Vanessa Barrington

The Prospector in Twain Harte: Certified Napoletana Pizza

I don’t usually write about restaurants because everybody else does, and usually, when I’m dining out, I want to be fully present with my dining companions and the food and don’t want to take photos and notes. I have to make an exception here because The Prospector Forno Rustica is pretty out-of-the-ordinary and has not received much press.

I’m quite sure I would never know about this place if my family didn’t live in the Sierra Foothills near the town of Twain Harte, where The Prospector is located. Hell, most people I know have never heard of Twain Harte . Even if you visited Twain Harte and saw this restaurant, you’d likely pass it by, not knowing what a treasure you had just missed. Honestly, I’m not sure owner Robert Martin even cares. I get the feeling he likes operating what amounts to a sort of underground restaurant right out in the open.

Though everything is strictly legal, I say underground because the place looks like a tourist pizza joint— a place where you take the kids for gloppy, cheesy, saucy, rubbery pizza after playing mini golf at the course next door. In fact, I’ve heard that kids aren’t even allowed in the restaurant and this is NOT kid pizza (though they'd like it too). It’s honest-to-god certified Napoletana pizza from a wood-fired oven.

It’s a quirky place. For starters, there’s no stove, so everything is made in the oven. So it’s really about the pizza. But the night we went there was a simple pasta on the menu—rolled out before our very eyes, boiled in a big pot in the oven and sautéed in a skillet on the edge of the oven’s hellishly hot maw. There may or may not be salad on the menu. There wasn’t any the night we went.

It’s also about the wine. A large collection of retail priced foreign and domestic bottles. Honestly I was focused on the pizza and didn’t look into the wine at all, just poured myself a glass of something tasty and Italian from the bottles lined up on the counter. Wish I’d looked a little harder because judging from this interview with the owner in The Sierra Mountain Times, there are probably some well-priced treasures there, as a wine bar was really the original business plan.

There’s no table service. You order at the counter, pour your own wine (the glasses are helpfully marked), get your own water, table settings etc. and then settle in to watch the pizza artists at work. The pizzas are brought out one at a time by the chefs. You’ll need to order 1 per person or try another menu item because they aren’t large. What can I say? The pizza was perfection. Crisp, thin, blistered crust with structure and chewiness. Great toppings, judiciously applied. Nice combinations. We had a white pizza with prosciutto, basil, and roasted onions, and a red one with spicy salami and fresh mozzarella (made in-house, I believe).

We enjoyed a fresh pasta with mushrooms, olive oil, and Parmesan--simple and perfect. In fact, the first pasta was discarded as not good enough before it even made it to the table, and remade by the owner/chef. We watched him do it. Sorry about the bad photos. It was a little too dark.

If you’re curious and you’re not about to make it to Twain Harte anytime soon, you can go to the Prospector pizza webcam (it’s usually running during dinner service) and watch the masters at work. Honestly though, it’s kind of like watching paint dry between orders, but fascinating, as there’s sort of a wild west Slow Food vibe going on there. Oh, and you can follow The Prospector on Twitter, naturally.

Curried Cauliflower Soup with Annabelle’s Mustard Seed Oil and Yogurt

Whether roasted, braised, sautéed, gratinéed, or simmered gently into a soup, cauliflower is one of my favorite winter vegetables. I crave it for comfort…its soothing sweetness and versatility. It is a vegetable that takes very well to Indian spices, so when I’m craving that flavor profile, I usually braise it with whole spices that I’ve toasted and ground and serve it as a side dish.

One recent cold night I wanted soup. And I wanted Indian spices. Plus I had some of Annabelle Lenderick’s hand-harvested mustard seeds that she’d given me last summer. I wanted to do something special with them and I didn’t need any more homemade mustard in the house. I decided to try infusing them into oil.

The flavor result wasn’t earth shattering, but instead rather subtle. Toasted in oil as described below, the seeds will turn brown and pop energetically. Strain the oil and drizzle it over the soup. You’ll notice a nutty, warm flavor spreading over your tongue as you sample the soup.

