Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Kitchen 'N Counters June 2011

Saludos Fans!                                                                                                            June 2011

Welcome to my  June issue of Kitchen ‘n Counters. I must apologize for not creating the newsletter last month, time just got from me! This is the busy time of year for us at Rose Ranch & the Vineyards Inn. Let’s get started! Plants are hoppin & poppin at Rose Ranch. The first & second rounds of vegetable planting have been completed. The third round of starters is in the greenhouse & tempering area getting used to the outdoors. We should be ready to harvest Rose Ranch treasures by mid June. Summer squashes, basils, borage, kale, spinach, strawberries, purslane & a few more early pickings. The tomatoes, sweet & hot peppers- need more sun which they should get as our weather returns to it’s norm, whatever that is these days! The corn plants are racing to get  “Knee High by the Fourth of July”. Our tomatillo bushes are shaping up as well. Our organic/biodynamic certified farm stand should be open by the end of June at the Vineyards Inn. Where else in Sonoma County, or anywhere for that matter, can you drop in & have a drink, a bite of lunch, dinner or Sunday brunch & buy your certified organic/biodynamic veggies???


Don't forget Casa Verde, selected as one of the Greenest built homes in both Sonoma & Marin counties by the Build It Green council, is accepting reservations for overnight & multi night stays. Simply go to our web site www.vineyardsinn.com for further info by clicking on the lodging button. The organic grapevines are growing like crazy & the creek is still flowing--what a time to come visit the Real Wine Country! Plus your hostess, Beverly, prepares the finest & most creative breakfasts in the world!
        






Want to learn about the Spanish kitchen? Check out Ramekins Culinary Center in Sonoma. Yours truly is conducting “hands on” classes there! Go to their website & see the calendar. They even have luxury guest suites so you can spend a night or two. Find out how to create authentic Paellas, Tapas, Spanish soups & stocks & much more! You know all the classes will have that true Green focus that I’m so passionate about! Saturday July 16th from 10am until 1pm is the next class. Titled Tapas Feast, you will learn about many Tapas styles & flavors. Join me for this awesome class!
                 
Recipe of the month:
Crudo of Halibut
Stuff you need:
1# Fresh local line caught Halibut filet
4 tablespoons Organic California extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of non pariel capers
4 organic green onions
4 tablespoons of your favorite organic grating cheese (I love Old World Portugese by Spring Hill)
2 organic lemon wedges
A couple of turns of your pepper grinder
1 small bowl of ice water

method:
Slice the Halibut into 1” by 3” slices, ¼” thick & arrange on a platter. Slice the green onions thin lengthwise & add to the ice water. Soon they will curl. Once curled, pat dry & sprinkle over fish. Drop the capers onto the fish & scatter the grated cheese. Drizzle the olive oil over the plate, crack the pepper & serve. Garnish with the lemon wedges & Enjoy! Stop in to the restaurant & get a refillable bottle of  Margarita Rose' that goes well with this treasure of the sea! It's a Rose' of Primativo that i make from our certified organic/biodynamic Primativo grapes grown at Rose Ranch. You might want to pour yourself a glass while creating this dish!


Speaking of wine...in about a month we will be featuring 14 (now we have six) wines available by the glass or decanter. Many of these wines will be organic with some being biodynamic --- like ours! All will have been kegged & not bottled. The kegs are reusable & get refilled at their respective wineries. Just think, no bottles, corks, labels, foils or boxes plus transporting the full wine kegs uses 50% less fuel than it case counterparts! Since we have an off sale wine license you will be able to purchase any of these wines to take home in re-sealable bottles. Just bring that same bottle back in clean & we'll refill it! The Chef's wine club has been born!

Events

Chef's Basque Dinner Series
Don’t forget about our Chef’s Basque dinner series on the second Thursday of each month! Seven courses served family style to all at one long table. I prepare & present each course. You get to learn about how I have prepared each dish & where I’ve sourced the local organic ingredients. Authentic Spanish Basque family recipes of mine. Reservations only@ 707-833-4500. The evening books up three months in advance so get your calendars out! We sit down promptly at 6:30 & it lasts about 3 hours.


Tapas, Tapas, Tapas is on the fourth Thursday of each month. We serve our Tapas in the service style of the finer Dim Dum restaurants of San Francisco. Three price flights of $4/$6/$8.
It’s Tapas on parade beginning at 6:30! Feel free to call for reservations:
707-833-4500.

Once again the latest Giants bus trip was a huge “hit”! Fun had by all! I’ll post a few pics once we collect them.

