Day 298

Mexican Zucchini: I couldn't believe that my last sampling of produce bought over a week ago from the Buford Highway Farmers Market was still good today, so before it went to waste, I decided to eat it with my lunch. I'd never seen this Mexican variety of zucchini before, but it looked a lot like the kind seen in most standard grocery stores. I hoped it would offer something new in the flavor department, but there was only one way to find out.

I usually keep the cooking of zucchini pretty simple - I slice it thin, then sautee in a pan with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. I didn't want anything to interfere with the flavor too much, and after a few minutes, it was ready.

Flavor-wise, it pretty much tasted the same as any zucchini I've had before, nothing new. The skin retained a decent crunch after cooking, and the interior was a bit mushy like it's supposed to be. The olive oil/salt/pepper definitely added some needed flavor, since this particular vegetable doesn't taste like much on its own. If you like zucchini (or squash), give this Mexican variety a try if you see it - you won't be disappointed.

The next few days will cover some unusual packaged goods I found at the BHFM - stay tuned!

Day 297

Trader Joe's Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad): Over the last 297 days, I've tried my best to find new foods from as many different places as possible. I've encountered plenty of people that think I'm eating in a new restaurant every day (which would be difficult and expensive), and others that think I'm cooking something new every day (which would be just difficult). Both of those sound glamorous, but I've found plenty of new items in traditional grocery stores. Not everything comes from an exotic market, and today's food is a great example of that.

During my last Trader Joe's shopping trip, I found this package of Som Tam (green papaya salad) in the frozen section. TJ's does a great job of creating prepared foods from around the world, and while all of them may not be truly authentic, they've given me the chance to try several new dishes for the first time. I'm a big fan of their Indian foods, so when I saw this traditional Thai salad, I knew I had to try it. I experienced fresh orange papaya for the first time a couple months ago, but I'd never had this dish, which contained finely shredded green papaya, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, and a sweet/spicy dressing.

My diet hasn't been the absolute best lately, so I decided to give this healthy dish a try for lunch today. Preparation was easy - I just had to open the plastic packets, pour the dressing over the papaya/veggies, then defrost in the microwave for a few minutes. The results were actually really good. The papaya and veggies retained a nice crunch despite being previously frozen, and the slightly sour/sweet dressing (mostly palm sugar/lime juice, I think) paired well with the rest. I made the mistake of biting into one of the red chiles from the dressing, which lit my mouth on fire - probably best to avoid those if you're sensitive to heat.

I liked TJ's version of this dish, but now I really want to try it in a Thai restaurant. Considering the insanely hot temps outside, it'd be a great addition to any summer diet.

Day 296

Buttermilk-Fried Chicken Necks: It's not too often that I get to eat the neck of anything, so when me and the GF decided to finally check out One Eared Stag in Inman Park tonight, I couldn't resist trying out the buttermilk-fried chicken necks they had featured on the small plates section of the menu. I previously attempted smoked turkey necks from Your Dekalb Farmers Market, but according to an informative reader, they aren't meant to be eaten, but used as a flavoring agent. Based on that info, I was curious to find out how One Eared Stag's chicken necks (which I assumed were indeed edible) compared to those.

These weren't just plain old fried chicken necks. OES's version were coated with buttermilk breading, deep fried, then covered with spicy kimchi. Not exactly like the buffalo wings that I normally see on every menu in town, and I couldn't wait to taste how the kimchi worked with the breading. I hoped the chicken necks offered more meat than the turkey necks - they couldn't have offered any less.

Our server brought the dish, and me and the GF were both astounded by the pile of food on the plate. For a starter, it looked ginormous. Each neck was about 6 inches long, and was coated with a light breading. A generous portion of kimchi was placed on top of the pile, and some of the spicy kimchi liquid coated several of the necks. It looked and smelled awesome, so I hoped it tasted just as good.

The results were surprising. I eagerly devoured the breading and kimchi from the necks, but was kind of disappointed in the actual neck. Each one only contained a couple of tiny shreds of dark meat, and while tasty, they were basically just a vehicle for the breading/kimchi. The meat tasted about the same as dark meat from a chicken wing or drumstick. I'm glad I tried them, but they didn't offer much of anything new for me.

After my negative experience with the turkey necks, I really hoped that chicken necks would offer more meat, but they were a lot of work for not much reward. In the future, I'll stick to wings or legs.

Day 295

Baby Mango: Today's new food is another produce purchase from my trip to the Buford Highway Farmers Market last week. Even though I bought all the items last week, they luckily haven't spoiled yet, which has been great. I've tried several different styles of mango during the course of this blog, but I'd never seen these "baby" specimens until last week.

