This recipe is from Willow Brook Blueberry Farm in the Huasna Valley of Arroyo Grande, located in San Luis Obispo County. This serene field of willow trees, a seasonal bubbling creek and more than a thousand blueberry bushes on 1.5 acres is named after its natural beauty, where visitors can pick their own blueberries all …
This recipe comes from one of Santa Barbara County’s wood-fired pizza masters, the late Jeff Olsson, owner of New West Catering in Santa Ynez Valley, Industrial Eats in Buellton, and Eye on I in Lompoc. Jeff started cooking in restaurant kitchens at the age of 15 and later honed his skills under the tutelage of …
In Italian, maltagliati means badly cut. Today, this means any uniquely-shaped short flat noodles. Originally, they started out as a way to use leftover pasta, and were frequently hand torn. Fava beans are extremely delicious when they are fresh, and go well as a toothy protein in pasta. This is the perfect spring pasta dish. …
Ojai Hive & Honey at Barbareño in Santa Barbara Ojai Hive & Honey at Barbareño in Santa Barbara is a coconut honey panna cotta with granita, honeycomb and fresh fruit. This dish features the many parts of a honeybee’s life: bee pollen they have gathered, honeycomb, the honey itself, and the literal fruits of the …
If you’re cutting down on sugar and carbs, this ricotta almond cake made with almond flour (and a little coconut flour to keep it light) is delicious. Helpful for diabetics, keto and just children-near-bedtime, it’s also a classic Italian cake that’s great for mornings with coffee as well as after dinner. Or maybe even lunch …
Every so often, you stumble upon a Chardonnay so refreshing and unique, unlike over-the-top oaky-buttery-California Chardonnays, that you want to drink it and cook with it, try every dish with it. I love Chardonnay with a creamy freshness and lemon-lime quality that is well integrated with oak flavors. Sometimes these are fermented in a combination …
Fresh pasta with local, organic spring peas, leeks and thyme for an easy, impressive dinner. Spring has sprung in California – as well as most of the country. To me that means spring vegetable season; asparagus, leeks, peas, artichoke, fennel and fresh herbs are bountiful in farmers markets. Much of this produce is available year-round, …
I love to try to incorporate as many vegetables as possible into my meals – after all, how many of us actually get the recommended dose of veggies at each meal? Pasta dishes are one of the easiest ways to get additional vegetables into your diet, so I decided to find some new linguine + …
One of my favorite Easter sweets is panna cotta, or Italian “cooked cream.” It’s an eggless custard that is silky-smooth and so easy to make. In fact, David Lebovitz writes that if it takes you more than 5 minutes to put it together, you’re doing something wrong. If you haven’t yet tried to make custard, …
