Crafting a New Style

Earlier this week, I had plans to make a baked bean dish for what is known as "Tech Feed", an event sponsored by the Friends of PCPA (Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts).  A "Tech Feed" is timed to coincide with the tech rehearsal for each show, and this week the show that is opening is Romeo and Juliet, and the menu was build your own Taco Salad.  I thought that a southwestern style baked bean dish would make a great component, and would have the added benefit of being vegetarian, or even vegan friendly if done correctly.

I was inspired by a recipe that I had made in early February called Kahlua Baked Beans from The El Paso Chile Company's Burning Desires, which we served at a barbeque for an international workshop on the SPS-ALPHA project at our ranch..  This recipe went very well with grilled Tri Tip and we had very few leftovers.  I already knew that it would work for a crowd.

But, something else struck us (my husband loves tweaking seasonings and spices until a recipe tastes just right) as we were tasting the beans, and it really hit home when we were thinking about a name for this "new" recipe.  These beans were not your typical baked beans anymore.  The original recipe had a twist that differentiated it from the normal kind of beans, and so did ours.  There are influences from Santa Maria Style Barbecue (I'll dedicate a separate post to that topic soon), since beans are a traditional part of that style of cooking.

The haciendas in Early California were known for their hospitality, and a barbecue style menu such as the one we had for our SPS-ALPHA workshop is well suited to making guests feel welcome.  You can grill one or more entrees, and round out the buffet with casual appetizers, salsa, salads, baked beans, and other vegetable dishes.


There is an architecture style authentic to California — a mixture of Native American, Mexican, Mission, early California ranch and Spanish Colonial styles.  This  hacienda style needs land to accommodate its horizontal layout, I wish our house at the ranch reflected this, but we're still working on it.  In thinking about the baked bean recipe and its transition from traditional to a new cooking style more in keeping with today's hacienda style hospitality, I can't help thinking that we need to layer in the flavor of the Central Coast, so we're thinking that we should call this style "Central Coast Rancho", and this recipe represents a starting point.

Central Coast Rancho Style Beans
Inspired by The El Paso Chile Company's Burning Desires

Ingredients:
10 15-oz cans pinto beans, drained (liquid reserved)*
2 medium onions, chopped 
1 tsp. sugar (as needed)
1/4 cup butter
12 oz.. enchilada sauce
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, preferably with chipotle
1/2 cup Tequila
2 tbs. hot taco sauce 
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cracked pepper
Dash of freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup of cooked rice (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium eat.  Add onions, and cook until golden and translucent, about 10 minutes.  You may wish to add a teaspoon of sugar to help caramelize  the onions.
2. While the onions are cooking, get the beans ready.  I'd recommend draining the beans over a large mixing bowl using a strainer.
3. In a large slow cooker (or Dutch oven, if you'd rather bake this dish in the oven), stir together the beans, 2 cups of reserved liquid, the caramelized onions, enchilada sauce, barbecue sauce, Tequila, hot taco sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
4. Cook on low heat for 3-4 hours if using a slow cooker.  If you are baking the beans in  the oven, you'll need to bake them for about 2 hours at 350 degrees.
5. Taste for seasoning (checking salt and pepper) and add the nutmeg.  If you find that the beans are too spicy for your taste, you may want to add some cooked rice to tone down the heat.

Note:  I made this recipe with canned beans, but the original recipe from which I drew inspiration made use of dried beans.  It called for 1 1/2 pounds of dried navy beans, which were placed in a large bowl and covered with water and left to soak for 12 hours, then drained.  The beans were then put into a large pot, covered with cold water and heated over medium heat till the water came to a boil.  Then the heat was reduced to a simmer, and the beans were cooked for about an hour, depending on the age of the beans, until they were tender.  The conversion from dried to canned beans is 1 pound of dried beans to 3-4 cans of beans, as a reference.


Serves about 16 to 20 as a side dish.
  

Let the Central Coast Rancho cooking style experiment begin!

Ranch Herb Garden - Arugula

When I wrote my post on planning the herb garden, I originally omitted arugula in my list of herbs.  I don't know how I could have forgotten this!  I'm glad I realized my mistake and corrected the list.

For anyone not familiar with arugula, it is a peppery green with a nutty flavor.  It is very popular in Europe, and may also be known as rugula, roquette, or rocket.  It is frequently used in salads (try adding some to your next mixed green salad), and I like to substitute it for spinach.   It can also be used to make pesto, for those who like intense flavors.

According to the entry on growing arugula on the Gardening Blog, arugula can be grown in either full sun or partial shade, in loose soil.  It is a good choice for containers as well.  It needs frequent and regular watering, so probably will not be as happy during the hot days of summer.  Though arugula is not a perennial, it will self seed so a few plants will return each year without new planting.  Once the arugula goes to seed, the leaves will be too bitter to eat.

