The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook

Celebrating the unfamiliar yet extraordinary produce from California’s most iconic market, this Berkeley Bowl cookbook offers recipes for an array of fruits and vegetables that have been largely overlooked or forgotten in popular cuisine.

Registered dietitian Laura McLively, an avid home cook and creator of the popular blog MyBerkeleyBowl, created a recipe for every unfamiliar or “exotic” fruit and vegetable she found at Berkeley Bowl. Here is a collection of her favorite discoveries, and a tribute to the remarkable, 40-year-old family-run market that inspired them.

Shining a spotlight on the versatile and unique qualities of the astonishingly beautiful, plant-based bounty that’s available to vegetarians and meat eaters alike, the recipes and photographs in The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook will help you embrace hundreds of exciting fruits and vegetables you may never have tasted or thought of cooking, including crunchy sea bean spindles, tubers bigger than a toddler, wiry haired rambutans, and wrinkly skinned Indian bitter melon. Eating more types and colors of plants exposes us to a wider variety of nutrients, antioxidants, and beneficial bacteria.

Berkeley Bowl is a mecca for great chefs, and with the recipes in this cookbook, you’ll see why. Even if you don’t live near Berkeley Bowl, getting your hands on these ingredients can be a fun and rewarding experience in its own right, and cooking with them will make your meals explode with flavors, textures, and new culinary adventures for all your senses.

Partial list of recipes:

• Shiso Limeade (recipe below)
• Sweet Corn and Chive-Stuffed Squash Blossoms (recipe below)
• Spiced Lotus Root Chips (recipe below)
• Malanga Masala Latkes (recipe below)
• Redcurrant Almond Clafoutis (recipe below)
• Green Garlic Soup with Lemon Cardamom Yogurt
• Sweet & Sour Tofu with Gooseberry
• Charred Nopal and Black-eyed Pea Chili
• Corn and Chive Stuffed Squash Blossoms
• Pepino Melon Poke
• Stuffed Indian Eggplant
• Morel Pot Pie
• Starfruit Almond Torte

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Shiso Limeade (serves 6)

1 cup packed Chinese shiso leaves, plus a few leaves for garnish
2 liters boiling water
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Lime slices, for garnish

1. Place the shiso leaves in a large heat-resistant jug or jar and pour the boiling water over the leaves.
2. Let the tea steep for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the desired strength. Strain out the leaves and discard.
3. Stir in the agave syrup and lime juice, and watch as the tea magically takes on its bright pink color.
4. Chill before serving over ice, garnished with a lime slice and a shiso leaf.

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Sweet Corn and Chive-Stuffed Squash Blossoms (Serves 4 to 6)

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Spiced Lotus Root Chips (serves 4 to 6)

 

1. Slice the lotus root into thin discs, about the thickness of a quarter, using a mandoline or sharp knife. Place immediately in a bowl full of cold water with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
2. Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, place some of the lotus root slices between two towels to dry well. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the lotus chips so that they fill the skillet but aren’t overlapping.
3. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side, or until they turn golden. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with desired spice mixture. Repeat with the remaining batches of lotus root slices and enjoy.

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Malanga Masala Latkes (serves 4)

 

1. Mix the malanga, bell pepper, peas, jalapeño pepper, green onions, lemon juice, cilantro, garam masala, cayenne, and salt in a bowl until well combined.
2. Add enough coconut oil to a large, flat-bottomed skillet until it coats the bottom and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, spoon about 1/4 cup of the malanga mixture into the hot oil and flatten slightly with the back of the spoon. Repeat until you fill the bottom of the skillet. Fry the latkes for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with sour cream and chutney.

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Redcurrant Almond Clafoutis (serves 4)

3 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup redcurrants (4.4-ounce package), stems removed
2 tablespoons crumbled almond paste

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Butter a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or pie pan. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and melted butter until creamy.
3. Add the milk and flour and whisk until smooth like pancake batter. Pour the batter into the skillet and sprinkle the redcurrants and almond paste evenly over the top.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the clafoutis is puffed up and golden brown around the edges (the clafoutis will deflate once you remove it from the oven).
5. Allow to cool slightly before dusting with powdered sugar. Serve warm.