Spring in Sonoma County embraces us with a swirl of evocative scents: delicate citrus flowers, strawberries warmed by the sun, wisteria, and freshly cut stalks of rhubarb, one of the season’s most delightful and often overlooked treasures.

Rhubarb’s tangy and tart notes blossom with a pinch of salt. Add sugar and other spring fruit — strawberries are its ideal partner — and you have unique sweet-and-sour flavors that are both bright and delicate. But a caution is in order: The leaves of rhubarb are beautiful but poisonous, due to high amounts of oxalic acid. Add them to bouquets if you like, but never, ever eat them, though they can be safely used in mulch and compost.

Strawberry-rhubarb pies and galettes are the most familiar ways to enjoy rhubarb, but there are myriad ways to savor it. Rhubarb-leek sauce is delightful with poultry; a sauce of rhubarb and Dijon mustard makes pan-fried sand dabs sing, and rhubarb-strawberry chutney enlivens Indian curries. Rhubarb salsa is outstanding with shrimp tacos, fish tacos, tortas, and Mexican soups and stews, including pozole.

One of the simplest ways to enjoy rhubarb is in a compote with the season’s first local strawberries, a lovely addition to the table for spring holiday feasts alongside glazed ham or roasted leg of lamb. Or, if you prefer a dessert, enjoy this compote over vanilla ice cream, flan, or as a topping for cheesecake. It’s also a lovely accompaniment to freshly baked scones or with fresh cheeses such as chèvre or ricotta.

Rhubarb-Strawberry Compote

Makes about 6 to 8 servings

1 pint ripe strawberries, stemmed and diced small

1 tablespoon plus 2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 pound (3 to 4 stalks) fresh rhubarb, peeled

3 tablespoons Campari, optional

Put the strawberries into a medium bowl and sprinkle the tablespoon of sugar over them. Toss gently and set aside.

Cut the rhubarb into 1/2-inch pieces, put them into a small saucepan, add 1/3 cup of the sugar, and set over low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved and then continue to simmer until the rhubarb is tender but not mushy, about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the strawberries and any juices they have released.

Taste and add more sugar, a tablespoon or so at a time, until the sweet-tart balance is where you want it. Simmer 4 minutes more, add the Campari if using, remove from the heat, and set aside to cool.

Enjoy warm or chilled.

The post Brighten Your Springtime Feasts With This Simple Rhubarb Recipe appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Beets, like many other winter crops, sweeten in cold weather. In addition to their blossoming flavor, cold weather also results in perky greens that are mild with an earthy sweetness. You’ll find the best at local farmstands and farmers markets. Like the root, the greens deserve a place on your plate, not the compost bin.

There are myriad ways to make use of every bit of a beet, save its thin skin, offering an opportunity to put sustainability on your table. Potato-beet-green soup is delicious topped with a relish of beets, cucumbers, celery, and walnuts; beet risotto on a bed of braised beet greens is much more pleasing than risotto alone.

If you think you don’t care for beets, it may be that you have only had red ones, which can have an overpowering flavor, especially if canned, boiled, or steamed, techniques that make certain challenging flavors stronger. Other varieties, especially golden beets, Chioggia beets, and hard-to-find white beets, are milder. Roasting concentrates flavors and keeps them in balance.

Beets are packed with both micro- and macronutrients, including fiber, calcium, vitamin C, folate, potassium, and magnesium. There is some variation between varieties, but not a substantial amount.

Select beets based on taste. Golden beets are the best place to start, as their flavors are delicate and subtle.

Roasted Beet Salad on a Bed of Wilted Beet Greens

Serves 2

4 small to medium beets, a single variety or a mix of varieties, with pert greens

Olive oil 

1 shallot, minced

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons lemon juice, from 1 medium lemon

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons olio nuovo or extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Use a sharp knife to cut the greens from the beets, leaving an inch or so of the stems still attached to the root; set the greens aside.

