No way to treat our gardeners and cooks

My raised vegetable garden is bordered by slabs of concrete, the remnants of our former driveway. Walter, the man who used a sledgehammer to crack the driveway, lug the chunks to our backyard and stack them into a perfect lasting border, came from Mexico. He worked for licensed landscape contractors, but he wanted to start his own business. I didn’t ask his immigration status, but it wouldn’t shock me if he had been undocumented.

There are 1.8 million undocumented men, women and children in California — a population the size of Hawaii. They pick our food, cook it, make our gardens and help them grow.

Rounding up and sending away all of the state’s undocumented people, will “erase 10% of California production,” Giovanni Peri, professor of international economics at UC Davis, told CalMatters. “We’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars.”

That’s why the ICE raids and the subsequent militarized federal response is both cruel and hypocritical — as I wrote in The Forward this week. Instead of handling immigration in a smart, pragmatic way, President Trump turned it into a political flex. A small subset of protesters turned the show into a shitshow, vandalizing an already traumatized city and attacking officers, for which they must be prosecuted. But the vast majority of protesters were peaceful, if sad and pissed off — because we know it didn’t have to happen this way at all. Federal agents are chasing down the men and women who pick our lettuce in 106 degree heat, because evidently people are just lining up for that job.

This week, I thought about Walter, the man who made my garden, when I harvested my leeks.

My back would not have survived creating this garden, but I have been able to plant and harvest from it for years because of him. I picked leeks this week, which I seared, then deglazed with white wine and braised until tender, drizzling them with balsamic vinegar before serving

I thickened the braising liquid with a bit of cornstarch to get it to hug the stalks. It’s a simple recipe, but I didn’t create it alone. Only hypocrites think the fruits of our labors are ours alone. Only MAGA mouthpieces think the best way to solve the problems undocumented immigration inevitably creates is Trump’s way. Whenever I cook from my garden, I think of the careful and exacting work it took to make it, and make it last. The least we can do for the people who helped create our city is not to turn our backs on them now.

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1. How to cook a wild salmon

Alaskan wild salmon is now in the markets. Buy some. It is a rare treat, and unlike any farmed salmon you’ll eat. And it’s sustainable, not relying on harmful environmental practices. Right now in L.A. it’s about $30-40 per pound at Whole Foods ($80 for Copper River salmon at Santa Monica Seafood), but if you wait until a bit later in the season Costco will carry it for far less. Then you can smoke it, freeze it, and eat it all year round. For now, here’s the ideal way to cook it.

2. A new Sri Lankan restaurant in Westwood

The best thing I ate this week (to borrow a line from Jenn Harris) was cashew ice cream. A homemade, creamy blend of raw and roasted cashews drizzled with honey and topped with crisp honey-roasted cashews. That was the perfect end to my first-ever Sri Lankan meal, at the new Seaburry restaurant on Westwood Blvd. A Sri Lankan meal in the heart of L.A.’s Persian neighborhood, Tehrangeles? Incongruous? Not if you understand what makes L.A. so special. The owner and chef, Rachita Jay, told me he came from Sri Lanka by way of Houston. He introduced me to lamprise (above), a kind of bento box on a banana leaf: eggplant caramelized with onion and spices, warm, curried raw cashews, deeply jammy onions, fish croquette, a deep-fried egg and coconut rice. There was a fish stew too, chunks of white fish suspended in a brick red curry that was tangy and hot — Jay told me his mother makes the spice blend herself. My lunch companion, who is familiar with Sri Lankan food, asked for a special condiment of flaky coconut, lime and chile. “We don’t have it,” Jay said, “but I can make it.” A few minutes later he came out with a bowl of coconut sambol, which we showered on everything, except the cashew ice cream. All that, egg rolls, and a couple of beers came to about $30 each. I love L.A.

3. What else is worth reading, cooking and eating?

🍋 Walter, the same man who built our garden long ago, also dug up our front lawn so we could replace the water-sucking grass with artichokes. Where the lawn used to be, we now have about 75 artichoke plants. Twice each year the plants produce buds, most of which we eat. But I always let a few go to flower, which they did this week. Bees love them, and dog-walkers stop to take in their smell of fine perfume and sweat. Works for me.

🍋 Summer=potato salad, right? I’m intrigued by this recipe for Spanish-Russian potato salad that uses saffron and dill, from the great folks at Food-ish.

🍋 “I always wondered why the makers leave housekeeping and cooking out of their tales. Isn’t it what all the great wars and battles are fought for — so that at day’s end a family may eat together in a peaceful house?” —Ursula K. Le Guin, Voices

4. Free, fresh bay leaves and homemade hot sauce!

This is my homemade hot sauce, an original ferment of Fresno chile and beets, with bay leaves, lemon, garlic and onion from the garden. When you join Foodaism monthly, I’ll send you fresh bay leaves from my garden. And when you join for the year, I’ll send you a bottle of this incredible hot sauce. Each week, I’ll send you recipes, stories, videos, restaurant reviews and ideas that connect you to food, tradition, nature, you know, Life. I think you’ll find Foodaism useful, inspiring and thought-provoking. Before you leave, take a second to join Foodaism — and enjoy!

5. Need eating ideas?

When people ask me for Venice restaurant recommendations, I always include the street vendors on Lincoln Blvd. near Rose Ave., on the sidewalk in front of the Whole Foods. I don’t know if they are always legal or licensed, but I do know they serve some of the best and least expensive street food in L.A., and you’ll find yourself waiting in line for it — often behind LAPD officers.

Have a question about where to eat, what to make, how to make it or where to find ingredients? Email me! rob@foodaism.com. And don’t forget to please join Foodaism.