STUCK IN LODI, AGAIN = Pt. 1

STUCK IN LODI, AGAIN

Pt. 1

OK – I’d actually never been to Lodi until this past Thanksgiving week when we visited brother Bob and sister-in-law, Nguyen, in Sacramento.  Always up for discovering new wines, we piled into their comfy refrigerator white Forrester, popped Creedence Clearwater Revival into the CD player and headed out to Lodi wine country, an area Richard and I were anxious to explore.

Our first stop… the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center for a map of the local wineries with tasting rooms and, lo and behold, we discovered the center had it’s very own tasting room: “Wines of Lodi.”  Let the “games” begin!

James was our barista, a fun, knowledgeable young guy who loved talking wine.  He told us that Wines of Lodi represented about sixty wineries and that a panel of judges, in a blind tasting, pick the best wines for the room’s wine club.

First up - the 2009 Peirano Estate The Other ($14) white blend of 65% chardonnay, 25% sauvignon blanc, and 10% viognier. Just scrumptious. Fruity, but with some vanilla keeping the wine from being “thin.” 

                                                                                                               

On to the reds.  My favorites included the 2009 Twisted Roots Cabernet Sauvignon ($23), the 2008 Ripken Vineyards Petite Sirah ($25), and two fabulous “old vine” wines… the 2009 Van Ruiten “Old Vine” Zinfandel ($23) and the 2008 Mettler Family Vineyard “Old Vine” very smoky zinfandel.                                                                                    

We could have tasted there all day, but it was time to get the map we came for and plan a winery root with James’ help.

Next stop: Harney Lane. 

Lodi Wine & Visitor 

2545 W. Turner Road

Lodi, Calif.  95242

209-365-0621

NGUYEN'S CARROT SOUP

NGUYEN’S CARROT SOUP

  

It’s the dawn of 2012 and both Richard and I are trying to regroup after we crashed and burned the day after Christmas.  It’s a good thing we had a selection of comfy flannel pjs and flannel sheets as we recovered from whatever ailed us.

But, a diet of white toast, white rice, and plain white spaghetti with cans of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup to "go with" only encouraged visions of real food to float in my head like sugar plums… so much so my that New Year’s Eve opinion piece for The Patch was all about The Holiday Binge.  Food, glorious food!

http://studiocity.patch.com/articles/the-holiday-binge

But that’s not all… memories of warm, sumptuous, delicious, creamy carrot soup also danced around in my head… specifically my sister-in-law, Nguyen’s, carrot soup.  Well, it’s not really “Nguyen’s” carrot soup, though she did tweak it here and there, but the carrot soup from the 1977 edition of Moosewood Cookbook.

It was so good, I thought I’d share.

Happy New Year everyone!!!  May you all have a wonderful food, wine, and travelicious 2012!!

CARROT SOUP

1977 Moosewood Cookbook

Ingredients:

2 lbs peeled or scrubbed, chopped carrots

4 cups stock or water

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium potato, chopped (optional, for heartier soup)

3-4 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

1-2 small cloves crushed garlic

1/3 cup chopped cashews or almonds

Choose one:

1 cup milk

1 cup yogurt or buttermilk plus a little honey

½ pint heavy cream

¾ cup sour cream

Seasoning choices:

2 pinches of nutmeg, ½ teaspoon dried mint, dash of cinnamon

1 teaspoon each of thyme, marjoram and basil

1 teaspoon grated ginger

Directions:

Place carrots, liquid and salt (and potato if you’re using it) into a medium sized soup pot and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes.  Let it cool to room temp.

Sautee the onion, garlic and nuts in the butter until the onions are clear.  You can sprinkle in a little salt to help draw the moisture out of the onions.  Towards the end of cooking, stir in the seasoning combo of your choice.

Puree everything together in a blender until smooth. You can deviate from the recipe at this stage and dump the sautéed onions, garlic and nuts into the pot w/ the cooked carrots and use an immersion blender to puree.  It saves on dishes and energy.

Whisk in the dairy product of your choosing.  If you want, you can leave this step out until you’re just about to eat a bowl of soup.  Stir in a little milk, a spoonful of yogurt or some cottage cheese just before serving.

Garnish w/ toasted nuts, some toasted bread crumbs or eat just as it is.

