Kitchen "N Counters November 24, 2012

Kitchen 'n Counters          November 24, 2012

Where in the hell did this year go??? I must apologize for not creating this newsletter since June, the year just got by me & I have certainly flaked! Onward to the newsletter!  
Here we are in November just after Thanksgiving & a good one it was. I am thankful for our family & many friends that follow us! The summer gardens at Rose Ranch are in transition to the winter gardens with lots of kale, chard, lettuces, garlic, savoy spinach & the last of tomatoes. Can you believe we actually had awesome tomato salads for Thanksgiving! We are still serving our wonderful heirlooms at the restaurant at this end of November! Here are a few events planned for the next couple of months:

TAPAS & TAP night at the Vineyards Inn featuring a flight of five Lagunitas brews paired with five of our exquisite & authentic Tapas. The evening will be complete with Jason Walters performing on his Flamenco guitar. Mark your calendar for November 29th from 6 until 9. $30 per person for the flight of brews, Tapas & music! This date also coincides with Dining out for Life, a benefit for Food for Thought, the Sonoma county aids food bank. We will donate 25% of all proceeds for the entire day & night to the food bank. Come out, enjoy an evening in Spain & help Food for Thought all at the same time! Reservations please.

Got plans for New Year's Eve? Make them here at the Vineyards Inn Spanish Bar & Grill. I am planning on creating some very typical New Years eve dishes served throughout Spain for Noche Vieja. On the menu will be some slow roasted local goat & lamb, Bacalao (salt cod) with Garbanzos & a few other surprises. We will be featuring many of the great wines & bubbles of Gloria Ferrer that pair so well with our food creations. We work well with the folks at Gloria as we both share our roots in España. If you happen to be a Gloria Ferrer Cuvee Club member you will receive a complimentary dessert & a visit to your table by yours truly! Let's toast in the New Year together! Reservations please.

We have completed our organic hot & sweet pepper harvest & with weather so nice we were able to let all the peppers. hang until they have ripened to bright lipstick reds. These make an incredible fresh! hot sauce we make in house! I am going to actual begin bottling a few sauces under our new labels:
Devil Dog & Lazy Dog with pictures of our Bernese Mountain dog Charlie posing! Here are a few glimpses of the images for Devil Dog & Lazy Dog sauces

Can you guess which is which? I would love your comments in the form of an email of what you think of these labels please.
 Work continues on my prospective TV show "The Organic Rose" with a few dates in December to actually complete two full episodes! It really is good fun. If any of you have any strong contacts in the television world I am always ready to pitch my show. I am also working a on another TV show concept with the first episode set to be filmed the first week of January. All I can say is that this is a "Throwdown" format, the rest is a secret for the moment.

Here is a great fall winter recipe for you to try:

Pollo al Ajillo (Chicken in Garlic sauce) serves 4

from the Vineyards Inn Spanish Bar & Grill

12 local organic chicken breast medallions (appx. 2 oz. ea.)
3 tbl organic whole-wheat flour for dusting

12 cloves of organic garlic minced (the smaller the mince the more intense the flavor)

2 organic lemons halved for squeezing

2 tbsp Gloria Ferrer extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp Canola oil

2 tbsp organic Spring Hill unsalted butter (room temp)

1/2 tsp favorite hot pepper chopped (mine is the Thai Hottie)

Kosher salt to your liking

¼ cup chopped organic Italian Flat leaf parsley

2 glasses of Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee Brut 2004 (my favorite bubbles)

note: I always keep several bottles of this Brut in my fridge for unexpected visits or just to enjoy another day in paradise!

         Add Gloria Ferrer olive oil to a saute pan with the canola. Mixing in the canola raises the pan smoking point. Salt the flour & mix. Dust medallions & shake off excess flour. Set aside. Heat the oil for about 1 minute but do not allow it to smoke. Add the chicken to the pan. Always laying into the pan AWAY from you so as not to splatter. Tan the medallions & turn over (not you the chicken!). Add the minced garlic, butter, hot pepper & 1 glass of the Gloria Royal Cuvee, reduce a bit then squeeze the lemon halves into the pan through your fingers to trap the seeds. Sip on the other glass of Gloria Brut. Once the sauce has thickened (if it gets too thick add a bit more bubbles), add half the chopped parsley. Plate & serve with the remaining parsley over the top.

