SanLuisObispo.com: Food

Gift ideas for mom who like to - or have to - cook

Wed, 06 May 2009 12:16 PDT

By Janet K. Keeler -- The best and worst gift I ever gave my mom on Mother�s Day was a hamburger patty press.

It was a lousy present for mostly obvious reasons, not the least of which was we almost never had hamburgers. I was about 10 and bought it with my own money.

Over the years, it has taken on the sheen of a prized possession. It is legend in the family for quirkiness - its and mine. Mom still has the 40-year-old patty press in a kitchen drawer.

Serve mom breakfast in bed this weekend

Wed, 06 May 2009 10:34 PDT

By Laura Reiley -- In the introduction to her book Breakfast in Bed, author Jesse Ziff Cool catalogs all the people with whom she advises sharing the gift of breakfast in bed: �With a sweetheart who needs to feel your love in a new way, with a spouse who needs strength to face a tough day, with a sick child who needs a little extra TLC, with an aging parent who needs to be reminded of her importance.�

We would add, with Mom on Mother�s Day.

When you broach the subject of breakfast in bed with just about anyone, folks are wont to sigh and get a little moony-eyed recalling the early morning nourishment they�ve enjoyed while prone. It�s a kindness as rare as hen�s teeth.

Cooking in a cast iron pan

Wed, 06 May 2009 10:45 PDT

By Sharon Thompson -- In better economic times, cooks are eager to try the latest cookware. Brushed stainless steel, triple-ply stainless, enameled cast iron or enamel on steel are what gourmet cooks covet � even though some are costlier than a new range top.

But if you have an old cast-iron skillet in your cabinet, it�s more valuable than you might think.

If it�s a skillet or kettle inherited from a relative, chances are it�s as smooth as a silk shirt and cooks better than a $200 stainless pan. It might even be worth $200 itself.

The First Garden�s First Supper

Wed, 06 May 2009 10:31 PDT

By Jane Black -- The first produce from the White House kitchen garden has moved from farm to fork.

Under the hot sun on April 27, the kitchen staff harvested the first vegetables, including oak leaf lettuce, red romaine, speckled lettuce, fennel and rhubarb. The lettuces and fennel appeared that evening on the menu for President Obama and his economic advisers and were billed as "White House kitchen garden salad with spiced Marcona almonds and lemon tarragon vinaigrette."

Garden thyme was to garnish the fish special the next day in the Navy Mess, the West Wing cafeteria for administration staff. The three lettuces were to be used in salads on Friday. And the rhubarb? The White House is donating it to the charity Miriam�s Kitchen, which will use it to make strawberry-rhubarb sauce for the mini cheesecakes it is serving at its annual gala, 100 Bowls of Compassion, on May 14.

Recipe: Smoked Salmon, Avocado and Mango Sandwich

Wed, 06 May 2009 10:37 PDT

Smoked Salmon, Avocado and Mango Sandwich

1 serving

The genius in this sandwich is the addition of tangy unripe (green) mango, which is used here as a vegetable garnish. Pick a mango that is quite firm so you can easily cut it into thin matchsticks.

MAKE AHEAD: Any leftover mango julienne can be refrigerated in an airtight container for several weeks. If the sandwich is made a few hours in advance, you might want to drizzle a little lime juice or olive oil on the avocado to keep it from discoloring.

Flour Girl: Waiter, There�s Avocado in My Cupcake

Wed, 06 May 2009 10:40 PDT

By Leigh Lambert -- Bananas and avocados suffer the same fate on my kitchen counter: Seemingly overnight, they go from impossibly unripe to the brink of rotten. The frugality that prompted me to buy in bulk turns to panic as I figure ways to use the ingredients quickly.

Most people would make guacamole and call it a day. But my thoughts turn to baking (no surprise there; I was once a pastry chef in Colorado).

I�ve unintentionally gathered quite a few avocado desserts � the fruit offers creamy fat. If you are new to vegan baking, I recommend this recipe as a place to start.

Azores-style ribs start with roasted red peppers and olive oil

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:27 PDT

By Consuelo Macedo -- Is it camping if there�s a microwave?

We just returned from a sojourn to the mighty Kings Canyon National Park, staying in our 18-foot trailer, fully equipped with a propane fridge, stove and water heater for the tiny shower. If we�d found an electric hook-up, we could have used the microwave.

It struck me as humorous, after all our Girl and Boy Scout troop camping and backpacking and the years we took our kids in successively larger campers on our pick-ups. Our dads had stimulated a love of outdoor life, each having provided us with a compact teardrop trailer for convenience in the 1940s. So, it was poetic justice when the propane tank failed, and we returned to cooking over a wood fire.

Warm weather brings Fourth fruit salad

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 06:49 PDT

By Consuelo Macedo -- As local forecasters were predicting a coastal heat wave, I made a foray into the Central Valley, where it was really hot. Thank heaven for the perfect climate to bring crops there into fruition! And thank the Lord for field workers willing and able to work in the heat to bring the crops into your favorite local and farmers markets.

Stone fruits and melons, nuts, fresh grapes and raisins, and all the tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic to add to local avocados for your tasty salsa have been historically nurtured in the rich alluvial soil and water washed in from the Sierra via the mighty Kings and San Joaquin Rivers. And so the historic link between the Central Valley and Central Coast continues to be forged.

