If you've somehow missed the big news in the Sacramento food community, Corti Brothers grocery store has been given walking papers by their landlord. They had 60 days to vacate in order to make room for a new venture called Good Eats (the second location; the first being in the old Andiamo restaurant on Folsom near Alhambra). Well, the foodies in the area are not taking this news lying down. Two blogs have been established to post the latest news, and a petition and media event are underway.

Why the outcry? In case you're not aware, Darrell Corti, son of one of the founding brothers, is an internationally recognized wine and olive oil expert. From here in little ol' Sac. He was raised here and joined the family business as a young man. The Corti Brothers store (the last remaining of several at their apex), is a wonderland of culinary delights. Sure, you can buy produce, milk, and cereal in lots of places, but where else can you find--under one roof--things like salty licorice from Denmark, custom-made cheese and meat ravioli, unusual liqueur like Cuarente y Tres from Spain, hand-cut beef brisket, 20 or 30 different olive oils, hundreds of types of pasta, and panettone straight from Italy? Darrell sends out a newsletter that is as well researched as it is fascinating. He spotlights new products like dried shredded coconut and Japanese salt. It's an education every time you go in for provisions. And don't miss the glass-fronted bookshelves high above the bread department. They're packed full of Darrell's rare and thorough collection of culinary references. Or the fantastic deli counter, where you'll happily stand in line for a big, flavorful sandwich or freshly sliced prosciutto.

So hightail it over there and see for yourself, but make sure to sign the petition to the landlord, visit the two new blogs (Save Corti Bros and Save the Corti Bros.), and head over there next Wednesday for the media event:

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 3RD, 3:00 P.M
Press is advised to arrive no later than 2:45 P.M.
Corti Brothers – 5810 Folsom Blvd, Sacramento

“Who’s Who” of the Sacramento food community will gather, in chefs’ jackets, in support and to pledge community allegiance to Corti Brothers, the 61-year unique family business now headed by internationally known wine and food authority Darrell Corti. Corti Brothers has been given just 60 days to vacate, after 38 years at its present location, to make way for Michael Teel, grandson of Tom Raley, and his attempt to re-enter the food business with a store called “Good Eats.”

BACKGROUND: The conference participants will explain what Corti Brothers means to this community. Petitions have begun circulating in the Sacramento region (and worldwide) and already thousands are expected to sign and have been gathered asking, to commit support to Corti Brothers.
Press conference participants will include Biba Caggiano and her staff of Biba’s Restuarant; David Berkley; Rich Mahan of Waterboy Restaurant; Kurt Spataro and his chefs; Randall Selland of Ella’s Restaurant; Tamara Baker of Selland’s Market; Dani Luzzatti of Bellalu Catering; Teresa Urkofsky, college cullinary instuctor; Brenda Ruiz, Junior Chefs cooking school; Wendy Mentik, Bidwell Street Bistro; Noah Zonca of The Kitchen; Bernice Hagin and Peg Tomlinson of Sacramento Magazine’s Dining Divas… and many, many more.

Contact: Devon Ford 916-541-5619

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This is a bit late-breaking for the week, but there is some advance notice on a few of these events. We're getting into the second festival season, now that the threat of extreme heat is (mostly) over. So mark your calendars and belt sizes!

The Village Feast, TOMORROW, Saturday, August 23
Central Park, Davis, noon
This is the annual fundraising benefit for school gardens, 2nd grade farm visits, school recycling programs, and local seasonal produce in the school lunch programs for the Davis district. All participants must bring their own plates, cutlery, and napkins (cloth preferable). Wine glasses are provided. The food is always gorgeously seasonal and delicious, with a silent auction of additional items up for grabs. Call 209-319-0831 to see if there are still tickets: $70 per person or $55 per for Slow Food members.

Brewmaster Dinner, Sunday, August 24
L Wine Lounge + Urban Kitchen, 1801 L Street, Sacramento
Chuck Silva, brewmaster of Green Flash Brewing Co. will be the guest host of a 5-course meal paired with 5 of Chuck's award-winning beers. Green Flash is in San Diego county and their West Coast IPA is the 2008 Brewing News National IPA Champion. The Hop Head Red Ale is the 2008 Gold Medal American-Style beer for the World Beer Cup. See whether you agree that some people say beer goes better with food than wine! $65 per person. Call 443-6970 for reservations.

2nd Annual Suds on the Green, Saturday, September 13
William Land Golf Course, Sacramento
Suds on the Green is a unique event featuring UNLIMITED BEER TASTING of over 30 different breweries. The complete brewfest is located directly on the final hole of the National Golf League's Sacramento Team Golf Shootout. NGL golf is a roaringly fun event, with beer, live music, and everything you want from one of the newest brewfests to hit the Northern California area. Tickets are only $25 the day of the event and $20 prepay. Proceeds benefit the First Tee of Greater Sacramento. The brewfest is followed by a Free Concert featuring Aroarah.
Hotline: 916-924-EVENTS (3836); email: creativecatsevents@yahoo.com

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I got a press release from the Sac Co-op recently about an Eat Local Challenge that they're sponsoring this month. They were challenging me to belly up to local food. Easy, I thought. Who has a whole backyard of fruit trees and veggies? Who shops at the Co-op and farmer's markets and knows local pork purveyors by name? How hard could it be? Ha!

I dutifully printed out their Eat Local scorecard and list of local food products and started my personal challenge. Turns out I don't eat as locally as I thought. Hmph. Of course, this was already a bit doomed at the beginning by the fact that I hadn't gone shopping recently, in my quest to use up those bits of grains and random packages of curry mix and whatnot. And being the omnivore that I am, I seem to have a lot of non-local foodstuffs in my pantry. Oh yeah, and I shop at Trader Joe's a lot to save money, but none of their store brand items are labeled with point of origin...so it makes it a bit difficult to include them.

Now the challenge is to eat 80 percent of your meals from local sources (whether it's the actual ingredients or locally made), so you would think that wouldn't be too hard, right? And the "local" part includes anything within 100 miles. For us, that means practically anything you could want--especially if you throw in the locally made allowance (for things like chocolate!). But so far, I'm not meeting that 80 percent goal. Must get more serious about this.