Put the beets in a small bowl, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and turn the beets to coat them lightly with the oil. Place on a small baking sheet and cook in the oven until tender when pierced with a fork or bamboo skewer. It will take from about 25 to 60 minutes, based on variety, size, and age of the beets; younger beets will cook more quickly because of their higher moisture content. Remove from the oven and let cool until easy to handle.

While the beets cook, put the shallot into a small bowl, season with salt, and add about half the lemon juice. Set aside.

Trim the greens, removing the tough stems and dicing them.

Pour a little olive oil into a small sauté pan set over medium-low heat. Add the diced stems, sauté for about 3 minutes, add the garlic, sauté 1 minute more, and add the beet greens. Pour in the remaining lemon juice, cover the pan, and cook gently for about 7 minutes, until the greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt, remove from the heat, cover, and keep warm.

When the beets have cooled sufficiently, use your fingers to remove the skins. Cut each beet into 4 to 6 wedges.

Divide the greens between two plates, reheating them if they have cooled. Scatter the beets on top of the greens.

Add the olio nuovo or extra-virgin olive oil to the shallot mixture, taste, correct for salt, and season generously with black pepper. Spoon over the beets and greens and enjoy right away.

The post This Salad Recipe Will Change How You Think About Beets appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

As fall sets in and summer’s harvest begins to wither and wane, we scramble to gather the last of our tomatoes, many still green, before the season’s first frost.

There are now several heirloom and hybrid varieties that are green when ripe, among them Striped Zebra, Emerald Evergreen, and Green Tiger. These are not the same as fall’s green tomatoes, still firm, unripe, and unlikely to fulfill their destiny.

Sicilians have a great approach, pulling out cherry tomato plants by their roots, hanging them upside-down outside in a protected area, and plucking them off the vine as they ripen.

This trick does not work for larger varieties, which should be enjoyed right away or preserved. Fried green tomatoes are ubiquitous and especially delicious when topped with a sphere of fresh chèvre and finished with cream. Fermenting them in a salt brine offers an extraordinary way to make salsas, sauces, and even bloody marys. Green tomato chutney is a compelling condiment with winter stews and braises.

Adding green tomatoes — cut in wedges and then halved — to your favorite stir-fry contributes a burst of bright acid. A combination of tomatoes, corn cut from the cob, cubed winter squash, green beans cut into 1-inch pieces, and minced shallots is both beautiful and luscious; add cooked, cubed chicken thighs, and voila!, dinner in minutes.

The days of gazpacho may be behind us, but green tomato soup is a delight, hot or chilled.

Green Tomato Soup

Makes about 6 servings

– 4 tbsp. olive oil

– 1 large shallot, peeled and minced

– 3 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed, and minced

– 1 serrano chile, stemmed and minced

– Kosher salt

– 3 pounds green, unripe tomatoes, cored and chopped

– 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade

– ½ cup crème fraîche or plain whole-milk yogurt

– Freshly ground black pepper

– Extra-virgin olive oil

– ½ cup shelled and roasted pumpkin seeds

– Green Tabasco or other green hot sauce

Put the olive oil into a large soup pot set over medium-low heat, add the shallot and sauté until it begins to soften and give off its aroma, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and serrano, cook 2 minutes more, and season with a pinch of salt.

Add the tomatoes, stir, season lightly with salt, and add the stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche or yogurt, remove from the heat, cover, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Purée the soup using a blender or immersion blender. For a very smooth version, pass through a strainer after blending. If the soup is too thick for your taste, thin with stock or water.

Divide among soup plates or bowls, swirl olive oil on top, scatter with pumpkin seeds, add a few drops of Tabasco, and enjoy right away. Alternately, chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

The post As Fall Sets In, Here’s What To Do With the Last of Summer’s Tomatoes appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Harvest in Sonoma County brings grapes, of course, but it also tends to usher in “Summer: The Sequel.” Often, some of the hottest days of the year don’t happen until fall is at our doorstep.