If you don't want to grow your own, you can find baby arugula at Trader Joe's markets, or at many grocery stores.

Here's a really tasty recipe from another of my favorite cookbooks, The New Basics, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.  I've made it for dinner parties as an appetizer, serving it alongside crostini or grilled bread.  It also makes a wonderful topping for pizza.

Tomato Arugula Provencal

Ingredients:
20 ripe plum tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large bunch arugula, well rinsed and patted dry, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
15 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained and coarsely chopped
3 tbs. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.  Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and leave for 20 seconds.  Then drain and cool under cold water.  Peel, core, and seed the tomatoes, and coarsely chop.  Note: you may be wondering whether you could use canned tomatoes.  You could, but it would not taste nearly so good.  In fact, you may want to make this recipe using heirloom tomatoes (preferably homegrown) instead of the more readily available plum tomatoes.  If you'd rather use a shortcut, you could substitute 2 large cans of diced tomatoes (without seasonings), drained.  I'd go with the fresh tomatoes unless you're trying to make this in the dead of winter.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.  Add the garlic, and cook another 5 minutes.  Then add the arugula, mix thoroughly, and remove from the heat.
3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese to the mixture, and gently fold together.  Let the mixture rest, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving (if you can wait that long).  This dish may be made up to 2 days ahead.

Makes 4 cups.

Starting from a Not So Blank Slate

It is a very different experience working with an existing landscape rather than starting with a new landscape in a new development.  When we moved to our house in Northern Virginia, it was newly built and had only minimal plantings provided by the builder.  The house at the ranch, on the other hand, has a yard that has been around since the 1930s.  The yard includes an orchard, with trees in various stages of production, and also has areas which were previously used for growing berries, corn, beans, and peas.  I remember seeing the yard in full swing during early visits to the ranch when we were first married, and we always went back home with something delicious.

Now, the yard has been in a state of disarray for several years before we moved here.  Long gone are the berries and vegetable crops -- the only traces of them were the iron rods which acted as stakes.   There are signs that someone liked daffodils, since there are a number of naturalized bulbs throughout the yard, as well as geraniums.  Also, my husband's grandmother was very fond of amaryllis and they can be found around the edges of the yard and under the fruit trees.

Our early efforts largely amounted to keeping cattle out, and keeping grass and weeds at a manageable length.  The local fire department paid us a visit the first summer and explained the requirements that all tall grass be trimmed within 50 feet of the house.  This trimming is easy when you allow the cattle to graze anywhere they like, but requires some effort when humans are wielding the weed whacker.  Here's a picture of what the yard looked like that first spring:

Since that time, I've had daydreams that we'd enter America's Most Desperate Landscapes, or run into Yard Crashers at our local Home Depot, but so far neither of those things has happened so we are on our own.  The scale of what needs to be done to make over the front yard is rather overwhelming so we are trying to figure out some baby steps and some short term goals.  I will try to share the thought process in later posts.

So, in keeping in with the thought that it is best to figure out what you can do while making the most of what you have, I'd like to share a soup recipe that works well as a foundation for what you have on hand.  It begins with the Vegi Soup Mix from Bob's Red Mill, and some vegetables that we always have on hand.  The soup mix contains split peas, barley, lentils, and vegetable pasta.  From this beginning, it can be tweaked to suit whatever leftovers and/or seasonings that strike your fancy.  I'll provide the basic recipe and the version that we made for dinner the other night.

Basic Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix
4 cups water, chicken broth, or beef broth
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. In a large stockpot, heat butter or olive oil over medium high heat.  
2. Add chopped onions, carrots and celery and saute till onion is translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Add vegi soup mix and stir to combine.  Add liquid, and reduce heat to simmer.  
4. Add salt, desired seasonings, and optional additions (see below).
5. Cook for approximately one hour or till all ingredients are soft.
6. Check seasoning, and serve.

Optional Additions:

You can add other vegetables (cut into roughly the same size/shape of the onions, carrots and celery), or leftover chopped meat as desired.  This soup has the tendency to take on the characteristics of whatever you add to it. 

Example: we used leftover broth from cooking corned beef as part of the cooking liquid.  We then added about 8 ounces of diced grilled steak, a teaspoon of Santa Maria Style seasoning,  a tablespoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of seasoned salt.

Ranch Herb Garden - Tarragon

My husband likes to refer to tarragon as the "spice of life" since we are so fond of it.  We had it in our stone step garden in Northern Virginia, where it continued to come back each spring, regardless of winter conditions.  Tarragon is a great herb for snipping whenever the mood strikes. 

