Romesco Sauce Over Sweet Potatoes with Grilled Salmon

One of the best things about traveling is indulging in the the local food, and the lasting memories these foods create. While visiting Barcelona a few years back I was first introduced to romesco sauce. Romesco sauce is a classic sauce from Catalonia, northeastern Spain, generally made from a ground mixture of tomatoes, red bell peppers, onion, garlic, almonds, and olive oil. Almonds play a generous and key role in this delightful sauce, which is usually served with grilled fish or poultry but can also be used as a condiment or a dip.

In the Wall Street Journal this week, adapted from Mason Hereford’s recipe, Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Chipolte Romesco, Feta, and Basil was featured. This romesco sauce is the best I have ever had. It is a twist on romesco sauce using chipotle peppers instead of traditional roasted red peppers. So simple to make and the spicy, smoky romesco sauce dolloped over roasted sweet potatoes is a stroke of perfection. A simple grilled salmon with a pinch of chili lime salt rounded out a sensational weeknight dinner. Yum! Yum!

Please share your favorite food memory from traveling. Remember when Julia Child had just landed on French soil and had her first lunch of Sole Meunière which made her fall in love with French cuisine, totally changed her life, and she in turn totally changed our lives and our way of eating?

Bon Appétit, Bon Weekend, et Bon Easter….Bonnie

‘Celestial Night’ Rose, One of Felicia Alvarez’s Favorite in the Purple & Lavender Category

There is a new book out by Felicia Alvarez called Growing Wonder, A Flower Farmers Guide to Roses. Alvarez is a third generation flower farmer with an 80 acre mostly rose farm outside of Sacramento. In ‘your best friend warm and friendly voice’ she expertly guides you through how to grow roses, debunking the myth that roses are hard to grow. She even breaks out rose growing into three category types to help you further grow fabulous roses whether you are a “Weekend Warrior,” “Everyday Gardener,” or an "Aspiring Rosarian.”

Alvarez covers all the bases on roses in very readable chapters on rose selection, planting roses, rose care, harvesting and suggested resources. I have learned so much from her and her book. Here are just a few tips:

1) Whether you buy a bare root or potted rose, the most important thing is to get it into the ground.

2) Know your soil type, irrigation output, and soil moisture.

3) You can prune a rose year-round.

4) Roses can thrive in pots and containers.

4) Compost is different from mulch, and compost is key for your roses.

5) Feed your roses on a schedule of U.S. holidays beginning with Easter/Passover, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day.

6) A healthy rose goes a long way in defending itself from pests. Observe your roses diligently, and act quickly when pests appear.

7) Harvest your roses early in the day, and when buds are a tight bud-to-marshmallow form.

8) Maintaining a cool temperature for your roses after harvest is key for a longer post harvest life.

9) Her time-tested favorite roses for growing and cutting, broken down into color schemes and types.

10) Design a simplistic floral bouquet with roses, and let your roses shine!

11) Avoid taking rose thorns off their stems for floral arrangements, unless it is for a bridal bouquet, etc. Removing rose thorns creates more wounds and places for bacteria to enter.

‘Distant Drums’ Rose, A Multi & Taupe Favorite of Felicia Alvarez and Erin Benzakein at Floret Farms

Besides actively managing her rose farm, selling her cut roses and writing, Alvarez created Menagerie Academy, which offers garden rose education with one-on-one assistance, workshops, and online courses. Visit her website Menagerie Flower for more rose information and rose care products. Alvarez lives on her farm with her husband and darling two young sons.

‘Sally Holmes’ Rose, One of Felicity Alvarez’s Favorite Climbers and Mine Too!

I highly recommend this book for all of you who love to grow roses. It is a wonderful reference to have at hand for rose information, inspiration, and to increase your garden rose expertise.

Alvarez says to grow the roses you love. I love the romantic climbing Eden rose, the landscape classic White Iceberg rose, the apricot hybrid tea rose Just Joey, and the stunning deep purple to lavender floribunda rose Intrigue, to name a few more that grow in my garden. Please share what garden roses you love to grow!

