We're Jazzed!

By Edible East Bay | January 23, 2015

Musical winter cocktails, books on wheels, and a small but growing farm are on today’s menu.

Radicchio is thriving at Happy Acre Farm in Sunol.

In This Newsletter:

● Jazz on the Rocks at the Ferry Building – Feb 4

● Lungomare gets cooking for the Peralta Colleges – Feb 7

● Ready, set, grow at Happy Acre Farm!

● Library on Wheels rolls into Berkeley farmers’ markets

● Book Reviews: Dishes to Take Winter’s Chill Away

● Recipe: Potato Leek Winter Vegetable Soup
from Rebecca Stevens at the Corner Market

Jazz on the Rocks: Winter Cocktails of the Farmers Market

The East Bay will be part of the fun, when bartenders and chefs from Bull Valley Roadhouse, Hotsy Totsy Club, and Juhu Beach Club join in for a spirited evening of jazz and cocktails at the San Francisco Ferry Building. Some of the Bay Area’s best bartenders draw on inspiration from music and winter farmers’ market flavors to create jazzy libations at this event hosted by CUESA, the local chapter of theU.S. Bartenders’ Guild, and SFJAZZ. Seven local chefs join in the festivities, serving up tasty side notes. Guests receive three full-sized signature cocktails and unlimited sample-sized drinks along with hors d’oeuvres. Proceeds from the night support CUESA’s educational initiatives and the Bartenders’ Guild’s professional development programs. Read up on craft cocktails in Edible East Bay’s Winter Issue.

Wednesday February 4, 5:30–8 pm
San Francisco’s Ferry Building Grand Hall (upstairs)
Ages 21 and up. Cost: $50. Purchase tickets here

Mardi Gras Fundraiser for Peralta Colleges

Next month marks Lungomare’s second anniversary, and to celebrate, the Oakland restaurant is serving up a Mardi Gras benefit for the Peralta Colleges Foundation. Owners Chris and Jana Pastena are committed to helping community organizations, and Jana is a Peralta alum. Located on the waterfront at Jack London Square, the party features music, entertainment, a silent auction, plus light appetizers and a dessert bar from chef Craig DiFonzo. Libations include a special Mardi Gras–inspired cocktail. Cost: $50 (or $45 if purchased by January 31). All proceeds go to the Peralta Colleges Foundation. Info and tickets:peraltafoundation.org

Saturday February 7, 9pm–midnight
Lungomare, One Broadway, Oakland

Helena Tuman and Matt Sylvester happily harvest at their Sunol farm. The duo grew more than 80 types of organic fruits and vegetables last season. (Photos courtesy of Happy Acre Farm)

Happy Acre Farm Needs a Tractor

Oakland natives Helena Tuman and Matt Sylvester started Happy Acre Farm on an acre of land in Sunol last March. The farm is certified organic and the duo grew over 80 varieties of vegetables and fruits, with help from their parents and siblings. Happy Acre is ready to scale up to two acres, which will allow them to open a CSA and increase their market presence and restaurant sales. They’ve embarked on a crowd-sourced fundraising campaign to raise money for a tractor, a market vehicle, and other essential items. Donations can be made online or in person at the Sunday Kensington Farmers’ Market. To thank donors, gifts including farm dinners, a seasonal cookbook, an urban farming class, and t-shirts and totes are on offer.

Cookbooks are always in demand at the Berkeley farmers’ markets.

Books Are Always in Season

The Library on Wheels was on hand for the South Berkeley market’s Dia de los Muertos celebration. Library staff, left to right: Andrea Mullarkey, Dan Beringhele, Sierra Gribble, and Josh Lachman. (Photo courtesy of Dan Beringhele)

by Rachel Trachten

A visit to the North or South Berkeley farmers’ market can sometimes yield more than the usual bag of veggies. As you’re amid the market stands, be on the lookout for the Library on Wheels, brought to you by the Berkeley Public Library. Shoppers who stop to peruse the offerings will be treated to cookbooks, gardening books, fiction, children’s stories, and even texts on cycling.

“We were looking at ways to expand service and do more outreach,” says Reference Librarian Dan Beringhele, who commutes to work by bike and sometimes transports the mobile library around town. He says that riding the Library on Wheels took some getting used to, but requires less balance than a bicycle because it has three wheels on the ground. The trike has two wheels up front and opens into a display table for the books. It’s even equipped with a mobile wifi hotspot, so market shoppers can check out books or even sign up for a new library card.In addition to monthly visits to the North and South Berkeley markets, the library has rolled into Sunday Streets, the Solano Stroll, Berkeley High, and Berkeley City College. Its book collection varies to suit its audience, and plans are afoot to expand school visits and branch out to other events. Info: here

Dishes to Take Winter’s Chill Away:
Bread, Coffee,Tamales, Bahn Mi, and Meatballs!

