Okay, I have two apologies to get out of the way: #1 - I'm sorry I have been MIA . The craziness of summer caught up with me and I've fallen behind. Roaming the aisles of Berkeley Bowl looking for exotic produce inspiration takes quite a bit of time, which I haven't had any extra [...]
For some, the plantain might be the exotic part of this dish. But to me, the milpero were the little nuggets of exotic, tangy perfection that inspired this concoction. If you're debating whether to read on, let me just say that my trusty taste-tester Mike threw his hat on the floor and cried out "this might be [...]
Hippies and foodies seem to rave about kohlrabi but, outside of this circle, this veggie still seems to be quite exotic. Maybe even unheard of. Unless you're a Fraggle Rock aficionado and remember that in episode 506, one of the fraggles uses kohlrabi juice to poison the knobblies. Don't let kohlrabi's five minutes of TV infamy make [...]
A few years ago, my sister Catherine surprised me with her invention of an amazing culinary treat: "fawafel." No, that's not a typo or a speech impediment. It's falafel waffle. She wanted the delectable taste of falafel without the extra mess and calories from frying, so she threw some falafel mix into waffle batter and [...]
Gazpacho is my absolute favorite summertime food. But because the cornerstone of the dish is ripe, juicy tomatoes, I only get to make it a few months out of the year. When it's that time, I go buy tomatoes by the flat at the farmers market (negotiating like a crazy pirate woman) and keep a couple gallons [...]
Nothing screams summer like frozen treats. So in honor of the first week of summer, I am introducing you to my life-changing sorbet. Yeah, that's right, LIFE-CHANGING. This sorbet is so lusciously and luxuriously magenta, you won't be able to stop staring at it. And when you take your first bite, you won't be able to stop [...]
When most people think of Belgium, they think of chocolate, beer, or waffles (all delicious, I admit). But not me. I think of asparagus. White asparagus. It all started two springs ago when Mike and I arrived in Belgium. As we strolled the streets of Brussels for the first time, we were so confused -- [...]
I work in Fruitvale, the latino neighborhood of East Oakland, where all the signs are in Spanish, tamale carts are part of the morning commute, and technicolor quinceañera dresses fill shop windows. But I think my all-time favorite part about Fruitvale is the fruit carts. Around lunchtime you can find a fleet of fruit carts [...]
I'm a complete sucker for anything almond. Almond croissants, almond-scented lotion, marzipan, almond paste straight from the tube... yeah, I have been that desperate before. The word "almond" on a dessert menu can magically create a vacancy in my stomach that just a second earlier seemed stuffed to the brim. If you are like me, [...]
You can't walk into a bar in Spain without seeing someone eating the classic tapa, Patatas Bravas (meaning "fierce potatoes"). Fried chunks of potatoes drizzled with a spicy paprika-garlic sauce is hard to beat when it comes to bar food, but it can scare off the carb- or calorie-conscious. Why not smear that bravas sauce [...]