Related Past Post:

Flower Power

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie

Classic BBQ Baked Beans by Frank Thomas

This might look a bit like chili, but it is one of my favorite Classic BBQ Baked Beans recipe from former baseball great, Frank Thomas in his cookbook, The Big Hurt’s Guide to BBQ and Grilling. I am sharing this with you now, so you will have it for your summer and fall menus. Everyone has a baked bean recipe, but maybe you haven’t tried this one. It is a simple recipe to make, that combines sweet and smoky ingredients for a really nice Southern twist on classic baked beans. This recipe is a “marriage in heaven” with smoked ribs, bbq chicken, and juicy hamburgers.

Here is the recipe link to Bon Appétit, June 2020, Classic BBQ Baked Beans by Frank Thomas from The Big Hurt’s Guide to BBQ and Grilling.

Please Note My Loving Adaptations:

I make this recipe on my stove, rather than on a grill.

This recipe calls for 1/4 pound bacon diced. I usually saute the onion and red pepper in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, instead of using bacon.

This recipe calls for 3 16-ounce can of kidney beans. You could also start with dried beans similar to kidney beans, soak them, cook them until soft, and then begin your recipe. I have done this before. See below for my post on Rancho Gordo Bean Club.

Watch your hot sauce and Creole seasoning amounts. For instance, I use a teaspoon of hot sauce, instead of a tablespoon. If your Creole seasoning is very hot, you might want to use 1 teaspoon, instead of two. The recipe serves 6, but if you are doubling it for a larger gathering, you might not want to necessarily double your hot sauce and Creole seasoning amounts. Start with smaller amounts, and taste, taste, taste.

Creole seasoning can be found in some grocery stores and online. There is a rainbow of hot sauces available in grocery stores, specialty stores, and online too. The best is buying your Creole seasoning and hot sauce when visiting New Orleans!

This recipe should definitely be made a day ahead to allow the heat in the recipe to mellow, the beans to thicken, and all of the other ingredients to meld together. Refrigerate overnight. There is something magical about these beans the next day. Worth the wait!

Related Past Post:

Rancho Gordo Bean Club

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Spring Prepping the Vineyard

I mentioned previously a few weeks ago, all of the spring sprucing I was doing in the garden. Well, my husband, John, and I have also been doing some sprucing in the vineyard, and prepping for the year ahead. It can be a big chore, but also very rewarding. Time well spent now means a continued healthy vineyard and a successful harvest in the fall.

Vines have been pruned back to their two cordon arms. Vineyard rows have been mowed twice already to keep weeds low and at bay. I have tried sowing cover crops a few times between the rows, but have been unsuccessful most likely because of low winter rains. The vines have drip irrigation at each plant, but no irrigation in the rows.

For one reason or another, our grapes last harvest were beautiful, but half of our normal yield. I heard and read that most of California vineyards had lower than usual yields. It could also have been very little winter rains, high winds at flowering, etc. Many factors could have played into it.

I have added compost to our vines before, and thought it might be a good time to add some rich compost to them this year. While I am doing my flower beds, let’s do the vineyard too!

This year I added and mixed in three generous shovels of compost to the base of each grapevine to add back organic nitrogen. Compost has amazing qualities to benefit soil and plants. See below for my many related past posts on composting. I am composting year-round, but with the quantity to cover each grapevine, I bought a yard and a half of compost from Agriservice El Corazon in Oceanside. It helps if you have a truck, or access to a truck, although Agri Service El Corazon delivers too. If interested in delivery services, please visit their information online, and call them for more details.

Adding Rich Compost to Each Grapevine Base

I have been composting for a very long time on our property. When you have chickens, it is almost a necessity. Chicken manure is “green gold” and not to be wasted. It is a perfect green to add to your compost bin besides your kitchen scraps, and landscape greens. It is a hot manure however, and will burn your plants if it not aged and broken down into compost with your other ingredients.

