Join us at Temecula Olive Oil, Seal Beach for a tasty cooking demo!
July 13 & 27
6:30 – 8:30 p.m., approximately
By reservation only, see below
Sweet Corn and Balsamic Tomato Salad
Creamy Beef Stroganoff with Morel Mushrooms & Crème Frâiche
Green Beans with Bacon & Caramelized Shallots
Stone Fruit Cobbler
For reservations call
Temecula Olive Oil
(562) 296-5421
Sponsored by
I first tasted these at The Santa Monica Farmers Market about 15 years ago when The Two Hot Tamale girls were doing a demo for their restaurant, Border Grill (now closed, sadly). It’s a perfect little snack for an early summer day, zucchini plants are going wild with flowers and are daring to be picked & stuffed. Make sure you pick all male blossoms rather than female blossoms or you won’t have any fruit. To tell the difference look at the bottom of the flower, you’ll see a round little nub or small zucchini attached, this is a female blossom….move on. The male blossoms are attached just by them stem with no nub at the bottom, you’ll be able to tell. Open the flowers gently as there may be a bee inside collecting pollen, he will fly away when you open the petals, be gentle. If you want to wash them use cool water and dry well but do this just before you’re ready to prepare the dish. Or you can buy them at your local farmers market, the blossoms are delicate and will last no more than a day so pick right before you’re going to make the quesadillas.
Mix together all ingredients together seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
Heat a grill pan or griddle, add 1 Tb. butter. Add a tortilla and cook it on one side until it puffs (about 30 seconds).
Flip tortilla over and sprinkle over entire surface 1/4 cup of squash blossom filling.
Top with another tortilla, and after cheese has melted and the two tortillas stick together (a couple of minutes), flip quesadilla and cook for a couple of minutes more.
Repeat for the remainder of the filling and tortillas.
For the Tomatillo Salsa
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse to combine. Blend on low speed until a coarse puree is formed.
Pour into a bowl, taste and add more salt or lime if desired. Salsa can be thinned with a bit of water if desired.
I love sweet California asparagus, especially the small early stalks simply sautéed in butter and seasoned with a little lemon zest, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. But for serving to guests I also enjoy this quick and easy gratin, it pairs well with Lemon Roasted Chicken and a cold glass of Viognier.
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler.
Prepare an ice bath (cold water and ice) large enough to hold the asparagus.
Cut ends off the asparagus and set aside.
Fill a large skillet ¾ full of hot water, bring to a boil. Add asparagus and a heaping tablespoon of salt. Cook for about 2-4 minutes or until lightly cooked. Immediately plunge asparagus into ice bath to stop the cooking.
Melt butter in now empty skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, 3-5 minutes., whisk in ½ cup Parmesan and Monterey jack until smooth, season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minuets.
Place asparagus into an oven proof serving dish and drizzle sauce over center of asparagus and top with remaining Parmesan. Broil until cheese is golden and asparagus is tender, 4-8 minutes. Serve.
Photo: LA Times
Seal Beach Store Cooking Demo
April 20th & May 4th
6:30 – 8:30, approximately
Menu
Rick Bayless Slow Cooker Carnitas
Roasted Tomatillo (Carnitas) Enchilada’s With Mexican Crema and Monterey Jack Cheese
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Refried (Heirloom) Black Beans
Corn, Cherry Tomato Salad with Hatch Chili Vinaigrette
Hatch Chili Chewy Brownies
For reservations call
Temecula Olive Oil
(562) 296-5421
Sponsored by
Cut up all your veggies into what ever shape you like, making sure they fit into the jar that you will pickle them in.
In a medium sized saucepan add vinegar, sugar, lemon peel and salt; bring to a slow boil, whisk until all the sugar is dissolved,
Wash a quart canning jar and fill with hot water. Let stand while you are bringing the brine to a boil.
Once the sugar has dissolved in the brine, pour the water out of the jar and fill with veggies. Pour the brine over them, let cool, then cap and refrigerate.
Hot August Menu!
Thursday, 6:30 – 8:30
August 11th & 25th
Temecula Olive Oil Tasting Room
Seal Beach
Call Now for reservations
562-296-5421
Sponsored by
I love pizza on the grill! The first time I cooked pizza on the grill I was worried the dough would slip through the grates but it doesn’t! The grill is a perfect tool for a backyard dinner, the house stays nice and cool and you can relax with a cold drink while your pizza cooks. First you have to heat your grill to it’s hottest! Pizza likes a good 500° – 600° oven to produce a great crust.
Buy or make your crust in the morning so it’s ready to go when you are. Prep your ingredients ahead of time. Grate or slice the cheese, pepperoni or salami, slice the mushrooms (store in a small bowl with a slightly damp paper towel over them), cut or tear your herbs such as basil, thyme and/or make a pesto for your pizza. Be creative and be organized.