According to the Garden-Helper page on tarragon, the botanical species name of tarragon is a French derivation of the Latin word for dragon.  This seems highly serendipitous to me, since I was a French major who also studied Latin, and our whole family loves dragons.

Tarragon can be grown in either containers or in-ground.  We plan on in-ground, in the raised bed, and expect it to reach about 3 feet in height. It should not be over-watered (that will be easy!), and may need to be cut back in fall if you're in a colder climate.

Another source of information on tarragon can is The Perfect Pantry's blog entry on tarragon.  This blog contains over 250 favorite pantry ingredients, with recipes for each.  If you haven't checked it out previously, I'd highly recommend it.

Here is one of my favorite recipes using tarragon, and therefore my primary motivation for having tarragon in my garden.  This recipe is from my well-loved copy of Greene on Greens, and I've made it so often it is more of a technique rather than an exact recipe.


New Potatoes Sliced in Tarragon Cream

Ingredients:
2 tbs. unsalted butter
1 large shallot, minced
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon (I usually use more), or 1/4 tsp. dried tarragon
1/2 lb. new potatoes, red or white (I usually use Yukon Gold), sliced 1/8" thick
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Dash of freshly ground nutmeg (optional - my addition)

Preparation:

1. Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the tarragon and potatoes.  Toss to coat the potatoes with the butter.
2. Pour the cream over the potatoes.  Heat to boiling; reduce the heat.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, 18 to 20 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add a dash of nutmeg if desired. 

Serves 4.

Welcome Spring

I may be just starting this blog, but spring at the Ranch is well underway.  For us that means thinking about working on the garden, particularly planning a kitchen garden.  We have a raised bed that was build by my father-in-law that is right off the patio, next to the french doors coming out from the kitchen.  Last spring, that raised bed seemed like the perfect place to get our feet wet (and muddy!) as we began a journey of transformation in our front yard.  I should mention that the term "front yard" is a bit of a misnomer when you have no direct neighbors and your overall property is 160 acres.

Back to the raised bed - we cleared it out and designed a layout for a kitchen garden.  The plan was to have it look something like this: Fenced Vegetable Garden from This Old House.  Unfortunately, last year we did not yet have the yard completely enclosed, so the cows were able to stroll through the front yard and sample whatever appealed to them along the way.  Needless to say, my meager collection of must-have herbs were pretty tasty.  I ended up salvaging a couple of basil plants, some Mexican oregano, and some pineapple sage.

This year, the yard is completely enclosed.  However, due to recent rains, the raised bed is now filled with more native flora which I'm in the process of removing.  I'd still like to work from my original plan and have herbs and possibly salad greens there.  The dirt inside this raised bed is very hard and needs an infusion of potting soil along with a lot of digging to loosen things up. 

There is one other feature of this raised bed, which I originally thought was a problem but turned out to be an unexpected bonus later in the season.  There is a moderately sized tree in one corner of the raised bed which yielded a tremendous number of plums (more on that topic later).  This tree provides a bit of shade for the raised bed, and at the moment it is sporting some nice blossoms and baby leaves.

So, the planned seasonings to be provided in this raised bed include:

• Basil (as many varieties as I can find here on the Central Coast)
• Tarragon
• Arugula
• Cilantro
• Parsley (Italian and regular)
• Chives
• Pineapple Sage
• Mexican Oregano
• Lemon Thyme
• Rosemary
• Chervil
• Summer Savory

Note that this list does not include mint.  Mint will be housed in a separate container, elsewhere in the garden so that it does not take over this or any other bed.  I'm fond of mint in cooking, but I've learned my lesson the hard way about where it can be planted.  And, don't get me started about lemon balm, the bane of my previous herb garden.

In addition to sharing my thoughts on the early planning for our kitchen garden, I'd like to share a recipe with you.  This recipe is from my "tried and true" folder on my computer.  I'm not sure where I originally found it, and I've made some changes along the way.  This is a great go-to recipe for a light supper, using ingredients that I tend to always have on hand.  The herbs can be a combination of whatever strikes your fancy as you go out with some scissors to your kitchen garden (or what looks good at your local farmers' market or grocery store).

Alsatian Onion Tart

Ingredients:

One prepared pie crust to fit a 9" pie dish

For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I usually use sweet onions)
1 1/2 tbs. butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbs. freshly chopped thyme (see note above)

Preparation:

If needed, defrost the prepared pie crust until it is pliable enough to lay out in pie dish.  Gently lift the prepared pie crust and line a 9-inch tart pan or pie dish.

Saute the onions in the butter over medium heat until golden brown and translucent, about 12 to 15 minutes.  Mix the sauteed onions together with the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and thyme.  Pour the filling into the prepared pie dish, and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until the filling is set.

Note: I've added sliced mushrooms and diced cooked bacon to the filling on occasion, and both additions proved very tasty.