Continue reading "Eating Locally: Harder Than You Think?" »

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Yep, summertime in Sacramento is HOT and you certainly don’t want to use the oven if at all possible. And as good as ice cream and fresh fruit are, sometimes you want something a little more unusual. Join three local food blogging cooks (that would be me, Shankari Easwaran, and Garrett McCord, taker of the lovely photo above) as we show you how to make a variety of delicious desserts without breaking a sweat. This unique format will give you the chance to see the different styles of three cooks in the kitchen as we work together and individually. And, of course, you'll get to taste everything and take home copies of all the recipes! So sign up now with the Whole Foods Salud cooking school (see below for contact info.). And while you're at it, check out all the other classes they have on their schedule.

Menu items:

• Almond Sherbert: Ground almonds blended with chilled milk, cardamom, and saffron
  
• Indian Fruit Salad: Fresh seasonal fruits in simple syrup infused with cinnamon and cloves, sprinkled with rose water, and garnished with toasted coconut
  
• Poached Pear Sorbet: A delicious dessert that takes a fine winter classic and gives it a twist. Pears poached in a syrup of vanilla and lemon pureed, then churned into a silky sorbet
  
• Coffee Granita: A low-maintenance dessert with coffee, espresso, and a bit of sugar mixed and chilled, then raked into a snow cone-like consistency. Served with a bit of fresh whipped cream.
  
• Berry-Mint Panzanella: A bread salad made with blueberries, mint and an orange-brown sugar sauce; toasted bread cubes and almonds add crunch.
  
• Kir Royello: Jell-o for grown-ups, using champagne and raspberry gelatin to copy the flavors of the classic summer cocktail Kir Royale
  

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

There's a whole batch of good stuff to do that will keep you out of the barbecue pit known as the outdoors these days. What better excuse to stay inside and eat and drink yourself into cool oblivion? Pick one or all of the following and have at 'em:

Saturday, July 12, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Entree to India 101 - Class 1 Hands on! Limited to 18 students only. Join Shankari Easwaran on a culinary tour to her country, India. Learn about the rich culture and understand the different spices of India. Shankari will teach you the elements of curry along with interesting stories of her culinary adventure in her mother's kitchen. On the menu: Naan - Learn how to make this ever-popular Indian bread; Channa Masala - A wonderful "comfort food" also called Chole. Channa masala is garbanzo beans cooked in a tangy tomato sauce; Chicken Curry - Chicken cooked in an aromatic sauce infused with poppy seeds, fennel and coconut; Raitha - Cool off with a tomato yogurt salad with a hint of mint.

There were a few openings left as of yesterday, so call Carolyn Kumpe today to reserve your spot! $55 per person and there are two more of these classes coming up Aug. 9 and Sept. 20. You can buy the whole series for $135.

Reservations: (916) 440-0623
East Bay Restaurant Supply
522 North 12th St.
Sacramento, Ca 95811

Sunday, July 27 from 8:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Garrett McCord from Vanilla Garlic is organizing a volunteering day at the Sacramento Food Bank. It will be for the Sunday lunch service, preparing bagged lunches and organizing donated food stuffs for distribution. He has 12-14 spots open, though they certainly won't look down at more as during the summer. They are hurting for help since the students that usually go in for volunteer hours needed to graduate are out of school. Contact Garrett at protogarrett@yahoo.com for more info. There will probably a coffee or lunch run afterwards if you want to stick around.

Sacramento Food Bank
3333 3rd Ave.
Sacramento, CA

Thursday nights, 5 to 7 p.m.
Morton's is hosting wine tastings in the bar on Thursday nights through September. They are also serving complimentary steak sandwiches to go with the wine, making it great for an after work bite and beverage.

Morton's the Steakhouse
521 L Street
Sacramento
916-442-5091

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Ack! I almost missed this: The 2nd Annual Sacramento Wine & Dine Week
It started last Saturday and runs through this Saturday. Many local restaurants are offering 3- and 4-course meals for a set price. Choose from high-end eateries like Biba to casual spots like River City Brewing Company. Click here for the full list of participating restaurants and their menus. You can reserve a table right from that site as well. Get to it to try some places you've been meaning to visit.

Coming up this Saturday, June 14: The 6th Annual Grape Escape
Sponsored by Raley's, this event will be held at Cesar Chavez Park, 10th and J Streets, from 4 to 7 p.m.
More than 100 restaurants and wineries from 8 nearby counties will have samples available. Tickets are $40 ($50 day-of) and you can get $5 off by visiting a Raley's store or their Web site. Sacramento's own Rail Bridge Cellars will be there, along with Clarksburg's Bogle Vineyards & Winery. Don't forget to eat something between sips of wine: Mulvaney's, Enotria, Hawks, and Sweetwater are among the tasty options for nibbles.

June 20 at the Sacramento Co-op: the Grill it Up! Tasting Fair and Movie Night
5 to 8 p.m. for the fair (Free); 7 p.m. for the movie ($5 donation requested)
1900 Alhambra Boulvard at S Street
As you know, two issues that always seem to be popping up in the news are food safety and the loss of farm land. These events address those issues. The Tasting Fair features organic meats and information on how to know that the meat you buy is safe to eat and gentle on the animals and the environment (it will also be a lot of fun with live music, kids’ activities, a hot dog stand, and more). The same evening, they're screening the acclaimed documentary "King Corn" as a benefit for the Good Humus Farm Preservation Project; Good Humus is a small organic family farm in Capay Valley that is raising money for an easement to make the land an organic farm in perpetuity--protecting it from development.

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We bloggers sit about in front of our computers sending our thoughts and photos into the world and every once in a while we crawl out of our monitor-lit caves and get together! This, however, is a digital get-together for a blogger from Santa Rosa. A virtual hug, if you will. I'm donating a copy of my cookbook Hands-Off Cooking: Low-Supervision, High-Flavor Meals for Busy People, which I'll sign and ship anywhere. Shankari is donating a free, private cooking class for two at Whole Foods in Sacramento! So read on and learn about this event and enter the raffle.