Once your grill is at its hottest, roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface (or if you’re into hands on-flour your hands and stretch the dough out into any shape you like). Put your dough on a pizza peel that has been lightly dusted with flour or cornmeal, make sure the dough slides around on the peel so that when you put it on the grill it will slide off easily.
Brush your grill with oil and slide the dough onto that spot. Turn down the burners if you’re using a gas grill.* Grill for 2-3 minutes or until lightly charred. Turn your pizza over, brush the cooked side with a little olive oil if you like, add your sauce and any of the toppings you’ve chosen. Close the grill lid and let the pizza cook until the bottom is nicely charred and your toppings have melted and cooked. Remove from the grill with the pizza peel, let sit for a minute or two before slicing. Enjoy with a cold beer and tossed salad! That’s how to beat the heat at my house. Have a great summer!
*If using a grill with charcoal or wood you’ll want to make a direct heat side and an indirect heat side. You’ll be cooking the pizza on the indirect side.
Here’s the recipe
This is Jim Lahey’s no knead recipe for pizza dough, it’s easy and so much better than store bough pizza dough. The hardest part is to remember to make it ahead of time. You can store the dough up to 3 days in the refrigerator so it’s easy to plan ahead. This recipe makes 4 balls of dough (4 pizza’s). Jim likes to weigh all the ingredients and in reality you do get a much better and more consistent product but if you insist on measuring, I’ve included his instructions for that also.
In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and, with a wooden spoon or your hands, mix thoroughly.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow it to rise at room temperature for 18 hours or until more than doubled. It will take longer in a cook room and less time in a warm one.
Flour a work surface and scrape the dough out of the bowl, divide into 4 equal parts and shape them.
For each portion, start with the right side of the dough and pull it toward the center, then do the same with the left, then the top, then the bottom. (The order doesn't actually matter; what you want is four folds.) Shape each portion into a round and turn seam side down. Mold the dough into a neat circular mound. The mounds should not be sticky; if they are, dust with more flour.
If you don't intend to use the dough right away, wrap the balls individually in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Return to room temperature by leaving them out on the counter, covered in a damp cloth, for 2 to 3 hours before needed.
There is nothing like summers sweet corn on the cob. The tables at the farmers market this weekend were loaded with all kinds of corn and great prices make you want to stock up but corns sweetness will turn to starch the longer it’s stored. There’s an old saying that you should start the water boiling for the corn before you pick it. But if you don’t have a corn field in your back yard here are a couple of tips to help maintain that sweetness.
One, don’t peel and husk your corn, leave it in its little corn jacket and store in the refrigerator. This won’t maintain it’s sweetness long but it will stay sweet for about a day.
Two, peel and husk your corn, freeze separately and when frozen wrap in plastic and pop into a freezer bag. Use within a few weeks for best results.
Three, (this is my favorite), peel a few leaves off the outer ear but leave the husk and some leaves still attached. Chop off the very top and the bottom. Here’s another tip for you-usually corn worms are only found in the top of the ear, just lop that part off, the corn is still good to eat and it means that the farmer didn’t dust the corn with insecticide (a good thing). Put the corn into the microwave and cook for 5 minutes, remove carefully it will be hot. Place in a colander in the sink and run some cool water over it. After it cools, refrigerate and it will hold it’s sweetness for a day or two.
Here’s one of my favorite hot weather dinner salads using sweet corn right off the cob!
Dressing
In a jar or small bowl add vinegar, shallots, Dijon mustard and parsley flakes, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. As soon as the dressing starts to thicken stop and taste the dressing, if it needs more continue to add the olive oil while whisking. Any extra dressing may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Tear the lettuce leaves into large pieces and add to a large bowl and toss with a little of the dressing. Add the corn, cucumber, tomato and shrimp and toss again with a little dressing. Lightly mix in the avocado and place into shallow bowls or large plates, sprinkle with bacon and cheese and serve extra dressing on the side.
Makes 2 entrée salads
Notes:
Pick up fresh corn from the farmers market, not the supermarket. The sugar in corn starts to turn to starch when it’s picked so by the time it gets to the supermarket much of the sweetness will be gone. When you get the corn home here’s an easy trick to help keep the sweetness in for a day or two. Remove some of the outer leaves but not all. Cut the top and bottom off the ear and microwave for 5 minutes. It will be hot when you bring it out of the microwave so run some cool water over it and set it aside to cool completely. This method is similar to blanching and shocking your vegetables. Use right away (peel the remaining leaves and silk then slice off the cob) or store in the refrigerator for a day or two.
In the hot weather buy the shrimp already cooked for an easy meal at the end of the day. If you purchase raw shrimp to cook it simply bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning and cook at a slow boil (bubbles just break the surface) until the shrimp is done, about 5 minutes. To test the shrimp simply take one out, run cool water over it, peel, devein and eat it!
