First post from my new abode in West Berkeley, California! I’ve been here for a full week and, despite a rainy start, it’s been amazing so far. To dispel a common misconception, Berkeley is cool…temperature-wise. You need a coat, and sometimes gloves at night. Culturally? It’s different. Extremely beautiful in its own way.

And the food? It’s unbelievable. Everywhere. Everything is so fresh.

Ben and I have visited the Berkeley Farmers’ Market both Saturdays so far. From there, our first feast was born:

For the main dish, quinoa with shiitake mushrooms, toasted walnuts, topped with fried eggs.

On the side, we roasted fennel, kabocha squash and parnsips.

And yes, we use a mancala board as a trivet. What of it?

Main dish: Mushroom-walnut quinoa with fried egg

What you’ll use:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Handful shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
Handful walnuts, chopped
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
A few chives, finely chopped
Additional salt and pepper to taste
Eggs (one per person)

Medium sauce pan, small frying pan, cooking spoon to stir quinoa, chopping knife.

What you do:

In the sauce pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic and mushrooms on medium heat for approximately 2-3 minutes. Add the rinsed quinoa and stir for about a minute before adding the vegetable stock. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Check on it after 10-12 minutes to be sure that the bottom isn’t burning or sticking to the pan.

While the quinoa is cooking, put the chopped walnuts in the frying pan and dry toast them over medium-high heat until you smell that lovely toasted-nutty smell, maybe 5 minutes.

Once the quinoa is cooked (all the liquid is absorbed), remove the pan from the heat and add the walnuts, parsley and chives.

For the egg, gently cook a little bit of olive oil in the frying pan and crack the eggs right into it. Cook to desired doneness and serve atop the quinoa. Season with salt and pepper.

Side dish 1: Roasted fennel

What you’ll need:

2 large fennel bulbs
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
Dried rosemary
Sea salt

Small roasting pan or cookie sheet, non-stick tin foil

What you’ll do:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line pan or cookie sheet with tin foil. Remove fennel fronds (the dill-looking stalks on top of the bulb). Stand the bulb on its base and cut down the middle. Now half those halves. Place the fennel quarters in the roasting vessel, and rub just enough oil over the fennel to coat. Sprinkle with rosemary and salt. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Serve warm.

Side dish 2: Roasted kabocha squash and parnsips with cumin (adapted from this recipe)

What you’ll need:

1 medium kabocha squash*, peeled, seeded, cut into chunks
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced into thick disks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon sea salt

Roasting pan and tin foil, serious chopping knife, small bowl and spoon

*Few things excite me more than kabocha squash. I seek it out. Restaurants that serve it gain instant rabbitsnack credibility. It’s a Japanese pumpkin: hearty, creamy, akin to a mix of a traditional pumpkin and butternut squash. It can go sweet or savory…there’s so much more to be said. A post dedicated solely to the glorious kabocha to follow soon.

What you’ll do:

You can keep the oven at 400°F to roast this along with the fennel. In a bowl, combine cumin, sugar, rosemary, and salt. Place the squash and parsnip disks into the foil-lined pan. Pour the spice mixture and olive oil over the veggies, and toss to thoroughly coat and season. Roast until tender, about 25 minutes.

Dig in.

Missing New York but loving Berkeley,
Steph