Friday, January 28, 2011

Kitchen 'n Counters January 2011

Happy New Year to all! I sincerely hope the year 2011 will bring us good health & much better economic times, not to mention culinary enjoyment and appreciation of family & friends.

Let's begin with events in 2011 to be on the watch for: 

We're planning a few more Giants bus trips as the last one was a huge success. I just received a tentative 2011 schedule for the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Since we will be a returning group we receive priority seating & pricing as well. Dates will be announced in up coming Chef's newsletters. Speaking of Giants Jake & I have made our arrangements to return to Giants spring training in Scottsdale, Arizona. If you've never been it's a great experience to see the Giants up close & personal! This year I'm sure tickets will go fast



Cooking classes at Ramekins Culinary Center with the Chef! I have been invited to be a Chef instructor at Ramekins in Sonoma. These classes are hands on instruction. The focus will be on the colorful passionate foods of Spain. Mostly concentrating on the northern Spanish Basque country. Classes will last about three hours learning recipes, technique & history as well as enjoying the fruits of your labor!



Tapas of the Sea is on Friday, June 3, 2011 from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM  
Hands-on
 

More Tapas on Saturday, July 16, 2011 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Hands-on

Rose Ranch tour on Friday, August 19, 2011 at 10:00 AM then on to Ramekins Culinary Center for a class focusing on Organic veggies from Rose Ranch paired with fresh fish preparations, fishing industry practices, how to buy fresh fish & the benefits of the sea!  
Tour/Hands-on

Paellas & Sangrias will be taught on Saturday, September 10, 2011 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Hands-on

Sopas are Soups is on Friday, October 7, 2011 from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Hands-on



Please consult the Ramekins web site for their current catalog. My classes will be posted at the end of next week! http://www.ramekins.com


The Chef's Basque dinner is celebrating it's third year of enjoyment! I am in the kitchen those nights preparing recipes of my Spanish Basque heritage. Enjoy seven courses served family style on platters & in tureens. Sit at one long table as I present each course explaining where these organic local ingredients have been sourced & how I have prepared each dish. Spend about three hours with old & new friends over typical Spanish Basque creations. Please call for reservations as we book up early! 707-833-4500 It's on the second Thursday of each month!


Tapas Tapas Tapas is served on the fourth Thursday of each month. Our creative Tapas are presented in the style of finer Dim Sum houses of San Francisco. Tapas are on parade from 6:30 until 8:00 p.m. complete with our live Flamenco guitarist. In addition to this our full menu is also available! Please call for reservations 707-833-4500.


Valentines Day is on February 14th, a Monday evening.  Come in & celebrate with the Chef.  Colleen will be behind the bar concocting some of her adult libations! I will prepare some Spanish Basque dishes concentrating on the Basque coastal city of San Sebastian, famous for it's Tapas & gastronomic treasures of the sea! We will have live music for your additional enjoyment!


Look for us at the Vino Olivo festival in Sonoma this year. February 18th is on a Friday night. Join us & several other local restaurants & wineries for this fun filled evening A Sonoma Valley olive season institution, the VinOlivo fundraiser is a gala celebration and feast for the senses. Enjoy all that Sonoma Valley Wine Country has to offer. Enjoy Sonoma wines as you get to know the vintners; ignite your taste buds with culinary delights from Sonoma County's finest restaurants, caterers, and artisans; sample local savory olives and olive oils at the olive bar; and indulge in sweet temptations with port and chocolate tastings.! Vote for your The Vineyards Inn as your favorite VinOlivo restaurant either at the event or on Facebook. 


Recipe of the month:


Basque Lamb Shoulder Chops:
Remember that the less expensive cuts of lamb and beef render the most flavors! You just have to be a bit knowledgeable on how to prepare them. You'll need a pressure cooker for this one. If you don't have one go out & get one. They cook food in such a short amount of time think of all the energy you'll save!


ingredients:
four local organic lamb shoulder chops cut about one inch thick
three medium sized organic carrots peeled & sliced 1/2 inch thick
ten cloves of organic garlic sliced thinly
one medium organic onion small dice
one bunch organic Dino Kale sliced one inch wide
salt & cracked pepper to taste
one bottle of your favorite everyday organic red wine
one can organic chopped tomatoes


Brown off the lamb shoulder chops in the pressure cooker without the lid on. Once nicely browned add the remainder of ingredients except the tomatoes. De glaze the pot with 3/4 of the wine. The rest should go into a glass for you to sip while the chops are cooking! Now add the chopped tomatoes & lock the lid down according to manufacturers instructions. Consult the pressure cooker timeline booklet for cooking times. Guess what? The chops will be fall off the bone in fifteen minutes! Release pressure according to maker's instructions. Once the pressure has subsided open lid according to instructions. Simmer on low to reduce the liquid into a nice sauce. Serve over chicken broth cooked white rice kissed with Spanish Saffron. Make sure to serve some organic sourdough French bread--my favorite is Full Circle Bakery in Penngrove. You can find them at Farmer's Markets & gourmet food stores.


SALUD!


Green Living Tips:


Do yourself a favor & buy a water bottle made in the USA. Carry around tap water to drink instead of buying bottled water & you'll also save over $800 per year. This is based on the average bottled water price of $1.50 ea. with a 1 1/2 bottle consumption per day. You're saving money, conserving energy, eliminating more land fill & helping our environment!


Print double sided pages & use an inkjet printer if you can. Laser printers use three hundred watts of electricity while inkjets use only ten. Don't forget to recycle your ink cartridge!


Bring a traveling coffee cup into you favorite coffee shop. They'll gladly fill 'er up. Think of the the paper & waste you'd save--multiplied times this country's population!!! Add your cream & sugar to your traveler first then have them add the hot coffee, this way you can ask them to hold the stirrer! Americans throw away 138 billion straws and stirrers enough to make a giant straw twenty times taller than the Statue of Liberty!


Try to use fewer paper napkins. Each American uses an average of 2,200 paper napkins per year, or just over 6 napkins per day. If each American used just 1 fewer napkin per day it would save about 150 million of them from land fill,enough to provide a napkin to every person who eats a hot dog on July 4th.


Speaking of napkins while dining at home hang your cloth napkin on your chair & reuse it several times before washing. It really doesn't get that soiled!


Chef's corner


I'm anxiously awaiting my new knives! I have ordered some new blades. Finally quality cutlery made in the U.S.A with American materials. Enter New West KnifeWorks. I found them on the internet & can't wait to get my hands on them. Corey Miligan is the owner & designer of New West. His knives are made in the Massachusets/Vermont area. He sources all of his materials including the steel within a 150 mile radius of the hydro electric powered factory. The knives are works of art allowing you to select each handle color.  You'll get my critique in next month's letter!


Beginning soon on the internet will be a "Bay Area Backroads" type of magazine show showcasing Sonoma County. Watch for yours truly every episode in his Chef's corner! More info in next month's letter. We begin filming the first part of February!


Congratulations to Helen & Dave you've won a $25 gift certificate for the Vineyards Inn!




Salud, pesetas y amor con tiempo para gastar los! 


This means Health, money & love with time to enjoy them!




Hungry?????


Until next month,


As always in good food & 


Green living,


Chef