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

Kitchen 'n Counters December issue 2010

Happy Holidays to all!


WOW it's December already--unbelievable how quickly the year has passed. Ready for some Holiday recipes? Let's get started!

Winter Time Basque Brisket of Beef
This recipe is perfect for those rainy or snowy nights. Steam some potatoes & carrots for a side dish & toss a salad--you're set! Don't forget to open a bottle of Sonoma County organic zinfandel!


Ingredients:


2 tsp Kosher salt
3 tbl brown sugar
1 cup chili sauce (the sweet kind) If you'd like my recipe for the chili sauce just drop me an e-mail!
1 cup organic apple cider vinegar
1 5# organic beef brisket--local if possible
2 organic yellow onions medium
1 cup of chopped of organic celery


Method:


Mix the salt, brown sugar, chili sauce & vinegar then pour over the brisket. Let stand for an hour before baking. Pre heat your oven to 325 degrees. Add onions, celery. Cover & bake for 3 hours. Baste often! Remove cover & continue to bake for 1 more hour. Remove from the oven & allow to rest. Once the brisket is cool remove any excess fat, slice & reheat to serve.  This goes great with a few steamed sweet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes & carrots--organic of course!


Guess what??? We now have in stock Rose Ranch 2 Dog Balsamic Vinegar Blend at the restaurant. These bottles sport our 2 Dog label with a picture of our two Burnese Mountain dogs sitting in a bin of grapes at Rose Ranch. We've bottled it in 500 ml bottles with a re-sealable cap. When you're empty just bring it back in for a refill! $15 for a new bottle & only $12 for a refill. This vinegar is awesome in vinaigrettes, 50% reductions for a drizzle over your fresh fish or a 90% reduction to pour over your organic vanilla ice cream!


Gift Certificates available in denominations of your choice 
Treat someone to the Vineyards Inn Spanish Experience!




Stuffed Kale Rolls
This recipe of mine is currently served at the restaurant in the Tapas section of our menu. Feel free to stop in & order one to see how it should turn out!


Ingredients:


6 large organic Dino kale leaves
3/4 # of ground organic lamb (we grind our own organic shoulder meat) 
1/2 # of ground organic sirloin of beef (we grind top sirloin)
1 medium organic yellow onion
6 cloves of organic garlic
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 organic jalapeño for some heat--minced 
1/2 cup of minced organic roasted sweet peppers
1 glass of your favorite Sonoma County organic Pinot Noir
1 glass of your favorite Sonoma organic Sauvignon Blanc
simply roast two organic bell peppers over an open flame or barbeque until well blistered. Place in a non plastic container with lid & allow to steam for 15 minutes. This will release the skin & they'll be easy to peel! Go ahead & mince with a sharp knife. Remember dull knives cause many more accidents than sharp ones!

Stuffed Kale Rolls

This recipe of mine is currently served at the restaurant in the Tapas section of our menu. Feel free to stop in & order one to see how it should turn out!

Ingredients:

6 large organic Dino kale leaves

3/4 # of ground organic lamb (we grind our own organic shoulder meat) 

1/2 # of ground organic sirloin of beef (we grind top sirloin)

1 medium organic yellow onion small dice

6 cloves of organic garlic minced

2 tsp Kosher salt

1 organic jalapeño for some heat--minced 

1/2 cup of minced organic roasted sweet peppers

1 glass of your favorite Sonoma County organic Pinot Noir

1 glass of your favorite Sonoma organic Sauvignon Blanc

simply roast two organic bell peppers over an open flame or barbeque until well blistered. Place in a non plastic container with lid & allow to steam for 15 minutes. This will release the skin & they'll be easy to peel! Go ahead & mince with a sharp knife. Remember dull knives cause many more accidents than sharp ones!

Method:

Mix all ingredients together minus the glasses of wine. Allow the flavors to meet, mingle & get to know each other for about 30 minutes. Add water to a small sauce pan, halfway, cover with tight fitting lid & bring to a boil. Remember covering a sauce pan to bring it to it's boiling point will happen much quicker resulting in less energy usage! Once boiling, lower it to a slow simmer, add kale leaves & blanch for 4 minutes. Remove to colander & drain. Pat dry & place on Chef's block/table. Sip on the glass of Pinot! Arrange open leaves on block. Divide the filling into 6 mini loaves & place one loaf on each leaf. Fold the leaves around the filling tucking the ends under like a package. Sip some more of the Pinot! Once folded place in oven proof casserole with lid. Warm at 275 degrees covered until warmed through. Serve these with your favorite sauce. This time of the year I'm partial to pesto that I make with Swiss chard instead of basil. Chard is very available through the winter months. Chard pesto also doesn't oxidize as quickly as basil pesto.

Enjoy!

Events coming up in December:


Tapas Tapas Tapas is on the 4th Thursday of the month, Dec. 23rd, Our Tapas are on parade in the style of fine Dim Sum restaurants of San Francisco. You choose which ones you want & are charged accordingly complete with live Flamenco guitar! I will do a little  exhibition cooking for your entertainment as well.


New Year's Eve at the VI. Celebrate Spanish style La Noche Vieja! I will be in the kitchen preparing my Chef's 4 course prix fix menu

La Noche Vieja---New Year's Eve The Spanish Way!

Celebrate with Chef Esteban & Colleen with traditional Spanish preparations!

            Primero

Bacalao a la Vizcaina (Salt Cod Vizcaina style w/potatoes & roasted peppers)

                or

Crudo de Pescado (sliced Sashimi with olive oil drizzle & capers)

            Segundo

Sopa del Pescador (Fisherman's Soup)

                or

Ensalada de Puero (organic leek & Rose Ranch Kale salad)

            Tercero

Filete Asado a la Sarten  (pan roasted local organic Filet Mignon)

                or

Pato Confit con Fideo  (organic local duck confit with homemade noodles)

            Cuarto

Chef Esteban's Postres (Chef's sampler box of homemade desserts)

Forty dollars per person

Full menu available as well!

   
Plenty of local bubbles for your enjoyment plus live music! Call for reservations 707-833-4500.


Chef's Basque Dinner Series in always on the 2nd Thursday of the month. 7 courses prepared from my old & new family recipes served family style at one long table for all to share on platters & tureens! Reservations only as it fills up fast. $40 per person including wine! Remember if you'd like to have a private Chef's Basque dinner just let me know--available for groups of 12 or more


Chef Esteban's newest Green direction! We now have 4 local organic wines on tap! Just think, no bottles, labels, corks, capsules or boxes. Consider the energy saved not having to create all this packaging! Our goal for early 2011 is to serve only wines on tap. 16 local wines available by the glass or cool looking pitcher. Stop in & have a glass of 2009 Harry's blend, named after my Father, rest in peace--50% organic Syrah, 25% organic Cab & 25% organic Merlot. I'm quite proud of this wine since I made it. Crafted in the European style low alcohol--appx 12% & ready to drink now after 1 year in French Oak. Thanks to Parke Hafner for supplying us with used barrels! Soon you will be able to purchase these wines to take home in refillable re-sealable bottles. The kegs are returned to the wineries, refilled & reused!


Call us for your holiday parties! We'll dazzle your group with our fine organic Spanish cuisine! 707-833-4500


Have a wonderful Holiday season from Chef, Colleen, Jake, Charlie & the entire Vineyards Inn team!

Volume 5 November 2010

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!

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 4^th 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!

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!

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