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By Kimberly Wright
On Saturday, October 4th we celebrated the Bounty of the Salinas Valley at the Little Blue House at Hahn Estates Winery (www.hahnestates.com) in Soledad. Use of this venue was possible because members Ed and Roxanne Craddock are also members of the wine club, one benefit of which is one-time use of the facility. They were generous enough to share this with the Convivium.
The Salinas Valley is one of the richest growing areas of the world, but most of the agriculture here is large-scale conventional. Iceberg lettuce has been the primary crop since the 1920's. Other major crops are broccoli, cauliflower, green and red cabbage, other lettuces, celery and asparagus at the end of the Valley closer to the cooling influence of the ocean. In the hotter southern end of the Valley, peppers and chilis, tomatoes, onions, some dry beans and wheat are grown. Vineyards extend from the middle to the southern end of the Valley, and up into the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains to the west and the Gabilans to the east.
Matt Hayes of Bounty of the Valley may have the only small organic farm in the Salinas Valley. We met Matt as a vendor at the Aptos Farmers' Market, and have enjoyed his vegetables through the seasons. We designed our autumn harvest feast around seasonal vegetables from his farm, including garlic, tomatoes, basil, Serrano chilies, onions, corn, zucchini and summer squash, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, baby salad mix, and butternut squash. To round out the menu, we included grass-fed beef from PL Bar Ranch in Gonzales, sausages from Roy's Swiss Sausage Factory in Greenfield (a Salinas Valley tradition), and freshly-baked bolillos (Mexican bread rolls) from La Plaza bakery in Soledad. Wines, of course, were from Hahn Estates and their other label, Smith and Hook. Ed and Roxanne had selected Smith and Hook Viognier and Cabernet Sauvignon and Hahn Estates Syrah to complement the menu.
When Fred and I arrived, Roxanne was already busily prepping vegetables for the feast. Fred and Ed got a fire of oak wood going under the grill. As other Convivium members arrived, they leant a hand with preparing the meal, chopping and cooking and laying out plates, opening wine bottles, whatever was needed. Matt told us that he had grown up grilling over oak, and joined in with enthusiasm.
We began with roasted garlic, a salsa of tomatoes and basil, and Roy's Swiss sausages which had been grilled and sliced, accompanied by the bolillos. These were served casually outdoors on the deck, allowing people to chat with each other and with Matt and to get to know one another better. The weather was perfect, blue sky, not too warm, and there is a lovely view from the deck over the vineyards and the Salinas Valley. It also allowed the grill masters to be part of the party.
As the sun moved lower in the sky and the air cooled, we were happy to move indoors for the remainder of the meal. Next was Matt's salad mix which contains an attractive and flavorful assortment of young lettuces and just enough arugula to make it interesting. We dressed it with vinaigrette flavored with sherry wine vinegar, tarragon and shallot. Most of us added a spoonful of the tomato salsa--it was so good!
Preparing for the event, I went out to meet Frank LaMacchia at PL Bar Ranch east of Gonzales to select the appropriate cut of his fine grass-fed beef. We decided that the for grilling over an oak wood fire, a coulotte roast (much like the tri tip often used for Santa Maria-style barbecue) would be a good choice, and it was, tender and flavorful. The beef was joined on the grill by bi-color corn on the cob, red and yellow onions, zucchini, crookneck squash, and green bell peppers. Broccoli and cauliflower were blanched and then dressed with butter flavored with Dijon mustard (mustard grows wild in the Valley). Roxanne and Ed had made an earlier visit to King City to obtain beans, "King City Pinks" or pinquitos, recommended by Andy Griffen, who says they were a regular part of any Valley barbecue when he was growing up. Roxanne had cooked these up ahead, so the flavors were nicely blended, and a fine complement to the other flavors on the plate.
The finale was a harvest spice cake made with butternut squash, accompanied by homemade ice cream and warm red wine caramel sauce. A little organic fair-trade coffee from Nicaragua, and then clean-up! As always, we had plenty of help.
Sources:
In the Monterey Bay area, find Matt and Bounty of the Valley at the Aptos Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings, and at the Monterey College Farmers' Market on Thursday afternoons.
PL Bar (www.plbar.com) grass-fed beef is sold at Deluxe Foods of Aptos and at Star Market in Salinas, or contact Frank and Irene LaMacchia for family packs and freezer orders at 831-675-2419 or at plbar@spry.net. You may go out to the ranch by appointment; it is located at 33795 Gloria Road in Gonzales, just at the base of the Gabilans. The beef is served by several fine restaurants in the area, including the Pajaro Street Grill and Hullabaloo in Salinas, Stokes Restaurant, Montrio and Tarpey's in Monterey, Kurt's Carmel Chop House and Da'Giovanni in Carmel, and the Green Valley Grill in Watsonville.
Roy's Swiss Sausages are available only at the 'factory' in Greenfield. Call ahead to inquire about availability and for directions; 831-674-2070.
La Plaza Bakery and Deli is a great place to purchase traditional Mexican breads and pan dulce; they also make excellent tortas, tacos, and burritos. They are located at 935 Front Street in Soledad.