Serves 4

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (depending on its level of heat and your preference)
3 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
1/2 of a large yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds cauliflower (1 medium to large head)
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground fresh pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil for high heat cooking
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
Fresh lemon juice (optional)
Plain yogurt for serving
Cilantro leaves for serving

In a small, dry skillet, over medium heat, toast the cumin and coriander seeds, shaking the pan often, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until beginning to brown and become fragrant. Remove from pan and cool. In a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle, grind the seeds finely. Stir in the turmeric and cayenne and set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil or ghee. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spice mixture and cook, stirring for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the cauliflower and the broth along with a few pinches of salt and some pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and then lower heat, cover partially and simmer until the cauliflower is soft, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the mustard seed oil. In a small skillet, over medium –low heat, warm the vegetable oil with the mustard seeds for 4 to 5 minutes. They will brown and begin to pop. Don’t let them burn. Cool and let sit to infuse the oil and then strain before using.

Cool the cooked soup and then puree until smooth. Return to the pot and heat slowly. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. If you find the soup needs a little acid, add a squeeze or two of lemon juice to taste.

Serve with a drizzle each of yogurt and mustard oil along with a few leaves of fresh cilantro.

Mexico 3: The final days in Cuernavaca

My final week was filled with great eats and as many market trips as I could fit in between classes. I really didn't want to leave and need to figure out a way to go back and stay for an extended period of time.

On a coincidentally sad note, during that final week, I was reading Mountains upon Mountains, the book about Dr. Paul Farmer's work in Haiti. When I got to the airport the afternoon of Jan. 13th and saw the news about the earthquake, I was utterly stricken after reading in such detail the incredible harshness of everyday life for the majority of people in Haiti. At the same time, my grammar lessons at the school, Cetlalic were accompanied by lessons on the social, political and economic reality for the people in Mexico. Things aren't so easy there either.

As conduct my daily life here in the US, no matter how hard any day or situation might become, I try to remember how incredibly privledged I am to always have enough to eat, a roof over my head, and the means to be a "budget traveler" in countries less well off than ours. Enjoy this last installment of photos and I promise we'll be back to our regularly scheduled recipe posts soon!

The picture at the top of this post is a rosca de reyes and it's for the special celebration called "the feast of the three kings". (incidentally, my people celebrate Jan 6th as "Serbian Christmas) This is the day in Mexico that the children go crazy for--the day they wake up at 6 am to recieve their gifts! The traditional food is this cake and hot chocolate. 

Inside the cake are 4 or 5 little white plastic babies. The people who get the babies in their piece of cake have to have a party on February 2nd, for which they provide tamales and atole. Unfortunately, none of the parties were close enough for me to attend. Fortunately I didn't get a baby because I was in the middle of moving on February 2nd and it would have been hard to have a party!

the child unswaddled.

Oh yeah, it tasted good too.

All the bakeries have roscas displayed all day and the next and people everywhere are carrying big boxes of roscas home to eat. You've got to love a bakery called "the happy turtle"

tamarind pods in the market

chilis and cheerios

Maize, maize, maize!

Crazy potatoes!

Caldo de pollo eaten en casa. I can't get enough of this.

The best enchiladas ever. Chicken, queso, crema, red rice and fried plantains!

Facing down your meat. Sorry vegans and vegetarians. 

Another crazy market sighting.

The preferred way to eat corn on the street in Cuernavaca is cut off the cob, and spooned piping hot into a cup with mayonnaise, lime, chili, and cheese. Yum.

Super cool pro-Choice poster in the bathroom at a bar. I took this photo from the toilet!

Mexico 2: Taxco

When I was in Mexico in January, I stayed in Cuernavaca pretty much the whole time studying Spanish during the week. The weekends were mostly free for day trips and wandering around the city. One day I took a bus with another student and amiga to Taxco, a town in the mountains in the Northern part of the state of Guerrero. Taxco has been a silver mining area for many years and is known for its plethora of shops selling silver jewelry. Silver is fine, but in my opinion, there are many other reasons to go to Taxco.

 

It is stunningly beautiful, the people are friendly, there are very very old and interesting churches nestled among white-washed buildings with red tile roofs. artisans doing interesting work that I hadn't seen elsewhere in Mexico, and even some of the tourist restaurants serve tasty food. 