  TAPAS ON THE TERRACE Friday June 17th, 2011 5:30pm - 7:30pm
 at my favorite sparkling wine caves---Gloria Ferrar in Sonoma.
Enjoy an evening in Spain, without leaving Sonoma. You’ll hear the seductive sounds of Spanish Flamenco guitar by Eric Symons while sampling tapas (Spanish Appetizers) prepared by yours truly paired with Gloria Ferrer's sparkling and estate varietal wines Admission is $35 per person and $29.75 for Cuvee Club Members (up to 4 tickets for club member price). Ticket price includes 2 glasses of sparkling or still wine and a plate of assorted tapas.

“Seafood Sustainability 101”/ Wine Tasting/ Chef Demo with Seafood tasting

Monday June 27th  from 6 until 7:30 join us at the Vineyards Inn for our first of many seminars on sustainable topics. Shannon McDiarmid formally of Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea Watch is now with Royal Hawaiian Fish Co., one of our outstanding seafood purveyors. Shannon, will focus on the basic sustainability issues surrounding both wild capture and farmed species. Chris Benziger of Benziger Winery will be on hand to taste you on their awesome biodynamic wines plus I will be giving a Chef’s Demo on preparing a seafood dish that you get to enjoy! All this is free as in no charge! Open to the trade & public as well. Please RSVP chef@vineyardsinn.com
The second seminar is Monday July 11th, 6 until 7:30 for a panel on forage fisheries. The panel is to include a speaker from Oceana who is sponsoring a bill requiring the inclusion of forage species into fishery management plans, forage fishermen Kirk Lombard, and one other speaker TBD.
GLORIA FERRER 25TH ANNIVERSARY CATALAN FESTIVAL
Saturday July 23rd and Sunday July 24th 11:00am to 4:00pm
Don't miss Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards 18th annual Catalan Festival A celebration of the winery's Spanish roots and the opening of the winery in July 1986- This year they celebrate their 25th Anniversary! The Catalan Festival pairs the unique spirit of Catalonia with the world-class quality of California sparkling and estate varietal wines. Let your senses be enticed by music, dance, aromas and sumptuous flavors of food and wine. Tickets are $50 per person if purchased by July 21st OR $55 at door. Click here to purchase tickets

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Speaking of anniversaries Colleen, Jake & Chef Esteban are celebrating our 30th year in business at the Vineyards Inn!  

Join us for a series of events in July commemorating this milestone! Beginning Thursday  July 14th we will start with a very special Chef’s Basque Dinner. There are only a few reservations left at this point so call soon & get yours. 707-833-4500.

Be part of an incredible Happy Hour on Friday July 15th with complimentary Tapas along with a local wine & beer tasting from 5 to 6 pm. Bring your vintage Vineyards Inn stories & pictures to share with all of us!

Saturday July 16th  is the big day! From noon until 3 the Sonoma County Animal Shelter Pet Adoption Van will be parked in front of the restaurant with adoptable animals! From 3 until 7 rock out with The Local Boys reunion show. Many of you remember countless fundraisers that The Local Boys performed at, so join them in celebration with some fun Rock & Blues. Bring your dancing shoes! Lot’s of great Spanish food & drink to be enjoyed by all!

True Green Living Ideas:

When you have to print a sheet of paper on your printer, you can save the paper for future use & print the other side. When you’re done with the second side toss it into your compost stream.

Speaking of saving stuff instead of composting your organic veggie ends & peels bag them up in reusable zip lox & store in the freezer. Once you have enough, empty them into a stockpot & make organic vegetable stock. Add chicken, beef or fish bones if you like. After the stock is done, strain it into a food container & freeze the stock for future use. Make sure you label & date it. Now the cooked bones & veggie pieces can go into your compost! I like doing this on a rainy day with a favorite bottle of organic red wine.

Did you know that taking a cruise on any cruise line without ever leaving the ship each passenger creates 2,5 times the carbon footprint than staying home. Even staying at a hotel or land resort creates less of a carbon print than a cruise ship. More and more ports are installing “cold ironing” systems that allow ships to tie into the grid & shut down their diesel engines. This helps so the diesel engines aren’t running 24/7 to power the electric generators.

Fill a made in the USA water bottle & carry it with you instead of buying bottled water. The cost of buying a decent water bottle will pay you back in no time & you’re helping eliminate plastic waste. You could save $200 per year & 14 pounds of plastic. If one of twenty gym members who usually buy a bottle of water before each workout brought a reusable bottle of water from home the plastic saved annually would total nearly 29 million pounds! Do yourself, us & the planet a favor & carry your own water!



That’s it for now,
Happy Anniversary to all!


As always in good food & Green living,
Chef Esteban

I love the sunsets at Dillon Beach, my home away from home!