It's the 60th annual Armenian food festival this year. Sixty years! St. James Armenian Church sponsors this annual event featuring traditional food, folk dancing, and crafts. Some of the specialties will include lamb kebabs, dolma (stuffed grape leaves), pilaf (rice), lamajoon (Armenian pizza), and baklava. You can be sure that there will be some grilled meats, breads, and a variety of fruit and vegetable dishes. Armenian food has some similarities to Greek and Indian cuisines (such as the cheese called paneer), but it is more like the foods of the countries that surround it: Georgia, Turkey, and Iran.

Learn more about this flavorful culture at the festival:
Saturday October 7, 11:30 to 10 p.m.
Greek Hall, 614 Alhambra Boulevard (at F)
$5 admission; $3 after 5

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

What: Chanh Muoi, or salty lemonade

Where: Pho Bac Hoa Viet restaurant, 1827 Broadway in Sacramento and 305 1st Street in Davis

Why: If you like the interplay of salty and sweet, you have to try this drink. Made with lemons soaked in salty water (preserved lemons), it is especially refreshing with fried food. I got addicted to it during the incredible heat wave here, but it's great any time of year. Like fresh-squeezed lemonade, with salt added to downplay the sweetness.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than tasting a flight of wines and eating? If you were in the Bay Area, there are hundreds of places where this could be accomplished. But in the capital city, the choices are not so wide. Fortunately, Selland's Market in East Sac has got the perfect set-up.

Now, I'm sort of embarrassed to say that I had never been to Selland's before last week (in 4 years of living here). I guess that's what happens when you don't venture out to the far reaches of H Street often. I mean, I DO live near a very nice market (Taylor's), and I don't attend Sac State, so I didn't have a lot of cause to head out that way. Nevertheless, I found myself there and luckily so.

Selland's is definitely a "market" and not a grocery store. They don't have all the basics like milk and eggs, but a wonderfully edited selection of high-quality condiments, snacks, and wines. Plus hot prepared food, appetizers, and baked goods. There are several lovely bistro tables inside and a few outside on the patio or under the misters. Selland's seems like much more of a sit and visit with the neighbors kind of market than a pop in and go home place.

So on Saturday, a friend and I dropped by for a visit after looking at her new East Sac rental. We each ordered a flight of wines (there are 3 flights currently offered). I chose the White Flight (5 wines for $11.50) and she chose the Red/White Flight ($13). There was also a Red Flight for $14. The wines came in a neat wooden holder that nestled 5 shot glass-sized glasses (I'd guess about 2 ounces each). Then you got a wine glass in which to pour your tastes and they offered take-away listings of the wines and a grading sheet (for those wine geeks).

We also ordered some snacks and grabbed a bag of the Selland's Cranberry-Pepper crackers with sea salt. Ensconced at a window-side table, we happily sipped and tasted while customers came in and grabbed hot food for dinner or pizza and a bottle of wine to eat in-house.

My wines were mostly Californian, with an Alsatian Pinot Blanc added in. My friend's were all CA wines. We're both big fans of wine, but would never call ourselves that knowledgeable. But we both loved the 2005 Rock Rabbit Sauvignon and 2005 L'Hiver Syrah from Mendocino. Looking at the eclectic and interesting wine section later, both bottles were relatively inexpensive and worth having again. You can also just buy a single glass of any of the tasting wines as well.

We had a pretty eclectic food selection too:

• Warm carnitas, which were spicy, moist, and delicious; I took leftovers home and ate them in a soft taco with beans.
  
• 1 1/2-inch warm crab cakes, with lots of shredded meat and a bit of spice, served with a delcious red pepper aioli
  
• marinated mixed olives with garlic, orange and lime zest, and crunchy beans (ceci?), which had lots of flavor, althought the beans were a bit too crunchy
  
• thin slices of seared ahi tuna, coated in sesame seeds and green onions, which was tender and delicious
  
• those aforementioned cranberry-pepper crackers, which were addictive and really nice with the sweet-sour-salty combination. These should be tried again with a good Brie.
  
• an oatmeal-walnut cookie, with great crunch from the toasted walnuts and a nice chewy/crunchy texture
  
• a berry croustade, which was a 4-inch tartlet with a blackberry (?) filling. As a trained pastry chef, I'm a very difficult customer to please with commercial pie dough. But I thought this pastry was fantastic--tender, flaky, and just salty enough to balance the sweet berries. A revelation in pie crust!
  

So hightail it to Selland's and have a sip and a snack. I'll be the one drooling over the pastries.

5340 H Street, Sacramento; 916-736-3333; www.sellands.com

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a new feature in which we'll give you short recommendations for great things in the capital area that you should really taste. They might be single menu items from a restaurant, types of produce from the farmer's market, or delicious finds from grocery stores. We'd love to get your feedback and recommendations for your own must-taste items.