While much of the country is cuddled up with pumpkin spice lattes, we’re looking for something a little more refreshing. Make way for the Sonoma Spritz. This low-alcohol, flavor-forward cocktail was created for the 200th anniversary of harvest in Sonoma Valley, and has been popping up on menus and in tasting rooms all summer long. The fizzy sipper will be highlighted at The Great Spritz Off on Sept. 25 as local bartending pros compete to craft the most effervescent version.

Spritz cocktails, such as the Aperol spritz, have seen a surge in popularity, thanks in part to the sober-curious movement and their eye-catching presentation. The homegrown, wine-based Sonoma Spritz is no exception.

“It’s a way of making wine approachable and easy, it doesn’t have to be a formal tasting,” says Robyn Sebastiani, executive director of the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance, which presents the annual Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival.

It’s also an easy drink to make at home for sipping on the patio while watching the sun dip a little earlier each evening.

The main ingredient in the Sonoma Spritz is rosé, an easy find at Sonoma Valley wineries, according to Sebastiani. “There are so many makers who make rosé throughout the valley, so choose your favorite.”

The other ingredients — freshly squeezed lemon juice and figs turned into jam or syrup — also incorporate the abundance of Sonoma Valley. Many have the luxury of plucking the fruit straight from a tree either in their own garden or from the tree of a generous neighbor, and if not there, they are easily found at local markets and farmstands this time of year.

The Sonoma Spritz

Makes 1 drink

1 tsp. fig preserve or caramelized fig syrup (such as Liber & Co.)

¾ ounces fresh lemon juice

¾ ounces simple syrup

3 ounces Sonoma Valley rosé wine

2 ounces soda water

Fresh rosemary sprig, for garnish

In a shaker, combine the fig preserve (or syrup), lemon juice, and simple syrup. Shake well, then strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with Sonoma Valley rosé and soda water. Stir gently to combine and garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

The Great Spritz Off

When: 6 p.m., September 25

Where: Three Sticks Wines at the Adobe, 143 W. Spain St., Sonoma

More info: Tickets $100, valleyofthemoonvintagefestival.org

The post The Sonoma Spritz Honors Harvest Season in Sonoma Valley. Here’s How To Make It appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

One of summer’s most exquisite pleasures is the Santa Rosa plum, plucked off its stem just after sunrise, droplets of dew shimmering in the morning light. Take that first bite and feel the fruit’s thin skin snap between your teeth as your mouth fills with luscious juice.

The Santa Rosa plum is one of Luther Burbank’s most enduring creations. Of the more than 100 plum varieties he developed, the Santa Rosa is the most celebrated.

Like Arctic Gem white peaches and Sureness yellow watermelon, the less done to these superb plums, the better.

Once we have eaten our fill neat, we can enjoy them in myriad ways, from simple plum agua fresca and plum-mustard sauce — delicious with sausages cooked on the grill — to galettes, upside-down tarts, grunts and Dutch babies.

One of the simplest ways to use them is in a plum compote. While it can be made with any plum, it is best with our very own Santa Rosa plum. This compote is delicious served alongside a few butter cookies and soars when spooned over ice cream or sorbet. For a real treat, pair it with Oro Blanco sorbet or olive oil ice cream from Screamin’ Mimi’s in Sebastopol.

Plum Lavender Compote

Makes about 2 cups

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

1 tbsp. culinary-grade lavender flowers

1 bay leaf

18 ripe Santa Rosa plums

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Put the sugar and water into a small saucepan, add the lavender and bay, and bring to a boil over high heat.

When the sugar is dissolved and the mixture clear, remove from the heat, cover the pan, and let steep for about 30 minutes.

Cut the plums into quarters, discard the pits, and put the plums into a medium saucepan. Strain the sugar syrup into the saucepan and discard the lavender and bay. Set over low heat and cook gently until the plums fall apart, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and let cool.

Serve warm or chilled.