OVER THE RIVER & THRU THE WOODS... Pan-roasted Sunchokes

OVER THE RIVER & THRU THE WOODS…

Pan-roasted Sunchokes

“Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go…”

Well, actually we go over the Grapevine and up the I-5 to cousin’s house, but you get the picture.

http://mydinnerswithrichard.blogspot.com/2009/08/picnicking-on-i-5.html

As some of you may remember, Richard and I travel north to colder California climes and foliage for the Thanksgiving holiday.  We first hit brother Bob and wife Nguyen’s house for a yummy “pre-turkey day” rib roast dinner and sleepover, then traveled west to the lovely East Bay area outside of San Francisco for a few days of cousins, golf and great food.

Last year I posted about some of the goodies we had on Thanksgiving (a few replicated again this year), but this Thanksgiving dinner introduced me to a food I’d never heard of, never mind eaten: the sunchoke.

I’m still not sure what a sunchoke is other than it’s not a meat and may be related to the artichoke.  They’re both “chokes,” after all.  Perhaps, they’re half-siblings w/ the same mother or father… or perhaps, like Michele who made this dish and is my cousin (actually second cousin, but think of as a niece), the two chokes are cousins, but I digress…

When I queried her (yeh, “queried” – I like the word) about the dish, she told me it was an “acquired taste.”  So, ever the food taster adventurer (unless snake or eel are involved), I was looking forward to tasting it and to see if it was something I’d want to “acquire.”

It was.  And, if you’re looking for something new and different to serve at your Christmas/Holiday dinner, I definitely recommend this dish (though, as you’ll see from Michele’s note at the end, in moderation).

Below is the recipe she “borrowed” from the Feb./Mar. 2010 Fine Cooking magazine. They called it pan-roasted sunchokes and artichoke hearts with lemon herb butter.  It serves 4-6, but she embellished a lot and made enough for our large crew.

Below are the recipe and her comments:

PAN-ROASTED SUNCHOKES & ARTICHOKE

w/ LEMON HERB BUTTER

Ingredients:

2 T of extra virgin olive oil... or more
1 lb sunchokes scrubbed and cut into 1/4 inch wedges.. “I ignored this and sliced thinly.”  Keep the skins on.  (“They cook much more quickly the thinner they are, and you do not want to overcook.”)
8 oz frozen quartered artichoke hearts, thawed
2 T finely chopped shallot...”I used regular yellow onion and about 1/2 cup or more”
3 T dry vermouth or dry white wine.  “I had neither so used beer =)”
1 T fresh lemon juice....”I just squirted a bunch from the "bottled" stuff”
2 T cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 T fresh parsley, chopped...

2 t fresh tarragon, chopped...
pepper and salt
”and I used fresh sage from my garden also”

Directions:

”I used a Dutch oven (or you can use an ovenproof skillet) to heat oil and brown the sunchokes with 1/4 t salt until browned on both sides...don't over cook. 2-3 minutes.” 

Add the artichoke hearts and more salt.  cook till browned. 

Move the mixture to the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes. Sunchokes should be tender.

Transfer the veggies to bowl to keep warm. 

Set the skillet (or dutch oven) over med heat, add shallot and cook stirring with wooden spoon till soft and lightly browned.  Add the vermouth and cook stirring and scraping to loosen any brown bits.  Reduce heat to low, add lemon and butter, one piece at a time, swirling pan to melt.  Stir in herbs, return veggies to pan and toss to reheat and coat with butter.

Salt and pepper to taste.

”Just a note...some blogs warn that sunchokes can cause gastrointestinal distress!  They contain inulin that gets things moving.  I ate the leftovers day after Thanksgiving and had more than I should have, and yes. What they blogged is true.  So, just keep in mind to enjoy in moderation!  Like our w

LAVENDER - FROM FIELDS TO TABLE - Part 4 - Lavender Walnut Cake

LAVENDER – FROM FIELDS TO TABLE

Part 4

Lavender Walnut Cake

Remember our friend Kyle who’s working on a second lavender cookbook for the annual Ojai Lavender Festival? The cookbook Richard’s been trying out and adapting recipes for?  Well Kyle and her husband, Stuart, came for dinner the other night and Richard decided to surprise her with his own lavender dessert concoction.

