7/24/2003PIKE PLACE MARKET COOKBOOK:
Recipes, Anecdotes and Personalities from
Seattle's Renowned Public Market
By Braiden Rex-Johnson
Foreward by Tom Douglas
Rex-Johnson puts the reader well into the middle of the frenzy and color-filled mealtimes at Pike Market. She readily lines out signature dishes, menu rotations and histories of those sharing the fruits of their wares and labors. She captures the many faces of the Market, which she describes as "Part meat, fish, and produce market; part breathtaking panorama of water, mountains, and sky; part vaudeville show; part arts and crafts extravaganza; and part slice of nitty-gritty street life." Pike Place Market is the most visited landmark in the Pacific Northwest. One cannot buy a ticket to anything like this!
This 96-year-old mecca has a colorful history, and was almost torn down to make way for "urban renewal" in the early 1970s. More recently, Rex-Johnson tells how in 1997, The Market Basket CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program reinvigorated the farmer population and helped save the Market's farm-fresh food resources.
Each of the nine food sections in the cookbook is headed with a handy preview. The Entrée page reflects such diversity as Irish Stew, Zaire Chicken Curry, Korean Beef Bulgogi, Rouladen (Germany), Pancit Bihon and Mechado (the Philippines), and New Mexico Tamales.
These are just some of the stops she makes:
~ Chef Charles Ramseyer, of Ray's Boathouse, shares his simple, yet elegant appetizer, Scallop Terrine, along with chef's tips for perfect preparation.
~ From Sosio's Produce comes Microwave Mozzarella Vegetable Pie. This is a simple, health-filled dish of Japanese eggplants, sweet peppers, onion, spice blend and mozzarella cheese. Mic this in 10 short minutes. Even quicker is their Cheesy Tomatoes, baked in the oven.
~ The simple Pea Pullao from The Souk is a spicy, vegetable-rice dish. The cookbook cross-references this dish with Marketspice's Chicken Masala (page 86) and Café Campagne's Lamb Burgers and Balsamic Onions, Roasted Peppers and Aioli (page 98).
~ A backgrounder on the Pike Place Market Creamery features Nancy Nipples, the proprietress and self-described "Head Milk Maid" of this now-famed institution. Learn about "aracauna" eggs.
~ From Alm Hill Gardens comes another fresh pea dish--Raspberry Snap Peas--made with raspberry vinegar and toasted sesame seeds. The handy Techniques section, page 203, refreshes your memory on toasting seeds and nuts.
~ From Chicken Valley comes an unusual Northwest Chicken Stir-Fry. It contains the usual stir-fry basics plus hazelnuts, spinach and dried cherries, plumped. Meet the owner and learn of the restaurant's background and their take on all feathered-food sources. Rabbits, too.
~ On the bread scene Nancie Brecher, teacher of cuisine to thousands of Seattleites, shares her Fresh Dill Beer Bread, an unusual accompaniment.
~ From Tim's Fine Berries, a recipe combines raspberries, brown sugar, raisins, apricots, citrus juice, zest, onion and toasted almonds for a lip-smacking Red Raspberry Chutney.
~ On the dessert track, find a recipe for Chilled Strawberry Soup from Northwest food expert Sharon Kramis. Guests will enthuse over this berry, banana and pineapple fruited gazpacho.
~ From Mech Apiaries comes a Sour Cream Cranberry Pie, a tart, yet creamy treat.
~ You will feel quite quenched and close to Danny McCullem of Danny's Wonder Freeze, after Rex-Johnson introduces you to his concept. His "Real" New York Egg Cream, is a gem in the heart of Seattle, a simple drink which is a lot method.
The Pike Place Market Cookbook has excellent Appendixes: Techniques, Produce Availability Chart, Mail-order Information and a comprehensive index. Rex-Johnson's book is part cookbook and part intriguing Seattle travelogue.