Pomegranate vinegar can be ordered from Temecula Olive Oil Co.
On these dog days of summer, even here at the beach, this is one of my favorite go-to recipes. It’s quick and easy, you don’t have to turn on any heat, even to cook the pasta, and you can use bits and pieces of left overs from your refrigerator pantry.
Some of my typical summer refrigerator pantry items are, cheese, olives, tomatoes (home grown, of course), cucumbers, peppers and the like. Most often there will be some lemon chicken left over as well. All are perfect additions to this salad. First the pasta, no need to boil a big pot of water, we’ll use the microwave!
Pour your dry pasta, something curly is best to hold all the wonderful dressing in it’s little nooks, into a microwave safe bowl. Cover with cool water by 1″, make sure the container is big enough that the water and pasta won’t boil over. You’ll want to cook your pasta for about 5 minutes longer than the directions guide you on the box. Test the pasta for doneness and cook a little longer if necessary. Drain well and rinse quickly with cool water. Do not add dressing to the warm pasta as it will just soak it all up and be mushy. Stir the pasta occasionally as it cools to keep it from sticking together. You could cook the pasta ahead of time and chill it before you make the salad. If this is the case, toss the cooled pasta with a little olive oil before refrigerating. Now you’re ready to proceed with the salad.
In actuality, from this point on you could chop and dice almost anything you find in you refrigerator but here’s my stand by recipe.
For dressing, mix together vinegar, Dijon, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and whisk until it comes together. While continually whisking slowly add olive oil to taste. Set aside.
Mix together remaining ingredients and toss with dressing. Serve cold.
Champagne grapes are not the grapes that vintners make champagne with but are called such because they look like the little bubbles that float in a lovely glass of champagne.
Champagne grapes are rather a grape variety called ‘Corinth’, small, seedless little pops of pure grape juice are also used dried. As a dried grape they can be known as Zante currants or simply currants but are not true currants.
Look for dark grapes which indicates a state of ripeness and sweetness when shopping for Champagne grapes. Grapes that look wrinkled have passed their prime and won’t be as sweet. Store in the refrigerator and wash before use. Champagne grapes look elegant as a garnish to any dish and will sit perfectly well on a fruit and cheese platter but are easily versatile in cooking. Here is a wonderful recipe from our friends at Noble Pig Winery, originally adapted from Bon Appetit magazine.
Can’t find Champagne Grapes? Call click to find our friends at Melissa’s Produce and they will send some out to you right away!
Pan-Seared Scallops with Champagne Grapes and Almonds
Summer is almost here and if you can’t visit the Islands we can certainly take some of the traditional Hawaiian foods and tweak them to our recipes and summer picnics. Our next cooking class uses many of these ingredients and we show you ways to incorporate them into your backyard parties.
While we can’t host a traditional luau in the tasting room we can enjoy a luau type picnic with foods of the Islands. In ancient Hawaii men and women ate their meals separately but in 1819 King Kamehameha removed all religious laws and taboos and men and women began eating together, creating the first luau feast.
The name luau refers to a dish made with chicken wrapped in taro leaves (luau), and baked in coconut milk; it’s served with slightly salty, smoky Kalua pig (pork). Kalua means ‘the hole’ and refers to the pit (an imu oven) the pig is cooked in. Simply put, the pig is steamed over a long period of time and is similar to a smoky pulled pork dish.
We’ll be doing our Kalua pork in a pressure cooker but the flavors will be able to develop while we talk and prepare other side dishes that use traditional Hawaiian ingredients. We might even be able to talk Tammy into a little hula (we know she can)!
Join us in the Temecula Olive Oil Tasting Room, Seal Beach for our fun little Hawaiian party. Learn a little about Hawaiian tradition and a conversation about cooking with pressure cookers!
Our class goes off next week! Thursday, June 11th 6:30 p.m.Make your reservation today!
For Reservations Call (562) 296-5421
Meet my friend, Christina Peters, photographer, and experience adventure through her eyes and lens. Christina’s new website, tastyfstops.com, chronicles her adventures through food, farms, travel and more. She began her new adventure in my spring garden and through her lens and my recipes we’ll bring you through one (or more) harvests of my potager (vegetable) garden. Sign up for Christina’s newsletter and follow us through spring and summer into fall and winter. Enjoy.
It’s berry season in the garden and my blackberries and boysenberries are off to an early start. This is one of Christina’s beautiful, succulent shots and here’s a tasty little recipe to get your summer started right! Blackberry Crumb Bars
And speaking of summer, check out the new cooking classes for June, we still have a few seats for this Thursday also. Two summery classes in June, A Summer Picnic Party and an Adult 4th of July menu. We’ll be hosting one more class in July (on the 9th) then I am off for another knee surgery and won’t see you back until the end of summer! So grab a spot while you can.
Mangia!
Debbi
