Rancho Gordo: Experiments from my mostly New World kitchen and gardens

Squash in Chile Sauce

I've been so boring these days, working and sleeping and not much else. I did have one good dish, however.

A simple soup of chicken stock and pureed chiles with chunks of squash, cooked in the soup base. I could  do this again and I think I will. It was inspired by a trip to Cuicatlan, Oaxaca, where they like squash a lot. Mostly in Mexico they prize the seeds but in this area they like the squash flesh and I can see why.

 

Fun with Chocolate

Last week we were participating in the Fancy Food Show. It was an intense three days with an estimated 30,000 people. I'm still a little numb but it was fun and in the end worthwhile.

After the show, a friend introduced me to Nat Bletter of Madre Chocolate and we all went for Vietnamese food and talked about mostly chocoalte. Nat is somewhat of a mad scientist and we sampled all sorts of wacky treats. I am not a chocoholic but I was sold. There's some really great stuff happening in the fine chocolate world and Nat is leading the parade, it seems to me.

Madre Chocolate made the Saveur 100 this year and is available all over Hawaii and from their website.

Blue Corn Tortillas

I'm just getting over everything, it seems. Christmas, New Year's, a bad cold....it's all in the past now. Less herbal tea, fewer Christmas carols and more good food is my goal.

We've started production again of our heirloom corn tortillas, using corn from our partners in the Rancho Gordo-Xoxoc Project. I love the blue corn the best but I have heard some people say the color is off-putting. I think they're nuts. The blue is earthy and beautiful. And I love the flavor. It doesn't just belong to Mexican food anymore. I had them this morning with scrambled eggs and Portuguese linguica. I was rather happy to start the day this way.

Our tortillas are available, while they last, at our store in Napa, at the farmers market in San Francisco on Saturday, at the Fatted Calf store in San Francisco and Napa and we're workng on broader distribution.

 

Guess Who Found the Baby Jesus?

Today at Rancho Gordo, we enjoyed a big Rosca de Reyes. It's a multi-colored coffee cake with a little charm representing the baby Jesus hidden inside. If you are lucky enough to get the piece with the charm, you get to host a party with tamales on February 2nd.

Lucky me! I found the baby Jesus and I'll have to learn to make decent tamales fast or try and make friends with the mean old tamale lady who sells on our street.

New World Cassoulet

Do you want to know who my new hero is? Meet John Fink of The Whole Beast. This winter he's been making cassoulets for clients to heat up and take home and I have zero hesitation in saying they are terrific and an excellent value.

His twist is using primarily turkey and of course his beans are Rancho Gordo Christmas Limas and Snowcaps.

I've had a lot of cassoulet, especially this winter, and I think this version is terrific. You can order yours for New Year's Eve, but don't delay!
Visit John's website for The Whole Beast.

If you don't live in the Bay Area, I am sorry and I think you should consider moving. Or at least visiting when John is offering his magic New World cassoulets!

Another satisfied customer!

Eating Beans on New Year's Day for Good Luck

This is the time of year the complaints about our not growing black-eye peas come in. We only grow indigenous New World varieties (except for garbanzos) so it doesn't make sense for us to grow them. Plus, I'm not a huge fan.

I declare here and now that for really good luck, you need to eat black beans on New Year's Day.

This dish was made with black Midnight beans, Mexican chorizo and boiled nopales (cactus paddles). I don't care what anyone says, whoever eats this dish is destined for good things. So throw down your pea habit and make you luck by ingesting black beans this New Year's Day. It's the modern way to a lucky day!

 

Merry Christmas

Short and sweet: Thank you for all your support. Rancho Gordo is thriving, thanks to you and the staff here.

A Moment of Repose

Black beans from Cuicatlan, Oaxaca. These are the Negro de Arbol mentioned last week and they were really fine. Not a typical turtle bean, they're a little denser and less creamy but they have a fine flavor and I like their dainty size.

We'll have them for sale on the website in about three weeks.

Last Day for Ground Shipping for Christmas

Just a little housekeeping here. If you want your package to arrive by Christmas, you need to place your order today. We will continue to keep shipping and there's always a chance it will make it but why cause yourself the stress?

If you want to order after December 15th and guarantee an arrival by Christmas, you'll need to call our offices and arrange for faster and costlier shipping.

