Monterey Market: A Place Where Love Conquers Fear

Inspired by the Beauty of Monterey Market's Bell Peppers, circa October 2010.

Being a self-described claustrophobe, Monterey Market is the kind of place that I should hate. The aisles are narrow, each is filled with more produce than seems physically possible, and not surprisingly, the place always seems crowded. It’s nearly impossible to get through an aisle without an awkward experience. Maybe you are frantically trying to maneuver your cart around the crowds to let someone through to get to their precious apricots. Or maybe you are hovering behind a group of literal cherry pickers, trying not to look strange while you wait for them to take their sweet time with their selections. Hell, even their parking lot is overwhelming. For me at least, embarrassing/stressful experiences are everywhere at places like these. So, the obvious question is why don’t I hate a place like this? What does it have to offer that can counterbalance this claustrophobe’s nightmare?

            The answer is simple. Despite all of its faults, Monterey Market is a wonderful place. The sheer amount of produce that fits in that tiny shed of a store is a sight to behold in itself. The vibrant colors of the bell peppers, the strawberries, the flowers in the front of the store…if you’re anything like me, it’s this natural beauty that brings a smile to your face, even as you are battling your way through the aisles.

The outside of Monterey Market. Photo Credit: Jordi Cabana

            But mostly, I love Monterey Market because you get your moneys worth, and for a college student who loves food as much as I do, that’s important. You can buy quality produce, with local and organic options to boot, for cheap. For example, over the weekend, I bought 6 locally grown Santa Rosa plums, 1 pound of Washington cherries, 1 basket of organic strawberries, 2 carrots, 1 head of lettuce and 1 lemon from Monterey Market and I paid $8.26. From what I have eaten so far, everything has been fresh and delicious, and, having shopped there before, I know that this is typical of Monterey Market. So, if you can overcome the hectic atmosphere of Monterey Market, it makes a wonderful place to shop for produce. (And, seriously, if I can do it, you can do it. It's so worth it.) 

In the Kitchen: Southwestern Balsamic Pasta Salad

Southwestern Balsamic Pasta Salad: Finished Product!

I have another confession to make. (Last one, I promise!) For all the love I have for eating and for food, I can’t say that I have the greatest work ethic in the kitchen or that I am the most skillful cook. That’s why, when I cook, I try to keep it simple and work with what I know, making things like…pasta!

            Back in the day, my dad used to make what I’ve termed “southwestern balsamic pasta salad” all the time, and I had a hankering for it the other day. (Fun fact: he has not made it in a while because, apparently none of my siblings enjoyed it as much as I did. Turns out I was the one responsible for eating most of a pasta salad meant for 7 people. But, I digress…) It had been a long day, the summer sun was in full swing and I was tired. All I wanted to was to have this pasta salad in front of me ready to eat.

To make the process of cooking it less daunting, Ben and I headed over to Market Hall, an amazing bunch of little food shops in Rockridge that have the power to turn me into the equivalent of a kid in a candy shop. (And, in case you are wondering, I fully intend to devote an entire blog post to Market Hall.) So, I got some pasta from the Pasta Shop; while tricolor rotini is what my dad uses, I couldn’t find that and decided to experiment with something else. I picked up some form of short cut twisted pasta with fluted ridges, and that would have to do for this meal. We then made our way over to Market Hall Produce and got the lime, cilantro, corn, cherry tomatoes, and shredded parmesan that we needed. I already had some other basic ingredients for this meal sitting at home: black beans, balsamic vinegar, olive oil (or garlic olive oil in my case), and salt.

Ingredients! No measurement, just added everything according to my best judgement and taste.

With all the ingredients in hand, I started cooking the pasta and prepping the produce. Once the pasta was finished, I added: cherry tomatoes (cut in half), corn (cut off the cob), black beans (drained), cilantro (whole leaves), lime juice, the balsamic vinegar/olive oil, shredded parmesan, and salt. We put it in the fridge to chill until I couldn’t wait any longer and, ravenous, I began devouring my meal. It turned out perfect. Just what I was craving on a hot summer day and it had the ideal balance of sweet, tart, and salty flavors. The type of pasta I experimented with for the salad actually worked really well. And, the best part of this whole process was that I made quite a bit, giving me leftovers for a few days and maximizing my time in the kitchen. Needless to say, this meal left me feeling good about my goal to build on my cooking skills, and hopefully, my future kitchen experiences will further bolster my confidence in the kitchen. But for now, I’m satisfied with having done this simple meal right, even when the stakes were high and my energy was low.*

* (That may sound dramatic, but believe me, I was really really really craving it. Also I, have to give credit where credit is due, without Ben’s patience and help, this meal probably would not have come to fruition, so thanks Ben!)