The post Santa Rosa Plums Are an Enduring Sonoma County Creation. Here’s the Simplest Way To Use Them appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Our official state vegetable, the artichoke, was first planted by Italian immigrants in the 19th century. The thorny thistle is celebrated in Monterey County, where it is widely grown, with artichoke-themed cafes, roadside statues and an annual spring festival.

In Sonoma County, artichokes can be found at local farmers markets through late spring, primarily sourced from small farming operations at the coast. According to Joe Imwalle of Santa Rosa’s Imwalle Gardens, it’s too warm further inland for good growth — the spiky plants prefer the foggy, cool influence of the Pacific.

Green Globe artichokes are heavy, firm, and meaty, with an earthy flavor that blossoms in spring dishes. Newer thornless varieties aren’t as meaty and flavorful, say artichoke aficionados. Vintage favorite Green Globes are becoming available once again in many local supermarkets, including at Oliver’s Markets, coming direct from one of two commercial California farms. They’re delicious in this chunky, textured spring tapenade, whether spooned over grilled chicken or fresh goat cheese, or served simply atop thick slices of toast.

Artichoke & Olive Tapenade

Makes about 2 ¼ cups

3 large fresh Green Globe artichokes

2 tbsp. kosher salt, plus more as needed

3 tsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves

2 tsp. green peppercorns in brine, drained

1 tsp. minced lemon zest

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup (6 ounces) fresh green olives, such as picholine, pitted and minced

¼ cup (2 ounces) walnut pieces, toasted and minced

1 tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

Rustic bread, sliced and toasted, for serving 

Using a sharp knife, cut the stems of the artichokes straight across. Set the artichokes on their sides and cut about ½ inch off the top.

Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil into the center of each artichoke.

Put the artichokes into a saucepan that holds them snugly. Add enough water to come up to the top of the artichokes. Add kosher salt to the water and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat, and cover the pan. If the artichokes do not stay submerged, set a separate, small lid inside the pan on top of them and then cover the pan.

After 20 minutes, test the artichokes for doneness by using tongs to wiggle a few leaves.

If there is no give, cook for another 5 minutes and test again. The artichokes will be perfectly cooked when leaves come off with just a tad of resistance, from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on age and size.

Meanwhile, grind the garlic to a paste using a mortar and pestle. Add the green peppercorns, lemon zest and juice, and extra-virgin olive oil, and mix, scraping the sides of the bowl to combine well. Set aside.

Transfer the artichokes to a colander, rinse with cool water and drain thoroughly. When cool, remove the leaves to enjoy separately. Use a grapefruit spoon or sharp paring knife to remove the choke from each heart. Discard the chokes and cut the hearts into ¼-inch dice.

In a medium bowl, combine the diced artichoke hearts, olives, walnuts and olive oil mixture.

Add the chopped parsley and several turns of black pepper. Taste and season with salt, as needed. Let rest 30 minutes before serving atop thick slices of toast.

The post Green Globe Artichokes Blossom in This Spring Tapenade appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Romanesco: Is it broccoli? Is it cauliflower? Both?

Whatever its exact classification – and most experts agree it is a cousin of both broccoli and cauliflower, but a variety of neither – romanesco may be the most beautiful vegetable in the world. To be precise, it is a flower: Unharvested, it rises on tall stalks and opens into pale yellow blossoms. Its mesmerizing beauty is derived from fractals, identical repeating patterns, with the tiniest floret exactly the same as the largest and as the entire head itself. This mathematical precision is seen throughout nature in everything from snowflakes to seashells.

What this means to home cooks is that it is best to prepare this gorgeous vegetable in ways that highlight its appearance. Roast whole or separate the florets from the core and boil, braise or roast; they hold their shape well.

Romanesco is best from late fall to early spring, as its flavors sweeten and intensify in cold weather. Like broccoli, it has sweet, nutty and earthy flavors that shine in this easy, comforting pasta.

