Bertolli's into the heart of L.A. - Farmer's Market & Rocco DiSpirito's pasta with vodka sauce

Bertolli Foods certainly planned well. After a breakfast feast where I ate enough to feed the family I left behind in Minnesota, we were off to the L.A. Farmers Market. It was established in 1934 - during the depression. A dozen local farmers parked their trucks on the field of a dairy farm - and voila! - L.A.'s Farmers Market was born.
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I love the word "market." It is so specific - it is not "grocery shopping" or "food shopping." It is searching for fresh and local ingredients.

And okay - maybe a hat. But - a fresh and local one!

I brought home Vegetable Chips because... it just said "L.A." to me. The dried string beans are the best. My son likes the beets. No one's sure about the taro.

And brought home dried mangoes - because they don't sell them in Minnesota.

This is what my daughter wanted - the macarons. "Why didn't you bring home those," she asked a bit indignantly.

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I went into Marcel's - an import store - mostly French. I am immediately compelled to look at every jar. I am a magnet to little verrines of olives, pimentos, pickled vegetables. I must gaze. I must touch. And then I heard squeals behind me. I had to look. Christine and Pat were chattering over the salt samplers. That's when I knew I was with the right "pack."

And we all bought some. My sampler contains Coconut black salt - for curries and fish. Preserved lemon salt for couscous, chicken, tangines and clementines! Genmaicha salt for pork, endamame and melon. Fennel pollen salt for roasts and grilled meats. And lavender salt for fish, flatbreads, tomatoes and desserts. We hit the salt jackpot. And I am an herb-nerd - I barely salt my food!

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Meanwhile, more and more bloggers gathered into the store. Artisan chocolate was debated. Jenny from Zucola group was lugging a huge bag filled with waters. The bag was half her size. She was able to get rid of most of them in Marcel's. Grateful bloggers warmed by the sun and cooled by the water. Happy utterances filled the air - not for a Hollywood star - but for little jars of flavor.

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We went back into the light - my camera was fussy. It had been in the dark with me all winter; it did not react well to the bright. But I did. I took over-exposed photos and soaked in the sun. I smiled. A lot. It felt good.
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Our next stop would be the astonishing street food trucks of L.A. followed by the most amazing gelato concoctions from Scoops. This Italian cook was in the midst of a journey of taste. Of sweet, of fiery, of tang.
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Before I leave, take a look at Rocco Di Spirito's Penne with Vodka Sauce (sans vodka, sans cream). It's from his cookbook Now Eat This! and oh yes, you must try this! It uses bottled sauce and is not from scratch - and I am a "from scratch" cook, but these days - I am directing a play, editing a different play, writing still another play and my children's theatre summer program starts soon - so some fast meals that are not fast-food are in order. And you can always use your "from scratch" tomato sauce for this.

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Rocco recommends Greek yogurt - but I had Stoneyfield in the house so I used it. Gather 1/2 pound (so, shoot me - I used a pound - there is no way 1/2 pound would feed my family of 4) of multi-grain or whole wheat pasta - I used Ronzoni - they finally came to MN - the dried pasta of my childhood. A container of non-fat Greek yogurt. A fistful of basil and bottled marinara sauce. (He recommended his low-fat sauce - I used - what else - Bertolli!).

Cook pasta according to package directions. Warm the tomato sauce. Add some dried red pepper flakes. (I forgot to mention that.) Simmer 8-10 minutes. Put a ladle of the warmed sauce into a bowl with the yogurt. It tempers the yogurt and so the yogurt will not curdle when added to the sauce.

Chop or shred your basil. I love that it's May and basil is back growing in my yard,

Add the yogurt-red sauce mixture to the simmering tomato sauce. Looks just like the creamy version doesn't it? And as Rocco notes - vodka is a tasteless liquor - so you do not miss it in the sauce.

Mix your penne with the sauce. Cover it with the shredded basil. Don't be afraid of grating a hefty dose of Parmigiano Reggiano (I know, I do go overboard with cheese - I am part mouse) - but really it is pretty low fat.

Serve. And savor. My family all thanked Rocco - telepathically of course.

Thanks for joining me on the Market Tour. I have very much appreciated your good wishes. Next up, I will cover the astonishing bloggers I shared my trip with and the street trucks and gelato - truly a dessert from the gods. Part 1 of Into the Heart of L.A. is here. Some beautiful photos of the trip can be found at Mille Fiori Favoriti, The Picky Palate and Kevin and Amanda.

Bertolli Foods did pay for my entire trip (meals, transportation, hotel) and if you know me, you are well aware that all opinions and reporting is very much my own.