Years ago I found a walnut cake recipe in a magazine that I’ve baked often with great success.  I know, I know – me?  Well, yeh!  You know I really do cook, right?  And often.  I’m just not the cook Richard is.  Anyway, Richard always loved this cake and thought it would be even better with a hint of lavender.

He was right.

Check it out.

LAVENDER WALNUT CAKE

Ingredients:

Cake:

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Dry bread crumbs

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/4 cups walnuts, ground

1-3/4 cups sugar

8 eggs, separated

2 teaspoons ground culinary lavender buds

½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Syrup:

1cup water

¾ cup sugar

½ cup brandy

1 tablespoon culinary lavender buds

Directions:

Cake:

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Using 1 tablespoon of butter, grease a 9-inch round cake pan and dust it w/ bread crumbs, shaking out the excess.  Set aside.

Stir together flour, baking power and ground walnuts; reserve.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter, the sugar, egg yolks and lavender until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is very smooth.

In another bowl, whip the whites until firm.  Fold them into the butter mixture.  Little by little, add the flour mixture to the batter. 

Turn the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle w/ chopped nuts.

Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.  (Richard suggests you start testing after 45 minutes.)

Syrup:

While the cake is baking, bring 1 cup of water, lavender buds and sugar to a boil in a small sauce pan. Turn off heat and let steep for 15-20 minutes.  Strain and discard lavender.

When the cake is baked, turn it out onto a rack, invert, and place, right side up, on another rack.  Position the rack over a baking pan or plate w/ raised sides.

Re-warm the syrup.  Add the brandy.

Prick the cake deeply all over w/ a skewer or toothpick.  Brush the syrup over the hot cake.  Work slowly so that the cake has time to absorb the syrup.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Serves 6 to 8

Check out Volume 1 of the lavender cookbook.

http://www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org/pages/cookbook.html

LAVENDER - FROM FIELDS TO TABLE - Part 3 - Lavender Scones

LAVENDER – FROM FIELDS TO TABLE

Part 3

Lavender Scones

So, the last time we “spoke” Richard was improvising and testing recipes for a new lavender cookbook.  Then we broke for a week of thanksgiving with family in northern California, including wine tasting in Lodi (but more on that in future blogs)…

Now that we’re back in L.A., it’s time to tell you about his most recent kitchen foray.  Lavender scones!  A recipe submitted by Sandy Messori for cookbook consideration.  Can I just say, skoal to these scones.  Whether you serve them at tea time with your favorite jams or have them as a midnight snack while dressed in your jammies, they are absolutely delicious.  I think this is a winner for the new cookbook.

No need to say anything else except here’s the recipe.

LAVENDER SCONES

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender flower buds

1-1/3 cup heavy cream

2-1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking power

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ lb (1 stick) unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Combine lavender and 1 cup cream and bring to a boil.   

Let steep until cool, then refrigerate for several hours.  Strain cream.  Discard lavender.

Sift flour w/ baking powder, soda and sugar and put in a food processor.  

Cut up the butter and add it to the flour mix in the food processor.  Pulse until little balls form.  Stir in the cup of cream and mix until dough holds together.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill well.

 

On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough, ½ inch thick for tiny scones, ¾ inch for larger scones.

Cut out 1-1/2 inch circles for small scones, or 3 inch circles for larger scones w/ a cookie or biscuit cutter.  Gather scraps and repeat.

Arrange ‘rounds’ on a greased cookie sheet or a silpat.  Place close together, brush tops w/ remaining 1/3 cup of cream for a glazed finish...

...and bake until puffed and golden brown… 20-25 minutes.

 

I especially love them when they’re still warm from the oven and dripping w/ butter.

Enjoy!

Volume One of the Ojai Lavender Cookbook

http://www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org/pages/cookbook.html

LAVENDER - FROM FIELDS TO TABLE - Part 2 - Lavender/Walnut/Cheese Sandies

LAVENDER – FROM FIELDS TO TABLE

Part 2

Lavender-Walnut-Cheese Sandies

Hi, my name is Ilona, and I’m a cheeseaholic… so when Richard told me that he was going to make lavender-walnut-cheese cookies, I perched on a kitchen stool while they baked just waiting for them to come out of the oven.  I mean really, baking CHEESE!

