Monday Meanderings: Fresh Chanterelles from Nijiya, saying goodbye to a fellow blogger and other stuffs....

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

Here's one from the "I need to pay more attention when I'm shopping files." Walking through the produce department at Nijiyatwo weeks ago, something grabbed my attention..... I looked, then looked again, then read thelabel. Wow, it really was fresh chanterelles........I don't recall seeing them at Nijiya before. I've seen Chanterelles at Bristol Farm and Whole Paycheck, where prices were pretty high. Here they were $9.98/lb, to me, perfectly affordable.

The Missus had never had chanterelles before....and now She loves them. I've had to go back every couple of days and pick up a pound or so.

Instead of chopping, I'll just "peel" the mushrooms ending up with nice sizes pieces.

I simply start the mushrooms in a cold, dry pan and over medium heat let all the liquid out of the mushrooms. After a few minutes I add a good amount of olive oil, garlic, herbs, then white wine bringing it to a nice bubble before tasting, adding salt and pepper, then cutting the heat. What's left can be used as a base for pasta, or perhaps like the Missus enjoys them; simply eaten with bread. Don't know how long these will be available.....but I'm making the most of it. I just saw FOY (Friend of Yoso) "Xiang Jiao" during my most recent visit.

I need to pay better attention, god knows what I'm missing.....

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Izakaya Sakura still not ready for business......

I drove by earlier today and it looks like a work in progress.

Saying goodbye to a fellow blogger:

About a week before Christmas, Dennis of A Radiused Corner contacted me with some terrible news. A bit later I read a post on Kat's blog about the passing of Nate, the author of Hwn Pake in Okinawa. I've always enjoyed Nate's no nonsense approach to food and life. Through the magic of blogging I was able to vicariously share in those meals and moments. Nate's "local" sensibility really struck a chord with me, and I can't thank him enough for sharing those moments over the years. Though I never met him, I could really relate to his posts and am thankful that he made space in his life to share them...

The ever-thoughtful Dennis was nice enough to organize a lunch in Nate's memory and kind enough to invite me. It was a nice moment, Dennis, Carol, Cathy, and I were able to share thoughts and memories........

I did feel that I needed to order something appropriate, so made sure to have gravy all over my chicken cutlet and roast pork.

Goodbye Nate, we'll miss you.......

Comments

[kat]

great post! chanterelles, now that is something I would also like to see in our markets.

[Dennis]

I noticed those chanterelles too! But agree one of those items you don't expect at Nijiya. It was great catching up with you all the day for lunch.

[kyle]

Sad to hear about Nate. I was wondering why his blog hasnt been updated in a while. At least he was able to move back to Hawaii and spend time with his family.

[Carol]

Wow, those are some good looking chanterelles.

[Kirk]

Hi Kat - I was quite surprised to see them.

Hi Dennis - Thanks again for the invitation and setting things up.

Hi Kyle - I'll really miss his posts.....

Hi Carol - They are decent, you should buy some and check it out.