This is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow @ Figs With Bri.

Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, she’s waging her own war against breast cancer. More about it here.

She is going through intensive chemo and other treatments and needs to focus single-mindedly on healing and finding what treatment works best for her. Her health insurance, unfortunately, does not cover holistic alternatives which she would like to try. Bri and her husband Marc have enough on their plates right now in addition to worrying about her medical bills.

The team organising the JUNE edition of CLICK at Jugalbandi has organised a fundraiser to help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for ONE YEAR.

CLICK is a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi. This month’s theme is: YELLOW for Bri

Yellow is the colour of hope. Through the work of the LiveStrong Foundation, it has also come to signify the fight against cancer.

The entries can be viewed HERE. The deadline for entries is June 30, 2008. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008.

The target amount is 12,000 U.S. dollars. We appeal to our fellow bloggers and readers to help us achieve this. Bri deserves a chance to explore all options, even if her insurance company thinks otherwise.

There’s a raffle with exciting prizes on offer. After viewing the list, you may make your donation HERE or at the Chip-In button on any participating site.

Your donation can be made securely through credit card or Pay Pal and goes directly to Bri’s account.

This month’s photo contest also has some prizes. Details HERE.

You can support this campaign by donating to the fundraiser, by participating in CLICK: the photo event, and by publicising this campaign.

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Forget green eggs and ham--the Riverside Clubhouse is doing green tacos and beer with Go Green Bike Night on Wednesdays. Starting at 5 p.m., ride your bike and valet park it with SABA (the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates; $1 tip is appreciated) and get a taco and beer for free when you buy a taco and beer. The tacos are delicious shredded pork in soft corn tortillas and the beers are cold Pacificos. A table of four of us last week consumed 18 tacos and 8 beers, all for only $30. They'll probably run this special through the summer. You can't beat it for taste and value.

Riverside Clubhouse
2633 Riverside Blvd.
448-9988

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Just in time for the early heat comes the 9th annual West Coast Brew Fest!
This Sat., May 17, 1 to 5 p.m., Miller Park, Sacramento
There will be 60 microbreweries represented, including local Beermanns Beerwerks, Hoppy Brewing Company, Lodi Beer Company, and River City Brewing Company. You'll also get to try Alaskan Brewing Company and Woodchuck Cider (from Vermont), for more far-flung tastes.

The commercial craft competition was held already, and some of the winners included River City for Light Lager and Sacramento Brewing for Hefeweizen.

There's apparently a new 5-ounce plastic pilsner tasting glass this year and the promise of "No more running out of beer so there's more for everyone!" I heard last year was a bit dry. I hope they're well stocked this year since it's supposed to be SO HOT. Also look for local bands and food vendors, including G-Dubb's BBQ and Dave's Dogs.

Tickets $27 online and $30 day of; limited to 3000 attendees only. $5 for designated drivers and those 16 to 20 years old (poor kids). Get them online here or at local beer halls like Hoppy, Brew it Up!, and Sac Brewing.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

We are extremely lucky to have the opportunity to see Dame Diana Kennedy not once, but twice, in Sacramento next month! She is widely regarded as an authority on classical Mexican cooking and was awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle by the Congress of the Republic of Mexico for her contributions to the documentation of regional Mexican cuisine. She is touring in support of her newest cookbook, The Art of Mexican Cooking, and will be giving two cooking demonstrations in our area.

The first will be Thursday, June 12, in a private class to be limited to 12 people. A paid reservation of $250 will include a hands-on cooking class, dinner, and a signed copy of the new book. The event will be held at an architecturally significant "green" house overlooking the Catta Verdura golf course to honor Ms. Kennedy's long interest in ecological building practices. She lives primarily in her ecological adobe house in Michoacan, Mexico, which also serves as a research center for Mexican cuisine. For reservations or questions contact Peg Tomlinson at pegtomlinson@gmail.com or (916) 645-4694. Known as one of the Dining Divas, Peg is a Mexican cooking authority as well and has attended Ms. Kennedy's cooking camps in Oaxaca.

The second event will be Saturday, June 14, from 1 to 4 p.m. at East Bay Culinary Center. The demonstration will be followed by a book signing. Contact Carolyn Kumpe at (916) 440-0623 or via email at carolynk@ebrs.net to make a reservation today. The cost of the class is $95 per person. Seats are limited.

You can learn more about Diana Kennedy by reading Elise Bauer's account of her experience when Ms. Kennedy was here last.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Tickets are now available for the four-county “Slow Down on the Delta” dinner and field trips on Saturday, May 31, hosted by the Slow Food Convivia of Placer, Sacramento, Solano and Yolo Counties. This will be a great opportunity to meet chefs and farmers and enjoy the ambience of the Delta with friends under old valley oaks on the edge of the Sacramento River. Food-themed silent and live auctions will raise funds for Slow Food Nation.

The speaker for the event will be Anya Fernald, CEO of Slow Food Nation and longtime
program director for California Alliance of Family Farms (CAFF). Her husband, Renato Sardo, head of Slow Food International, will also be attending.

There will be four-star chefs representing each county:
Patrick Mulvaney (Sacramento), Daniel Bell (Solano), Pru Mendez (Davis), and Molly Hawks and Michael Fagnoni (Placer).
The chefs are sourcing foods grown in the four counties, such as spring lamb, endive extravaganza, cheeses, and nuts for the menu.

There will be nine field trips (arranged in two different suggested “flights”) for those who want to make a Slow Day or Afternoon in the Delta. Each is led by an expert knowledgeable of the special challenges and rewards of farming in the Delta. They include offerings such as "Explore the Delta on the Tule Queen II"; "Nursery, Organic Farm, and Garden Tour"; and a tour with Carvalho Family Wines owner John Carvalho.

