Photo by Chris Jensen.
THE CHEF Andy Brooks
THE INGREDIENT Watermelon
“I like to showcase red and yellow watermelon in the summer. It’s colorful and durable, an easy fruit to work; it doesn’t break down. Our watermelons are all grown at California farms.”
TOMATO GAZPACHO WITH RED AND YELLOW WATERMELON PICO DE GALLO (serves 4)
Photo by Chris Jensen.
Tomato Gazpacho
10 roma tomatoes halved
8 garlic cloves
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 seedless cucumber
1 poblano chile
1 tbsp Sriracha (Thai chile sauce)
Salt and pepper
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Place all ingredients except olive oil in a container and blend with buerre mixer until well combined.
Puree small batches of mixture in Vita-Prep, drizzling olive oil as you puree.
Strain through a fine chinois and chill.
Red and Yellow Watermelon Pico de Gallo
Mix the following ingredients and let sit one hour before serving.
1 cup diced red watermelon
1 cup diced yellow watermelon
¼ cup diced red onion
1 tbsp fine diced jalapeno
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of two limes
Salt and pepper to taste
Restaurant BROOKS 805-652-7070, restaurantbrooks.com
Photo by Chris Jensen.
THE CHEF Chad Minton
THE INGREDIENT Heirloom tomatoes
“Heirloom tomatoes can be used in so many things and are very sturdy. They are the quintessential California fruit and Ojai’s environment is perfect for growing them.”
HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD WITH GREEN GODDESS DRESSING AND TORN CROUTONS (serves 4)
Green Goddess Dressing
1 avocado
1 bunch of basil
1 bunch of tarragon
2 tsp lemon juice
Here at the Ojai Valley Inn we make a Caesar salad dressing from organic free-range eggs and use that as our base for the Green Goddess dressing. Since making a Caesar dressing for four is a bit ambitious for most home cooks, we’ve substituted our Caesar base with your choice of premium, all natural prepared dressing. Simply pour the dressing into a food processor or blender, add herbs and skinned and deseeded avocado, then blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice and keep cold.
Torn Croutons
Day-old focaccia or olive bread
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Corse sea salt
Using your fingers, pinch and pull small pieces of bread from the loaf and toss them with olive oil in a mixing bowl. Lay them out flat on a sheet pan and bake in a 300-degree oven until they are dry and crunchy.
Photo by DK Crawford.
Tomatoes
3 heirloom tomatoes of differing varieties
Coarse sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Sherry vinegar
2 cups burrata mozzarella cheese
Just prior to serving, use a sharp knife to cut each variety of tomato into a different shape. There are no rules here; be creative and have fun. In a stainless steel mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes with a small splash of sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
Plating
Spread a generous amount of dressing on four plates. Place the tomatoes as you like on top of the dressing and spoon the buratta, alternating between the tomato slices. Place the croutons where you like. Garnish with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Maravilla 805-646-1111, ojairesort.com
Photo by DK Crawford.
Chef Minton recently planted four varieties of heirloom tomatoes at the Inn. For now, they are still green.
Photo by DK Crawford.
THE CHEF Rachel Main
THE INGREDIENT Finger limes
“For large-scale catering I love them as garnish. They are vibrant, sharp, easy to add, and fun. For smaller meals, they are great smashed up and used as both an acidifier and an emulsifier for dressings. They taste kind of like key limes with a hint of lime leaf.”
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES WITH DUNGENESS CRAB, SOUR PLUM AND DAIKON SLAW, AND FINGER LIMES (serves 4)
I gathered the produce for this recipe from my Camarillo garden, but you can find most of the ingredients at local farmers’ markets. The McGrath Family Farms stand in Camarillo has a good inventory of coriander. Finger limes are available in limited quantities from two Ventura County farmers: Dave Pommer, Ventura Farmers’ Market (order them a week in advance); and Jim Churchill, Ojai Farmers’ Market.
