Back to California

WINE BAR ENTHUSIAST’S dream, Fairfax’s 123 Bolinas features cheese and charcuterie boards, small plates, large plates and pizza — all made of ingredients from local markets and artisans — expertly paired with selections from a lengthy list of small-batch sustainably made wine and local beer. In the kitchen is Brittney Adamo, a chef who grew up toeing the line between “helping” and “pestering” in her family’s restaurants in Northern California, New Zealand and Hawaii. “My family shares my passion for food, and if we aren’t cooking or eating, we’re talking about either our next culinary endeavor or our other passion, which is traveling,” she says. After moving back to California to get her degree in film and marketing, Adamo found she could not ignore her inner chef, a calling made more compelling by the abundance of fresh produce available in Marin. Soon, she found herself at 123 Bolinas, a restaurant she says reflects her desire to create sustainable, seasonal local fare. “Northern California is an excellent place to be a chef,” she says. “Some days in the restaurant are too easy, other days rough — it’s a very emotional practice for me — but then stone fruit, fungi or a new allium comes into season and excitement refuels my passion all over again.” Here, Adamo shares a recipe for an indulgent autumnal treat. 123bolinas.com


Marsala Mushroom and Squash Galette

SERVES 2

Ingredients

  • 1¼ cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup cold butter, diced
  • 1/8 cup ice-cold water
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ medium onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
  • ½ pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon each chopped sage and thyme
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon flour for filling
  • 3/4 cup Marsala wine
  • 1 cup vegetable stock
  • 1 delicata or other winter squash
  • 1 egg

To Prepare

  1. Combine flour and salt in food processor. Add butter and pulse 10 times or until crumbly. Add water and continue pulsing until mixture holds together when pressed. If too dry, add more water.
  2. Remove onto a clean surface and shape dough into ball or disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour.
  3. Meanwhile, add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a hot saucepan or pot on medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms and sauté until tender. Add herbs, salt, pepper and flour.
  4. Stir for a minute, then deglaze (scrape off the browned bits) the pan with Marsala wine until bubbling. Add vegetable stock and cook until thickened.
  5. During this time, remove seeds from squash and slice it into thin rounds. Place on baking pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and bake in oven at 450°F for 10 minutes or until golden.
  6. Roll out dough onto flour-dusted surface into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to baking sheet and add layer of squash, a large spoonful of mushroom mixture and another layer of squash on top, leaving about an inch of a dough border. Carefully fold the dough around the filling, making little pleats at the edges.
  7. Lightly beat the egg and brush on the pastry.
  8. Place galette in oven and bake until golden, about 50 minutes.