Saturday, May 31, 5:00 p.m. at Vino Farms, 51375 S. Netherlands Road, Clarksburg, CA
Visit brown paper tickets to get your tickets now. More event details are at the Slow Food Sacramento site.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A melting pot of upcoming food-centric events to put on your calendar:

Dining Out for Life, TONIGHT, April 24
This is a national fundraiser for CARES--Center for AIDS Research, Education, & Services. Each of the participating restaurants will donate a portion of their night's proceeds to CARES, so get out there and eat for a cause. To see the list of restaurants to choose from, including Mulvaney's, Dragonfly, and 58 Degrees, visit the CARES site.

Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children, April 26, 1 to 2 p.m., $5, Whole Foods Sacramento
With guest chef and author Ann Cooper (The Renegade Lunch Lady)
This is a lecture and discussion class; open to all ages (and especially parents!). Chef Ann will discuss and educate you on the state of America’s school lunch programs, how to improve children’s meals, and share strategies for parents to become engaged with issues around school food. Learn about the Healthy Kids Meal Wheel, Lap-Top Lunches, and healthy, kid-friendly recipes that can be made at home to ensure your child has wholesome, nutritious, delicious food at school! Chef Ann’s book latest book, Lunch Lessons, will be available for viewing and purchase. She will make delicious smoothies for participants to enjoy during the discussion.

The Stockton Asparagus Festival, April 25 to 27, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., $5 to $10, Downtown Stockton
It's time again for asparitas (that would be asparagus margaritas, of course)! The 23rd annual festival celebrates all things asparagus, and this year all things in eighties music as well. Choose from live shows by the Greg Kihn Band, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, or War. Chef Martin Yan will appear each day for a celebrity cooking demo and the World Deep-Fried Asparagus-Eating Competition will be held on Saturday. This is an actual competitive event, with appearances by nationally ranked eating champions like Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas. Get the details on schedule, maps, and Asparagus Alley offerings here.

Scottish Games and Festival, April 26 and 27, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Yolo County Fairgrounds
This year is the 132nd anniversary of this event! It's not specifically a food event, but with a whisky seminar and tasting event and haggis hurling contest, it seems like a fun time. Put your kilt on (even if it's a utilikilt) and dance to the bagpipes. More info here on schedule and location.

Feria 2008: A Night in Spain, April 26, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., $50, St. Francis Church
This benefit for St. Francis elementary school will feature tapas from local restaurants, a paella demonstration, a Spanish wine tasting and no-host bar, flamenco dancing, and desserts by the International Culinary Academy. Get the details at the Feria site.

The Sushi Masters State Finals, June 10, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Sacramento Convention Center (Not for 6 weeks, but buy your tickets now)
A celebration of culture and cuisine with artistry and fast-paced competition, this competition features six chefs who have won regional competitions in Sacramento, SF, and LA. This has been organized annually by the California Rice Commission since 2005. The $65 admission price includes event and competition entry, sushi sampling, sake tasting, and cultural entertainment. Ticket and event information can be found at the Sushi Masters Web site. A portion of ticket sales will benefit the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Colony Project, which seeks to acquire historic property considered California¹s first Japanese colony, and transition it to a state historical park and interpretive facility that pays tribute to these first colonists and the contributions that Japanese Americans have made to the state.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Grab your antihistamines and clear your palate. There are several culinary events coming up in the near future that you may want to schedule (if you aren't sneezing every two minutes):

Old Soul Friday Night BBQs
Starting tonight, Old Soul at the Weatherstone (812 21st btw. H and I) is holding the "first of many" Friday Night BBQs. Join them on the patio for Baby Back Ribs (Bledsoe pork, of course), homemade corn bread, and greens. Price is $7 per person, which sounds like a tasty deal. They will begin serving at 4 pm and go until 7 pm or so (or until sold out). I'd bet on getting there on the early side.

New Co-op Classes Scheduled
The newest cooking class schedule is out at the Sac Co-op. Sign up for a series, like Spring in the Mediterranean or The Indian Oven, or try a single class. Popular Co-op instructor Shankari Easwaran and I are teaming up to lead a class on April 15 on One Vegetable Five Ways. We'll show you how to incorporate tender, fresh spinach into five different international dishes. You can also sign up for gardening, composting, and kid and teen cooking classes. See the full schedule or call 916-455-2667.

Wine Appreciation Class
Beginning May 13, Corti Brothers wine merchant Donal Smith will again offer his introductory class. Over three Tuesdays evenings, Donal will help you taste and discuss California and international wines. You learn to indentify major grape varietals, buy and cellar wines, understand the meaning of "terroir," and taste and match hors d'oeuvres with the wines. Contact Donal at 916-203-4641 or donalswines@yahoo.com. Classes held at the Art Foundry Gallery, 1021 R St., May 13, 20, and 27 at 7:30 p.m. $90 gets you handouts, support materials, and all the wine and food you can taste during each class session.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

If you're a foodie or gourmand or chowhound or whatever you call yourself, then it doesn't take much to convince you to attend a food event. Or the opening of a bag of chips, for that matter! But just to satisfy your conscience and your stomach, there are two good events coming up that you should look into. Both are for great causes and include food and drink, plus there's sure to be mingling aplenty.

Sacramento Public Library Foundation's 2008 Authors on the Move

The 6th annual iteration of this event occurs Saturday, March 1 at the downtown Hyatt Hotel, and will include dinner and a chance to meet a slew of authors. The "authors on the move" part refers to 39 California writers who will move from table to table, chatting with attendees. [full disclosure here: I am one of the authors who will be moving. Come find me!] Afterwards, the authors will sign copies of their books, which will be available for sale. This year's theme is "Food for Thought," so there will be quite a few cookbook, wine, and health subject authors on the menu. They include locals Georgeanne Brennan and Rick Kushman, as well as author David Shalleck, who used to work for NapaStyle chef Michael Chiarello. All proceeds will benefit the foundation. For a full list of authors and RSVP info, visit the SPLF site.

First Annual "A Toast to Hope"

This is a beer tasting and silent auction fundraiser to benefit Chicks in Crisis. CIC is a great organization that helps women experiencing crisis pregnancies. Their mission is to help women become productive members of society while making informed decisions for themselves and their children. I learned about them when I was looking into adoption options, as they sometimes have clients who choose to place their children. The event will be at Pyramid Brewery on K Street, Saturday March 8, 6 to 8 p.m. You'll get hors d'oeuvres as well as a variety of Pyramid brews. Register for the event and learn more about CIC at their site.

