donut farm

even though i live at the chicken coop now, joshfresh is still my donutman.

the holidays were tough for me this year, but i had a really nice new years eve and day, and this morning after a brisk early morning bike ride i had the most incredible brunch at the donut farm.

every saturday and sunday in the building where pepples organic vegan donuts are made, josh and his team make vegan brunch. this isn't random, experimental, food-not-bombs vegan food. brunch at the farm is gourmet.

josh shops locally at the berkeley bowl or monterey market and personally curates each menu from the inspiration of the markets creating a single brunch plate each weekend.

the plate today had crispy hash brown fried in red palm oil, curried tofu and vegetable scramble, savory hodo soybeanery okara knish and choice of dave's killer good seed or acme sour dough toast with house made fake butter. there are also pancakes available with the option of adding organic blueberries and bananas that are served with a housemade candycap syrup.

january 2nd 2011. so far so ood.

the chicken coop

late in october i moved in with two other ladies: ms kerry & ms olive. we live in an upstairs flat on the best street in oakland. we have a lemon tree and a cat named louis that came with the apartment. there is a big kitchen, a garden and a laundry room downstairs. we call it the chicken coop.

kerry and olive are both artists, and so am i. sometimes we hang out together in the kitchen and drink wine while we make our own dinners. sometimes we're all at home quietly working on projects. we all like going to bed early most of the time. sometimes they wash my dishes for me. i can't believe how lucky i am to have found them.

home is the most important place in the world.

spice alphabet

allspice

basil

bay leaves

black pepper

caraway

celery seeds

chili flakes

chili powder

cinnamon

coriander

cumin

cumin seed

curry

dill

five spice

ginger

herbs de provence

fennel seeds

long pepper

mustard seeds

nutmeg

oregano

paprika

salt

saffron

tarragon

turmeric

white pepper

zatar

pie off

today i took the entire day off to make a single pie. i am participating in an event called pie off.

it is 11:30 and i still haven't made my pie. the judging starts at 4:00. i have spent almost $50 on making this pie. okay, maybe $35.

i bought butter, milk and cream. i bought 32 ounces of maple syrup because that was the best price per ounce and i want to start making decisions like a financially solvent person. i went to a second location and bought pumpkins: two sugar pie and one japanese pumpkin; a tiny kabocha. i also needed a pie pan.

arriving home i consulted a few different recipes for pie crust. i made one very large recipe and fifteen minutes later decided that by the way it looked and felt it i knew wasn't a winning crust, and that i really wanted to win pie off. i started over with are recipe i made up on the spot. crust #1 went into the trash.

when i finally had a crust i was happy with rolled out and chilling in my freezer i walked to the liquor store by my house and bought some dried beans to weigh it down before i could blind bake. i'm serious.

i have mostly baked and cooked my entire working life, and while i think nothing of spending an hour making a weekday meal even just for myself, i seldom if ever bake at home. it's much more difficult than doing it at work.

pie off. wish me luck.

blender sauce

for a long time i had a boyfriend i lived with, and we cooked all the time. it's been two months and as okay as i feel this morning i was up at seven biking around oakland crying. it was something i read that set me off.

i was with nate in the grocery store last week buying caramel apples, and someone was listening to what we were talking about... "you know how me and your dad are both chefs? we really fight about food." we had a style we called vitalitarian. it had something to do with eating lamb chops and a lot of raw vegetables. there was more to it than that, but i'm being flip.

this is what we made the last time we cooked dinner together: gluten free (corn) pasta with blender (tomato) sauce and live dinosaur kale salad.

it was right after i told nate me and his papa weren't going to be together forever and that we were breaking up and i was going to move. he said he was surprised, but that it was okay. he rubbed my leg while i tried not to cry. then he asked me to help him with his homework so we could do something fun. we walked to the corner store and bought ice cream and lottery tickets.

josh was at a meeting, and while he was gone i picked all the tomatoes out of our backyard garden. raised beds that he made for me. we collaborated and josh took care of the kale salad when he got home.

blender sauce is something i learned to make from my mom, and a version is in the cookbook of family recipes that she made for me. it's more method than recipe. same with the kale.

blender sauce

1. depending on their size saute slice 1 to 2 onions and cook over low heat with generous olive oil until clear, but not caramelized.

2. wash all of your tomatoes, about two pounds, which could be 4 to 5 really big tomatoes or 10 little guys. cut them in half around their equators and squeeze out the tomato water and seeds.

3. put cooked onions, raw tomatoes, maybe two branches worth of basil leaves and 1 to 3 cloves of fresh garlic in the blender. puree. re-warm the pasta in the sauce. it's better that way.

kale salad

1. wash 1 bunch dinosaur kale. roll the leave tightly and cut straight across (ribbon-cut).

2. add citrus juice or apple cider vinegar and salt and squeeze the leaves with your hands until they soften.

3. dress with a little bit of olive oil and adjust the seasonings.

we were a great team at dinnertime.

summer supper

dinner party @ local 123. summer supper

* happy boy farms mixed watermelon salad with honey chili lime and mint dressing

* polenta timbale with heirloom tomato sauce, summer vegetables and fresh pesto

* creme fraiche panna cotta with local strawberries and crushed maple candied almonds

* glass of wine/beer/coffee

$30 per person

brownpapertickets.com

coffee.wine.community

the healing power of soup

coming up on three years now, and it's over between me and my donutman. right now i'm feeling it less in my heart and more in my stomach. it's unseasonably cold, and we have been apart. i haven't seen nathan in at least three weeks. we both tried our best, and now i'm home alone in our home that i will have to leave soon.

so much of what we had was so good, especially in the kitchen. because of josh i saw how much was possible for me. i made a cookbook that went much bigger than i expected. i have my first ever position as a chef. i had half a kid to love.

with so much lost i haven't been able to eat or sleep, almost at all, and having breaking up be my idea doesn't make it any better. i'm back in town and it's cold outside at my desk in my old room.

while i was away my kitchen hummed along without me. not too many mistakes. this morning i told a friend about my eating problem and he suggested soup. thank you for reminding me of who i am, friend. at 123 my kitchen team took care of the soup for me. this morning i'm eating carrot ginger soup alone at my desk broken hearted. it's a start.

Carrot Ginger Soup

2 onions, sliced

3” ginger, cut into coins

¼ c. olive oil

1 Tbsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. paprika

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste

1/8 tsp. cayenne

¼ c. rice

8-10 carrots (2#) peeled and cut into 1” chunks

6-8 c. water

1. In a large stockpot combine onions, ginger, olive oil, spices, and salt. Cook covered over low heat until onions are soft and clear.

2. Raise heat to medium and add rice. Cook a few minutes, until grains are clear on the edges.

3. Add carrots and water, and simmer until very tender.

4. Remove ginger coins and bay leaves, and puree in a blender until smooth.