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.