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There's another holiday this week you might have overlooked--that's right, it's National Pie Day. Apparently designated as such by the American Pie Council, I don't really need any better excuse to make or eat pie. Sadly, the Real Pie Co. closed this past Saturday, due to too much business. (See the details here.) So, absent that excellent outlet for ready-made pie, I don't know of other great sources away from home. (If you do, please send me word! Maybe I can try a pie a day for a while. Mmmmmm.)

So get out your pie pans and bake some pie! Now is not the time to attempt lemon meringue, however. The humidity right now will likely wreck your meringue and cause it to seep sugar syrup. So, instead, stick to something with fruit or nuts, like Pear-Cardamom Pie or Apple-Cranberry Pie with almonds in the crust. Maybe you'll be so inspired you need the join the Pie of the Month Club, like my husband did a while ago. He got a coffee mug, I Heart Pie pin, and a postcard every month with a recipe and original artwork illustrating that month's flavor.

And if you're fresh out of fancy pie plates, don't forget to check the stock at Dish. She's got some neat vintage pie dishes. Maybe we can get a pie-mentum started like the cupcake craze that's currently taken hold. Pies for everyone!

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

For those of you unfamiliar with the hilarious oeuvre of Monty Python, that's a "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" reference. But in all seriousness, we're not dead yet here at Sacatomato...just sleep deprived. So don't give up on us, as we promise to keep delivering the latest and greatest in local food news. And to keep that promise for today, at least, here are several upcoming foodie events for you to sink your teeth into:

Pre-Holiday Tamalada
Tamale making is an important ritual in the Mexican culture during the holidays. Women traditionally gather in the kitchen then to make dozens and even hundreds of tamales to be shared with family and friends at Christmastime. As Mexican immigrants brought their customs to the United States, many Americans have become interested in exploring this particular custom, especially because of the association of holidays and families. Chef and culinary educator Carolyn Kumpe will discuss the significance of tamale making during the holidays as well as lead a hands-on demonstration of making tamales that are savory with meat, savory vegetarian, and a sweet one. Two will be demonstrated and one will be created collectively to take home. Slow Food Sacramento is pleased to partner with the East Bay Culinary Center to hold the tamale-making seminar in the Center's beautiful new demonstration kitchen on Saturday Dec. 1 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Cost for participation is $25 for adults, $10 for children, and a discounted rate of $20 for Slow Food members. For more information, please contact Ellen Robinson at 916-362-4075, ellenr@sbcglobal.net, or Melinda McRae at 916-717-1621, mcraem@fleishman.com.

East Bay Culinary Center
522 NORTH 12TH STREET
Sacramento, CA 95814

Sunday Supper at the L
There are two upcoming winemaker dinners featuring some of the most popular wines at the L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen. The winemakers will attend and speak about their work.

• HdV ~ Stéphane Vivier, Winemaker
  Sunday, December 2nd
  6 p.m. Arrival; 6:30 Seating

• Ceja ~ Armando Ceja, Winemaker
  Sunday, December 16th
  6 p.m. Arrival; 6:30 Seating

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Edible Crawl for a Cure will be a gourmet food and pub crawl this Saturday through more than a dozen, primarily independent downtown and Midtown microbreweries, wine bars, restaurants, and coffee houses. It is a fund-raiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The goal of the event is to raise awareness of this genetic disease of the lungs and digestive system that currently has no cure, to focus on bringing research dollars to the Sacramento branch, and to enjoy an amazing walk across the Central City. The event is the brainchild of midtowngrid.com and the Sacramento Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Ale Captains will lead crews of 10 or more people on a gourmet and pub jaunt. Each location will pair food and drink with entertainment sprinkled along The Grid, greetings from the Sacred City Roller Derby Girls, and chalk art by Chalk It Up! to Sacramento. Discount overnight stays will be available through the Clarion Mansion Inn and Holiday Inn Express.

Tickets are $25 per person and IDs will be checked at registration. Must be 21 or over to participate. Tickets are available online or you can join the Sacramento Epicureans group with me by contacting our swashbuckling Ale Captain Paul at paul@sacramento-epicureans.com.

Just think--you'll get wined and dined, walk off some of the calories, AND donate to a good cause. It's not supposed to rain on Saturday, and the weather will be a lovely low- to mid-60s. There are several places on the route that I haven't tried yet and I'm looking forward to their goods. Here's the menu that you'll get to sample:

Continue reading "Edible Crawl for a Cure This Saturday!" »

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Coming up this Friday: Join me for a class on high-flavor, quick vegetarian recipes. They'll all be from my cookbook, Hands-Off Cooking: Low-Supervision, High-Flavor Meals for Busy People. The dishes I'll demonstrate will all be packed with flavor and perfect for the upcoming holidays. You'll taste:

• Nutty Pumpkin Lasagna (don't get rid of that Halloween pumpkin!)
  
• Caribbean Black Bean Soup
  
• Apple-Carrot Soufflé
  

The details are:
Whole Foods Market
4315 Arden Way
Call 916-488-2800 to reserve your spot!
6:30 p.m.; $35 for the class

And here's a preview to entice you. Try the variation for a different fall party hors d'oeuvre.

Nutty Pumpkin Lasagna

Hands Off: 35 minutes
Serves 6 to 8

1 cup (4 ounces) sliced almonds
One 8- or 9-ounce box no-boil (oven-ready) lasagna noodles [I buy mine at Corti Brothers]
One 29-ounce can pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth, divided
2 cups (8 ounces) mixed shredded Italian cheeses

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Spread the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet (jelly-roll pan). Place the pan in the oven while it heats to toast the almonds for 10 to 12 minutes.

3. Put the noodles in a 9 x 13–inch baking dish and pour hot water over them to soak.

4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, Parmesan, garlic, sage, salt, and pepper. Stir in 3/4 cup of the toasted almonds.