Roasted Romanesco Pasta with Celery, Green Olives and Feta

Makes 4 to 6 servings 

1 head romanesco, individual florets separated

Olive oil

Kosher salt

2/3 cup celery vinaigrette (see below)

6 ounces gemelli or similarly shaped pasta

4 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into very thin diagonal slices

1/2 lemon

1 tbsp. capers, drained

3 ounces (3/4 cup) feta, crumbled

3/4 cup green olives, such as Picholine or Castelvetrano, pitted and halved

1 tablespoon freshly snipped chives 

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. While the oven heats, make the celery vinaigrette (see below).

Put the romanesco florets on a small sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss gently to coat each piece in the oil. Set on the middle rack of the oven and cook until the florets are slightly tender but not mushy, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from the heat, place in a large bowl, and cover with a towel.

While the romanesco roasts, cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain the pasta, add to the bowl of romanesco, and set aside.

Pour a little olive oil into a medium sauté pan, set over medium heat, add the thinly sliced celery, and sauté until it just begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Squeeze in the lemon juice, season with salt, and add to the bowl.

To finish the pasta, add the capers, feta, green olives and half the vinaigrette to the bowl and toss gently. Divide among individual soup plates or shallow bowls, spoon the remaining vinaigrette on top, and enjoy right away.

Celery Vinaigrette

Makes about 2/3 cup 

1 small shallot, minced

2 inner celery stalks, finely diced

Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. celery seed

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

5 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 

Put the shallot and celery into a small bowl or pint jar, season with salt, and add the celery seed. Pour in the lemon juice and set aside for about 15 minutes.

To finish, stir in the mustard and olive oil. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

The post Seasonal Romanesco Shines in This Easy, Comforting Pasta appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

As a child growing up in Texas, Jennifer Ilonzeh had an unusual hobby. She and her sisters liked to visit self-serve soda fountains and compete to see who could blend different flavors to create the most delicious drink.

“Luckily, I’m really good, and I always won,” laughs Ilonzeh.

Now, a couple of decades later, Ilonzeh has upped her game as the owner of Santa Rosa-based Plant Magic by Ndidi, a line of hand-blended, small batch organic teas and other wellness elixirs. The title of the business is taken from Ilonzeh’s middle name, which means patience in Nigerian.

Ilonzeh’s winter immunity tea combines organic rooibos, linden, elderberries, elderflowers, dried ginger, lemon balm and echinacea root for a warming dose of antioxidants and vitamin C on a chilly winter day.

“It helps if you feel a flu approaching or have been exposed to someone sick,” Ilonzeh says. “Plus, it’s really delicious.” In winter, she likes to make hot toddies using her own immunity tea blend as a base, adding brandy, honey and a squeeze of lemon.

Plant Magic by Ndidi also includes a blend of tea that supports healthy rest, made with California poppy and chamomile, and an “uplifting” tea that includes hawthorn, linden, lemon balm, holy basil and rose petals. Ilonzeh has broadened her line to include apothecary products like oils and body butters, plus a tincture of herbs taken by the dropperful to unwind before sleep.

The young entrepreneur has traveled a long road to Sonoma County, a place she was drawn to for its deep agricultural traditions as well as its well-established school of herbal medicine, the California School of Herbal Studies in Forestville. Many types of herbs thrive in the climate of Sonoma County, she notes.

Ilonzeh gathers some herbs for her organic teas at Bramble Tail Homestead, the medicinal plant gardens at Green Valley Farm + Mill outside Sebastopol. She also grows some of her own and forages on friends’ properties. She’s been known to pocket handfuls of star jasmine she comes across while out on walks and has even traveled to the High Sierra to harvest arnica at the source.

Ilonzeh grew up in a large immigrant family, the second oldest of five daughters. Her father, who loves plants and gardening, came to the U.S. from Nigeria for college in Virginia.

“He had seen the university pamphlet, but the photos were taken in the summer, and he didn’t speak much English to ask questions,” recalls Ilonzeh. “When winter hit, he’d never seen snow before, and he didn’t even own a jacket.”