Now, back to more good meals and adventures......

Eating FIsh and Seafood in Puerto Escondido

My last trip to Oaxaca was mostly spent in the car, driving to markets and to meet potential farmers. It was very productive and it's always a pleasure for me to be in Mexico but after all the driving and heat, it seemed like a little pit stop at the beach was in order. Right in the middle of our map was Puerto Escondido.

It's a lovely place with a more tasteful "international" gringo side (Playa Zicatela) with restaurants serving things like "handmade whole wheat lasagna" and smoothies. There are a few taco stands and I think the cafe/restaurant, El Cafecito, is pretty great, especially for breakfast.

There's also a more Mexican part of town. Things are crowded and packed and a little less tasteful but a lot more fun, for my money.

This mixed seafood platter was smothered in Mojo de Ajo, a garlic and oil sauce. I kept repeating garlic for days but I tell you, Vale la pena!

I'm insane for shrimp and most of them in this area weren't really very good. Bland and overcooked was very common but these were fresh and really fine.

One of the safest and most delicious dishes is just a simple plain snapper deep fried. It's whole and easy to eat and one of the best things around.

We were only in Pto Escondido for two days and I hate to make snap judgements but it's become the kind of international beach town that I'm not in love with. We were lucky enough to be there without crowds and I think I really wouldn't have loved it if it were the high season.

My hunch is there are some better, more desolate beaches nearby worth exploring.

 

Grinding Chiles with Clay

I've seen these clay bowls with lines before and I knew they were some kind of mortar. In Hidalgo and Oaxaca, they seem to be called molcajetes, just like their volcanic rock cousins. I've also seen them called chilmoleras, which makes more sense (chiles and molinar).

In Muñoz' Diccionario Enciclopedico de Gastronomia Mexicana, he suggests it's especially useful for the classic Yucatan dish chilmole.

The issue is what to use for the pestle! I have a wooden pestle from a Spanish mortar and pestle set that I'll try out.

 

Beans From Oaxaca

I've just returned from a quick week in Oaxaca. What a wild state! You round a mountain and the next thing you know you're in a completely different terrain with a different culture and often even a different language. It's achingly beautiful and of course they have beans.

Here are a few recent aquisitions.

From a town called Putla. I don't know that there's much reason to go unless you are a market freak. I am! Indigenous farmers from nearby pueblos come down for the big tianguis on Saturdays.The women have colorful huipiles, each pueblo with a distinct pattern.

This bean was called China but I have a strong suspicion it's a tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius), native to the US southwest and Mexican north. It's drought tolerant and meaty. The size and markings make me think it's a brown speckled tepary.

These pretty red beans caught my eye. I asked and was told they were called Cacahuate beans, or peanut beans, which is what Mexicans call cranberry beans. I was dubious until I saw the odd variants and look, they really do seem to be from the cranberry bean family.

We can't keep our Sangre de Toros in stock long enough to make anyone happy so I was excited to see this red bean in the market. They're a little more oval but the color is similar. I'll cook them up this weekend and if the taste is on the money, we can try and get enough for seed and have one of our partners in the Rancho Gordo-Xoxoc Project grow it for us.

A ways north is Cuicatlan, a beautiful little town I think is worth seeing for anyone going to Oaxaca. It's nestled in the mountains and there are deep red chunks of the mountains exposed. The food is excellent and the place seems to be thriving, despite it's isolated location. It's also where the famed chilhuacle chile comes from.

Our hosts in Cuicatlan gave me these beans. The noted black beans from Oaxaca are called Negro Delgado Santera and they are delicious. When I was given this bag, I asked if these were the same and they said they were called De Arbol so I'm not sure if it's just Negro de Arbol (which I suspect as they aren't particularly delgado, or slim) or if they're indeed Negro Delgado de Arbol. An arbol is a tree and I'm assuming the plant has a more tree than bush-like growth.

My hosts told me the beans were almost like milky coffee when they were cooked. Examining them more, I found the variant seeds looked like our beloved Moros, which I've always described as being similar to a black bean and this would support that.

All good bean-geeky fun!

Random Shots

Mexican movie poster, from the saying of Pancho Villa that he'd rathr die on his feet than live on his knees.

