Showing posts with label local producers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label local producers. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Summer Peach & Tomato Salad


This is the perfect summer salad. Refreshing, healthy, delicious and chock full of the freshest, ripest summer produce imaginable. Peaches, tomatoes, fresh mint and toasted almonds. The splash of vinegar adds a touch of sweetness, the freshly cracked black pepper a bit of spice. I usually prepare the dish early in the afternoon and allow to chill in the fridge until dinner.


I like serving alongside grilled fish or chicken. Or with BBQ ribs. Perfect with Mexican food or as part of a salad bar supper. Finely chop the ingredients and add tortilla chips for a tasty and different salsa. Taste and tell me what you think.


Summer Peach & Tomato Salad
(serves 6-8)

 1 lb fresh ripe peaches, cut into pieces 1 inch in diameter (I do not peel)
1 lb heirloom tomatoes, cut into pieces 1 inch in diameter
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
2 tablespoons best quality balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

 Combine all ingredients except almonds in a medium sized bowl. Stir to combine and refrigerate a minimum of two hours. Just prior to serving, stir in almonds. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.




Summer means easy, breezy dishes made from fresh, just-picked produce and this week at Food Network's Summer Soiree we are celebrating Summer Peaches. Do you have a favorite peach recipe? Please share in the comments section of this post. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

 Virtually Homemade: Mixed Summer Fruit Baked Oatmeal
Homemade Delish: Bite-Sized Peach Panini
The Heritage Cook: Grilled Chicken with Peach Chimichurri Sauce (Gluten-Free)
Weelicious: Peach and Ricotta Crostini
Creative Culinary: Fresh Peach and Bourbon Upside Down Cake
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chocolate Dipped Peaches with Sea Salt
Red or Green: Summer Peach & Tomato Salad
The Mom 100: Sour Cream Peach Cobbler
Domesticate Me: Peach Crumble Smoothie
Daisy at Home: Creamy Peach Popsicles
In Jennie's Kitchen: Six Ways to Savor Peaches
Healthy Eats: 7 Healthy Ways to Use Peaches in Their Prime
Taste with the Eyes: Grilled Peach Salad, Over-The-Top Maple Bourbon Dressing
Swing Eats: Grilled Peaches with Greek Yogurt, Honey, Lime Zest, and Vanilla
Dishin and Dishes: Bacon Wrapped Grilled Peaches with Goat Cheese and Aged Balsamic
FN Dish: 8 Juicy Ways to Eat Peaches Before They're Gone

best,
diane

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Gott's Gazpacho

all photos from this story courtesy Ashley Teplin
I posted this recipe a few years ago on my Napa Farmhouse 1885 blog. This gazpacho is so delicious that it needs to be shared once again. The recipe is from Gott's Roadside Restaurant. Gott's, formally known as Taylor's Refresher, is a Napa institution, serving the best burgers, fries, sandwiches and salads possible. Gott's has three locations, two in Napa and one at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. This is their story:


"Since 1999, Joel and Duncan Gott have kept alive a tradition of classic handmade American food. Born on a roadside, raised in a ferry building, our family-run kitchen serves up mighty fine eats that draw people from all over. Artisanal ingredients in traditional recipes combine for a refreshing take on old favorites. Surprising menu special keep hungry customers coming back to see what's next. And carefully chosen beers and wines make eating this good even better. Bring your family, friends, or just your big appetite. Whether there's two people or twenty ahead of you in line, we'll make it worth your while". From Gott's website

As someone who has stood in line there many, many times...I was thrilled to be given this recipe. Gott's is known for using fresh, organic ingredients in their food. They took two acres of their St Helena property and planted, as garden manager Christopher Landercasper (Landy) told me "Over two miles of vegetables if you lined them up in a row." Their objective is to use their organically farmed produce exclusively in their food. Each summer they feature daily specials with fresh-from-their-garden produce. Offerings such as fried zucchini with ranch dip (all herbs from the garden), pesto potato fries, fried green tomatoes and, of course, the gazpacho are customer favorites.

The gazpacho is so amazingly good that I urge each of you to gather the ingredients and begin making a batch today. I am a gazpacho fan but, as chef Rick says "There are a lot of insipid gazpachos out there." This one is perfect and...if I may be so bold...the best gazpacho in the world.


 Gott's Gazpacho 
Chef Rick reports that this "Classic cold soup of Andalusia features tomatoes and cucumbers from Gott's garden and is thickened with bread in the classic style".
yield- approx 1 gallon

7 lbs ripe, in-season tomatoes
1 lb red onion, peeled & chopped
1 lb green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 lb cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1.5 lbs ripe, in-season tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 t cayenne
1/8 c + 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/8 cup + 1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 good quality baguette, two days old, crusts removed and cut into 1" cubes

Method-prep work day before: 
1. Finely chop 7 lbs of tomatoes in Cuisinart, mix with 1 tbsp salt and refrigerate overnight in non reactive container (do not use a metal bowl).
2. Mix remaining ingredients and refrigerate overnight in a non-reactive container.
Serving Day
3. The next day, strain all liquid out of the reserved tomatoes with a sieve or china cap (a conical sieve with an extremely fine mesh) that will allow some pulp, but no seeds and skins through. Work to get all juice, and then discard pulp, skins and seeds. 
4. Combine strained tomato liquid with other vegetables and seasonings and blend. (a blender will give better texture than a Cuisinart, but either is acceptable.) 
5. Garnish with some sliced green onions, if you like, or taking it a step further, a little chopped salsa of tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, bell pepper garnished with croutons. 

