Monterey Market Finds

Oh, how I love my little market! When I travel, I make it a point to visit the place where the locals buy their produce, and I firmly believe that I live near the best one.

Last week, I had my first fresh alfonso mango. It was perfumy and it made my teeth ache because it was so sweet. I cut the sweetness with a squeeze of lime juice and was jokingly told that in India, that would be considered a felony. What can I say? I learned to eat my mangos in Mexico, where a squeeze of lime juice goes into everything. Anyway, back to the mango - it was creamy and not at all fiberous like those red and green mangoes. Once the price drops, I'll be buying more of these! I have a feeling that Vik's Distributors will be selling them by the case soon.


I also grabbed a bouquet of baby artichokes. These were so young that the choke had not yet formed, making their little hearts even more tender. I braised these with a little lemon juice, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. No mayo or dipping oil was required.