Inside: prizes, green living ideas, cooking class info, awesome organic recipes, events & a lot more!
Chef Esteban’s cooking classes are held at our Rose Ranch in Kenwood. The afternoon includes a tour of our certified organic/biodynamic gardens & vineyards. Cooking instruction & preparation in both our indoor & outdoor kitchens. Once lunch is created we all sit under one of our ancient walnut trees & enjoy! It’s social, it’s learning & it’s finding out how to be truly Green all in one package. Students are encouraged to bring some wine to share. The event lasts about 3 hours. Costs vary. Please send me an e-mail if you’re interested. It’s a great way to celebrate the bounties of our Sonoma County!
For all of you that made the bus trip to the Giants game thanks for the good time had by all! Wear your Giants/Vineyards Inn shirts with pride! It was so much fun we are going to schedule a few for next year. We even had a few of Colleen’s cousins from Iowa join us!
Go Giants! We won the World Series! Go Giants!
Go Giants! We won the World Series! Go Giants!
Chef’s Basque dinner series is on the second Thursday of every month. Seven courses presented & prepared by the Chef. Seated together at one long table all the courses are served on platters & in tureens & enjoyed by all! We sit promptly at 6:30. Reservation only---$40 per person including Chef’s selected wines! Taxes & gratuities not included.
Private Basque dinners can be arranged for groups of at least 12. The holidays are coming up!
Thanks to all of you that attended the Sonoma County Culinary Guild Tapas evening it was a huge success! Don’t forget if you’re a SCCG member you receive complimentary corkage through 2010—just show your membership card!
Tapas, Tapas, Tapas is the fourth Thursday of each month. Our seasonal & creative Tapas (Spanish small plates) are paraded through the dining room for your choosing. Our servers will brings trays of Tapas around for you’re viewing & selecting in the style of the finer Dim Sum restaurants of San Francisco. Tally will be kept according to what small plates are picked of one of three flights. Please call us at 707-833-4500 for reservations. This event begins at 6:30 until 8 p.m. Get a group together for this unique foodie experience! Remember the 4th Thursday of each month! Tapas, Tapas, Tapas! Chef’s selected wines will be poured with special pricing! Speaking of wines Eva Bertran of Gloria Ferrar caves & winery was pouring some of her bubbles to pair with our Tapas! She answered any questions you may have had about their sparkling & still wines. Thanks Eva & David!
Bubbles & Tapas is a match made in Spanish heaven! We also had a Flamenco guitarist in house for your entertainment.
Did you know you could purchase some of the freshest fish at the Vineyards Inn to take home & prepare? Simply ask what is available. We cut & wrap it for you! Remember we only buy line caught, never farmed nor drag netted & Always Fresh & Always Wild!
Recipe corner:
Basque Lamb Stew
ingredients needed:
Organic local Lamb Stew meat preferably neck meat 3 pounds
organic garlic 14 cloves minced
organic onions 3 medium sized diced
organic carrots 2 medium peeled, split & sliced thin
organic jalapeño 1 medium, split, seeded & minced
organic fresh Pimento or sweet red pepper 1 large, seeded & diced small
organic last of the season tomatoes, 4 medium sized diced
fresh organic thyme 4 stems leaves only chopped
fresh organic oregano 4 stems leaves only chopped
your favorite red wine 3 glasses, one for you & two for the stew
flour for coating the meat
salt & pepper to taste
good local olive oil 3 tablespoons
organic canola oil 2 tablespoons
oil your stew pot with the two oils & warm. Dust the lamb meat with flour & brown in the warm oils. The canola is there to raise the smoking point. bring up heat to browning level, turning meat till browned. Add garlic, onions, tomatoes, peppers & carrots. cover & simmer on low heat. Slowly add the two glasses of wine while sipping on your glass. Remember don't cook with wine you wouldn't drink!