The sun was shining that day and it was warm and breezy. A welcome change from the chill that descended over Cuernavaca about 4 days into my stay. We wandered, took photos, ate, and had a dreamy day that I'll never forget. The market in Taxco is particularly interesting as it starts in the street across from the bus station and ascends up up and up into the clouds, winding around indoors and out and,like many markets in Mexico, is a completely wonderful and slightly overwhelming maze. 

 

Artisans
 

Bean and seed pod art.

Meat drying in the market

Laundry drying

Beloved Virgin de Guadalupe

Even the walls are pretty!

An interesting dish with tortilla strips, green sauce, a firm cheese, cilantro, and sesame seeds.

Great enfrioladas (tortillas stuffed with chicken in a bean sauce with crema and queso)

The Golden Hour in Taxco

Walking to the bus, nearly sunset. So sad to leave.

Comida and Markets in Cuernavaca Mexico

I'm finally getting around to posting some of my food photos from my trip to Cuernavaca. I lived with a family there for two weeks while I studied Spanish at a wonderful school called Cetlalic How's my Spanish now? Let's just say it's better but I'm more fluent in the food of Mexico than in the language.

The entire experience was amazing. The school has a unique method of teaching grammar in a cultural, political, and social context. The teachers are engaging and super smart. The family I lived with was warm and kind and Dona Mari welcomed me into her kitchen with open arms, let me help her and take photos and answered so many questions. She said she doesn't like to cook, but I don't believe her because it's not possible to make such wonderful food for a perfect stranger unless you like doing it.

The home was comfortable and the people in the city of Cuernavaca are inviting and helpful. Cuernavaca also has a wonderful market that is large, lively, and full of delicious things to eat. I think I'll go back. I have family and friends in Mexico now. So much better than being a tourist!

Here's the first installment of photos and captions. Enjoy!

 

A typical cena (around 3-4pm) after school. Soup, nopale salad, salsa, agua de jamaica, freshly made tortillas, some kind of meat (not pictured).

Freshly made gorditas in the market. Stuffed with beans, freshly fried and then topped with fiery green salsa, crema and delicious cheese. Craving these now!

Prepping the fruit for the punche, a fruit cocktail/punch to enjoy with the traditional New Years Eve Posole.

The punche on the stove cooking. Many fruits as well as fresh sugar cane and tamarind.

 

Tacos dorados to serve with the posole. Half are stuffed with potatoes and green chile and the other half with requeson (a type of cheese).

Here is the New Years meal. Posole blanco, (traditional accompaniments oregano, lime, chile, avocado) punche, tacos dorados, enjoyed at 11pm before fireworks. 

 

These are the fireworks. It's a structure with a bull in front carried by a runner. Fireworks fly off in every crazy direction and the people in the streets run with the bulls. It's nuts.

 

Another market photo

A really cool prehispanic cooking vessel in the excellent museum at the ruins at Xochicalco, an important site outside of Cuernavaca.

Gorgeous banana blossom on the tree at the school.

That's it for now. Look for another installment of Markets and Comida in Cuernavaca soon!

A Healthy, Restorative Meal with Sablefish and Dal

I rarely cook a protein, starch, veg meal anymore. And I rarely eat fish either. Our oceans are just so endangered, that it’s a once-in-awhile treat these days. And it’s gotta be on Seafood Watch’s green list, or I’m not even eating it as a treat.

If you’ve never cooked sablefish, you’ll find that it’s a reasonable substitute for the overfished rockfish and snapper usually used in dishes like fish tacos, and other preparations where you want a mild, white fillet of fish. It has a moist texture that lends itself well to a variety of preparations. I always find myself wishing it were a little flakier and a little less gelatinous, but it works pretty well. You may also see it as Black Cod at the fish counter.

This was a really easy dinner to make with little prep time and few ingredients. Its only down side is the number of pots and pans I used. One for the fish, one for the rice, one for the greens and yet another for the dal. If you cook the dal on a different day, that will make it a little less dish intensive.

