Foodie finds

There cannot possibly be anyone who loves a ‘foodie find’ more than I do.  You know, those yummy little things that you might bypass, might breeze right by in the market, that dish you didn’t order, or maybe even that secreted away café you haven’t visited, simply because you have no way of knowing that they’re worth it, that they’re just oh-so-delicious.

It isn’t every day that you stumble upon something so tasty that you feel like shouting it from the rooftops, alerting everyone to the same wonderfully scrumptious thing or experience.  A fabulous foodie find need not even be solely something to eat.  I treasure a trusted tip on that unknown kitchen gadget –hello, Microplane – or even a recommendation for that obscure cookbook that boasts the most useful recipes and glorious food photos.  It could be an obscure trick to simplify your life in the kitchen, to stretch your family’s food budget, or possibly to preserve the bounty of an overabundant summer garden.

Many of my most treasured culinary go-to’s are composed of years and years of those exact tips from mom, from friends, mentors, and random strangers.  Below, find a few of my most recent foodie finds and always tune in here for future faves from Sonoma and beyond.  I truly welcome foodie finds from you, as well, my dear readers!  Please send them via email to the address below.

Green Juice

I was drawn by the dazzling emerald color, clear cups filled and nestled in crushed ice atop the coffee counter at Sonoma Market.  Cups of just-pressed juice in a color of green so pretty it simply had to be healthy.  Sonoma Market’s juice counter offers many inventive, nutritious combinations of vegetable, citrus, fruit and even wheatgrass juices, but with one sip of the ‘green juice,’ I was hooked.  The vibrant concoction is a good-for-you combination of veggies, a tad of apple and pineapple for their natural sweetness, finishing with the unmistakably grassy flavor of celery.  With each sip its impossible not to literally feel the potency of this drink’s vitamins coursing through your veins.

The Whole Foods
‘Whole Deal’

I am not a coupon clipper.  So, it might surprise you to hear that I eagerly anticipate the arrival of each issue of the complimentary Whole Foods’ Whole Deal flyer.  Oh sure, it is filled with amazingly useful coupons for products that I truly had no idea even existed, but it also happens to include a wonderful array of other handy, and fun, information.  Each seasonal edition is chock full of imaginative, budget-friendly recipes and money saving tips.  While perusing the Whole Deal, I always come away with creative ideas for incorporating seasonal ingredients and dishes into my monthly menus, not to mention earth-conscious suggestions for maintaining your home and caring for your body.

Bon Appétit Magazine

You’d have to be living in a cave to have never heard of the famous American food magazine, Bon Appétit.  It was one of the first, a pioneer.  It was foodie before the term‘foodie’ was ever mumbled.  It was the first food magazine that, as a kid, I hungrily thumbed through.  It was my mom’s magazine, a stack in which I combed though and cut pictures from for my ‘who am I’ collage in grade school.  Apparently, I was a roast chicken and a gargantuan platter of spaghetti and meatballs.

It was from those very same pages that I ripped recipies which would later make up the menu for my very first dinner party.  Many meals and many years later, as a young adult, my very first magazine subscription would be to Bon Appétit, a birthday gift from my grandmother.  From the ‘89 Valentine’s edition, a very ‘eighties’ recipe for chocolate soufflé would be my first attempt, albeit a failed attempt, at wooing a boy through food cookery.  Unfortunately, like much of the early millennium, Bon Appétit started to suck.  I allowed my subscription, for the first time in more than 10 years, to lapse.  Well, guess what?  Bon Appétit is back.  And, with its new editor, it is awesome once again.  I truly love the fresh perspective and the beautiful food styling, not to mention the informed, interesting, food-centric voice it now possesses.

Chicken thighs

I am a thigh girl.  Oh please don’t serve me a boneless, skinless chicken breast.  As I stand staring into the butcher case each afternoon, pondering dinner, I often turn to the chicken thigh.  I particularly love a thigh with bone in, skin on.  The skin, when roasted in a hot skillet, becomes ridiculously crisp, the meat rich – almost ducky – and tender, the bone adding depth of flavor you simply wouldn’t have without it.  Start the pan room temperature and the skin turns crackling crisp.  Mmmm, the thigh.  The oft overlooked thigh is lovely shredded in a mayonnaise-rich chicken salad.  Chunked and sautéed, a thigh – sans skin and bones – is a curry’s best friend.  A sticky-sweet barbecue marinade does wonders for the lowly thigh.  When thrown on a smoky grill, the skin turns a gloriously black, charred into a perfect state of crispiness.  Yup, I’m a thigh girl.