What: Pimenton de la Vera, smoked Spanish (not Hungarian) paprika. Available in sweet, hot, and bitter.

Where: Corti Brothers, Folsom Boulevard

Why: The smoky flavor of this paprika adds a really distinctive level of flavor to any dish. I like to use it in vegetarian chilis and soups, to add a "meaty" flavor without meat. It also makes the best chicken paprikash could you wish for, and is a good secret ingredient in sauces and meatloaf.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Monday, October 9, Corti Brothers is sponsoring a single-malt scotch tasting at Spataro Restaurant (1415 L St.). If you're a fan of scotch or want to learn more about this fascinating drink, you should belly up to the bar. The admission fee is $60 and you'll get 15% off any purchase. Some of the scotches to be sampled include:

• Rosebank 14-year Lowland
  
• Edradour 10-year Highland
  
• Un-Chillfiltered Macallan 14-year Speyside
  
• Clynelish Cask Strength 15-year Speyside
  
• Laphroaig Cask Strength 13-year Islay
  

The special guest is Ed Kohl, who represents signatory single-malt scotches. He will talk about each of the offerings.

Space is limited; registration is required. Call 916-736-3800 for information and reservations. October 9; 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last Shameless plug of the day...
Hoes Down Harvest Festival
Don't miss the 19th annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 7! This all-day celebration of the harvest season offers a unique opportunity to enjoy rural life on an organic family farm with educational tours, workshops, hayrides and an abundance of food and music. The Hoes Down has been featured in National Geographic magazine and its Children’s Area had been described as “the best in the state.” There’s something for everyone in the family at the Hoes Down. Kids have their own area with arts and crafts, nature walks, storytelling, games, a petting zoo, hay rides, and terrific contests! Other all ages activities include hands-on workshops, craft booths, farmers’ market, farm tours, dancing, and much more. The celebration continues on Sunday with hands on activities, farm tours, and other activities on farms throughout the Capay Valley.
Pre-registration is required for Sunday events.
More information is available at http://www.hoesdown.org See you there!

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I am on a shamless plug... blog session here today of some great fall events that I think every family should check out. First is the...
Taste of Capay
Benefit Dinner & Auction for Capay Valley Vision
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Noon - 4:00 p.m.
At Taber Ranch Event Center
This year will be the 3rd Annual Taste of Capay Benefit Dinner and Auction for Capay Valley Vision. This year we will feature regional chefs using their culinary skills on Capay Valley Grown products. Featured chef, Patrick Mulvaney of Mulvaney’s Building and Loan will bring his art to your palates along with chefs Phillip Wang, John Oldham and Kira O’Donnell. With the pairings of the award winning wines from Capay Valley Vineyards and live music this event will be lively for all. Finally a live and silent auction, conducted by Yolo County Supervisor, Mike McGowan, will highlight unique art, adventures, and agricultural products of the Capay Valley. This will truly be a celebration of the tastes, sights and beauty of the Capay Valley.
Other event features include sponsor recognition by our Yolo County Supervisor, Duane Chamberlain; the music of the Putah Creek Muckrackers and carriage wagon rides courtesy of Three Feathers Ranch. For more information contact Sue Heitman or Chelsea Becker (530) 787-3353 or at http://www.capayvalleyvision.org

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 4:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I would hope that all of you are Slow Food members. If not you really should check out the organization to learn more about their causes http://www.slowfood.com/but briefly, the founder of the Slow Food Movement, Carlo Petrini, recognized in 1986 that the industrialization of food was standardizing taste and leading to the annihilation of thousands of food varieties and flavors. Concerned that the world was quickly reaching a point of no return, he wanted to reach out to consumers and demonstrate to them that they have choices over fast food and supermarket homogenization. He rallied his friends and began to speak out at every available opportunity and soon the movement was born and Slow Food was created. Today the organization is active in 50 countries and has a worldwide membership of over 80,000.

People have responded to the growing movement, because they have become tired of buying the same things, eating the same foods and living the same lives. With these interests in mind, our mission is to create a robust, active movement that protects taste, culture and the environment as universal social values. Slow Food programs are dedicated to the mingling of taste, culture and the environment.
The network of Slow Food members is organized into local groups—Condotte in Italy and Convivia elsewhere in the world—which, coordinated by leaders, periodically organize courses, tastings, dinners and food and wine tourism, as well as promoting campaigns launched by the international association at a local level. We are fortunate enough to have three local convivia here in our area; Sacramento Slow Food, Yolo Slow Food and Placer County Slow Food. For more information on up coming events in your county please visit these websites or email the director of your local convivia (information provided below). Most events welcome non-slow food members so I encourage you to check out an event and see if it is something that you are interested in becoming a part of.