For the dal, I use red split lentils and just cook them in water with a little turmeric and salt until tender (takes about 20 minutes) Then I sauté chilies (either fresh green or dried red) with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, shallots, and whatever else I’m feeling like adding, over high heat in oil or ghee and then quickly add the sizzling hot mixture to the dal, stir in and cover to permeate the dal with flavor. Ratio of lentils to water is about 4 to 1. The rest you’ll have to eyeball.


For the fish, I followed a recipe in Niloufer King’s fabulous James Beard Award winning My Bombay Kitchen for masala seafood. You don’t even need a recipe. It’s basically cayenne, turmeric and salt rubbed into scored fish fillets that are then fried quickly in a very small amount of oil. It’s wonderful and wonderfully easy. The rest of the meal is just sautéed mustard greens and Massa Brown Rice with some sprigs of fresh cilantro.

And Hey! I’m going to Mexico for two weeks so you might not hear from me. I might try to blog from there, but not sure. At any rate, expect some good posts about Mexican food when I return. I’m staying with a family and I hear the Senora is a very good cook and I’ve been assured that I’ll be welcome in her kitchen. Qué Bueno! Feliz Navidad Y Año Nuevo!

Magic Pumpkins: Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

I bought one of Annabelle’s magic white pumpkins on her recommendation. She said they were the best for pie. I always believe her. Even though I never make pumpkin pie (I always have the Thanksgiving guests bring it so I can concentrate on the savories) I thought I might as well give it a whirl.

I cut into it and I couldn’t believe the otherworldly day-glo quality of the flesh. And the beautiful line of pale green between white and orange. I couldn’t stop gazing. But into the oven it went in a glass casserole dish with a half-inch of water, covered in foil. I baked it until soft (about 30 minutes). It looked stringy but I scooped it into the food processor and gave it a whirl and it became a flawlessly smooth puree.

 
Then I made pie from the Jimtown Store Cookbook. It’s a wonderfully robust pie, not at all insipid. Filled with dark brown sugar, molasses and spices, including black pepper. Fantastic!

Then I froze some of the puree until this week and decided to make pumpkin bread. I’ve never made pumpkin bread before either, but I’ve eaten a lot of it. I like the kind with a cream cheese layer, so I Iooked around for recipes and found this one. But I wanted the quality of my bread to be robust, like the pie, so I made the recipe my own by adding more spices, molasses, dark brown sugar and a pecan streusel on top. It turned out great.

Here’s my version:

Pumpkin Bread:

1 cup pecans

1 cup butter , plus more for pans

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pinch of allspice

A few grindings of black pepper

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed (divided)

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon molasses

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Cream Cheese Filling:

8 ounces package cream cheese

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons all purpose flour


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and toast the pecans for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Butter and lightly flour two  9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and black pepper. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Add the granulated sugar, 3/4 cup of the brown sugar, and melted butter and whisk until blended.  Whisk or stir in the pumpkin puree, molasses, and vanilla extract.

Make the cream cheese filling:
In a food processor, process the cream cheese until smooth, add the sugar and process until blended and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, processing just until incorporated, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.  Add the flour and vanilla extract and process briefly.

Add the flour/spice mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined, without overmixing.

Put one-quarter of the pumpkin batter into the two loaf pans, spreading it evenly. Top each one with one-half of the cream cheese filling.  Top the cream cheese with the remaining pumpkin batter.

Chop the nuts coarsely and toss with the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Sprinkle evenly over the top of each loaf pan.

Bake the breads for about 60-80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Place pans on a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing breads.

Give one away and keep one! Or freeze one.

Fall Chicories Salad and Free Soup Class this Friday in Emeryville

This is one of those salads I could eat every day for months. All local from the farmers' market. Annabelle's puntarelle and escarole, Blossom Bluff persimmons, Art Davis' pecans (spiced with a little brown sugar, cayenne and other spices), and Somebody's pomegranates but I don't remember whose. It's bitter and sweet and crunchy and spicy and refreshing and it's just a great salad. I usually make a lighter vinaigrette with shallots (no garlic) and lemon juice or Champagne vinegar.

In other news:

Nishanga and I will be teaching a FREE soup class this Friday at The Cog.