5. Remove the noodles from the baking dish and drain; discard the water. Pour 1/4 cup of the broth into the dish. Layer in 4 noodles, then half of the pumpkin mixture, smoothing it to make it even. Put in another layer of noodles and the remaining pumpkin. Top with the final layer of noodles, then sprinkle on the cheese and remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup stock over the top.

6. Bake the lasagna for 25 minutes, or until it is browned and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Variation: Nutty Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Prepare as directed through step 4. Spray the baking dish with oil and pour in 1/4 cup of the broth. Laying each noodle flat on a work surface, spread it with pumpkin filling and roll up like a jelly-roll. Place the rolled noodle seam-side down in the pan. Repeat with the remaining noodles and filling. Sprinkle on the cheese and the remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup stock over the top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the rolls are browned and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting each roll into 1-inch pieces. Serve hot.

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

Tomorrow at the new East Bay Culinary Center, Chef Giovanni Gaudio and his wife Sheri will be teaching a class on Italian food. Chef Gaudio is the grandson of winemakers and cooks from Piemonte and Toscano. He and his wife lead food and wine tours of Italy and, more locally, Northern California. They live in the Fairplay wine region near Placerville. You can learn more about their classes and tours at their Web site.

But in the meantime, the mouth-watering menu will be:

• Bagna Cauda: Raw Vegetables & Grissini with Warm Anchovy-Garlic Sauce
  
• Sformato di Finnochi: a Savory Fennel Flan
  
• Tajarin with Gorgonzola: Handmade Pasta made Piemontese-Style
  
• Vitello Tonnato: a Traditional Dish of Veal and Tuna
  

The class is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow, October 5, at East Bay Culinary Center. But even if you can't come for the whole time, take some time for a delcious lunch. Who doesn't like a little Italian for a satisfying meal?

522 North 12th Street, just south of Richards Boulevard.
Call 440-0623 for more information.

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

Did you realize that it's already October?? How did that happen so quickly? I think I mistook September for summer and then forgot it was almost fall. In any case, two of the best food events of fall are soon upon us! Plan now to attend them both since they're thankfully on different days. Here's the deal:

Saturday, October 6, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The Hoes Down Festival at Full Belly Farm, Capay Valley
This is the 20th edition of this annual festival, and last year was a gorgeous day for it. Hopefully this year will follow suit. It's $20 to get in; children 2 to 12 are $5; children under 2 are free.
If you want to camp there that night in the orchard, it's an additional $20 per car.
There are lots of activities, many geared toward teaching kids about food, such as grinding corn and making tortillas by hand. There's live music on a stage, a variety of organic food for sale, crafts to make and buy, and lots of farm animals to visit and watch (but NO dogs allowed). To learn more, visit the Hoes Down Web site and get the full schedule.

Saturday, October 13, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The 61st Armenian Food Festival, Sacramento
This yearly and very long-running festival is held at the Greek Hall, on Alhambra at F Street.
I found a great Web site last year that tells you all about Armenian food, so you can study up before you go. I'm definitely going for the lamb kabobs and lamajoon, which is a kind of Armenian pizza.
The festival is sponsored each year by the St. James Armenian Apostolic Church at 32nd and B. According to their Web site, there are more than 300 Armenian families in the Sacramento area! It's like a little United Nations around here, isn't it?

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I spend every day thinking about food: what to cook, what to write about, how to edit someone's cookbook, how to teach others to cook...and the list goes on. But there are plenty of people in the world (and some right here in Sacramento) who don't have the luxury of enough food every day. So I thought I'd highlight a local organization that is trying to reduce food insecurity in the world.

Freedom from Hunger is a non-profit organization based out of Davis. They aim to bring "sustainable and self-help solutions to the fight against hunger and poverty." The group began in 1946 as Meals for Millions and eventually evolved to offer microcredit, health, and nutrition education programs internationally. Microcredit works by providing small loans to poor women so that they can begin businesses to help them earn enough money to provide for themselves and their families. (Similarly, Dr. Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh won last year's Nobel Peace Prize for founding a bank that offers microloans to entrepreneurs. This concept of lending as little as $50 to someone who would otherwise never be able to get or even afford a regular bank loan, is extremely successful in poor countries.)

This Friday, September 28, is the 2nd annual Freedom from Hunger Day, and it has been declared an official day of awareness by the state of California. You can join others online from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to chat with FFH staff members and loan recipients who have benefited from the Freedom from Hunger programs. You could also host a viewing party for the new DVD "Ending Hunger for Good." And FFH offers a list of "10 ways you can end global hunger," including very easy suggestions like:

• Look for the "fair trade" label on foods such as chocolate and coffee (although make sure to read the recent Bee article on Starbucks first!)
  
• Skip one latte or muffin or other food treat each week and send the money instead to a charity like Freedom from Hunger that helps the hungry to help themselves
  

This isn't a guilt trip, just a chance for each of us to think more about what we have and what we can share. And maybe it will remind us to appreciate having plentiful high-quality food rather than bemoaning the price of luxuries like French chocolate (one of my favorites) or wine.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

There are bushels of food and drink events this time of year, so it's hard to pick which to go to. But two excellent choices would be the Soil Born Farm Autumn Equinox celebration and the Rhythm & Ribs Festival at Raley Field. I've been to both before and the eatin' is good. (That said, I'll miss both of them because I'm too busy with other food events. But you shouldn[t miss them!)

Oh, and here's a little trick to try for the equinox: When I was a pastry chef, we would balance uncooked eggs in the shell on their pointy ends if we got the timing right. Has anyone else ever tried this?

Soil Born Farm Urban Agriculture Project
5th Annual Fundraiser Autumn Equinox Celebration
Saturday, Sept. 22, 3000 Hurley Way, 4:30 to 8:30, $50 per person in advance from the Sacramento Co-op or Soil Born @ 486-9686.
Food and wine provided by the Waterboy, Mulvaney's, Slocum House, Bogle, Hey Mambo, and Jewel Winery, among others.
Music and a silent auction also planned. All proceeds will benefit the non-profit Urban Agriculture Project.