         I suggest enjoying the Ajillo with a bottle of just released 2007 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Pinot Noir, Jose S. Ferrer Selection!. The long silky finish of this wine mingles well the richness of the butter, garlic & lemon notes of the Ajillo. This dish is our flagship entrée at our restaurant & has been a part of our culinary family for 31 years!

Buen Provecho means Good Eating!

Green living tip:

Did you know that your garage door electric opener is always drawing amp 24 hrs a day just waiting for you to press the clicker? We avoid this by simply unplugging the motors & open the doors manually. You can also buy a wireless switch that gets plugged in line in the socket for the motor that will only activate that socket when needed by pressing it's remote!

The Culinary Adventures for Spain will be beginning now in 2013. We are also creating what is referred to as "Tailor Made" trips. We custom create Culinary Adventures along with your timeline & budget. Feel free to send me an email with any questions! These trips promise to deliver a total insiders look at the awesome culinary scene of Southern & Northern Spain. Can you imagine being taught Spanish regional cooking by yours truly and a few Michelin starred Chefs as well? The Northern trip into the Basque country will be so unique since my family are so well connected there. Join me for these incredible journeys! Go to our web site for a short video of these trips.

www.vineyardsinn.com

That's all for now! I wish you all a very special & healthy holiday season. If you want some of our new hot sauces (actually they are more of a flavor enhancer) let me know. I'll ship them to you as well as our very popular homemade Balsamic Vinegar blend called Two Dog. You can guess what type of dogs are on that label

Hasta la proxima means until the next time!

Chef Esteban

Kitchen 'n Counters for May of 2012

Welcome & Saludos Fans!

 Here we are at the beginning of May already! Spring is in full swing at Rose Ranch with our vegetable gardens planted & enjoying the sunshine. Tomato vines have been pruned of their suckers & are reaching to the sky. Compost together with worm castings are nourishing all the vegetable starts. Organic-Biodynamic Merlot & Primativo grape vines are showing signs of vigorous spring fever leafing like crazy! I have finally figured out how to grow the prized white asparagus so popular in Spain. It really is simple just cover part of your asparagus patch so the shoots never get light therefore they never go through photosynthesis. I just installed some hoops over the patch & attached a black plastic tarp. Every morning I uncover it to harvest the asparagus.

June 12^th is our next San Francisco Giants bus adventure. Buy your ticket now! Round trip luxury coach transportation complete with on board attendents, snacks, unlimited Lagunitas beer & wine as well as six flat screens, entertainment system & bathroom. We will open the restaurant at 3:30 with the coach departing at 4:15 for the ball park. Your lower box tickets are in section 128 loaded with “splash” concession credit. The Gigantes face the Houston Astros. Enjoy an evening in baseball’s most incredible venue! Tickets are $110 per person.

Our Vineyards Inn is sporting a new “adjusted for the season menu” that seems to be a work in progress as our Organic-Biodynamic gardens grow & evolve! Stop in & sample our local seasonal treats.

My first Spanish Culinary Adventure is scheduled to begin September 4th starting in Sevilla. Feel free to visit our website or the last blog for details. I am going to try to figure out how to post a short video brochure about the six scheduled trips for 2012. Remember we are limiting the groups to the intimate size of 14 guests. I am working on a concise package to send out with all the details & links for your perusal.


Saturday July 21st & 22nd you will find us at the awesome Catalan Festival at Gloria Ferrer winery. Stop in for some great Spanish food & Catalan style fun! Saturday I will be performing a Chef's demo. Come by & say hi!


Spotlight on Lovage. Organic Lovage seeds are available from Natural Gardening Co. in Petaluma online. Lovage makes for great edible landscaping & it returns every season. It can grow to 6 ft. tall & will fill all your celery flavor needs. Simply pinch off the leaves & use them in soups, salads or wherever you want to have that celery flavor! 

