October 2006

The little pumpkin in my garden, a volunteer from my compost, has turned bright orange. My figs are finally ripening—the squirrels get them all. It’s October and I’ve lost a friend. Laura Trent, the owner of Tip Top farm, who I’ve talked about in past newsletters, who I’ve bought vegetables and fruit from for years now, who I’ve given tomato plants to, so she could grow Rosetta’s wonderful San Marzano tomatoes to bring to market, apparently didn’t want to live any longer. I am immensely sad, and it’s hard to write a cheery newsletter right now. There are memorials at the markets she came to, and I am aware of a huge void left by this beautiful person who touched my life in many ways. Her loss will be felt by all of us for years to come. I have one strong thought about this: if someone truly is in mental anguish, it is far kinder to ask one’s friends for help and support, than to leave them wishing they could have helped if only they knew you needed it, and suffering for the senseless loss of a friend.

What's Up at the Kitchen

What’s up at the kitchen? Lots! We have classes galore right now. My Basic Cooking Class is running strong, with a full group of enthusiastic students. I have two private classes scheduled in November, the first, a Sunday afternoon class on the 5th, is a full-on “dress rehearsal” for Thanksgiving dinner. We will prepare the entire meal, a truly traditional feast from appetizer through pies. This class is a great starting point for those of you who haven’t tackled this great feast before—or just want to bring a great dish to the family meal. Register now to insure a spot!

My second class is a special one. We’ll make all hors d’oeuvres—most probably a great group of Tapas dishes, I just haven’t decided what yet. It’s Wednesday evening the 15th of November, and we’ll be making the food not only for ourselves to eat, but for the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce Mixer the next night, which will take place at my kitchen and next door at Periscope Cellars, owned by Brendan Eliason, who will open his winery doors to the group as well. Participants in this ultra-inexpensive class (it’s only $35 per person) will also get free entry into the Chamber mixer, to help put together gorgeous platters of food for the event, if they want to.

Ayako Iino’s Tonkatsu class is still filling—it’s on October 17th, so register now if you want to come. Ayako brings tremendous knowledge and skill to her classes, and cooks Japanese food like her grandmother made, so you will learn far more authentic and wonderful dishes than you might find in your average restaurant. And, as a trained chef who has worked at Oliveto for years, she will teach you preparation and cooking skills that will translate to the rest of your kitchen life as well.

Charlene Reis is tackling homemade Halloween treats for her next class on October 24th. This is a class for pre-teens and teens—and the subject matter will be dear to their hearts. Register soon to reserve a spot! Charlene is also planning a special Thanksgiving class November 21st, one where the participants will truly GIVE thanks—the dishes will be donated to Home Away from Homelessness. Not only kids, but some parent assistants are needed for this class. Her December class will also be special—Gifts from the Kitchen, something most kids and teens will be thrilled about.

We will soon schedule another Knife Sharpening and Skills class that will be open to the public. We have recently brought the class, which combines a comprehensive lesson in knife sharpening taught by Eric Weiss, with Charlie Vollmar’s excellent knife skills class (where you get to try out your newly sharpened knives to great effect), to the food service staff at the UC Berkeley housing dining halls. They gave it a great review, and I’m sure you will too. Stay tuned for the date!

Rosetta Costantino has some wonderful classes scheduled this fall. Look on her website, cookingwithrosetta.com, for menus and registration information—some are already sold out, so don’t delay.

Other Events

We are as always involved in a lot of projects, from catering to corporate team building sessions to parties. At the kitchen, among other things we’ve hosted a 60th birthday party luncheon, and will have a baby shower in November. We’ve participated in Women of Taste, at the Oakland Museum—a big fund raiser where we tasted goat milk ice cream (the fig was fabulous) and lots of other food from many of the restaurants and caterers in the area, as well as providing our own dish for 1000 guests (see the recipe of the month). A fun, if rather chilly, evening. This time of year, I am asked to make charitable donations nearly every day; it’s a tough call to know what ones to accept and participate in, because resources are limited, both time and money. Doing something like Women of Taste is a major undertaking, where we donated over 30 hours between the preparation and the event itself, besides the cost of the food. I want to thank those of you who came to the event, and helped make it as successful as it was.

I also want to remind you to give me a call or an email, if your company needs a fun team-building event, or your family and friends want to have a kitchen-based party. The holidays are coming, and the calendar is starting to fill—so don’t wait too long if you have a specific date in mind.

At the Market

The peaches are coming to an end, but it’s still plum season with a lot of varieties to try. Figs are great—still trying to figure out how the farmers get to pick theirs; maybe there are no squirrels in their orchards…apples are in, in fact some like the Gravensteins, which have a short season, are already finished. But there are many other varieties right now, and more to come. My favorite, the Pink Lady variety, hasn’t come in to the markets yet but will be there soon. Saturday at the Grand lake there are still blackberries and raspberries, but the Tuesday Berkeley market has none, only strawberries, which should last, weather permitting, into the late autumn. And, the pears are wonderful right now. Bartletts are showing up at all the markets, and the other varieties are coming as well. Warren pears are featured at Frog Hollow in the Berkeley market. The first persimmons have shown their pale faces—they are not really sweet yet, but the deep orange ones are on their way.

Winter squash are coming in; I bought an orange kabocha Saturday at Grand Lake. There are still green beans, and the shelling beans are in. Broccoli is at its peak right now, as is cauliflower—and they will remain good for a long time. Kale of all sorts is getting sweeter as the weather cools. Baby turnips, with their greens, and beets with their greens are wonderful now as well. Some citrus is at the market, and avocados are wonderful. Tuesday’s market in Berkeley has avocados already bagged perfectly ripe—four to five per $3 bag, so no squeezing needed. They keep at least a week in the fridge, and are packed with nutrients and “good” fat.

This Month's Recipe

This month’s recipe is a smaller version of the frittata we served at Women of Taste. I love making frittatas, because they hold well, and can be flavored as you like them. Although the recipe is very detailed, it’s also very easy. Read through all the instructions before you start.