‘Gourmet’ is gone

Despite one million subscribers and 70 years in print, Gourmet is folding, a decision made by parent company Conde Nast, which announced Monday it will shut down four of its magazines. See story here. Bon Appetit, also in the company’s line up, survived. Ad revenues were down by half for Gourmet, the granddaddy of food periodicals, which has featured writers like Calvin Trillin and John T. Edge, and had received a modern makeover in recent years from its latest (and final) editor, Ruth Reichl. I hate to see it go.

At the market

Tender, flavorful shitake mushrooms are available the first and third Saturdays of the month of the Red Stick Farmers Market downtown, the handiwork of new vendors from Mississippi, who helped blast me out of a culinary rut this past weekend. The farmers market is a great antidote for kitchen boredom because you simply look at the tableau of ingredients and go with it. The mushroom growers include lots of recipes along with their homegrown shitakes, and I picked up one for Steamed Eggplant and Mushrooms with Peanut Sauce. It calls for Japanese eggplant, although any smallish eggplant will do. Lots of vendors have them now. Omit the salt called for in the peanut sauce – otherwise this recipe performed well. Serve it over rice.

Okra and peppers are also in full supply, so it was high time to try my hand at okra and tomatoes. My mother avoided okra, so I never developed a habit of cooking it. My husband’s aunt, who grew up in the rural Central Louisiana town of Bentley, passed on her simple recipe this weekend so I could do something respectable with the basketful of emerald okra that accompanied me home. Her version goes like this: sauté a large onion and a bell pepper (I used red and yellow peppers from the market) in olive oil until soft. Add a pound of sliced okra. Add a can of diced tomatoes, and a small can of tomato sauce, and a little water. Bring to boil, then reduce and let simmer for about half an hour.

From now on, the market bounty is set to increase as farmers bring more fall crops. Share your thoughts and inspirations below.