I add compost mixed with my soil for every plant, tree, and vegetable bed I plant. Compost adds back valuable nitrogen, and has about ten fantastic attributes. Compost is also very dark and adds a dressy look to your flower beds and around your landscape.

For composting tools, products, and services, please look into what your local city offers. You might be surprised.

Related Past Posts on Composting:

Ten Ways Composting Benefits Your Soil

How to Compost in Your Backyard

The Green Way to Lose a Lawn

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Cooking Class Silent Auction Item at Assistance League of Rancho San Dieguito Fundraiser “Springtime in Paris”

The Assistance League of Rancho San Dieguito is having their annual fundraiser on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at the Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa, 10:30am to 2:00pm. This year’s theme is “Springtime in Paris.” There will be a luncheon, fashion show, and silent auction. Their silent auction has many wonderful items to bid on, including one of my cooking classes for 8 people, and also a case of our assorted award-winning Domaine de Manion wine. For more information and online ticket registration, please go to “Springtime in Paris.”

Your support will help the Assistance League of Rancho San Dieguito: Provide scholarships for graduating seniors. Clothe school-age children with new clothes and shoes. Provide new clothes and toiletries for survivors of sexual assault. Prepare preschoolers for Kindergarten. Provide hand-knit layettes for military families. Provide cuddly bears for trauma victims. Such a great cause, helping make a difference in so many ways. If you can’t make the luncheon, you can make a donation online. I hope to see you there!

Fun & Fundraising at Point Loma’s Garden Walk

Have fun, and benefit the Division of Plastic Surgery Craniofacial Services, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego. Part garden tour, part marketplace, part fundraiser, and a great way to spend an April spring day in Point Loma. For more information and purchasing tickets online, please go to Point Loma Garden Walk. Group tickets of 10 or more are discounted.

For more information and inquiries on my cooking classes, please visit www.bonniejomanion.com

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie

My First Ever Peony, ‘Belle Toulousaine’, and African Daisy, Arctotis ‘Wine’

This time of year warrants more time in the garden than in the kitchen. I just can’t help it. Cool in the morning, warming up as the day goes on, I am fueled to work on many projects to spruce up around our home and garden. Wishing for more rain, but grateful for what we have gotten so far.

Since January, I have had my large pine trees trimmed, replenished walking paths, been on weed patrol, mulched flower beds, added new plants, and enjoyed working on various fun garden projects.

One of my new plants from Armstrong Garden is the Belle Toulousaine Itoh Peony, suitable for our warm climate here in San Diego. Belle Toulousaine peony was given its name in homage to Toulouse, the beloved hometown of its breeder. I visited the charming area of Toulouse, France in 2019 with French General Getaway, which I highly recommend! So this new peony has an extra special meaning to me.

A real beauty with stunning bright pink blooms, great for cutting, and shown above starting to blossom after our recent rain. It should stay a nice size of 3’ wide x 3’ high. My first peony, and I am very excited to see it fully bloom.

Regaining the Potager

Another project I have been working on is reclaiming and enhancing the potager. Last year the squirrels wouldn’t let me have a vegetable garden. With patience my husband and I live-trapped and relocated 16 squirrels to better digs. Mr. Coyote also might have contributed. So far so good, I have been able to start vegetables again. I added a sentry row of Green Globe artichokes, planted in protective wire baskets to discourage the gophers. I refreshed and added to the Chandler strawberry patch, mulching with pine straw. I am experimenting with various container tomatoes.

St. Francis Oversees Newly Planted Rose Garden

This winter I have been adding more roses to the garden. Many in front of our home entry, and now five matching pairs of roses in the St. Francis garden. Newly planted, and still with their labels waving, I am hoping these roses will be happy and prolific with beautiful blooms. I have always loved the majestic pink and fragrant Yves Piaget rose since I saw an entire field of them blooming on a tour at Rose Story Farm in Carpinteria, California years ago. Now I have two! I tried to plant the rose garden above from tallest to shortest, and with the idea that pinks and apricots would blend in nicely with the muted multi-colored roses. Another experiment, that I hope works out.