A seafood stew from the coast of Veracruz

Random Shots

Pipian

Simple beans with avocado and white onions

More Random Shots

Scrambled egg, shrimp and cheese stuffed into a Poblano pepper.

Random Shots

Veracruz

Women's Folk Arts in Berkeley and Sonoma

My friend Peggy Stein and her family import all sorts of off-beat treasures from Mexico into the US but I think her most important work is with lead-free pottery, making things better for both the consumer and worker. She's also curated a show of crafts that is worth your attention, especially if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area. The details follow.

(This is a photo of my friend Chabela and it has nothing to do with the event but it's a nice shot and she's one of those strong Mexican women who hold things together and i felt she needed a little time in the spotlight.)

 

"EN LAS MANOS DE LAS MUJERES"-- presented by Mexico By Hand.

Join us for a very special  Mexican Folk Art and Fine Crafts exhibit and video presentation of award-winning Purepecha craftswomen of Michoacán, whose talent and creativity is changing the role of women in their families and communities. The artisans’ stories are compelling, as they reveal their personal struggles living in traditional villages where historically women are valued less than men. Come meet artists, Martina Navarro and Herlinda Morales and see their amazing work!
All of the crafts by these amazing artists is for sale: Candelabras, lacquerware plates, decorated clay pots, painted clay figures, woven rebozos, embroidered blouses and pillows and more!
Traditional Mexican food and beverages will be available for purchase. Do your holiday shopping and support women artisans at the same time!
Two days, two locations:
Saturday, Dec. 3rd- 10am to 4pm in Berkeley
Unitarian Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar St. (at Bonita)

Sunday, Dec.4th- Noon to 4pm in Sonoma
Sonoma Community Center, 276 East Napa St.

Please join us, spread the word and share with friends & family!

Also visit Mexico By Hand, Peggy's site.

Playing with Fire: Polenta and Beans from the Fireplace

It's been freezing here in the Napa Valley and the fireplace has been very busy. My Inner Puritan can't enjoy the fireplace without thinking I'm not worthy and I should at least find another use for the flames.

I'd made the Good Mother Stallard Beans the night before. I just added some garlic, onion, and olive oil to the bean and water and put the clay pot on top of the wood-burning stove. As the fire dwindled, I put the put inside, resting on the embers.

Last night, as I was about to go to bed, I remembered polenta. I used three cups of water and 1 cup of polenta with a dab of butter. I whisked them together until somewhat combined and the placed the pot, with lid, in the embers.

The photo makes it look like a roaring blaze but the fire was on its way out.

In the morning, as I was drinking my piloncillo and canela sweetened coffee, it dawmed on me that I had made the polenta. This is what I was greeted with:

The polenta had solidified into a cake and pulled away easily from the sides of the pot.

I think I could have added more liquid, reheated and made a warm, indulgent mush but I thought it would be more fun to heat the wedge and smother it with the Good Mother Stallards.

What a great breakfast! I added a wee touch of grated dry cheese (OK, a ton of it.)

Carnivores could add some bacon, pancetta or even leftover roast chicken but this was perfectly swell and I'd eat again in a heartbeat.

 

The Famous Rancho Gordo Calendar

It's that time of year when some of our more wonderful customers are driving us nuts. Calls and email about our calendar start about now. How to get one? When are they coming?

The calendars are free but they are only available at our store in Napa, at the farmers market in San Francisco  on Saturdays and in all mail orders, while supplies last. We release the monster on Black Friday, which this year is 11-25-2011. We keep sending them as long as supplies last. We can't send them out except with an order (and you can ask my mother if need proof! Even she needs to come in to get one or order online!)

What does this year's calendar look like? It would be a crime to tell you ahead of time!

 

Mole Verde Revisited

New friends over for dinner means new chances to perfect a favorite dish. Again I made Mole Verde but this time I played up the verde, adding romaine lettuce, epazote, cilantro, radish greens, tomatillos and even some leftover roasted chilaca chiles to the pumpkin seed mix. The final sauce was thinner and more interesting than previous versions. 

It was very good but I left it cooking on low after serving and going back later, it was incredible. You really need to allow the sauce to cook. I didn't have the white beans this time but I would add them again without hesitation. We also had some Massa Organics brown rice and a salad of nopales, tomatoes and queso fresco with some good Jerez vineagar in the vinaigrette.