He met Ilonzeh’s mother, who has family roots in Great Britain and Poland, in Virginia, and the couple later moved to Texas, where there was a large Nigerian expat community.

The warmer Texas climate allowed Ilonzeh’s father to begin gardening again. He planted vegetables and flowers with seeds he’d brought from Nigeria, allowing friends in their Nigerian American community access to ingredients they couldn’t find in local markets, like peppers and greens. Ilonzeh spent many hours in the kitchen on Sundays with her mother as she prepped meals for the family of seven.

In her 20s, Ilonzeh moved to Maui, where she was captivated by the island’s remarkable flora. “The beauty and aromas of the flowers were something I could never imagine,” she says.

She bought a manual to identify the native plants and hiked everywhere, along the way learning to name-drop Latin plant names and becoming an expert at making flower potions for friends. After time in New York and southern California, she arrived in Sonoma with her partner, who was so supportive of her path that he created a spreadsheet of all the places on the West Coast with top holistic schools to help them choose where to settle.

In the couple’s Santa Rosa kitchen, she concocts teas and tisanes with ingredients that change with the season, driven by Sonoma’s natural abundance and a strong local community of fellow plant lovers. “There’s always someone growing something and has extra they’re happy to share,” she says.

In summer, recipes might include dried hibiscus and locally grown lavender, while in winter, she spikes dishes with plenty of ginger, cayenne, thyme, oregano and other strong flavors. At the holidays, she salutes the season with homemade cordials to give to friends, working with ingredients like elderberries, rosemary and kola nuts in a base of alcohol.

As she develops her recipes, Ilonzeh finds meaning in talking with clients and friends to figure out their needs.

“Who am I blending it for? There’s always something that people need, whether it’s sleep concerns or digestion issues or nervous system support. I can just sit and listen and assess how they look or how they’re moving their body. And then we can figure it out together.”

Jennifer Ilonzeh’s line of teas and herbal products, Plant Magic by Ndidi, is available through her website, at Made Local Marketplace in Santa Rosa, and at the store at Green Valley Farm + Mill in Sebastopol. plantmagicbyndidi.com

Fire Cider

Ilonzeh sips an ounce of this tonic daily to ward off colds. She notes the recipe is highly adaptable to different types of citrus, peppers and herbs. A good amount of honey is a must. Ilonzeh uses honey from her herbal school classmate, Candice Koseba of Sonoma County Bee Company.

• 1 orange, roughly chopped

• 2 lemons, roughly chopped

• 1 small (1-inch) piece horseradish, grated

• 1 onion, roughly chopped

• 6 garlic cloves, whole

• 2 serrano chiles, sliced into rounds (seeds optional)

• 1 medium (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated

• 1 handful fresh rosemary (about 1/2 cup)

• 1 handful fresh thyme (about 1/2 cup)

• 1 handful dried elderberries (about 1/2 cup)

• 1 handful fresh rose hips, or fresh or dried hibiscus, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

• Raw apple cider vinegar

• Raw honey to taste (about 1/4 cup)

Combine all ingredients except vinegar and honey in a half-gallon canning jar. Pour in enough apple cider vinegar to fill the jar to within a half-inch of the top. Insert a small square of parchment paper between the jar and the metal lid so the lid doesn’t react with the ingredients, and gently tighten the lid.

Place in a dark, cool spot for four to six weeks, gently shaking once a week. When the mixture smells rich and pungent, strain out the contents and discard. Warm the honey in a water bath for a few minutes until it is thin and stirs easily. Add the warmed honey to the mixture to taste, and stir to combine. Fire cider will keep, refrigerated, for up to three months.

The post A Santa Rosa Herbalist Blends Teas That Honor Her Nigerian American Roots appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Where would we be at the holidays without cranberries? The Thanksgiving relish, the hand-strung garlands and even the berry’s bright, tangy aroma evoke the magic of the season. While much of the nation’s crop is processed into juice, sauce or dried cranberries, some fresh cranberries are available in local farmers markets from late October through December.