Here are a few Basque recipes to chew on:

Bacalao Crab Cakes feature very traditional Basque salt cod. After soaking the salt cod over night to remove the salt we will flake it together with local Dungeness crab meat. shredded scallions are added along with a few cage free organic eggs, red pepper & roasted garlic. After the cakes are formed they are sauteed with a splash of organic olive oil. once warm through they will be topped with our Ali-Oli sauce (homemade garlic mayo) & chiffonade of Lovage. The technique of Chiffonade: Stack the Lovage leaves on top of each other, roll up then run your knife through for fine threads.

Fish Sticks "not like your Mother made" spotlight a local line caught fish filet. This is a very popular Basque Tapa with various interpretations.  Chunk the fish then skewer it with a brushing of organic olive oil. The "sticks" are then placed over the broiler to be seared. The next step is to squeeze a few organic lemons over the fish, with chopped garlic & organic local butter. Finish the "sticks" in the oven for a few minutes & garnish with chopped organic parsley & cilantro! 

Tight on garden space check out the latest craze in urban gardening---Vertical Gardening. Vegetables, succulents, flowers pretty much anything will grow this way There are several web sites that have info.


Now that spring is here it's a good time to begin composting if you haven't yet! There are several systems out there for all your composting needs. Just DO IT! Once you're in the composting habit you can do it year around. Once your compost is ready try making a tea out of some of it. Great for your veggie garden & house plants love it too!


Go to our website for the latest menus, events, info on our Bed & Breakfast at Casa Verde in Kenwood & see what we're up to.www.vineyardsinn.com


Look out for a schedule of my cooking classes for the summer & fall at Rose Ranch. Details to be in the June newsletter!


Hasta la proxima means until next time.


Chef Esteban










     

            

Kitchen 'n Counters presents Andalucia Inside

Hi Fans, Saludos!

  How did these months get away from me??? It's been a while since I have written my Chef's newsletter. We're already into 2012 & getting set for an awesome new year. 2012 is bringing another chapter to my life...leading culinary adventures into Spain---can you believe it? My friends David & Talal from Andalucia Inside, a Seville based full service travel agency, in conjunction with your favorite Chef, me, are creating these culinary adventures. I am actually going to Seville in a few weeks to do a run through with David & Talal, off to San Sebastian to make more connections there then into Pamplona to spend some time with my family. This newsletter will give you some of the highlights of our trips. We plan to do additional excursions to the south & north, San Sebastian, in the summer & fall.
 Intimate, ultimate & personal are the operative words!

  This culinary adventure will be an intimate group of no more than 14 participants. We will be staying in gorgeous five-star properties in the south of Spain and dining in some of Spain's best Michelin-starred restaurants. Our destinations are spots that average visitors to Spain will never experience.

Spanish Toro reigning over Andalucia's country side

  We will see local culture through local eyes, taking in the best that the south of Spain offers. "Andalucia Inside" is truly an insider's view of this exotic region. Imagine sitting by a private lake on an organic vegetable farm learning how to prepare authentic Paella from just-harvested ingredients.

Sit down with yours truly and enjoy the fruits of our labor. We will taste olive oil and see how it's produced at Spain's finest olive oil facility, boasting the most awards of any other in the country.

Lago de Bornos - view from Bodegas Regantio

Besides learning from me, you will have the opportunity to interact with other Michelin-starred Chefs as well. Taste some of Spain's finest sherries and wines at selected bodegas.

We will meet with wine and sherry makers and see how they create their liquid treasures. Have you ever had a night time tour of the Alhambra? Now's your chance! 

You'll enjoy the best of traditional Spanish Mediterranean cuisine and the inspired original dishes that are making Spain the "New Paris" of the gastronomic world!

Travel with me, Chef Esteban, to taste and experience the true passion that Andalucia has to give!

Miguel Cruz - your own private wine connoisseur




  I am very excited to be given the opportunity to share the old & the new Spain with you! Since these trips are very small & limited in size to only 14 guests reservations should be made sooner that later. Many have commented that they plan to either front load or back load this culinary adventure with additional time spent in Spain. David & Talal are more than helpful in assisting you with your plans!


  Come with me & TASTE the PASSION!


  Send me an email with any questions or comments you may have!



Please contact "Andalucia Inside!" for reservations soon. Andalucia Inside
and see our brochure at the VI website

Chef Esteban