Tomatoes
2 cups pomace olive oil (not extra virgin) for frying
4 small-medium-sized (smaller than your palm) green tomatoes, such as roma or globe
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 egg
Kosher salt, cayenne pepper, freshly ground black and white pepper
Heat oil in an enameled cast iron pot over medium heat until it is about 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes into ¼-inch-thick rounds (if using romas, slice lengthwise) and set aside. You should get about 3-4 slices out of each tomato.
Put cornstarch into a small bowl, season with salt and three peppers.
Put cornmeal into a small bowl, season with salt and three peppers.
Break the egg into a small bowl, add a splash of water and whisk until the mixture is homogenous.
Toss tomatoes into seasoned cornstarch. Dust off excess starch and put tomatoes into the egg wash. Coat each tomato in egg, making sure there are no dry starchy bits showing.
Remove tomatoes from egg, shake off excess and toss into corn meal. Thoroughly coat tomato slices in corn meal, then put a single layer of tomato slices into pot of fry. (You will probably have to fry the tomatoes in two batches.)
Fry the tomatoes on one side for about 3 minutes. Flip them over and fry for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove tomatoes from oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined dish. Sprinkle immediately with kosher salt to taste.
If you have unfried tomato slices, repeat with the rest of the tomatoes. Keep warm in a low oven (about 250-300 degrees) until ready to serve, but no longer than 12 minutes.
Dungeness Crab Salad
¾-1 cup picked dungeness crab meat
2 tsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
“Caviar” of 1 finger lime, squished into a paste
Mix ingredients in a small bowl. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve, up to 1 day.
Sour Plum and Daikon Slaw
2 small, unripe but red Santa Rosa plums cut into 1/8-inch-thick half moons
2 inches daikon radish: outer 1/8-inch discarded, the inside cut into fine julienne
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Caviar of 2 finger limes, squished into a paste (or use the juice of 1 key lime)
Pinch of granulated sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 1 hour.
Photo by DK Crawford.
Assembly
Put 1 green tomato slice on each plate. Top with a little bit of crab and put another tomato slice on top of the crab. Don’t worry about stacking the tomato slices perfectly; the dish looks more beautiful when soulfully arranged.
Put a little crab salad on top of or near the second slice of tomato, then place a little sour plum and daikon slaw next to the tomatoes and crab.
Squeeze a fair amount of “caviar” from 4 finger limes and place it on top of the crab salad.
Sprinkle the plates with fresh herbs and edible blossoms (chive flowers, frisee flowers, coriander flowers and green seedpods, tiny basil leaves) and serve.
Main Course California 805-658-8900, maincourseca.com
Photo by DK Crawford.
THE CHEF Martin Ledesma
THE INGREDIENT Pea Shoots
“Pea shoots (also known as pea vines, pea tendrils, and pea leaves) are very versatile and fresh. You can use them in many different ways, and they seem to work with almost everything. You will never find them frozen; they are always fresh during the summer. They add so much vibrancy to my dishes. I just love using them.”
PAN-SEARED SEA BASS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH MASH, CRIMINI MUSHROOM CONFETTI, WARM PEA SHOOTS, AND PASSION FRUIT CREAM SAUCE (serves 4)
Butternut Squash
Cut a butternut squash cut in half lengthwise. Drizzle each half with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste, then cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until soft. When soft, scoop out the flesh and season to taste. Mash until desired consistency is reached. Keep warm for later use.
Passion Fruit Cream Sauce
Prepare while squash is cooking. In a saucepan, combine the following ingredients, reduce mixture by half and season to taste.
2 tbsp passion fruit puree
1 cup orange juice
1 cup manufacturing cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Sea Bass
4-6 oz fresh sea bass filets
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add sea bass filets. Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes over medium-low heat.
Photo by DK Crawford.
Crimini Mushrooms
½ lb crimini mushrooms
2 of each: red, yellow, and green bell peppers
1 tbsp chopped parsley
½ large carrot, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Dice ingredients and sauté in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pea Shoots
Cook, steam, or sauté as you prefer.
Assembly
On the center of the plate, add butternut squash. Around the squash, arrange wilted greens. Place the fish atop squash, then top with mixed vegetables and the passion fruit cream sauce.
Sugar Beets 805-240-7777, sugarbeetsrestaurant.com
07-01-2011
