Summer Days in Northern California

I’m a California girl, born and bred. My parents raised us in San Francisco’s Bay Area and later in Sacramento, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for both cities. With friends and family spread throughout the region, I hardly need an excuse to visit two of my favorite cities. Throw in the fourth of July, complete with a neighborhood parade, and I’m there.

After all the sun, swimming and grilling on the fourth, we headed to the Bay Area for a day and night of eating well and visiting family.

Zaré at Fly Trap attracted my attention thanks to a feature in Food & Wine magazine; chef Hoss Zaré described his cuisine as “French, Italian, Californian—with Persian flavors.” Finding that our hotel, the W, was close to Fly Trap was thanks to a serendipitous spin of the Yelp wheel on my iPhone.

I had this light yet flavorful chicken wrap, which included mint, dill and a dab of plain yogurt laced with saffron (I believe). To have this wrap again would be heaven; if only I had the recipe. Oh, I almost forgot about the side salad, which was a simple dressing that added layers of flavor to the spring mix – I detected olive oil, lemon and something savory sweet, which the bartender said was pureed shallots.

The view from our room at the W.

We met my cousin and his wife for a beer before heading out to dinner at Zuni Café. Our table was a food blogger’s dream: front and center with a direct view into the kitchen (table number 16 if you’re curious).

Here we could watch the cooks prepare Zuni’s signature roast chicken served over salad and bread. The salad guy was active, too, working with focused determination as he tasted Romaine lettuce leaves for crunch, whisked Caesar dressing with a delicate touch and then combined the two in a huge silver bowl using only his hands for tools.

The next morning, before heading to the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market to meet my parents and little GG, I met my other cousin and his wife at Plow. After the previous day’s food fest, it was all I could manage to eat a few scrambled eggs and levain toast served with fresh preserves. I liked the light airy space that served as the dining room and can imagine it must be packed on weekends.

A glimpse inside the hall of the Ferry Building Marketplace, packed with vendors selling everything from cookies so light you can see through them, to rich, creamy cheeses, to cookbooks and this, a pie iron similar to the one my mom used to make round grilled cheese sandwiches for us when we were kids.

Little GG had fun looking at all the fresh fruits and veggies but was interested only in the chocolate gelato at Ciao Bella Gelato (can you blame her?). Next time I’m in Sacramento I might take Amtrak down to San Francisco for the day; there’s a bus that drops you right at the Ferry Building.

On our last day in Sacramento we drove up to Auburn, a mid-way point on childhood ski trips when we lived in the Bay Area. Anyone who has driven through Auburn in the 80s will remember the McDonald’s with all the stained glass windows celebrating the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics. We had lunch at a Bay Area favorite turned Auburn transplant, Max’s. I had the #10, the Dennis and Janice, which is a towering BLTA with avocado served on toasted sourdough with a side of their awe-inspiring red potato salad. (Another recipe I would love to have, hint hint Max’s!)

Thanks to my family and friends for such a fun week, we’ll be back soon!

The Gonzo Gourmet Turns One!


The Gonzo Gourmet turns one today and to celebrate, I wanted to share with you my 10 favorite recipes; essential recipes, you might say. Again and again I hear people say they can’t cook, or they hate to cook, or they don’t have time to cook. My blog is dedicated to those people: the everyday cook.

My 10 essential recipes range from savory to sweet, salad to steak, fast to mildly time consuming, but they all share one thing in common: they’re easy. Yes, even the chicken pot pie, which has multiple steps, is easy in the sense that anyone can make it. And that’s what’s important to me, knowing that I’m sharing recipes and techniques that empower my friends, family and readers to feel confident in the kitchen. This is just a peek into my recipe collection, there’s more to come in the year ahead. Please join me!

Veggie Frittata. This recipe is quintessential Mark Bittman: fast, easy, healthy. The point of this recipe is to use whatever vegetables you have on hand, and use lots of them; eggs play second fiddle in this dish. Endlessly, easily adaptable, and perfect for the vegetarian on your guest list.

Spinach Salad. This is a beautifully light, refreshing salad. You could add some salmon or grilled chicken to create a main course. Play around with different cheeses and even some nuts to add a little extra crunch.

Perfect Roast Chicken. If you think roast chicken is a challenge, you’re not alone. I did, too, until I tried Ina Garten’s take on Glamor magazine’s engagement chicken. This is so easy it’s almost ridiculous. And while the chicken roasts, you can do something unheard of at a dinner party: converse with your guests.

Chicken Pot Pie. I wanted to recreate the sheer joy, if not the actual taste, of that childhood meal, with a crust that could be drenched in gravy and still retain a crunch, vegetables that stood on their own but melded well together, and chicken that added a savory layer of its own. I also wanted it to be easy.

Turkey Chili. If you think you can’t cook, start with this recipe. Yes, it relies heavily on canned beans but the point of this chili is to get dinner on the table, fast. Oh, and did I mention it’s a crowd pleaser, freezes well and requires virtually no skill?

Steakhouse Steaks. Using filet mignon or New York strip steaks, this method is so simple yet results in steakhouse perfection every time. The secret is a cast iron skillet, which can be had for less than the price of the meat if you’re extravagant. Considering what it costs to eat out these days, why not give this one a go?

Gonzo Girl Pasta (Pasta with Parsley & Garlic). On any given night at our house, my daughter will request this, a spicy, garlicy pasta. To say her adoration of this dish defies all odds is putting it mildly; this is a girl for whom mac and cheese on a day in, day out basis poses no problems. It’s perfect for days when she hasn’t really eaten much, primarily because I can feel she’s getting her fill, what with the omega-3 fortified pasta, the antioxidants found in the parsley and the garlic, and the healthy fat provided by the olive oil.

