Consuelo Macedo of Cambria shares chili cooking info

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• Culinary Corner: Cambria forecast calls for chili day, hot cars

  Culinary Corner: Cambria forecast calls for chili day, hot cars

  This week’s column marks my 12th anniversary in the Culinary Corner, one of my favorite places in Cambria to be. Another favorite place is at the Chili Cook-Off, this year on Saturday, April 21. When you go to the Pinedorado grounds to sample some of our finest local offerings, as well as the ever-popular car show, you may want to have some criteria by which the judges will also be evaluating.

  Enjoy them all, but vote for some with thick consistency (rather than soupy) and brick red color indicating the chili has been cooked in, not just added to the pot. Purists claim there should be no beans included, but that refers to the Texas style. Californians value the variety of legumes available and the addition of fresh vegetables such as sweet red, green, yellow and orange peppers.

  Don’t forget the cilantro, jalapeños, onions and garlic, which should enhance, but not overpower, the flavor. My best measure is the use of cumin powder as it simmers, but not necessarily the wonderful additions as the bowl is

• Chili contest, car show Saturday in Cambria

  Chili contest, car show Saturday in Cambria

  Expect a hot time around Cambria’s Veterans Memorial Building on Saturday, April 21, with pots of chili on the Pinedorado grounds side and 37 notable vehicles on display in the Veterans Memorial Building parking lot at 1000 Main St.

  The cook-off competition between a baker’s dozen of chili recipes runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with sampling ($5, one taste per booth) and judging from noon to 3 p.m., although cooking begins much earlier. Attendees vote, too, for People’s Choice awards.

  At the free car show, attendees vote for their favorite cars from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Culinary Corner: In honor of the Year of the Dragon, stir-fry

  Culinary Corner: In honor of the Year of the Dragon, stir-fry

  As the Chinese New Year of the Dragon 4710 began with festivities during the New Moon/No Moon Jan. 23, I felt justified in enjoying my pre-lit living room feature, formerly known as the Christmas tree. By moving all the Asian decorations to the forefront, and removing the snow men, the tree did double duty again this year. I was reluctant to move it from its place of prominence until I had company over to enjoy it with me.

  We also enjoyed a lightened up version of a stir fried meal, atop or aside brown rice cooked in chicken broth, with chopped green onion tips and low sodium soy sauce stirred into it just before serving. Almond flavored custard topped with mandarin oranges finished off the meal.

  The age old tradition of having all the ingredients chopped and ready at hand made the meal an easy last minute opportunity for us to interact together in the kitchen. It also afforded us an opportunity to step outside afterwards and view the parade of Venus, the waxing moon, followed by Jupiter, and assorted

• Culinary Corner: What to do with all those wonderful farmers market veggies

  Culinary Corner: What to do with all those wonderful farmers market veggies

  I have some ideas to share with you because it is Lent, and because of the current trend to substitute healthful vegetarian ingredients in rich traditional dishes. Shopping at the farmers market provides such a bounty of wonderful fresh produce that it easy to find favorites as well as some unique new items to try. I love veggies anyway, so as I wandered forth with one arm full of fragrant thornless scarlet roses, I scooped up what our local farmers had to offer.

  Top of the list: beets, asparagus, squash, avocados, pistachios, sweet potatoes and a huge stalk loaded with Brussels sprouts still attached. Avocados have always been a staple at our house, and there is always at least one ready to use after ripening in its paper bag. (As a reward it is gratifying that one can have a serving of 49 pistachios with all the nutrients; I used to think it was 15, but that is 15 M&Ms with no nutrients, unless the dark chocolate counts.)

  I set the oven on 375 degrees to roast my vegetables, having decided that the

• Habaneros in Paso Robles offers authentic flavors from across Mexico

  Habaneros in Paso Robles offers authentic flavors from across Mexico

  Varieties of chili peppers are just as diverse as Mexican cuisine, so get ready to explore a spice rack of flavors at Habaneros.

  After more than a decade of working together in Cambria, Gabriel and Adriana Chavez realized their dream and opened their small Paso Robles restaurant in May 2011. With just a handful of tables inside and only a couple outside, you can’t help but feel at home here, especially given Adriana’s warm welcome and her extra touch of putting fresh flowers on every table.

  Gabriel handles the kitchen side of things and says that his own love of fiery food prompted the Habaneros name, a nod to that particular pepper, which packs piping hot piquancy.