Rhythm & Ribs Festival
Friday through Sunday, Sept. 21 to 23, Raley Field, West Sacramento, $5/day or $10/three-day pass (or get a $5 discount coupon from Raley's and Bel Air markets)
Fri: 5 to 8 p.m.; Sat: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sun: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Belly up to the House of Ribs area with rib and barbecue vendors from around the area (costs extra).
Kid Zone for the younger set, craft vendors, and live music each day (included). Local legend Mick Martin will play at 12:30 on Sunday.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Several updates for you today:

I'll be teaching a cooking class on "Fun with Fall Vegetables" this Saturday, September 22. I'll be concentrating on those Vitamin A-rich veggies--squashes and sweet potatoes. The line-up will include Nutty Pumpkin Lasagna with Almonds and Sage, Pork Chili with Sweet Potatoes, and Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas. It's from 11 a.m. to about 2 p.m., at East Bay Restaurant Supply, 522 N. 12th St., 440-0620, $40. for the class. You'll get generous tastes of everything and I'll have my Hands-Off Cooking books available for purchase and signing.

Last week's Random Cookbook Pick (see the Book Geek Project post) was fairly uninspiring. I did make one recipe from it though--a corn cake--which was a pretty good rendition of cornbread. My husband ate the leftovers heated up with milk and molasses on top.

This week's Random Pick is yet another from my vintage and small press collection: Three Little Cookbooks in One, which is a self-published collection from the Lancaster County, PA, restaurant Miller's Smorgasbord. It's full of Pennsylvania Dutch specialties like Shoofly Pie (like pecan pie without the nuts) and Dutch Caviar (cream cheese and pepper jam). I'm much more interested in this one than the last! Maybe because I grew up near that area, or maybe because they seem to use more than salt, pepper, and cinnamon for spices.

You'll also see that I moved the cookbook listings to the left column, near the top, and have made some other sidebar changes to clean things up. Hope you find it easier to navigate.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm no great joke teller, but there's a classic Polish joke in our experience this past weekend trying to find the Polish Festival in Roseville. Whoever drew the map for the event ad was seriously living up to the Polish cliche of the dullest penny in the pond. But after several wrong turns, walking around old Roseville, and finding another event (the One Root Festival), we finally wised up and asked a postman, who pointed us in the right direction. When we finally found the Polish-American Club, it was apparent from the loud polka music that we were in the right place.

The ad claimed authentic food and folk dancing, along with a Polish butcher(!). We never found out what that meant, but $10 got us a large plate of kielbasa, pierogis, stuffed cabbage (golumpki), cucumber salad, and rye bread with butter. This isn't diet fare, but with the enthusiastic dancing we saw, it seems like you might need a bit of fat to keep you polka-ing. There were also potato pancakes (placki), which ran out quickly, Polish beer, and pastries like filled doughnuts (paczki) and crusciki, a fried dough coated in powdered sugar. (Go here to learn more about Polish cuisine.)

The best part, though, was the collection of polka CDs that had been donated by someone. They were selling for $5 each, to benefit the Scouts, and really, who can resist a polka CD? We picked up two by the excellent Texas group Brave Combo, and a classic "best of" by the Polka King himself, Frank Yankovic. You haven't lived 'til you've heard his rendition of "Who Stole the Kishka?", sung with the apparently unrelated "Weird" Al Yankovic. I added it to my growing collection of food music immediately.

So except for the disappointment of missing the Polish butcher (and I'm really curious about what he would do there), we learned a lot about Polish history from the very nice booklet that was handed out. And we got to eat Polish food, which you don't find a lot of in California, Poles not being widely known for their fine cuisine. But the next time you hear a polka, you'd be foolish not to have a beer in one hand and a juicy kielbasa in the other.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Happy Blog Day! This is the third anniversary of this online event, started to help promote less-known blogs in the Webosphere. Each blogger participating should give a list of 5 blogs that they enjoy reading, in the hopes of encouraging their readers to find new places! So here is my list of 5 interesting and unusual blogs that I enjoy:

1. David Lebovitz. Okay, so he's not exactly unknown, but this blog by a former SF-based pastry chef now "living the sweet life in Paris" is not only full of enviable food, but funny posts. It's not all chocolate (although there's plenty of that). Learn about pigeons in Paris, cute fish mongers, and what it's like to be an American foodie in Paris.

2. Dishola, a blog of reviews by the dish. That is, they take reviews from lots of people on specific dishes or food items. The only Sacramento review is for Grilled Salmon with Mango-Coconut Brown Butter Sauce at Rio City Cafe. So get on there and add some good news for the capital culinary scene!

3. Daily Tragedies written by a current Sacramento resident who uses great words like "dorktastic" to describe herself. The banner has this quote: "There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." (Oscar Wilde)

4. Lesbian Dad is an insightful, well-written, and always entertaining blog written "by a non-biological lesbo parent who answers to the name Baba and works toward a world in which amor does indeed vincit omnia." For everyone out there with a non-traditional family (and that's a lot of us these days), you'll really enjoy this one.

5. Powell's Books blog, populated by guest blogger authors. The current author online is Laura Moriarty, who wrote The Rest of Her Life. You also get posts from the excellent "Review a Day," which is a must-read for all book addicts like myself with a never-ending list of things to be read.

To learn more about Blog Day, and who's out there blogging, visit the official Web site.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, I made the annual fair pilgimage, and I may not eat again for days. Since I'm not working at the fair this year, my husband and I had to shell out for full-price tickets, so we were trying to pack the whole thing into one afternoon. Of course, the food had to be widely sampled first and foremost. Here's a fairly inclusive account of what we ate yesterday (in order of consumption):

• one corndog with Polish sausage (better than usual coating)
• one fried peanut butter and banana sandwich (see photo above)
• one large iced coffee (note to self: powdered creamer does NOT dissolve in iced drinks)
• one fantastic smoked German sausage with grilled onions
• one medium pineapple Julius
• two small watermelon wedges
• one overpriced but delicious Margarita made with fresh peaches
• one chicken shawarma
• one funnel cake with powdered sugar and cinnamon
• at least seven bottles of water

This may not seem like a lot between two adults, but my husband ate most of it. I had already eaten brunch that morning at the Fox & Goose, so I was looking more for the icy drinks. That Margarita was pretty good, and not weak in the alcohol either! Sadly, my favorite popsicles from last year--flavored much like the Aisu pops at the Davis farmer's market--were nowhere to be found. Also gone were the pretty-good beignets, now replaced by a wood-oven pizza kitchen, which smelled good, but wasn't sampled.