Split Pea Soup. This version of split pea soup, inspired by the California Pizza Kitchen recipe, skips the pork and adds texture with barley, making this a hearty treat for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. It also freezes well, making it an ideal light lunch or after-school snack.

Chocolate Congo Bars. This is a family recipe, passed down from my grandmother to my mother to me. In my grandmother’s time she used shortening; I use unsalted butter. But the end result is the same: a kitchen that smells of chocolate and a family dessert that’s as classic as they come.

Spiced Bar Nuts with Rosemary. My all-time favorite cocktail snack, this last recipe honors my love of all things salt or snack related. I could easily skip dinner and nosh on these all night long.

Here’s to another great year – cheers! – and thank you to everyone who reads this blog, tries the recipes and provides comments and feedback. I love cooking with you!

Toasted Garlic Tomato Sauce

If you somehow find yourself with extra tomatoes, or just want a sweet tomato sauce that comes together in minutes, then I’m excited for you to try this recipe. The toasted garlic elevates the sauce to something slightly savory, a perfect complement to summer’s juicy tomatoes. An ideal showcase of the season’s bounty, this sauce brings the warmth of a true tomato sauce to the simplicity of tossing together cut tomatoes with fresh basil and olive oil.

Continue reading Toasted Garlic Tomato Sauce >> “Toasted Garlic Tomato Sauce”

Grilled Flatbread


Baking bread, to me, elevates cooking from an assembly of ingredients to a process nearing alchemy, a skill meant only for those who dare to meet the challenge. My first attempt at baking bread resulted in a bland, if pretty, loaf that promptly met the trashcan. I’m proud to report that my second attempt was the star appetizer at our seafood paella cook-out last weekend. Bravo for second chances!

Continue reading >> “Grilled Flatbread”

Comfort Food: A Look Back

With Cindy at Great America, circa 1983

I was first introduced to the ritual of comfort food in the sixth grade. My parents were newly divorced and my younger sister, Cindy, and I were learning how to navigate on our own in the brief time span between the school bus dropping us off at home, and the garage door raising high to invite my mom home at the end of her work day. Every day, our snack was the same: microwaved nachos.

The microwaves of the early 80s were behemoths; ours was a novelty barely contained in the spot between the double ovens and the stovetop, a space meant for knickknacks that now harbored an appliance that could easily serve as an end table.

My process for making nachos never varied. I only used Doritos regular tortilla chips, a flavor they dropped years ago in favor of Technicolor Cool Ranch and the like. I’d chop off a slab of mild cheddar cheese then cram it into the chamber of our hand-held cheese grater, turning the crank until a pile of shredded cheese emerged. Then I’d yank out a plate while surveying my ingredients, all two of them.

The bottom layer of the nachos was critical and required a double layer of chips to absorb the grease of the cheese. From there, I fashioned a pyramid of cheese and chips, alternating layers until I’d created my masterpiece. At the sound of the microwave door opening, Cindy hustled into the kitchen to watch as I set the plate in the oven before shutting the door and turning the knob to a five-minute bake.

We were helpless with hunger as the clock counted down, the final shreds of cheese morphing into molten lava that smothered the chips in their gooiness, the oven’s fan blowing our hair into our matching brown eyes. While the nachos cooled, I snuck two Cokes from the garage fridge, wrestling off the tab-tops before fizzing each can into glasses.

Maybe it was the microwave. Maybe it was our first brush with after-school freedom. Or maybe it was those salty chips, soggy yet sturdy beneath their burden of molten cheddar. I can still feel the fizz of the first sip of Coke, bubbles tickling my nose as the ice clunked against my teeth. Those nachos were a celebration, a discovery of the sheer joy of cooking for pleasure, for comfort. Whatever it was, those nachos were, and still are, the best I’ve ever had.

Now it’s your turn: What’s your favorite comfort food?

Arugula Pesto

Pesto is my one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Last weekend, for a grill-out with friends, I made this light arugula pesto – made with more water than oil, it worked well over the adorable curlicue shape of cavatappi pasta. I used walnuts instead of the traditional pine nuts because they’re cheaper, and I thought they paired nicely with the peppery arugula.

If you’re new to pesto, there’s a pesto for every palette. Here are some fabulous pesto recipes to get you through the summer. So if you…

  • Want to cook with an Italian grandmother (we should all be so lucky!), then head over to Heidi Swanson’s blog 101 Cookbooks for this tutorial on classic pesto.
  • Feel French, make a pistou instead with Paula Wolfert at Food & Wine Magazine. Oh là là!
  • Have an excess of pine nuts and pistachios, this savory pesto from Lemon & Anchovies will deplete your supply pronto.
  • Need a little fiber with your dinner, Amanda at the Cilantropist has a pea and fava bean puree that can be further thinned with oil to mimic a pesto.
  • Are minding calories, then gather up the arugula and walnuts and get going with my version of arugula pesto.

What’s your favorite take on pesto? I’d love to know – buon appetito!

Arugula Pesto

4 cups baby arugula
½ cup freshly grated Parmesean cheese
¼ cups pinenuts
Juice from one lemon, freshly squeezed
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2-3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/3 cup water, room temperature
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  1. Combine all ingredients except water and oil in a food processor, pulse until chopped but not pureed.
  2. Whisk together the water and oil in a small bowl until combined.
  3. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the water and oil through the chute attachement until combined to desired consistency.
  4. Serve over pasta or fish, garnishing with chopped tomatoes, if desired.

Adapted from a recipe by Cooking Light.