Just in time for your Fourth of July picnics, you can pick up huge nominally priced and certainly luscious cantaloupes and watermelons. I always look forward to the gigantic Royal Blenheim apricots, making sure to freeze some for winter, after sprinkling them with a little sugar and Fruit Fresh. White peaches and nectarines form the base for a wonderful Fourth of July compote combined with our coastal raspberries and blueberries, as is or dressed with a little vanilla yogurt.

Spice up barbecue meat with tasty Portuguese marinade

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:06 PDT

By Consuelo Macedo -- It must be getting closer to the summer solstice (June 21), because more folks are sporting their shades � wearing sunglasses, that is. I know, because some have left them behind on the counter at the post office and, more alarming, are leaving their keys there, too.

I can�t imagine getting to the car, noting the missing keys necessary to drive off are not in hand, and not backtracking to locate them. And what does one do upon arriving at a locked house?

One such cluster in the post office�s lost and found box is attached to a long lanyard meant to be worn around the neck. Get that: meant to be worn around the neck!

Fresh from Geneva, via Santa Monica: porcini polenta

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 07:40 PDT

Keep up the good work - we've received another recipe contribution, making this column a true "readers exchange," a goal we established seven years ago!

John Musante of Santa Monica read our article about the Santa Rosa Chapel polenta dinner in The Sun Bulletin and was moved to send a donation for the new roof.

To my delight, he also sent directions for his favorite polenta variation, using a "surfritto" of wild porcini mushrooms in a "normal" pasta sauce, which we are happy to share here:

No argument here: Rhubarb Crisp worth leaving the light on

Wed, 23 May 2007 09:35 PDT

By Consuleo Macedo -- We have returned from a memorable experience of seven days in Lourdes, France, with the Catholic Order of Malta, which I found too spiritually profound to relate in this column. However, when we rode through the nearby valley up to the village of Sainte Savin, I was reminded of our upcoming Memorial Day observances by the vision of crimson red poppies studding the emerald ranges, reminiscent of Flanders Fields in World War I.

Then I was astonished to see a large patch of globular California golden poppies. I wondered if they are considered an invasive plant in that area. I can say I was impressed by the delicious French cuisine and service at our hotel, including the sumptuous �potage� (soups) personally ladled-up tableside from large tureens carried by the waitpersons. I must add that the preparation of vegetables for us did not measure up to the quality of varied entrees and bread. In a word: overcooked.

Our first stop back home was at the Cambria Farmers Market for early season asparagus, yellow squash, avocados, cherimoya (custard apples), cherries, strawberries, and some luscious Royal Blenheim apricots brought in from Fresno. In a word: scrumptious.

Local Flavors: Nick Ranch raises grass-fed beef close to home

Wed, 09 May 2007 15:32 PDT

By Katy Budge -- Traditions meet up with trends when it comes to Nick Ranch Gourmet Grass-Fed Beef. The certified organic steaks, roasts, briskets, ground beef and sausages from this label come from a picturesque ranch in the Pozo hills that has been home to the Nick family for six generations.

The Nicks established their Santa Margarita ranch in 1918, noted Juanell Nick Hepburn, part of the family�s fourth generation of ranchers. In recent decades, the family became well known for raising purebred Brangus cattle for breeding and auction, but about seven years ago, Hepburn�s father, Fred Nick, jumped out ahead of the curve and began marketing their grass-fed and grass-finished organic beef directly to consumers.

�He was really one of the first to do that,� said Hepburn, �and really for us it was pretty easy; our cattle have always been only grass-fed and we�ve never used any growth hormones or steroids. Essentially we�re ranching the way our grandparents were ranching,� though she added that over the years, her father has definitely taken things to the next level by using rotational grazing, learning plant and soil analysis, augmenting the native feed by planting other grasses such as clover, and reintroducing an old-style line of Angus genetics to the herd. Organic certification was also important to the family (Hepburn even helped nudge a local processing facility to that designation), but the Nicks are also passionate about educating consumers to the many other health benefits of grass-fed and grass-finished beef

All the flavor of pizza with little of the guilt

Wed, 02 May 2007 08:34 PDT

By Consuelo Macedo -- When my granddaughters first caught sight of the pre-lit evergreen in the living room, they paraphrased Goldilocks, saying "Why Grandmother, what a big Christmas tree you've got!" Even though it was but two days until Easter, it took some explaining that the decorations actually reflected the Vernal Equinox, Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, and holidays yet to come.

Yoshiko Maeda, visiting from Japan, recognized it right away, and (even with limited English) identified it as a "season tree." The girls pitched right in and bedecked it with our heritage collection of Easter eggs and d�cor and totally got into the spirit.

Now it is in the last phase, and after Cinco de Mayo I will remove the chili pepper ornaments and lights, and relegate it to storage until December.

Consuelo Macedo of Cambria shares chili cooking info

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:00 PDT

Judge's verdict: Chile con carne pros' pros and cons

This issue of the Culinary Corner marks our seventh anniversary, and again I am writing about the Cambria Chili Cook-Off, which will be Saturday, April 21. The first time I was an observer and "sampler" like everyone else, and it looked like so much fun that the following year I was a contestant, sponsored by The Cambrian.

The competition wasn't so formidable because it was so friendly. It was a lot of work, preparing my family's delicious recipe from scratch, and I wasn't in for the win so much but to be "up close and personal" with the other competitors. And I got a nice T-shirt, which is the envy of my kids.