Ways with Soup
 
Join CoG members and cooking teachers Vanessa Barrington and Nishanga Bliss in an exploration of the many ways of making economical, nourishing, delicious soups.  Veggie stocks and bone broths, the wonders of miso, cream soups and bean soups, soups and fermentation, recipes, and much much more!  Bring a mug and spoon for tasting.  FREE! If you're not a member come and learn from Susan Fleming how The Cog can save you money.
 7pm at The Cog 67th and Hollis in Emeryville.

Delicious Spiced Lamb Patties

Last month when I was working my shift at The Cog, I happily discovered a rancher selling lamb out of a refrigerator in the back of a truck parked just up the street.

How exciting is that? I couldn’t help but wonder how many other illicit direct-from- farmer-to-consumer meat purchases were happening all over the Bay Area on dark, deserted side streets. Of course I later discovered that it wasn’t an accident that the truck was on that particular street on that particular night. Turns out my friend Nishanga (another COG member) actually told the rancher it might be good to park there.

The lamb was there, so I had to buy some. I bought one pound of ground lamb because that’s all he had that he could sell without a preorder.

Back when I used to eat more meat, I used to make deliciously seasoned lamb patties often. They’re quick, easy, satisfying, and really tasty.

It was fun to revisit these in a slaphappy sort of non-measuring way. Below is a list of all the ingredients I used, but since I didn’t measure you’ll have to eyeball and then cook up a little to taste for proper seasoning.

And here’s an excellent idea: The holidays are approaching. Mini lamb meatballs nestled in small lettuce cups with yogurt might make a nice little appetizer. Think I’ll try it.

1 pound ground lamb

Freshly toasted ground cumin

Freshly toasted ground coriander

Finely chopped shallot

Garlic pounded to a paste

Chopped Parsley

Chopped Cilantro

Hot paprika

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix everything together and fry up a small amount to taste for proper seasoning. Form into patties, pan fry until just cooked through. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt, and whatever else you like. Lentils are a good choice as is any kind of rice and seasonal vegetables.

Wild Salmon-Potato Cakes

I'm turning into my mother. She used to "do things" with canned salmon. Namely a tasty but disturbingly cat-food textured dip served with Ritz crackers. I never have "done things" with canned salmon other than eating it on salads like tuna. In one of my ongoing battles with odd bits of leftovers and an overfull pantry, I came up with an elegant way to use leftover potatoes and canned wild salmon. Yep, I "did something" with canned salmon.

The impetus consisted of three steamed russet potatoes that never quite made it into Susan’s birthday potato salad with the Yukons, because it hadn’t seemed quite right to mix them.

Those potatoes had been taunting me from the vegetable drawer for a couple of days. Just daring me to use them. I kept thinking of eggs, and breakfast, and hash, but it just never happened. Suddenly it was Monday night and I was faced with a drawer full of fresh vegetables and a mean protein craving, with nary a speck of flesh defrosted.

Resourcefulness kicked in.

Makes 4 small patties

3 medium steamed russet potatoes, peeled
1-7.5 ounce can of wild salmon, skin and bones removed (I snack on them or feed them to the dog) and flaked
About 2 tablespoons freshly chopped herbs such as parsley, tarragon, chives, whatever you have
A dollop of mayonnaise
Harissa paste or a sprinkling of good paprika or Aleppo pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a medium bowl, mash the potatoes with a potato masher until they are broken down, but with some texture remaining.

Add the salmon, herbs, a small spoonful of mayonnaise, the harissa or other pepper, and salt and pepper. Mix and check for seasoning. Also check to see if the mixture holds together when you try to form it into a patty. If not, add a little more mayonnaise until it does.

Form the mixture into 4 patties, dividing it evenly. Heat the oil in a cast iron pan over medium high heat until it is shimmering but not smoking. Carefully lower the patties into the pan. Cook on the first side until crisp and brown (2 to 3 minutes) Turn and cook the other side for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until brown. Serve immediately accompanied by seasonal vegetables. In this case it was steamed then sautéed broccoli with red pepper flakes and garlic, along with roasted golden beet and arugula salad.

An unexpectedly great Monday night dinner, and easy too!