roasted asparagus with lemon dressing By KATIE WORKMAN Associated Press This lemon sauce is such a simple way to dress up roasted asparagus, the pinup vegetable of spring ... or any simply cooked asparagus for that matter, such as grilled, steamed or sauteed. In fact, this sauce is also a quick and easy way to dress up pretty much any plainly cooked vegetable, from potatoes to green beans to broccoli. The sauce is vivid with citrus and a bit (not too much!) of hot sauce. The creaminess comes from creme fraiche, and sour cream or Greek yogurt could be substituted in if you like. You can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge for a few days. If you are using thicker asparagus, think about peeling the lower parts of the stalks, which results in a stalk that is tender from stem to stern. After trimming the bottom inch or so off the asparagus, simply take a vegetable peeler and peel off the green outer layer (which can be tough) from the bottom of the stalk, roughly 2-3 inches. Lastly, if you would like to add a sprinkle of fresh herbs on top, anything from parsley to basil to chervil would be lovely. Another great option would be to drape a slice of prosciutto over each portion of dressed asparagus, which could also make a stylish appetizer. ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH CREAMY LEMON DRESSING Serves 6 to 8 Start to finish: 25 minutes Roasted Asparagus: • 2 pounds medium-thick asparagus • 1 tablespoon olive oil • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Lemon Dressing: • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice • ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest • 3 tablespoons sour cream or plain Greek yogurt • ½ teaspoon hot sauce, such as Sriracha, or to taste • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Preheat the oven to 400 F. Trim the bottom 2 inches from the asparagus and, if desired, peel the lower 2 inches of the stalks. Place the asparagus in a shallow baking pan or rimmed baking sheet. Don’t worry if the stalks overlap a bit. Drizzle the tablespoon of olive oil over them and toss gently to coat the asparagus evenly. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper, toss again and spread out in the pan. Roast the asparagus for about 10 minutes, until just tender and slightly browned. Remember that they will continue to cook a bit after you remove them from the oven, so take them out while they’re still a little firmer than you would like. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, crème fraiche and Sriracha until smooth. Slowly pour in the ⅓ cup olive oil, whisking all the while until the dressing is thick, then season with salt and pepper. Let the asparagus cool slightly, and while still warm drizzle some of the lemon sauce over it. Serve right away with the rest of the sauce passed on the side for people to add if desired. Nutrition information per serving: 157 calories; 123 calories from fat; 14 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 4 mg cholesterol; 154 mg sodium; 6 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 3 g protein.