Slow Food Yolo County
http://www.slowfoodyolo.com

Slow Food Placer County
Director: Christina Abuelo
foodfriendsfun@yahoo.com

Slow Food Sacramento County
Director: Kira Odonnell
kiraodonnell@yahoo.com

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Oven-dried tomato tart, fresh salmon with Israeli couscous, and roasted local peaches with ginger biscuits. Sounds like a high-end restaurant, doesn't it? Well, the Oak Café at the American River College (ARC) is exactly that. It's a tiny little surprise in the midst of the busy campus just off College Oak Drive, near Auburn Boulevard.

As part of the ARC culinary arts program, all of the servers and chefs are students at ARC. They rotate through each of the front- and back-of-house positions to learn about working in a restaurant. The café is only open for lunch on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays for lunch, but it's an incredibly good deal: $14 for three courses!

The fixed themed menu changes every week to offer the students an opportunity to learn new cooking skills--steaming, broiling, poaching, etc. All of the sides and accompaniments are composed of the freshest produce from West Sacramento's Del Rio Botanicals organic farm.

I had the good luck to lunch with one of the chef-instructors, Teresa Urkofsky-Collins, at one of the patio tables just outside the café. It was a bit loud from the construction of the new theater and performing arts building, but the cold lemonade was plentiful and the food was delicious. There are several more tables inside the restaurant, in a sunny space decorated with large food-themed artwork.

We both started with the oven-dried tomato tart, made with ripe red heirloom tomatoes on a filling of creamy cheese and topped with slivered kalamata olives. It was served with a side of lightly dressed mache lettuce. We heard from one of the other diners that the peach-tomato gazpacho was delicious as well. Next, I had the poached salmon atop Israeli couscous (for those of you not familiar, it's a beebee-shaped pasta that's great as a side dish or salad). There were red and yellow cherry tomatoes, pungent basil, and baby parsnips tossed with the couscous. Juicy orange segments and a light "citronette" dressing finished off the simple but colorful dish. The fish was moist and beautifully complemented by the tangy orange. Teresa had the tender mashed potato ravioli, topped with a mixture of chopped and sliced heirloom tomatoes in several colors. The ravioli dough featured fresh herbs rolled into it, making a beautiful presentation. To sum up this feast, I tried the oven-roasted peach slices layered on a tender, flaky ginger-infused biscuit with freshly whipped cream. The peaches were slightly firm but extremely flavorful. Teresa had a paper-thin cookie cup filled with a trio of melon sorbets. They needed just a bit more simple syrup to bring out their natural flavors, but the colors were striking. Oh--and there was freshly-baked artisan-style bread to go with the meal as well.

To find out more about the Oak Café and the weekly menus, visit their site. Upcoming themes include Teresa Urkofsky-Collins' Somewhat Southern Lunch and Bill Scott and Susanna Foo's New Chinese Lunch. I'm personally looking forward to the New Mexican lunch during the week of October 11 to 13. Make your reservations now! They fill up quickly.

4700 College Oak Blvd., Sacramento, Room 506; Parking is available in Lot D for $1. Lunch is served Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with several seatings. (916) 484-8526

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Probably one of the niftiest little groceries I’ve ever visited (believe me, I’ve seen and shopped at quite a few) is the newly-opened Lincoln Produce Market. I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with Randy Kliewer, Chef/co-owner, on a recent visit and I was wildly impressed with the quality and size of their unique inventory, and the terrific selection of fresh salads, soups and sandwiches made from scratch.

As the name suggests, one entire row of the market is produce–some locally grown, some organic, all exquisite. We admired gorgeous red yams, red endive, Hoshigaki Japanese hand-dried persimmons, and housemade sauces including chipotle remoulade, salsa picante, creamy herb dressing, cilantro and lime dressing, blue cheese dressing and hummus. I found fingerling potatoes and spring greens mix from Riverdog Farms in the Capay Valley, as well as Placer-grown organic wheatgrass, sunflower greens, and pea shoots. I was delighted to see chocolate-dipped strawberries and Abuelita’s fresh tortillas mixed in with the produce–-nice, thoughtful touches like this abound throughout the store.

Known for my obsession with cheese counters, I found myself unable to budge from the market’s spectacular selection of hard-to-find cheeses such as Three Sisters Serenita and Peluso’s Tomales Bay Teleme. There are goat cheeses, Rouge et Noir brie from Marin County, and Istara sheep cheese from the Pyrenees. Leaving the cheese was difficult, but happily I landed at the deli counter, where I drooled over salads of golden beets, zucchini with feta and dill, green beans with ricotta, sweet potatoes with arugula, and grilled artichoke hearts. Soups that day were Roast Winter Squash with sage and parmesan, Clam Chowder with heavenly Hobbs bacon, and White Bean and Tomato.

