Santa Ynez Valley

Local Nettle Pasta with Mushrooms & Spot Prawns at S.Y. Kitchen

April 28, 2017 By calicoastblog Leave a Comment

Spring’s Don’t-Miss-Dish in Edible Santa Barbara

Living in Santa Barbara County all but guarantees us locally grown produce year-round, but spring can bring surprises depending on rain. This year, fields are bursting with growth – green hills and abundant vegetation are everywhere. And that gets chef Francesco Crestanelli of S.Y. Kitchen excited.

“The quantity of food available here in spring is so great; it feels like a treasure hunt,” he says. “I just love creating dishes out of what we can find.”

Plentiful rain is causing chanterelle mushrooms – large, fleshy and meaty – and wild nettles – leafy and vibrant green – to pop up in fields all over the County. Crestanelli, brother and partner of chef Luca Crestanelli, loves to gather the nettles and chanterelles himself for dishes in the restaurant, sometimes in a field across from the restaurant in Santa Ynez. Nettles, which have a ton of vitamins, are considered an old, classic ingredient in his native Verona, Italy, and lend a beautiful green color to S.Y. Kitchen’s daily handmade pasta. Crestanelli also adds Santa Barbara spot prawns, which are sweet and so fresh they are sometimes just hours out of the ocean.

To make this Italian “Surf & Turf,” blanch the nettle leaves and drain (make sure to handle raw leaves with gloves). Then blend them with a farm egg, and combine with flour and salt. Knead and rest the dough, then roll out and cut. Sautée garlic, Italian parsley and red chile flakes in extra virgin olive oil (preferably from Italy) over med-high heat. Add the cut mushrooms and prawns (cleaned and shelled) and cook for 2-3 minutes. Boil the fresh pasta in water and salt for 2-3 minutes, then drain and add to the pan along with cherry tomatoes. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute and add salt and pepper to taste.

Wine pairing: 2015 Storm Sauvignon Blanc

SY Kitchen Nettle Pasta - Liz Dodder CaliCoastWine

SY Kitchen Nettle Shrimp Pasta 2 - Liz Dodder CaliCoastWine

Bar at SY Kitchen - Liz Dodder CaliCoastWine

Herb Crusted Fish of the Day at Mad & Vin – Solvang’s Landsby Hotel

October 18, 2016 By calicoastblog Leave a Comment

Fall’s Don’t-Miss-Dish in Edible Santa Barbara

You might not guess it, but one of the best places to eat local fish is the cozy, modern Danish restaurant inside the renovated Landsby hotel in Solvang: Mad & Vin. Both the ceviche and the Herb Crusted Fish of the Day with crispy quinoa, fall squash and Swiss chard come from our local waters.

The supplier is Buellton native Travis Meyer, who’s been fishing here his whole life. When he recently began selling his local wild Halibut and other white fish to Industrial Eats (or select spots on the valley), newly promoted Head Chef Beto Huizar quickly jumped on board.

Meyers’ local catch is the inspiration for the Herb Crusted Fish, paired with local fall vegetables, crispy red quinoa (a house original) and a sauce from house-made orange shrub (a traditional technique of preserving fruit). Huizar was raised on a farm in Mexico, where everything was fresh and his grandmother cooked from scratch. After arriving here in the valley at 18, he worked in various kitchens, always keeping his eye on local ingredients.

To make this dish, Huizar dries fresh thyme, oregano and sage in the oven, then mixes in salt, sesame seeds and sumac. He salts the fish, presses the herb mix on the non-skin side, then sautÈes it in oil over medium heat – crusted side down first, then flip, 2 minutes on each side. To crisp red quinoa, cook as directed, then deep-fry in small batches for about 1 min. (You can also pan-fry over medium heat in oil for 5-6 mins.) Slice the vegetables and roast in a 350 degree oven with olive oil, salt and pepper until done. Blanch the chard, then sautÈe with sliced garlic.

Finish the fish in a 350 degree oven for about 6 minutes or until done and reduce the orange shrub or vinegar by one-third, and add vanilla paste. Top the vegetables and quinoa with the fish, and add the reduced sauce and some edible flowers.

Spring Farro Bowl at Plenty on Bell

April 13, 2016 By calicoastblog Leave a Comment

Spring’s Don’t-Miss Dish in Edible Santa Barbara Magazine

Plenty on Bell, the latest addition to the Los Alamos dining scene, is also a distant relative of Edible magazines! Co-founders of Edible Communities, Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, opened their modest farm-to-table eatery in January, now serving lunch every day from 11-4.

At the helm is long-time Los Alamos chef Jesper Johansson, who has cooked on this street for 16 years. A native of Sweden, he’s gained a large local following with his down-to-earth dishes and scrumptious breakfasts.

At Plenty on Bell, Johansson will focus on local, farm-to-table comfort food. Dishes on the menu are influcenced by his family background of traditional baking and cooking from scratch, as well as the local produce here in Santa Barbara county – with much of it coming from the owners’ gardens right here in town.

