Plum Tomato

Inspired by the house salad I’ve enjoyed at Thai restaurants, this is the perfect companion to several of the Thai-style dishes in this book. A bigger portion of this can almost be the centerpiece of a meal, served with a simple tofu or tempeh dish.

Here is a kinder, gentler version of gyros, the Greek meat-on-a-pita classic. Seitan makes a superb stand-in, and the shortcut creamy cucumber dressing gives the entire enterprise a refreshing zip. For heartier appetites, a serving would be two gyros; one is filling enough for moderate appetites or when other dishes will be served.

We’ve rarely gone out for Indian food without including aloo gobi among our selections. It’s a vegetarian/vegan standard. This rendition comes together quickly, and the tofu mimics paneer, the bland, soft cheese found in some Indian dairy dishes.

Pissaladière is a specialty of the southern French town of Nice. Named for pissalat (“salted fish”), this tart always includes anchovies, either whole or puréed, which are spread over the dough before baking.

Cabernet Franc, with origins in the Bordeaux region of France, is rapidly gaining recognition as a definitive Finger Lakes red. The wine’s dark fruit and spice act as liaison between the tomato/garlic flavors and the earthy mushrooms.

Nicolas Jongleux is a Montreal legend. Born and raised in Marsannay, in Burgundy, he grew up working in some of France’s most influential kitchens, including, at age twenty-six, under Alain Chapel at the Michelin-three-star La Mère Charles in Mionnay. He came to Montreal under the guise of partnering in Le Cintra, where he worked for three years. From there he ran the seminal Les Caprices de Nicolas. David says: “He had more talent than anyone I’ve ever seen. I once watched him make sixty identical croissants by hand, no recipe, no scale, and he hadn’t made croissants for more than five years. When he finished, there was not a drop of extra pastry, and each pastry was perfect.” He was also the kind of person who had such discipline all of his life, that he when he left France, he lived the experiences most of us had in our teens, in his thirties. He opened his last restaurant, Café Jongleux, in 1999, and committed suicide in the restaurant later that year. This recipe was a Nicolas classic.

A spicy vegetable side dish from Chef Jon Mortimer, a 2007 Workshop participant, inspired this more substantial stew. By adding more summer vegetables, such as chayote and corn, Brian elevated Chef Mortimer’s dish to entrée status. Prepared with vegetable stock, it is suitable for vegetarians.

With names like Good Mother Stallard, Goat’s Eye, and Yellow Indian Woman, the dried heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo (see page 55) charm diners familiar with only generic dried beans. Rancho Gordo proprietor Steve Sando finds some of these intriguing beans in Mexico and Central America and arranges to buy them direct from the farmers. Others are grown on farms in Northern California. You can use a single bean type for this dish, but Brian prefers to use multiple varieties, simmering them separately to accommodate their different cooking times. Just before serving, he unites them with a tomato sauce and some blanched fresh yellow and green beans. You could make a meal of this summer stew with a green salad and some crusty bread, or serve it as an accompaniment to grilled lamb. Note that the beans must soak overnight.

Lamb shoulder makes luscious meatballs because the ground meat has sufficient fat. It stays moist, even when reheated, so you can make the dish hours ahead. Brian sometimes makes miniature lamb meatballs to serve to visitors who participate in the winery’s Wine and Food Pairing Experience. In this larger size, the meatballs look and taste as if they were made by an Italian grandmother. Pair with pasta or white beans.

Our charcuterie supplier, Taylor Boetticher of Napa’s Fatted Calf (opposite page), had the fine idea to wrap a pork tenderloin in a cloak of paper-thin pancetta. The pancetta bastes the lean tenderloin as it cooks, so the meat remains moist. A thyme-scented tomato fondue makes a light, summery accompaniment, suggested by 2009 Workshop participant Scott Gottlich. Add some sautéed Blue Lake beans or a slice of Mediterranean Summer Vegetable Gratin (page 158) to complete the plate. You can roast only one tenderloin, if you like, but you may need to reduce the heat as you sear it because of the reduced volume of meat in the skillet. Do prepare the full amount of tomato fondue, however. You won’t have enough volume for the blender otherwise, and you won’t regret having extra. Note that the pork needs to marinate overnight.

When Jody Denton participated in the 2006 Workshop, he made delicate ricotta gnocchi in a sauce similar to the one outlined here. Chef Denton used wild boar sausage from Broken Arrow Ranch (see page 144), our longtime game supplier, but Italian pork sausage is a more readily available substitute. It takes practice to master gnocchi, but Chef Denton’s delicious sauce is just as appealing with rigatoni.

As Cakebread Cellars expanded sales overseas, we began inviting chefs from abroad to participate in the Workshop. Predictably, some new and intriguing scents soon emerged from our kitchen. This warmly spiced lentil soup is Brian’s invention, but he devised it after working with Indian chef Sujan Mukherjee at the 2008 Workshop and observing his spicing. Now Brian makes this wholesome soup with the Napa elementary school students that he teaches regularly, and he demonstrates the recipe at our employees’ wellness classes.

Made famous in the port city of Veracruz, Mexico, this spicy dish combines jalapeños, olives, tomatoes, and oregano in a pan sauce that surrounds the firm-fleshed snapper as it cooks. Serve with lime wedges and white rice or a simple green salad.

Here Dijon mustard serves a dual purpose: It flavors the delicate fish, and helps the bread-crumb coating stay in place as the fish cooks. Tilapia can be used in place of flounder.

This quick-cooking dish proves that you can make flavorful Indian curries entirely from scratch with just a handful of fresh (and easy to find) ingredients.

Legend has it that this dish was first created in Sicily as a tribute to the famous opera by Vincenzo Bellini, a native composer. This version stays true to the traditional recipe, combining eggplant, tomatoes, and basil.

WITH POTATO, CORN, AVOCADO, AND TOMATO, this hearty egg dish is ideal for breakfast, brunch, a light lunch, or what my family calls a “breakfast dinner”—an easy breakfast dish that makes a satisfying dinner.

BONELESS PORK SIRLOIN is the natural choice for quick braising because it’s leaner than pork shoulder and is thus a bit more tender, yet it still remains flavorful. In this recipe, the technique and the cut of meat allow you to achieve the richness of braised pork in much less time. This pork makes a great taco or burrito filling and can be the main ingredient in a taco salad. Squeeze a few limes wedges over the pork to brighten the flavors and add a handful of chopped fresh cilantro and a side of rice for a quick trip south of the border.

SLOPPY JOES, THE OLD CHILDHOOD FAVORITE, get a makeover in this weeknight dish. With turkey instead of beef and the addition of corn, cilantro, and jalapeño, this is no ordinary joe. Spoon this flavorful mixture into hamburger buns or warm tortillas for a kid-friendly main course, or try it over rice or in a lettuce cup.

THIS HEALTHY, LIGHT, AND COLORFUL PASTA SALAD, a longtime Pasta & Co favorite, makes a quick lunch and is a welcome addition to any picnic basket. The bright colors of the vegetables remind us of polka dots.

THE TENDER FLAVOR OF BUTTER LETTUCE, often called Boston or bibb lettuce, is celebrated in this simple salad. We find locally grown butter lettuce from May through October, but it’s also available year-round from slightly farther afield. Herbs, oranges, and olives complete this light and luscious salad.