Catching Up

The minute I wrote that my hands were getting better the RSI flared up again, this time with a vengeance.  Blogging was low on the list of typing priorities so it was the first activity to be cut.  However, some days off, a three week trip to the US and a doctor prescribed wrist brace have brought them back to a manageable state.  

Since I was last in the habit of writing, I spent three weeks in the US visiting Kyle in Berkeley and going to a wedding in Charleston, SC.  The wedding was the only part of the trip which was a vacation per se, but it was certainly easier to relax when I was an ocean and a continent away from CERN.  (Being around Kyle had something to do with that too).  I did all my favorite things in Berkeley, most of which revolved around food: Kyle met me at the airport with some Cheeseboard pizza, we made numerous trips to Berkeley bowl, and I had an exquisite meal at Gather, my new favorite restaurant.

Gather, the interior is decorated with all reclaimed material...or something green like that 

(newspaper photo)

Gather opened in December of last year and my friend and fellow Fulbrighter, Abby, gave me the heads up because one of her good friend’s partner was one of the owners.  Kyle and I and a couple of friends went the first week and we were very impressed.  The  restaurant is so Berkeley.  Not 1960s Berkeley, which would imply peace signs and granola and hemp and patchouli, rather it embodies present day Berkeley, and by extension, the Bay Area.  My dad calls the current residents of my fair city, somewhat pejoratively, the hip-ousie*, referring to the community of well meaning liberals who can afford to indulge in local, organic, fair trade, mother-earth protecting, guilt assuaging, somewhat conspicuous consumption....  Yes, he is a cynic...and he still loves Berkeley despite of (and because of) all that.  I prefer to think that Gather represents the best of what the hip-ousie has to offer:  an obsession with locally sourced organic food that is creative and prepared with an acute attention to detail.  The constantly changing menu contains dishes for everyone from vegans to carnivores, with neither as an afterthought.  And its not that expensive, considering what you are getting.  I met up with a couple of friend for dinner and at one point I couldn’t pay attention to the conversation because the food was so good.  Seriously.

The haul...now let's see if I can actually use it all....

I’m now back at CERN and back to working 24-7.  I moved into my adorable new apartment, and with a trip to Ikea under my belt, I feel quite settled.  The best thing about my new place, besides the fact that right outside my door there is a stop for the bus which goes to CERN, is the Saturday open air market which is just a few blocks away in the old center of town.  This market is incredible...I went on friday and was quickly overwhelmed by the range of amazing food to buy.  Some highlights: Bertrand the wine maker from Beaujolais who comes every week to pedal his gamay and chardonnay based wines, the three or four olive stands, the woman who hacks off chunks of delicious whole wheat sourdough bread from enormous meter long loaves, the stand which sells only wild greens, the spice stand, the cheese stands where you buy the cheese directly from the maker...and of course, the produce, where the vendors love to flirt with young american girls to sucker them into buying their wonderful fruits and vegetables.  I went a little over board.

They are beautiful, aren't they?

The most interesting thing I bought were asperges des bois, wild asparagus.  It was from a stand which sold only three items: wild strawberries (fraises des bois)**, tiny new potatoes and the wild asparagus, all from the nearby Drome region of France.  Unfortunately, I didn’t make anything inspired with them, but just cooked them with some garlic, shallots and mushrooms, but they had a very delicate earthy flavor to them and a wonderful mouth feel. 

Instead of sharing my not so impressive asperges des bois recipe, I’d like to share something I made while in Berkeley.  It involves fresh garbanzo beans, which are probably still available.  Fresh, garbanzos, although a bit of work to shell, have a delightful grassy taste to them which is completely unlike the canned or dried versions.  And although they are rather delicate, they stands up to the sauce in the following recipe.  Enjoy!

**I bought some fraises des bois from another stand and wow, were they good.  These particular ones were called “mana des bois”, a fitting title.

*(it makes more sense when spoken: replace the bourge in bourgeousie with hip, as in hippie).

Fresh garbanzos from a google image search result

3 lg ripe romas, diced
2/3 bag of spinach
1/2 lb fresh garbanzos
1 shallot
2 lg cloves of garlic
zest of 1 lemon, 1 lime
juice of 1/2 lemon
red pepper flakes
1 tbsp corriander
1 tbsp cumin
salt

Blanche the garbanzos in boiling water for 1 minute, then dunk them in ice water and shuck them.

Finely chop the shallot and garlic and saute them over medium heat in a tbsp or so of olive oil.  Throw in some red pepper flakes to your taste.  Then the shallots are soft, about 10 min, add the corriander and cumin, stir, then add the diced tomatoes.  Cook over medium heat and when the tomatoes have begun to break down, add the garbanzos.  Continue to cook until the tomatoes are broken down and a sauce has formed.  Then add the spinach and lemon juice and cook until the spinach is wilted.  Then add the zest and serve!