On the Menu

The Sonoma Valley Food Forum, initiated and hosted by the Sonoma Chamber with support from Sonoma County and the Sonoma Valley Economic Development Partnership, will be held on Thursday, March 21 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building.  This very important “celebration of local farming and food” will be held in conjunction with the annual Business Expo.  Find event details at sonomachamber.com.  Businesses interested in joining should contact the Chamber and home-based, “cottage food,” businesses are welcome.  The event is open to the public, admission is complimentary, and a $10 food and wine passport is available.

Andrea Davis of our little, local, Quarter Acre Farm will discuss how to simply start a successful, edible garden during her “Basic Backyard Vegetable Gardening” class on Sunday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  She will cover topics such as choosing what plants to grow, preparing your soil, maintaining your garden, harvesting your bounty, and more.  This class and others in this series will be taking place at The Stone House, the office of HWY 12 Properties, at 147 East Spain Street.  Reservations are required and space is very limited.  The cost is $10 per person.  For more information or to RSVP, email Andrea at [email protected] or call 415.533.3106.

Chef Rob Larman hosts his “Annual Spring Lamb Dinner” on Friday, March 29, at the Valley Wine Shack.  The always-delicious dinner starts with a salad of Dino kale, roasted beets, and blood orange, followed by wood-oven roasted Sonoma lamb with savory beans and a mint pesto.  Finally, the best part, fresh strawberry shortcake.  The cost is $38 per person.  Wines by the glass or bottle to pair with the meal will be available for purchase from the Wine Shack.  For reservations and more information, call the Wine Shack at 938.7218.

The Sonoma Community Center continues its “Community Table” dinner series on Saturday, March 30, with a three-course menu by Cafe La Haye’s Executive Chef Jeremy Lloyd.  The menu will include an Apple Cauliflower Soup with Gruyère Cheese, Braised English Cut Short Ribs, Root Vegetable Mashed Potatoes, Cabbage Braised in Red Wine, and Cafe La Haye’s signature Butterscotch Pudding with Almond Sea Salt Toffee.  Wine pairings by Gundlach Bundschu will accompany this special meal.  Tickets for each dinner are $65 per person. To reserve your seat or to obtain information on other upcoming dinners, call 938.4626 ext. 1, or visit the Sonoma Valley Box Office at sonomacommunitycenter.org.

My Winter Chicken Thighs with Lots of Meyer Lemon

Want super-crisp chicken without having to add much fat? Start with a room-temperature pan: As the skillet becomes hot, the chicken skin will gradually render its fat, becoming browned and crackling.  The lemon slices here become soft and caramelized, allowing for slices to be eaten, skin and all.

Serves 4

• 3 Meyer lemons
• 4 large skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 3 sprigs oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1/2 garlic clove, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup pitted green olives, such as Picholine

Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice 2 lemons into thick slices; discard any seeds. Cut remaining lemon into 2 wedges. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Coat a large oven-friendly, room-temperature skillet with 1 teaspoon oil. Add chicken, skin side down. Place skillet over medium heat and cook, letting skin render and brown, and pouring off excess fat to maintain a thin coating in pan, until chicken skin is crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Scatter lemon slices over bottom of skillet. Transfer skillet to oven, leaving chicken skin side down. Roast until chicken is cooked through, skin is crisp, and lemon slices on bottom of skillet are caramelized, 10-12 minutes.

Transfer chicken pieces, skin side up, to a warm platter. Return skillet to medium heat. Add oregano sprigs, shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine; cook over medium heat until reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Add broth; cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Squeeze lemon wedges over and season sauce with salt and pepper. Return chicken to skillet, skin side up, to rewarm. Serve topped with caramelized lemon slices.

Kristin Jorgensen is one of Sonoma’s most passionate, food obsessed residents. In this weekly column, she covers all the delicious happenings, foodie events and restaurants in Sonoma, the rest of Wine Country and beyond.  Email her with comments, questions, or your food related events at [email protected].