My goal after returning from Asheville this past weekend was to knock out last week's produce first, so I chose the mango to try this afternoon. It was closer in size to a plum than a standard-sized mango, and the skin was primarily yellow, with a bit of green shading.

Once I carefully cut off a slice and peeled the skin (I've had way too many knife-related accidents with mangoes), I noticed that the interior was a bright yellow. Flavor-wise, it didn't offer much new for me. It tasted just like the normal variety of large mango found in any market, but the flavor was a bit more sour than sweet. After factoring in the pit and skin, it didn't yield much edible fruit, so if you want to enjoy more than a few small bites, buy the larger version instead.

Day 294

Green Plum: After a weekend of seeing the sights in Asheville, NC, I was glad to finally get back home this afternoon. I wasn't really in the mood to try new food tonight, but I was luckily stocked up with quite a few new items from my last shopping trip to the Buford Highway Farmers Market. I was worried that some of the produce I bought would have already gone bad, but to my surprise, it was all still good. Guess that's one of the many upsides of cranking the air conditioner during the hot weather.

I found these interesting green plums during that last BHFM visit, and since I didn't want them to go bad, I decided to give them a try tonight. Each little plum was about the size of a large cherry, and the skin was a bright green color.

After my first bite of this, I honestly didn't want to go further. Instead of the sweetness of larger, darker plums, I found these to be extremely bitter, and not at all sweet. Remember the sour green apples you used to eat off the ground as a kid? These reminded me of those, but definitely a bit juicier. The center contained a small pit (like other plums I've eaten), but I couldn't bring myself to eat more - they just weren't my thing. Maybe they're tastier when worked into a dish and sweetened, but alone, they didn't do anything for me. Oh well.

Day 293

Goat Cheese & Bing Cherry Ice Cream: Today's new food post will be short and sweet, so I hope my readers don't mind. After a long day of browsing, eating, and drinking in downtown Asheville, I wound up at Ultimate Ice Cream on Tunnel Road near my hotel. I'd first heard about this place during the Foodtopia event in Atlanta, and after I sampled their unusual flavors that night, I was curious to find out what else they had.

Luckily, we were able to squeeze in right before they closed, and I eagerly scanned the flavor list in hopes of finding something new. In addition to some standard fare, they also had one unusual entry: goat cheese and bing cherry. I'd never had goat cheese (or bing cherry, for that matter) in any ice cream, so I ordered a scoop.

If you think goat cheese wouldn't work as an ice cream ingredient, you're wrong. The salty/savory element of the cheese paired well with the vanilla base, and the tartness of the cherries was a great addition as well. The goat cheese wasn't chunky, but actually blended into the base. Really good stuff.

After an exhausting day of sightseeing, it was nice to find a simple dessert that offered something new for me. Asheville has been interesting, but I'll be glad to get home to Atlanta tomorrow.

Day 292

Gazpacho: Despite having to travel a fair amount when playing music, I rarely get the chance to travel for pleasure, so I was excited when me and the GF finally made plans to visit Asheville, NC this weekend. She actually won the trip a few weeks ago at the Foodtopia event in Atlanta, which was put on by the Asheville Chamber of Commerce (www.foodtopiansociety.com). Based on the creative, interesting food I tasted at the event, I knew I'd find something new this weekend to blog about, but I didn't expect my first night here to lead me to a classic dish I'd never tried.

Our dinner tonight was at the Corner Kitchen near the Biltmore House, which featured plenty of Southern classics as well as some spins on others. I wasn't seeing much on the menu that I'd never tried, but one thing in the starter section caught my eye: gazpacho. I know it may seem crazy that I've never had it, but cold soup never seemed too interesting to me. I decided to change that tonight.

Once our server brought it, my first thought was that it looked like salsa. From what I could tell, it included tomato, green pepper, onion, cilantro, and cucumber. I wasn't exactly sure about the preparation, but the GF told me that it was traditionally made with raw ingredients, which led to the salsa-like appearance. The Corner Kitchen's version was finished with a dollop of cilantro sour cream.

After taking my first bite, my first impression was that it tasted really clean and fresh. It had much more flavor that salsa (not that I ever eat a bowl of salsa by itself), and the texture was more pureed than chunky. Aside from the fresh tomato base, I definitely tasted the cucumbers and cilantro, and there was a peppery bite towards the end that I wasn't expecting. The GF said it tasted "like a garden, but in a good way," which is a pretty accurate description. I'm glad I finally tried it, but it was something that I wouldn't want a large portion of. For a light starter, it wasn't bad at all.

More to come from Asheville tomorrow...