 Other No-Cook recipes you may enjoy when you want to beat the heat:
Summer means easy, breezy dishes made from fresh, just-picked produce and this week at Food Network's Summer Soiree we are celebrating No Cook recipes. Do you have a favorite no cook recipe? Please share in the comments section of this post. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

 Feed Me Phoebe: 5 Farmer's Market Summer Salad Recipes
Healthy Eats: Ovenless Entertaining
Dishin & Dishes: Coral Snake Salsa (Apricot Tomatillo)
The Mom 100: Simple Raspberry Fool
Domesticate Me: Arugula Salad with Shaved Zucchini, Pistachios and Parmesan
Taste with the Eyes: Santa Barbara Sea Urchin à la Jean-Georges
Homemade Delish: Delicious Ceviche
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwich with Basil-Garlic Scape Pesto
Red or Green: Gott's Gazpacho
Swing Eats: Green Grapes, Drunken Goat Cheese, and Jalapenos on a Toothpick
Bacon and Souffle: Scallop Ceviche
FN Dish: A Complete Menu of No-Cook Recipes for the Whole Day

best,
diane

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.
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Monday, April 20, 2015

Salad Greens with Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette


One of my pet peeves is when people buy truly great salad ingredients and then dress them with horrible dressings filled with inferior ingredients and preservatives. When was the last time you read the label of most bottled dressings? So here is one of my objectives. Convince each reader to eliminate bottled salad dressing from their pantries and use homemade versions! (o.k. not comparable with a goal of attaining world peace but a girl has to start somewhere...right?)
vinaigrette before shaking

 I often get questions about making homemade salad dressing because I have included numerous recipes for salads in past posts. Many people tell me they think it is "too hard" or "too complicated" to make a vinaigrette. Here's the thing...the "technique" for making dressings and vinaigrette is so incredibly easy that it only requires four steps. Here are my "instructions".

1. Put your favorite vinaigrette ingredients in a mason jar
2. Screw on lid and shake away
3. Add to salad
4. Eat and enjoy

 It really is that easy. Buy a mason jar at the market...even better and "greener"...reuse a jam/jelly or any other screw top jar. Plan to make small quantities, just enough to use that night, or keep in the fridge a couple of days. No longer, you want it to be as fresh as possible. Keep the best-quality-you-can find/afford extra virgin olive oils, vinegars, mustard and seasonings in your pantry and experiment with your oil to vinegar ratios. There really is no "wrong" way, it is just a matter of personal preference. 
vinaigrette before shaking

 I will continue to post different salad and dressing recipes in future blog stories but, to get you started, here is a classic...Balsamic Vinaigrette. It is not a "spicy or hot" recipe so why post here?  Because sometimes you need a basic sauce or dressing to tame an otherwise Red or Green? menu.


Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/2 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pure balsamic vinegar of Modena
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
1 green onion, minced
pinch sea salt
pinch black pepper

 Add all ingredients to a mason jar or other jar with a tight fitting lid. Screw lid tight and shake the jar until vinaigrette is emulsified.  Lightly dress your favorite combination of salad greens and vegetables.
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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Spicy Barley Risotto


I am a big fan of chile-infused olive oil. The gentle heat and amazing taste is perfect drizzled over pizza or pasta and is wonderful as a dipping oil with toasted french or sourdough bread. I drizzle it over everything, eggs, vegetables, potatoes (try with mashed) or anything you can think of. My newest favorite is from Pranzo Italian Grill in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Red Chile Chimayo infused oil is prepared and bottled in the restaurant's kitchen. The ingredients listed on the bottle read "contains imported cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and Chimayo red chile-nothing else!"


I featured the chile oil in this barley risotto recipe. The smokey-sweet flavor works really well with the hearty barley, sauteed onions and peppers. This "risotto" is a bit different from the classic version. Barley is used in place of the more typical arborio rice, and the liquid can be added all at once versus the one ladleful at a time technique. This makes it even easier to prepare on a weeknight, but the dish is special enough to serve as the first course of a fancy dinner party. Enjoy! (Oh...and try the infused olive oil...delicious)


Spicy Barley Risotto
(serves 6)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups barley
6 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons chile-infused olive oil, plus more for drizzling (or 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tsp red pepper flakes)
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, shredded, plus more for sprinkling
sea salt
black pepper

Warm olive oil in large saucepan. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until onion is soft and translucent. (about 5 minutes) Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add barley and stir to ensure it is coated with oil.

Add stock, wine and a pinch each salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and the reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, frequently stirring, until barley is tender and creamy, and all liquid is absorbed. (35-45 minutes) Stir in parsley, chile-infused olive oil  and 1/2 cup cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve with additional cheese and chile-infused oil drizzled over the top.


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