This year's favorite food item was the Smokin' Sausage, handmade in Oakhurst, CA. They had a Cajun variety that looked tasty too, and if I go back, I'll definitely look that up. Non-food entertainment of choice for me was petting llamas and listening to Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers, as well as some pretty good mariachi-style music.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Put this on your calendar: Opening this Saturday is the East Bay Restaurant Supply culinary center. It's a beautiful space adjacent to the well-stocked cooking supply warehouse on North 12th Street. If you haven't been there before, they sell to professionals and home cooks alike, and you can find heavy-duty sheet pans (I always have a couple of the half-sheet size for my home kitchen), a variety of silicone bakeware, and all kinds of neat kitchen gadgets.

And now they're going to be holding regular cooking classes as well. To celebrate, this Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m., there will be nine cooking demos by nine local chefs as well as food samples and info. tables from food distributors and producers in the area. The schedule for the demos is:

• 8-9 a.m. Chef Ann Martin Rolke/Sacatomato: Summer fruit coffee cake, Fridge-cleaning frittata, book signing of Hands-Off Cooking
  
• 9-10 a.m. Chef Ginger Elizabeth Powers/Couture Chocolates
  
• 10-11 a.m. Chef Tim Jordan/Old Soul Bakery: Fabulous Flatbread
  
• 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Chef Oahn Nguyen/Andy Nguyen Restaurant #2: Shrimp & Pork Imperial Rolls
  
• 12-1 p.m. Chefs Dani Luzzatti and Yvette Woolston/Wine Konnection
  
• 1-2 p.m. Chef Adam Pechal/Tuli Bistro: Pizza by Tuli
  
• 2-3 p.m. Chef Michelle/Crepe Cafe: Crepes Suzette
  
• 3-4 p.m. Chef Richard Hyman/Old Arch Brewerey, Lodi: House-Made Mozzerella and Caprese Salad
  
• 4-5 p.m. Dr. Giovanni Gaudia/culinary instructor direct from Italy: Authentic Regional Italian Cooking
  

The additional information booths, with samples and demos, will include Bella Bru, Star Knife Sharpening, Ellen's Gourmet Kitchen, Cheese Works, Produce Express, Mighty Kong Muffins, Mad Dog Mesa EVOO, and many others.

It's free and open to everyone, so make sure to get there early and have breakfast with me (Chef Ann Rolke), as I make coffee cake and frittata. Then stick around to get your knives sharpened, your belly filled, and your kitchen well stocked!

East Bay Culinary Center
522 N. 12th Street (come at it from Richards Blvd., then turn south on 12th)
Saturday, August 25, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
440-0620

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Too bad Barry Bonds didn't hit his record-breaking home run with a zucchini bat. It would have been just in time for today's Sneak a Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch celebration! Even if you thought you were planting fewer zucchini plants this year, you probably still have a few surprisingly large squashes lurking in your garden. I swear that I check my plants every day, and then I go out and the godzilla of gourds is lurking in the underbrush for me. So I'll sneakily wait around until my neighbors are asleep and then heave one onto their porch tonight. Hee-hee! Think they'll guess who did it?

If you have just enough zucchini to enjoy yourself or you want to endear yourself to the neighbors by giving them a recipe to go with that free fruit, then try one of the following:

Heidi Swanson's 101cookbooks blog had a neat-sounding recipe for zucchini bread with crystallized ginger and curry powder.

I like to do something extremely simple but very delicious (and it uses up gobs of zucchini in one dish):

Quick Sauté of Zucchini
Recipe from The Red Cat restaurant, NYC, via the Almond Board of CA

Serves 2 to 4 as an appetizer

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces sliced almonds
1 1/2 pounds zucchini, skin on, shredded (a food processor or a mandoline works well for this)
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved or grated, or other hard cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and sauté until golden brown. Add the zucchini and sauté for 30 seconds or until just crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mound on a plate and top with shaved cheese. Serve immediately.

Posted by Ann Martin Rolke at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Who would have thought that you'd find dinosaurs and pump organs both roaring in Lodi? The little town in the Central Valley is surprisingly full of interesting wines and odd characters. And since it's only about 40 minutes south of Sacramento, you owe it to yourself to take in some small-town charm and a sip or three of local wine.

I was scouting for an event site for a client and had a list of three locations to visit. The first was Vino Piazza in Lockeford, just east of Lodi by 8 or so miles. In a huge, old warehouse facility that used to be a big winemaking operation, there now exists an Italianate plaza with brightly painted buildings holding more than ten winery tasting rooms, a restaurant, a dinosaur skeleton, and a motherlode of minerals. One of the founders of the complex is a geologist by training, hence the artifacts. But you could spend most of a day just at this location, going from winery to winery and then settling in for a hearty Italian lunch or dinner at Gigolo's restaurant. The wineries represented include Olde Lockeford, Pasos, and Boitano Family Wines and most are open weekends only (or some Fridays), from about noon to 5. The owner of Gigolo's also runs the Country Cafe in Lockeford and apparently has a 9-foot chicken with a cowboy hat standing in her front yard. And why not?

Next up was Harmony Wynelands in Lodi, although really it was only a few miles from Vino Piazza. All the towns run together a bit down there. It is owned by Bob and Linda Hartzell. Bob used to be the president of the Grape Growers Association, and he and his wife have been running their own tasting room and visitor's center for 10 years now. You arrive down a long lane between rows of grapevines to an attractive building surrounded by flowers. From inside comes the earth-shaking sounds of a 1920s pump organ, originally housed at the Castro Theater in San Francisco. Apparently it was removed in the 50s and languished until the Hartzells bought it. The day I was there, Bob was playing thunderingly for an attentive group of reti