How To Eat Like A Californian

 
Farmer’s markets are a great place to source ingredients
I think local farmer’s markets are always a good bet. They tend to only offer seasonal produce and you’ll spot new things coming in as we move through the seasons which is a good way to keep things fresh in the kitchen. There are some fantastic greengrocers (Clifton Greens (cliftongreens.co.uk) in Maida Vale is my local) around now too, and some great veg delivery services like Oddbox (oddbox.co.uk) which will send you the locally grown misshapen veg that doesn’t make into more commercial shops.

There's a reason we associate the West Coast with wellness
There are many reasons why we associate the West Coast with health and wellness. In the heartland of show business and entertainment, people want – need, even – to look good, and so we see health and exercise trends fly thick and fast out of Hollywood. California was also the birthplace of the hippie food movement, the 1960s counterculture that spread the word of peace and love and adopted a raw vegan lifestyle going to great lengths to live off the land. It is quite amazing how, 50 years on, this philosophy is fashionable once again and Californians have revolutionised plant-based cuisine.  In more general terms, I think the outdoor lifestyle and abundance of fantastic homegrown produce effortlessly encourages people towards a healthier lifestyle. It almost seems like a natural way to eat out there.

Lots of Californian chefs have inspired me
I think Travis Lett at Gjelina in LA produces a brilliant veg-forward menu packed with really interesting, beautifully presented creations. For me his cooking really embodies what Californian food is about. I think Chad Robertson’s sourdough at Tartine in San Francisco is the best I’ve eaten, and I love that he has shared all his knowledge on the subject in his books – I use his method to make sourdough at home. And Jessica Koslow’s Sqirl in LA is a great neighbourhood café. There’s so much thought put into texture, flavour and colour in her seemingly simple creations.

I’m 100% in favour of a savoury breakfast
I find it’s a much better way to set me up for the day. I like to have at least two portions of veg in my breakfast too, it makes aiming for 8-10 a day somewhat achievable. And I don’t restrict myself to traditional breakfast foods either. In winter I’ll happily eat a bowlful of steaming red lentil dhal with a poached egg on top. In the summer months, I rather like a breakfast salad, usually comprising quinoa, some steamed green veg, avocado, cherry tomatoes, maybe a hard-boiled egg and some nuts or seeds with a very simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing. On a savoury breakfast note, I love the crab omelette with chilli and sweetcorn and the huevos rancheros. They’re both morning staples for me.
 Feeling inspired? Here are three Cali-inspired recipes from Eleanor’s new book…

 
METHOD

1. Preheat a fan oven to 150˚C and line a large baking tray (pan) with baking parchment. Soak the raisins in a bowl of just-boiled water while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped nuts, oats and seeds. Put the coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and water in a small saucepan and heat until it comes to a simmer. Drain the raisins and tip them into the saucepan, then pour everything over the nuts, oat and seeds mixture. Sprinkle in the salt and mix together well.
3. Spread the granola mixture out over the parchment, making it a little thinner in the middle and piling it up more at the edges, as that’s where it will brown more quickly. Bake for 15 minutes, then stir well and continue to cook, stirring the mixture every 10 minutes until golden and fragrant (35–45 minutes in total, depending on how golden you like it). Stir the coconut flakes into the mixture for the final 5–10 minutes. Once ready, remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
4. When ready to serve, heat a griddle pan or BBQ over a medium-high heat. Brush the cut sides of the fruit with melted butter, place them cut side down on the griddle, and cook for 2 minutes until lightly charred. Spoon the yoghurt into bowls, top with a hefty sprinkling of granola and the fruit. Some edible flowers look rather pretty, too.

 
METHOD

1. Soak the cashews in a bowl of cold water.
2. Put the cauliflower florets in a large sauté pan or shallow casserole dish with a lid and add the water. Season with salt and pepper, cover and set over a medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, shaking from time to time to turn the florets. Remove the lid and add the butter (or oil), garlic and chopped date and toss together with a pinch of salt. Turn the heat up a little and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring regularly. Tip in the spices and fry, stirring, for another 5–7 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and golden in places. Set aside.
3. To make the slaw, finely shred the sprouts and toss them in a bowl with the lime juice and salt. To make the dressing, drain the cashews then put them in a blender (ideally a high-speed one, see page 23) with the herbs, ginger, chilli, water, salt and a squeeze of lime juice. Blitz until smooth, check the seasoning (adding more lime and a splash more water to loosen, if necessary) then transfer to a bowl. Toast the tortillas, and pile on the cauliflower and sprouts, drizzling with the cashew dressing to serve.

 
NOTES ON… CORN TORTILLAS
It’s not always easy to buy pure corn tortillas outside of California, whereas they’re ten-a-penny in Californian supermarkets. Their flavour is distinctively corny and their texture chewier and more substantial. Plus, they’re smaller than flour tortillas, and each taco here is only meant to be two–three bites. There are Mexican (and non-Mexican) supermarkets online you can order them from and I would advise it. I usually buy a variety of 15cm blue and yellow corn tortillas. I prefer to heat them by lowering them straight onto a naked flame on a low hob and letting them char for about 30 seconds on each side. You can also toast them in a similar way in a dry frying pan, wrapping the heated tortillas in kitchen foil to keep them warm as you heat the rest.
 

 
METHOD

1. Toss all the pickled radish ingredients in a bowl. Set aside while you prepare everything else but keep tossing from time to time to coat.
2. To make the soy dressing, mix all the ingredients together in a bow. Set aside.
3. To make the chilli-yuzu relish, place the chopped chilli on a chopping board. Sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt and, using the flat side of the blade of a chef’s knife, crush the salt into the chilli using a rolling motion. You may need to scrape it up into a pile every now and then and chop it with the blade to help break down the skin. Alternatively, pound it in a pestle and mortar or blitz in a small food processor. Transfer the relish to a bowl and mix in the yuzu juice and sweeten it with the sugar if required.
4. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and drop in the egg noodles, simmer for 3 minutes then drain and rinse under the cold tap. Shake to drain, then toss with the sesame oil. Spread out on paper towel to soak up any more excess water.
5. Preheat the grill to medium-high (240˚C) and line a baking sheet with kitchen foil. Place the salmon fillets on the lined tray, brush the tops with the soy sauce and grill for 7–8 minutes, or until cooked through.
6. Divide the noodles between 2 bowls, and spoon over a little soy dressing. Arrange half an avocado and a good heap of pickled radish on each. Place a salmon fillet on each and top with the chilli-yuzu relish. Spoon over the remaining dressing and scatter with sesame seeds and spring onion to serve.

 
NOTES ON… YUZU
Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit, with a flavour somewhere between a mandarin and a lime. They’re not easy to find fresh, but in Asian supermarkets you can often find it sold concentrated in bottles. It really lifts the chilli relish in this recipe, though you can use a splash of lime or mandarin juice instead. Splash the leftover yuzu into gin and tonics or chicken noodle soups.
 
 
California: Living + Eating by Eleanor Maidment is out now. Visit Waterstones.co.uk; Photo Credits: Nassima Rothacker