Simmer the stew for about an hour or so SLOWLY. Add fresh herbs at the end so their flavors are prevelent. Allow to reduce uncovered to correct thickness. Enjoy over buttered organic noodles or Spanish Saffroned rice!
ingredients needed:
Organic local Lamb Stew meat preferably neck meat 3 pounds
organic garlic 14 cloves minced
organic onions 3 medium sized diced
organic carrots 2 medium peeled, split & sliced thin
organic jalapeño 1 medium, split, seeded & minced
organic fresh Pimento or sweet red pepper 1 large, seeded & diced small
organic last of the season tomatoes, 4 medium sized diced
fresh organic thyme 4 stems leaves only chopped
fresh organic oregano 4 stems leaves only chopped
your favorite red wine 3 glasses, one for you & two for the stew
flour for coating the meat
salt & pepper to taste
good local olive oil 3 tablespoons
organic canola oil 2 tablespoons
oil your stew pot with the two oils & warm. Dust the lamb meat with flour & brown in the warm oils. The canola is there to raise the smoking point. bring up heat to browning level, turning meat till browned. Add garlic, onions, tomatoes, peppers & carrots. cover & simmer on low heat. Slowly add the two glasses of wine while sipping on your glass. Remember don't cook with wine you wouldn't drink!
Simmer the stew for about an hour or so SLOWLY. Add fresh herbs at the end so their flavors are prevelent. Allow to reduce uncovered to correct thickness. Enjoy over buttered organic noodles or Spanish Saffroned rice!
Buen Provecho means good eating!
Green Living Ideas from Rose Ranch & Vineyards Inn
Buy paper made from 100% recycled material & try to print both sides.
Support your local dairy & buy organic milk & cream in bottles that are returned to the dairy, sterilized & refilled.
Did you know that ONE year’s use of plastic water bottles in our country can wrap the globe 139,000 times laid end to end! Do us all a favor & travel with a refillable bottle. Even better buy one made in the US!
Organic Gardening tips for the fall:
A prelude to winter!
Winterizing your garden minimizes problems especially soil loss & will reward you with a larger harvest & bettter crops the following year. Add rock powder, high potash granite & phospate rock finely ground at the rate of 10 pounds per 100 square feet. Spread a layer of compost then cover with 4 inches of straw mulch peppered with aged manure. Beneath the straw the all important biotic activity of the soil continues right along. In the following spring your garden will be ready to work sooner & will be more efficient. Another practice is planting a cover crop. Check with you local organic gardening store to see what seeds are appropriate for your area. Our organic seed supplier is David at naturalgardening.com
He can suggest the right cover crop seeds for you. Natural Gardening is the first certified organic seed supplier in the US!
Organic Gardening tips for the fall:
A prelude to winter!
Winterizing your garden minimizes problems especially soil loss & will reward you with a larger harvest & bettter crops the following year. Add rock powder, high potash granite & phospate rock finely ground at the rate of 10 pounds per 100 square feet. Spread a layer of compost then cover with 4 inches of straw mulch peppered with aged manure. Beneath the straw the all important biotic activity of the soil continues right along. In the following spring your garden will be ready to work sooner & will be more efficient. Another practice is planting a cover crop. Check with you local organic gardening store to see what seeds are appropriate for your area. Our organic seed supplier is David at naturalgardening.com
He can suggest the right cover crop seeds for you. Natural Gardening is the first certified organic seed supplier in the US!
Here’s the prize part! You’re in our database & we will randomly choose a name to be the recipient of a $25 gift certificate for our Vineyards Inn each month—be on the lookout for an e-mail from chef@vineyardsinn.com for the winner!
That’s it for now!
Remember, Eat Local, Drink Local, Bank Local, Build Local, Bike Local, Grow Local, Power Local, Give Local, Play Local & Heal Local!
Be here for the next Go Local Happy Hour November 12th from 5 till 7! We're hosting!
Vineyards Inn Spanish Bar & Grill
8445 Sonoma Highway
Kenwood in the Valley of the Moon, California
707-833-4500
vineyardsinn.com
Be here for the next Go Local Happy Hour November 12th from 5 till 7! We're hosting!
Vineyards Inn Spanish Bar & Grill
8445 Sonoma Highway
Kenwood in the Valley of the Moon, California
707-833-4500
vineyardsinn.com