 

 

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make a Bean Dip

We like to sample beans now and again in our retail store here in Napa. The problem is that sometimes the beans are so fresh that we blink and suddenly the beans have overcooked. It's weird when it happens normally, it's even weirder when the beans were unsoaked and cooked in a slow cooker.

Sandy, our retail maven, took her overcooked cranberry beans and made a spread. It was perhaps enjoyed even more than the straight beans would have been!

Bruschetta with Cranberry Beans

Serves 4 to 6

 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the bread

1/3 cup chopped white or yellow onion

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/8 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped

½ teaspoon cumin

1 ½ cups drained cooked cranberry beans

½ - 1 teaspoon Rancho Gordo Chipotle Chile Salsa

¼-inch thick crusty artisan bread

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

 In a large skillet, over medium heat, warm the olive oil then and the onion, garlic, rosemary and cumin. Sauté until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes.

 Put the sautéed vegetables and the beans in a food processor. Add the Rancho Gordo Chipotle Chile Salsa and process until smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 Brush the bread with olive oil. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about crisp but still tender, about 7 minutes.

 Serve the spread in a bowl with toast slices surrounding.

 

Mole Verde with Ayocote Blancos

I had some very fresh pumpkin seeds and was wondering what to do with them when the idea of pipian hit me. I normally like pipian but it's never knocked my socks off. Doing more research, I came across a great looking recipe for Mole Verde, which seemed like a pipian with some bitter greens thrown in.

A little more hunting through all my Mexican cookbooks and noted Mexico City chef Alicia Gironella's seminal Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana suggested mole verde with fat white beans, much like our Ayocote Blancos. Oh, happy day!

The dish may or may not seem that appealing (the photo got very mixed reactions here at the office) but it was a knock out and one of the kids was literally licking the bowl.

After toasting about 3/4 cup of pumpkin seeds, I added them to a blender with 1/2 cup water, 4 romaine lettuce leaves, a serrano chile, a pinch of cumin, salt, 10 small tomatillos, some radish leaves, some cilantro and some hoja santa (this is hard to find commerically and you can omit it if you don't have access to it. After blending well, I fried the pumpkin seed mixture in a little manteca until if was very thick. Meanwhile, I poached some chicken breasts until done. I added about a cup of previously cooked Ayocote Blanco beans and added the poaching water from the chicken to the warm pumpkin sauce and thinned it out until it was a medium thick consistency and let it cook another 20 minutes or so. Then I added the chicken and that was that. Served with corn tortillas.

Smoked Salmon on Tepary Beans

At some point I think I burnt out on salmon. I've always liked it but I find myself avoiding it these days and opting for other fish. Then Greg, who works for Napa Valley Support Services, brought me in some salmon he caught, smoked and cured and I remembered why it's such a great treat.

Greg used our piloncillo instead of traditional brown sugar to cure the fish. It's incredible, to say the least. I flaked some on a bowl of tepary beans and added just a little ricotta cheese and this was one great bowl of beans. Any bean would work but I like the meatiness of the teparies.

We work as often as we can with Napa Valley Support Services. Their worker face different  challenges and have been a huge boon to Rancho Gordo. They help with bagging our wholesale beans, rolling our calendars and even shred paper documents that become our packaging for our mail order. We love them and they've made us a stronger company. Don't hesitate to call if you are interested in their services.

Chiltepines- Use Them on Everything

Chitepin chiles are small, hot and hard to find. The come from a shrub and need to be collected in the wild. They are delicious and very hot. When in doubt, a single chile adds heat and flavor. Two or more should be a thoughtful consideration.

The chles are very small. The molcajete in the photo is small, too. When my friend Gabriel gave it to me, I thought he was trying to be cute but in fact I use it many times throughout the week.

Book Party at RG with Fany Gerson and Brian Streeter

Our party was a big hit and it was a treat meeting Fany Gerson and it's always a good day when Brian Streeter of Cakebread Cellars is around.

Marge Poole, author of 1,000 Mexican Recipes was on hand as well.

Brenda, from Cakebread, made her incredible Mole Verde, from the The Cakebread Cellars American Harvest Cookbook: Celebrating Wine, Food, and Friends in the Napa Valley book. She charmed everyone and her dish was delicious!

Thanks to all! It was a swell afternoon.