The deli makes both cold and hot sandwiches, including a pastrami Reuben on rye and a Dungeness crab quesadilla. There were four kinds of panini available when we visited–-the Portobello mushroom with goat cheese and roast peppers sounded fabulous, but I determined that turkey pastrami with smoked gouda and Mendocino mustard would have to come home with me. Opposite the deli is a terrific wine department with fun, interesting wines that offer good values. Lincoln Produce Market stocks and supports local wineries such as Vina Castellano, Green Family, Ophir and Hyatt-Baumbach.

Grocery shelves are packed with copious amounts of gourmet goodies, including local favorites such as Snow’s Citrus Court citrus garlic pepper oil and Mandarin orange syrup from Newcastle; California Olive Ranch olive oils; and Earth & Vine’s fantastic jams and sauces. There are fresh baked bread from the Village Bakery in Davis and heavenly home-made desserts, such as strawberry shortcake, apple cobbler, bread pudding with plum sauce and triple chocolate brownies–-yikes. There are monthly wine tastings and catering for any and all affairs, including parties, weddings, showers, etc. Menus are seasonal, and you can dine outdoors on the premises. They also stock a fantastic selection of specialty beers and sodas to enjoy with your favorite deli selections. If you’re looking for a great gift, their gift baskets are works of art. Either they can put one together for you, or you can individualize a basket.

Lincoln Produce Market 415 “A” Street, Suite 100 Lincoln, CA 95648 Tel.: (916) 645-3322 www.lincolnproduce.com

Posted by Jennifer Cliff at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

For the last two days of the state fair, I cooked with pears in the California Foodstyle building. If you saw the show, these are the recipes:

Pear-Blue Cheese Pizza
Fruit Crisp
Cheesy Pear Quiche
Mache, Pear, and Avocado Salad

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hands off: 35 minutes

You can’t get much faster than this versatile crisp. Practically any fruit works well in this—fresh or frozen. I like to use pears, apricots, or mixed berries. If you do use berries, though, substitute white sugar for the brown in the filling.

Serves 4 to 6

5 cups fresh or frozen fruit (about 2 pounds), halved or sliced if large
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Crisp Topping
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup unsalted nuts
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, sugar, flour, and cinnamon until the fruit is well coated. Pour it into a 9-inch pie plate or casserole.
3. In a food processor, combine the oatmeal, nuts, sugar, butter, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse just until the butter is pea sized. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit.
4. Bake until the crisp is bubbling and the topping is brown, about 35 minutes.

   Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 2:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hands off: 30 minutes

I love to eat soufflés, and one of my favorite recipes is in the classic cookbook The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen. However, soufflés are not exactly Hands Off, so I developed this quiche version. You can certainly make your own crust, but the frozen deep-dish crusts in most grocery stores work very well for this. I’ve also made the recipe with soy milk before and it was just as good. Note that there is a waiting time at the end of cooking for the custard to firm up before you can cut it.

Serves 4 to 6

1 pear
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup packed shredded fontina or Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
One 9-inch deep-dish pie crust, frozen

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
   
2. On a grater with large holes, grate the pear, skin and all, stopping short of the core on each side.
   
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the pear and the Fontina cheese. Pour the mixture into the crust and top it with the Parmesan cheese.
   
4. Bake the quiche for 30 minutes, or until it is puffed and golden. The center will still be a little wobbly, which is okay. Remove the quiche to a cooling rack or trivet and let it sit for 30 minutes before you cut it. Serve it warm or refrigerate it and eat it cold for a refreshing lunch or breakfast treat!
   

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hands off: 10 minutes

Pears and blue cheese are a natural flavor combination, complemented here by toasted walnuts and—the surprise ingredient—honey. This is not a dessert pizza, but a wonderful change of pace from the usual tomato sauce version. Use unbaked pizza dough available in many grocery stores or buy it from your favorite pizza place. You can also use a prebaked pizza shell to cut the prep time even further.
Serves 4

1 pound unbaked pizza dough or a large prebaked shell
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 medium pear, very thinly sliced
1/3 cup thinly sliced sweet onion, like Walla Walla or Vidalia
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons fresh
1/4 cup walnut pieces
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
Honey

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Insert a baking stone if you have one, or prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment.

2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 12- to 14-inch circle. Transfer it to the baking sheet or a pizza peel scattered with cornmeal. Top it evenly with the mozzarella, then the pear, onion, thyme, walnuts, and blue cheese.

3. Put the baking sheet in the oven or transfer the pizza to the baking stone and bake it for 10 minutes, until the edges and bottom are browned and the cheese is melted. Drizzle the surface lightly with honey, cut the pizza into slices, and serve immediately.
   

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)