Bartavelle, you ruined me. So many delicious treats every single day. But you are 3,122 miles away, which is much too far a drive for my daily breakfast fix. I need my avocado toast and my Persian breakfast, so I’ll just have to make them in my kitchen, on the other side of the country.

I do have to say though, if you find yourself in Berkeley, CA…do pay a visit to Bartavelle. Get yourself a cortado, which I miss so stinkin’ much, and the Persian breakfast. Then go back a couple hours later for an avocado toast and a glass of rose. Tell Suzanne & co that Sheila says hello. That I miss them, and I’m not nearly as caffeinated as I was a few months ago.

Avocado Toast with Preserved Lemon, Cucumber, and Radish

• 2 thick pieces sourdough, or other crusty, fresh bread
• 1 avocado
• some buttah
• some lemon juice
• some olive oil
• 1 tablespoon preserved lemon rind, rinsed well, diced
• thinly sliced cucumber to cover the toasts
• 3-5 radishes, depending on size, grated using box grater
• salt to taste
• marash pepper to finish
• herbs – any of the following: parsley, cilantro, chives, chervil

I’ve been loving buttery toast on the cast iron. Mostly because I don’t have a toaster, and partly because I just love butter and the bread gets so yummy and crispy. And buttery. Sweet buttery goodness. If you are fancy and have a toaster, go for it, but try out the poor folk’s cast iron toast one of these days. I’m telling you, it’s good. No matter how you’re gonna do it, toast your toast.

Two small pieces of toast can each take a half of a small avocado. If you used a toaster, drizzle a little olive oil on the bread before adding the avocado. If you did it on the cast iron with butter, just go straight to the avo. Mash the avocado onto the toast with a fork, adding in the diced preserved lemon. Drizzle the avocado with olive oil, lemon juice, kosher salt. On one toast, layer on the sliced cucumber, and on the other, the grated radishes. Give another light drizzle of oil, a touch of salt, some fresh herbs, and marash pepper to finish.

Other ideas

• I’ve also done the cucumber/avocado toast with togarashi, a Japanese spice blend with chili peppers, ginger, garlic, black & white sesame seeds, and seaweed. Gives it a totally different flavor profile.
• One of these days I’m going to make preserved limes. I’m using my batch of preserved lemon in seemingly everything. How fun would preserved limes be here?
• Cherry tomatoes and sliced red onions. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for a few minutes. Thinly slice red onions and let macerate in red wine vinegar for at least a half hour. Layer the onions and tomatoes on top of the avocado, sprinkle with marash pepper to finish.

My “Persian” breakfast of sorts

I’m not so sure when it stops being Persian depending on how I change it, but either way, it’s delicious.

• a spoonful or two of lebneh or thick, whole milk yogurt
• same amount of feta
• veggies of your choice: radishes, cucumbers, blanched green beans…something with a nice crunch. sliced to your liking.
• lots of herbs: basil, mint, tarragon, chives, parsley, dill…whatever you have on hand. If small, leave whole. Chop the chives into little batons. This _________ big. Sometimes I add arugula or a spicy mustard greens salad mix to bulk it up.
• a handful of Castelvetrano olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon diced preserved lemon (rinsed well first)
• a pita, warmed
• 1-2 tablespoons za’atar (sumac, toasted sesame seeds, dried thyme, dried oregano, sea salt)
• olive oil to drizzle
• some yummy jam

Plating: yogurt – feta – veggies, olives, and preserved lemon on top – pita on side – oil & salt on veg & pita – herbs & greens – dollop of jam on side of plate – za’atar everywhere. Dig in and use that pita to sop every last deliciousness up.

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