Rumors once suggested a possible Sonoma County connection to the founding of a West Coast cranberry industry. It was believed that the Russian settlers who traveled south from Alaska to establish Fort Ross helped establish cranberry farms in southern Oregon. But Russians occupied Fort Ross from 1812 to 1841, and Oregon’s first cranberry farms are now believed to have been established in the 1890s.

Whatever the connection, the deliciously tart fruit deserves its place at the holiday table. This tangy-sweet cranberry salsa has a bit of heat from serrano chiles. Try it spooned over roast turkey or sweet potatoes, instead of — or alongside — the traditional cranberry-orange relish and cranberry sauce.

Cranberry Salsa

Makes 2 ½ to 3 cups

1 package (12 ounces) cranberries, rinsed, soft berries discarded

1-2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced

1 small red onion, diced

Grated zest of 1 orange

1/4 cup sugar

Kosher salt

2 tbsp. vinegar (cranberry, pomegranate are favorites)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced

1 tbsp. fresh sage, minced

Freshly cracked black pepper 

Put the cranberries into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until the berries are evenly minced. Transfer them to a medium bowl, add the serranos, onion, and orange zest and toss. Add the sugar, season with salt, add the vinegar and stir well, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the olive oil, cilantro and sage, and toss again.

Taste the mixture and add more salt or olive oil if necessary. Season with black pepper, then transfer to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes for flavors to combine. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

Extras can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for two to three days.

The post How to Spice up Your Homemade Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Pluck a fat grape from its cluster, pop it into your mouth, and bite down gently — the sweet, smooth juiciness is the taste of early fall. Thin-skinned table grapes, in contrast to their thicker-skinned winemaking cousins, offer bright acidity, few if any seeds, and enchanting names like Perlette, Princess and Flame. Colors range from rosy pink to icy green to deep blue-black.

Table grapes are wonderful on pizza and other flatbreads. And have you ever tried grilling them? Pull them off the bunch, pop them in a grill basket and roast over the grill for a few minutes, then serve with feta cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and crusty bread.

Table grapes play beautifully in this easy white gazpacho, which has been part of early Spanish food culture since long before the tomato arrived in Europe. This version, made with bread, garlic, almonds and peppery olive oil, is finished with sliced table grapes and Marcona almonds — a welcome first course at the fall table.

Ajo Blanco

Serves 4-6

5 to 6 ounces sturdy sourdough bread, a few days old, in chunks

6 plump garlic cloves, peeled

Hot water

1 cup raw almonds, blanched and peeled

4 tbsp. sherry vinegar

1 tsp. hot Spanish paprika

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

6 tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

3/4 cup sliced seedless table grapes

1/3 cup toasted and salted Marcona almonds

Place the bread in a deep bowl and add room-temperature water to cover. Set aside for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.

Put the garlic into a small bowl, cover with hot water and set aside for the same amount of time.

When the bread is very soft, squeeze out as much water as possible and put the wet bread into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Drain the garlic and add to the bread, along with the blanched almonds and sherry vinegar. Add 1 cup room-temperature water to the mixture and pulse several times, until the mixture is quite smooth. (Soaking the bread, then squeezing out the water, then adding water back in gives the soup a velvety texture.)

Add the paprika, season generously with salt, and add several turns of pepper. Pulse several more times, then, as the machine is processing, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream.

Taste the soup and adjust to your taste.

Add a bit more vinegar if not tart enough, or a bit more olive oil if too tart. Try a bit more salt or pepper to help the flavors bloom.

Set a strainer over a deep bowl, pour the soup into it and use a sturdy wooden spoon or pestle to press as much of the liquid through as possible. Discard what is left behind. Cover the soup, and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

To serve, pour the chilled soup into small bowls and add a swirl of olive oil to each portion. Top with sliced grapes and toasted almonds and enjoy right away.

The post Here’s What To Do with That Bag of Grapes appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.