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Crispy White Sea Bass with Summer Corn & Shishito Peppers at The Gathering Table at Ballard Inn

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

Ballard Inn has been a fixture in Santa Ynez Valley since 1985, known as a wine country getaway with romantic ambiance and award-winning cuisine. Now, it’s undergone a complete transformation, from the 15 guest rooms to the modern farmhouse dining room complete with a long, communal table in front of the fireplace. And the cuisine is also refreshed: California Creative with a menu featuring shared plates. Welcome to the Gathering Table!

Crispy White Sea Bass - The Gathering Table at Ballard Inn by Liz DodderChef Budi Kazali is still at the helm, consistently producing some of the top cuisine in the area. His style is to use local, organic produce to create favorite and innovative dishes, frequently with an Asian spice or flavor.

“Growing up in Indonesia, I crave some of the foods I had when I was young,” Kazali says. “And I’m lucky that Shu Takikawa is growing some of them right here in Los Olivos at The Garden of…”

Takikawa’s organic, clean produce is a result of him genuinely caring for the land and his lettuce is widely known as the best (he’s something of a master gardener and other farmers come to study under him). Kazali gets local sea bass and abalone from Santa Barbara area fishermen;

Takikawa is something of a mater gardener (other farmers come to study under him) whose organic, clean produce is a result of him genuinely caring for the land. Kazali gets produce like shishito peppers and yu choy from him, and local sea bass and abalone from Santa Barbara area fishermen. “It’s great to get such innovative stuff that’s such great quality – it really allows me to do something fun and challenging.”

Abalone at The Gathering Table at Ballard Inn by Liz DodderTo make the crispy sea bass, sautee shopped onion, garlic and corn until soft, then adds white wine and white miso and cook until reduced by half. Puree, then add butter and put on plate. Chop Shishito peppers and add to a cast iron pan on high heat. Cook until charred on one side, then add corn to get charred. Add tomatoes and basil, stir a few times and add salt and pepper and add to plate. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, then cook the fish skin side down until 75% done. Flip the fish and cook the other 25%, add salt and pepper and add to plate, then top with micro cilantro. Shiso Herb Crusted Tempura Abalone with daikon radish sprouts and Ogo seaweed also available this summer!

 

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

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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

Spring Farro Bowl at Plenty on Bell

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Spring Farro Bowl at Plenty on Bell

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.

Maili’s Fried Chicken at Scratch Kitchen

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

Chef Augusto Caudillo cooks food the way his grandmother did: from scratch, over several days if needed, with local ingredients and a nod of respect to people in his family. And like his grandmother, Caudillo’s notion of family extends to customers, local growers and mentors as well as actual relations. Caudillo runs Scratch Kitchen in Lompoc alongside his brother-in-law-partner Gonzalo Pacheco, with lots of help from his wife, sister and the greater community.

Caudillo knows it takes a community to successfully run an affordable farm-to-table restaurant. So food producers like Santa Rita Farms become family, dropping by on Wednesday evenings to let Caudillo shop their truck, plan future plantings and have a beer. His cooking mentor Chef Maili Halme also became family, as the pair worked together over years perfecting their crispy fried chicken recipe. His version of that dish is now on Caudillo’s menu at the popular eatery.

Caudillo sources chicken from Jimenez Family Farm in Santa Ynez for the quality of the meat and the sustainability of the farming, but also because it is a family-run farm. He wants his small family to help support other small families, creating a sense of community among them. This larger family also helps keep him connected to where our food comes from.

Maili’s Fried Chicken at Scratch KitchenTo make Caudillo & Halme’s perfect fried chicken, Caudillo starts a day ahead. He brines the chicken in buttermilk, salt and spices (add any spices or flavorings you like) for 24 hours. He then mixes equal parts flour and Panko bread crumbs (use more Panko for more crunch) and covers each piece with the crumb mixture. Caudillo heats vegetable oil (he uses canola/soy) in a fryer to 375 degrees and cooks each piece for 7-8 minutes — this temperature is important so as not to over-brown the chicken. He then cooks it in a 350 degree oven for 13-15 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees.

Caudillo’s sauce is his own, a “no-waste” traditional French veal sauce. He sautées carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, in-house smoked bacon and any recent meat trimmings, then adds stock and red wine, reducing it until thick.

Breakfast (or Carbonara) Pizza at Industrial Eats

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Breakfast Pizza from Industrial Eats - Santa Barbara wine country

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.

Grilled Avocado at Mattei’s Tavern

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

Jan 2016: The restaurant at Mattei’s Tavern is currently closed. It’s available for events and accommodations, and will reopen the restaurant in Spring 2018.

What started as an experiment in cooking California’s signature fruit quickly became Chef Robbie Wilson‘s signature dish. The Grilled Avocado with Ponzu sauce and fresh wasabi at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos stemmed from Wilson’s love for tempura-fried avocado, and is now the dish that every table wants.

Wilson wanted to do something entirely new with local produce, and dreamed of an avocado dish to be eaten with a fork – something savory and something very California. Grilling it over red oak on the restaurant’s 1889 grill was right in line for this historic landmark. Wilson says the trifecta of smoke, acid and the fruit’s buttery texture is what makes this simple, yet adventurous dish. He only uses Hass avocados from Bliss Family Avocado Ranch in Carpenteria because of their large size and amazing taste – Hass avocados have higher fat content and larger yields. Bliss also grows different varieties that produce fruit year-round, keeping Wilson’s most-popular dish always in-stock and always local.

Grilled-Avocado-Liz-Dodder-Photography-web

To grill the avocado, Wilson halves it and scoops out each half, then brushes each side with olive oil, salt and pepper. Make sure the grill is hot – as hot as possible. Place the halves crater side down on the grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until they easily release from the grill. Turn them over on their backs for just a minute, then remove and sprinkle again with olive, sale and pepper. Fill each crater with a Ponzu sauce of equal parts soy sauce and acid (rice wine vinegar + citrus juice), nori (seaweed) and garlic. Serve with freshly-grated wasabi. If you can’t find fresh wasabi, Wilson says don’t use the dyed green stuff; instead, use thinly sliced local hot chiles and float in the Ponzu.