By Kristina Sepetys

Josey Baker Bread:
Get Baking – Make Awesome Bread – Share the Loaves
by Josey Baker
(Chronicle Books, 2014)
If learning to bake bread is one of your New Year’s resolutions, grab a copy of this helpful manual from former-science-teacher-turned-bread-maker extraordinaire, Josey Baker (his real name), whose bread is one of the draws at The Mill, his joint-venture storefront and pop-up eatery on Divisidero in San Francisco. Simple, clear directions, helpful photographs, and many recipes for breads, pizzas, pocketbreads, and yummy pastries will have you proofing in no time! Purchase this book

The World Atlas of Coffee:
From Beans to Brewing-Coffees Explored, Explained and Enjoyed
by James Hoffman
(Firefly Books, 2014)
Everything you want to know about where and how coffee is grown throughout the world and how best to prepare it by a barista and CEO of London’s Square Mile Coffee Roasters. Purchase this book

Tamales: Fast and Delicious Mexican Meals
by Alice Guadalupe Tapp
(Ten Speed Press, 2014)
If you didn’t get your fill of tamales during the Christmas season, Tapp (who runs a tamale restaurant in Los Angeles) has boiled the tamale-making process down to a few clearly explained steps that can be completed in as little as 45 minutes. All 60 dishes in the book are naturally gluten-free and include both classic and more innovative tamale recipes. Purchase this book

The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy-Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches
by Andrea Nguyen
(Ten Speed Press, 2014)
Banh mi simply means “bread” in Vietnamese, though most people associate it with a crisp baguette stuffed with any combination of meats and topped with spicy, crunchy pickles, cucumbers, carrots, or daikons and condiments like a spicy chili sauce or mayonnaise. San Francisco–based food writer Nguyen shares more than 50 recipes and tips for crafting classic to modern banh mi sandwiches. Crazy delicious for sure. Purchase this book

More Than Meatballs: From Arancini to Zucchini Fritters and Everything in Between
by Michele Anna Jordan
(Skyhorse Publishing, 2014)
From the “Eat This Now” blogger on the Sonoma Press Democrat comes a collection of more than 50 recipes for meatballs, fritters, and other bite-sized balls, from classic Italian polpetti and French boulettes de viande to Spanish and Mexican albondigas, Moroccan merguezmeatballs, Sicilian arancini (stuffed risotto balls), and carrot fritters, together with options for gluten-free meatballs. Purchase this book

Potato Leek Winter Vegetable Soup

Chef and author Rebecca Stevens also owns the Corner Market, a neighborhood market and café on Telegraph Avenue in North Oakland. Along with its excellent coffee and donuts, her shop offers pantry basics, organic dairy, local honey, produce, and snacks, as well as housekeeping and homemaking supplies. Corner Market seeks to create community and to nourish the neighborhood with healthful food, useful goods, and friendly service.

You can find this soup, and other made-from-scratch, organic soups in Corner Market’s freezer section. This recipe first appeared in the book SOUPLOVE by Rebecca Stevens, available for purchase at her store and on Etsy. For additional recipes and info, see beckyfresh.blogspot.com and visit Corner Market on Facebook.

(makes about 2 quarts)

Chef and owner Rebecca Stevens has made the Corner Market a neighborhood favorite. Her shop is at 6040 Telegraph Ave. (Photo courtesy of Rebecca Stevens)

2 onions, small dice
1 leek, cut into 1/4 moons
6 ribs celery or 1 celery root, small dice
2 carrots, small dice
3–5 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cayenne to taste
2 teaspoons sea salt plus more to taste
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, medium dice
7 cups water
2 turnips, rutabagas, kohlrabi or fennel bulbs, medium dice
1 cup savoy cabbage, chopped

In a large stock pot combine onion, leek, celery or celery root, carrots, olive oil, garlic, spices, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook covered over low heat while you prepare the rest of the vegetables. Raise heat to medium and add potatoes and an additional teaspoon of salt. Cook a few minutes and add water. When potatoes are halfway tender add the rest of the winter vegetables, excluding the cabbage, and continue cooking until all the vegetables are tender-firm. Heat a skillet to medium-high and sauté cabbage with olive oil and salt, and add to the finished soup. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions or flat-leaf parsley, and perhaps a drizzle of olive oil.

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