nevada city

pickled onions

these all star pickles are best w/ pulled pork, in a fried egg sandwich, atop salads or inside tacos of varying deliciousness.  they are a product of the village market in the inner richmond of san francisco.  kate baron, stephanie shelton & myself came up with the recipe while we were making our incredibly popular fried egg sandwich.

Makes 1 quart

  • 2-3 red onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup white wine vinegar (white vinegar will do)
  • 1/2 cup filtered water, warmed to 150 degrees
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoons peppercorn whole
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 whole red peppers (optional)
  1. heat up your water in a medium saucepan & dissolve the sugar in the warming water. while the sugar dissolves, thinly slice your onions.
  2. add your onions to a large big basin bowl, pour salt over onions and toss to incorporate throughly. next add in your peppercorns, vinegar, bay leaf and the optional red peppers and toss again.
  3. once the sugar is dissolved into the water, (may be done before you are finished with the above step, just turn it off and put a lid on it). pour the sugar water over the red onions.
  4. toss the onions in the warmed water/vinegar mix and let sit till room temperature.
  5. strain the onions into a quart sized mason jar and then carefully pour in pickling liquid over the top. refrigerate for 12 hours, the onions will lighten in color and the pickling liquid will turn a lovely soft pink.

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cold brew

i use to work for a blue bottle coffee spot in sf, the village market, there we made some of the best cold brewed coffee i have ever had. frontier natural sells a lb (16oz) bag of chicory, for around 20.00 on amazon. i highly suggest it or if you live near a great co-op (briar patch, rainbow grocery, davis natural) you might be able to find it in their bulk section or they can order it for you.

1 pound coffee beans, coarsely ground (blue bottle retrofit works great, your favorite high quality darker coffee single origin or blend).
1 1/2 ounces chopped, roasted chicory
10 C filtered cold water

add the coffee & chicory to a large stock pot. using a wooden spoon, stir in the water until well mixed, cover and let sit in a cool place for 10 – 12 hours, this will make  you a syrupy concentrate.

once steeped strain the coffee using a fine mesh strainer, into a large iced tea jar or 1.5Q mason jar. I like using an iced tea jar with a spout, easy to pour and you won’t waste a drop!

you can experiment with how much cold water you add to each cup of iced coffee.  blue bottle suggests a 1:1 ratio. I like a little less water, but i compensate with fresh almond milk (recipe to come) and a little simple syrup (blue bottle suggests 3oz of simple syrup to the entire 1.5Q+/-  coffee concentrate.

the concentrate will keep for a week in your fridge.

enjoy.

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this is the the most clean coffee you will ever have. if you have a sensitive stomach to coffee, this may be the answer as the coffee oils aren’t extracted by hot water, the slow long process produces a sweet, strong, uber delicious cup of coffee.

skillet (gluten free) cornbread w/ creamed corn

creamed corn

Ingredients

  • 6 TBSP butter, melted + 1 TBSP for buttering cast iron
  • 3 Cups frozen corn
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
  • 1/3 C heavy cream
  • 3/4 teaspoon gf all purpose flour

bring frozen corn, the water, butter and s/p to taste to a simmer, until corn is warm throughout.  in a small saucepan whisk the flour & cream together, boil over medium heat, uncovered, stirring constantly, 1 minute.  Carefully transfer cream mixture to 2/3 C of the corn w/ some of the cooking liquid to a blender and puree or use a hand mixer.  Stir puree into corn and simmer 5 minutes.
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Season w/ salt & pepper.
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 Cast Iron Gluten Free Corn Bread w/ Creamed Corn

makes 2 9″ cast iron skillet rounds

Ingredients

  • 6 TBSP butter, melted + 1 TBSP for buttering cast iron
  • 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
  • 1 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour,  (I use Bob’s Red Mill GF All Purpose Mix)
  • 1/4 cup organic sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2.5 teaspoons salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
  • 1 cup creamed corn (recipe above)
  • scallions or chives, to garnish

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Turn the cast iron pan on low and butter with 1 tablespoon of butter.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, & creamed corn; whisk in 6 TBSP melted butter.

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  • Stir cornmeal mixture into buttermilk mixture just until moistened. (Do not overmix.)

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  • Right before you pour mixture into prepared pan, turn up the heat on the cast iron to med-high.

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  • Pour 1/2 the batter into prepared skillet, once you see the perimeter bubble and start to pull from the side, carefully put the skillet in the oven w/ a pot holder.  bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 12-16 minutes. Let cool in skillet a few minutes before inverting and slicing.

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ingredients

being that my experience spans from over 9 years of san francisco life, a year abroad in Florence, Italia & a family culture rich in food memories, 3 years of cooking at an organic open kitchen market w/ a daily menu, thoughtful ingredients are at the forefront of my cuisine.  Local Nevada County farms have an abundant array of fresh, organic, whole foods that are unparalleled to buying produce shipped in from Chile, Mexico & Argentina.  Abundance is a key word here.  I will make you whatever you desire, but please be willing to trust my eye, I canoodle every potato, smell each bunch of lemon thyme, size up each blessed little chicken & taste everything I possibly can before buying your ingredients.  I enjoy planning menus at the farmer’s market, the fish market, the local butcher or simply your favorite market, letting these wondrous ingredients speak for themselves.

Let’s go on an adventure together, I promise it will be fun.a marin sun farms beauty