More Smoking: Tomatillos
The experiments with smoke continue. Previously I smoked plum tomatoes with great success. Now we're testing tomatillos. After peeling off the husk, I quartered them and smoked them with cherry...
The Rancho Gordo Blog
In the garden
The Aftermath of the Napa Fires: Some Hope
It feels pretentious and corny for me of all people to talk about hope but I came across this scene at the base of the redwoods at my place. We...
Eye of the Goat Beans with Ricotta Salata
Eating simply is my idea of heaven. Use the best ingredients and then stay out of the way. I remember reading about ricotta salata in La Cucina di Lidia by...
A Simple Soup with Bean Broth
I'm so glad to have chickens again! You just can't beat fresh eggs. I get a wee bit frustrated by the prices at the farmers markets here in the Bay...
Winging It: Pasta e Fagioli with Morels and Bacon
Sunday night after the holidays and not much left in the house. What to do? I had a sample of the new crop of Caballeros from Peru and in cleaning...
Beans for Breakfast (with Mushrooms, Ricotta and Good Olive Oil)
A few leftovers and some milk that was about to expire led to this really fine breakfast. Ayocote beans are runner bean. Phaseolus coccineus. This family includes Scarlet Runners and...
Slow Baked Garbanzos
One of my favorite books from the last years has been The Blue Zones (National Geographic, 2008) by Dan Buettner. Statistics for longevity are examined and there are some not...
A Free eBooklet for Your Best Thanksgiving
We've updated our free ebooklet, The Rancho Gordo New World Thanksgiving Guide. It now includes one of our most wildly popular recipes, the main-course Wild Rice and Heirloom Bean Salad...
After All These Years in the Kitchen, I Finally Learn to Cook.
He would probably be surprised to learn it, but Mother Jones writer and food editor Tom Philpott has changed the way I cook. The roots of this revolution had been...
Another Thought on Why We Soak Beans
We're harvesting Yellow Indian Woman beans and I decided to have a little party in this fine legume's honor. I irritated my bean farmer and had him give me 5...
When Corn Is King
When I used to work the farmers markets, the corn growers were always very popular but they would tell me it was a loss leader. People expect it to be...