I know – there’s lavender AND walnuts… but, for me, it’s the cheese.  The blend of these three ingredients give these cookies a most marvelous and distinct cheese taste.

Richard, however, tells me these delicious morsels are not cookies.  They’re biscuits “in the British sense.”  Gotta say that even though I consider myself an Anglophile, biscuits to me are warm and plump and smothered with melting butter. Not these lavender-walnut-cheese cookies.

Remember those pecan sandies you loved as a child (maybe still do), well these cookies (biscuits) have the same “sandies” texture… Call them what you will, I could eat dozens.

And, did I mention they have cheese, probably one of my favorite, if not favorite, food groups?!?!

As far as I’m concerned, Richard can stop testing lavender recipes now.  I don’t know how he’s going to top this one.  I’ll have to wait and see… or should I say “taste.”

Savory Lavender Walnut-Cheese Sandies (Biscuits)

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (plus more for topping cookies)
• 1/2 Cup Finely Ground Toasted Walnuts
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Culinary Lavender Buds 
• 1 Cup Butter Cubed (2 sticks)
• Black Hawaiian Smoked Salt (or large crystal smoked salt)(optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Or use a silpat. 

Mix flour, Parmesan cheese, lavender and walnuts into bowl of food processor.

Add butter, in small pieces, and pulse on and off until dough starts to come together.

Bring the dough together to form a ball.  Divide the ball in half and roll into two 12″ logs.  Roll each log in plastic wrap or wax paper and chill for 1 hour.

Remove dough from refrigerator and break into pieces and form balls.

Arrange balls on lined baking sheet about 1 1/2″ apart.  Flatten each ball into a 2″ circle.

Sprinkle tops of shortbreads with Parmesan cheese and smoked salt.

Bake shortbread until tops are dry and edges begin to turn golden brown (20-30 minutes).

Remove cookies from baking sheet and cool on racks.  Richard’s were done in 20 minutes.

http://www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org/pages/cookbook.html

LAVENDER - FROM FIELDS TO TABLE - Part 1 - Poached Pears

LAVENDER – FROM FIELDS TO TABLE

Part 1

Poached Pears

This is way cool. Our friend Kyle is working on a second lavender cookbook for the annual Ojai Lavender Festival and, like last year, she has asked Richard to try out and adapt recipes using lavender… and I get to taste everything!!!

While growing up, my knowledge of lavender was two-fold.  It was a pretty pastel color and smelled wonderfully.  I knew it smelled wonderfully because my mom always bought Yardley’s lavender soap bars and, to this day, I love that scent.  I know I abandoned Yardley when I was seduced by those Neiman Marcus tuberose bars, but my heart still belongs to my mom’s lavender soap.

As I grew older, I learned that lavender actually grew in vast fields and how beautiful dried lavender smelled in sachets.  I filled my dresser drawers with them.  But eat lavender?  Why?

Well, over the years I found out why.  A hint of lavender in pana cotta comes to mind.  Delicious.  Lavender infused vodka.  Tres smooth. 

But now that Richard has been experimenting w/ lavender, I thought I’d share w/ you the ones that trip the light fantastic on my tongue.

His first foray… lavender-poached pears.  I love poached pears.  I love them even more w/ a hint of lavender.  Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Lavender-Poached Pears

Ingredients:

3 fresh Bosc or other firm pears

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest

Directions:

Halve, peel, and core the pears.  Toss the pear halves w/ lemon juice to prevent browning.

Tie lavender in a small piece of cheese cloth (or enclose in a mesh ball).

Place the pears in a microwave-safe dish and sprinkle w/ sugar.  Add the water and lavender.   

Cover and cook at full power for 6 minutes, or until pears are fork tender.

Squeeze the cheesecloth when removing the lavender, catching the juice, and add lemon the lemon zest.  Spoon syrup over pears, cover and let stand at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate overnight before servicing.

Richard says that if you feel the sauce is too thin, set pears aside, pour sauce into a small “sauce” pan and reduce it for a bit.

Note:  Only culinary lavender can be used for cooking. 

Serves: 6

Check out Volume 1 of the lavender cookbook.

http://www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org/pages/cookbook.html