Bowls are a signature dish, featuring weekly and seasonal specials and vegan options with around-the-world flavors like white beans & sausage, mussels & frites or Italian pastas. This Spring Farro Bowl features tender Spring vegetables and locally-grown farro from Kandarian Organic Farms. An ancestor of modern wheat, emmer farro is a heritage grain that’s nutrient-dense, GMO-free, nutty and chewy. And it’s 100% organic.

Johansson first rinses the farro, then puts about a cup in 2 cups of water with a pinch of salt and cooks it for about 20 minutes. It should double in size and be al dente when it’s ready. Meanwhile, he blanches the peas and asparagus for about a minute, then transfers to an ice bath. He chops or thinly slices the asparagus, carrots, leeks, radishes, spinach, mint and parsley. To make the dressing, Johnansson puts sherry vinegar, a mix of whole grain and Dijon mustard, lemon, olive oil and salt and pepper in a small jar and shakes it to combine. He then mixes all ingredients together and tops with fresh herbs to serve – grated cheese or harrissa would also work.

Restaurant Week in SYV: 3-Course Meals for $20 & change

January 25, 2016 By calicoastblog Leave a Comment

It’s late January and that means Restaurant Week in Santa Ynez Valley is here! This means 3-course meals at restaurants around the valley for only $20 and some change. It’s a great time to try different restaurants for such a great price; choices range from steakhouses and California fare to Greek and Italian and much more.

The menu last year at Los Olivos Cafe & Wine Merchant was delicious as usual, and this year’s menu is similar. Take a peek!

Breakfast (or Carbonara) Pizza at Industrial Eats

October 17, 2015 By calicoastblog Leave a Comment

Fall’s Don’t-Miss Dish in Edible Santa Barbara Magazine

Industrial Eats owner/Chef Jeff Olsson has been cooking from locally sourced, organic ingredients long before “farm-to-table” was born. In the late 80s, deep in Amish farming country in Pennsylvania, Tuscarora Organic Growers co-operative took root, supplying restaurants in the Washington D.C. area with locally grown, organic produce. This co-op helped keep small farms afloat by coordinating crop production to complement each other rather than compete. Restaurants had more varied produce and farmers made more sales.

While cooking at Miller’s Red Sage and Restaurant Nora (the first certified organic restaurant in the U.S.) Olsson felt lucky to have access to such diverse produce grown organically nearby, and remembers faxing his orders to the co-op. This kind of farm-to-restaurant link was radical at the time, where chefs could even tell farms what they’d like planted for next year. or Olsson, this kind of food just tastes better – it’s great because it was in the ground 36 hours ago.

Now at his Buellton restaurant, most everything is sourced locally, including pork. He sources heritage breeds like Kunekune, Mangalitsa and Berkshire crosses exclusively in Santa Barbara county, where the pigs are raised humanely. Butchering and curing is done in-house, with Valley Piggery even helping teach a Butchering class in Olsson’s kitchen one weekend every 2 months. Restaurant cuts from the class are used in the dishes.

The Carbonara Pizza (or Breakfast Pizza before noon) features pancetta from those local pigs, Parmesan cheese, a seasonal vegetable and a farm egg on top. To make the dough, Olsson uses only 4 ingredients: Italian 00 pizza flour, yeast, water and salt – anything more only brings the quality down.

After kneading, he lets it rise in the fridge for 24 hours. He then stretches the dough by hand, spreads olive oil across the top, then adds salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese, pancetta and vegetables. He cracks an egg in the middle and slides it into an 800 degree wood-burning oven for 4-7 minutes. To cook at home, place a cast-iron skillet upside down in your oven and turn the heat all the way up. When the skillet is hot, cook the pizza on the skillet for 10-12 minutes or until dough is done.

Palmina Wines 20th Anniversary Celebration

August 13, 2015 By calicoastblog Leave a Comment

On August 1st Palmina Wines held its 20th anniversary celebration at Sogna del Fiore Vineyard with a celebration of food, wine, music and friends. It was a beautiful evening in the Santa Ynez Valley, made even more beautiful with a welcome glass of Palmina’s sparkling Nebbiolo — Lumina.

There was an incredible food lineup: Erik Kelley from The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, Chef Brandon Boudet from Dominick’s (Los Angeles), Jake Francis from Valley Piggery, Chef Massimo Falsini from the Four Seasons Hotel in Hualalai & David Cecchini from Cecco Ristorante in Solvang. And live music from Steve Clifton — the winemaker himself — and his band, Mojo Classic Rock, kept the crowd dancing and singing along.

We were also treated to the full lineup of Palmina current releases & a special selection of library wines, like this 2005 Arneis. And for another special treat, David & Anna deLaski of Solminer Wines were pouring their wines.

And to top off the night — Italian gelato. Nothing could have been better.

What a great night & congratulations to Palmina!