A New Welcoming Look

Repositioning a rain gutter to a better location, prompted a project to make this north entrance more inviting and welcoming. It still needs a good power wash, but I am waiting to do this after the rainy season. The existing Duranta ‘Skyflower’ drapes over the stucco wall to soften lines and in summer provides beautiful wispy purple blooms. An open alcove is a perfect spot for a happy flowing ivy atop a vintage urn, much like a really good but unruly head of hair. Two flanking boxwood ‘Green Beauty’ in simple grey planters, and an obedient greyhound statuary further create a welcoming atmosphere and plenty of room for thoroughfare.

Potted Purple Pansies All Grown Up

I feel the more I can do in the first three months of the year, the more it benefits the ensuing year. I am sure you have been busy too, working on your projects. Please share, if you have been spring sprucing in your garden.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Missy Robbins and Talia Baiocchi’s 2021 cookbook, Pasta

Okay, I confess. Missy Robbins and Talia Baiocchi’s 2021 cookbook, Pasta, The Spirit and Craft of Italy’s Greatest Food, with Recipes is truly an outstanding cookbook. In fact, listed as one of the top ten cookbooks in 2021. A Christmas gift, and I haven’t really had a chance to read through it or make any recipes yet. Except one, the House Vinaigrette.

I think their House Vinaigrette is outstanding, and the recipe I want to share with you. I make my own salad dressings, and have my favorite vinaigrette which might change slightly with the seasons. Everyone should have their own signature House Vinaigrette, and you probably do. Maybe this one will become your new House Vinaigrette.

I love this vinaigrette because it is a 2:1 oil to acid ratio, and not the usual 3:1 ratio. It has a whooping tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and the garlic is Microplaned to easily blend. I feel this vinaigrette goes well with any type of lettuce you throw at it, it is just that good! Enjoy!

House Vinaigrette

Lovingly Adapted from Missy Robbins and Talia Baiocchi’s Pasta Cookbook

Yields 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup good olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Add the mustard to a bowl. Using a Microplane, grate the garlic into the mustard and stir to blend.

2) Add the red wine vinegar to the bowl. While stirring drizzle in the olive oil.

3) Make sure to prepare your dressing ahead, so the garlic has time to bloom.

4) Can be kept in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

If you make this vinaigrette, please let me know what you think!

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie

Entrance to Viewpoint Brewing Company

From time to time I write about “Places to Know” around San Diego County which are special. Viewpoint Brewing Company is one of them. I had heard about this Del Mar brewing company located near the water, but never explored it until recently. Located across from the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and along side the San Diego Lagoon and trails of the San Diego River Park, it is a very well done 7,000 sq foot restaurant and experienced brewery offering 20 tasty beers that is a real surprise.

A Partial Glimpse Inside Viewpoint Brewing Company

The menu is as diverse as the crowd that sips the beer and soaks in the view. Open Tuesday through Friday noon to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:00am to 9:00pm, and closed on Mondays. When I walked into Viewpoint Brewing Company for the first time, it was packed for one thing, but I thought what a great place for weekend brunch before or after a walk on the river trail. The valet service confirmed that before noon on weekends is a good time to come.

Can’t Go Wrong with the Food, Flatbread and Caesar Salad

Viewpoint Brewing Company Has Great Views

After you have had your brunch and hike around the trail, if you are heading north for home, why not stop at the Sunday Solana Beach Farmers Market on the south end of Cedros Avenue, noon to 4pm, for fresh vegetables, flowers, and more.

Solana Beach Sunday Farmers Market on Cedros Ave.

A Few Related Past Posts on “Places to Know”

The Flower Palette

Oceanside's Seabird Resort

Wicked Maine Lobster

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie