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Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta

Stewart, Tabori & Chang

Chapter One

The first warm touch of spring is delicious rebirth. After a long winter, the senses unfold, reawakening to light and smell. The taste of green-clean, flowering, slightly bitter, even tangy-is energizing. The garden is ready to be planted, trees suddenly shimmer with tiny leaves, and the air hums with possibilities. The earth is awake and alive-and so are we. * In early May, la Cocina's floribunda roses are already blooming pink, shell white, and crimson from trellises and archways. Stands of sun-yellow marguerite daisies and a thousand Baja wildflowers wave to be noticed. By a warm stone wall, bees cling to the blue bells of borage flowers that dip and nod under their weight. Vast bushes of Jerusalem sage bloom with clusters of fuzzy yellow flowers, each holding a drop of spicy-sweet nectar in its heart. Stands of calendula, a wash of saffron and sun, line the brick pathways into the garden. Busy gardeners trundle barrow-loads of harvested greens on their way to the Ranch kitchen. The weather is clear and perfect-a wide Baja sky tossed with fat, white clouds tumbling down from mountains the color of Tecate brick. * Spring has fairly exploded in the garden. Neat lines of sturdy green and white kale wave in the breeze. Delicate lettuces colored amethyst and fuchsia and lime green flutter like flags tucked between the sprawling squash vines and long rows of young tomatoes and peppers not yet in flower. By Cocina's courtyard, hollyhocks stand as tall as cornstalks; pink-flowered sweet peas climb the fences with coiled tendrils. * The earth itself seems nearly bare. Still, there's much to inspire the cook ravenous for freshness, for green. We crave the goodness that comes so freely from spring's first burst of growth. Later in the season, as spring slides effortlessly toward summer, come succulent berries, flowering herbs, young garlic and peas, scallions, and even a few tart early tomatoes.

Spring Dinner

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JICAMA SLAW WITH PINK GRAPEFRUIT SHRIMP AND RED PEPPERS ON ROSEMARY SPRIGS BUTTERNUT SQUASH GNOCCHI CANDIED GINGER SORBET WITH BORAGE FLOWERS

* * *

A springtime walk through the garden at Tres Estrellas, when the air is heady with flowers, inspires this menu. Awaken your taste buds with crunchy jicama slaw and succulent shrimp grilled on skewers of flowering rosemary that sparkle with lemon and fresh herbs. Transform lush tropical fruits into the world's easiest frozen dessert, and accent it with blue borage flowers.

JICAMA SLAW WITH PINK GRAPEFRUIT

* SERVES 6 *

Beneath its rough skin, jicama is pearly white, mildly sweet, and addictively juicy and crunchy, especially with a squeeze of lime. Slice it into elegant julienne and mix it with red cabbage and shredded carrots from the garden. The last of winter's limes and grapefruit sparkle in the exotic citrus-based dressing. Use this recipe to inspire seasonal variations throughout the year-Chef Jess often substitutes cucumbers or zucchini in summer and small kohlrabis in fall. In class, he uses this recipe to teach knife technique and how to cut fine shreds (julienne).

1/2 SMALL JICAMA 3 MEDIUM CARROTS, PEELED 1/2 SMALL HEAD RED CABBAGE, CORED 1/4 CUP FRESH LIME JUICE (ABOUT 2 LIMES) 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS VEGETABLE OIL 2 TEASPOONS MINCED PEELED FRESH GINGER 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS SMOOTH PEANUT BUTTER OR OTHER NUT BUTTER 1/4 CUP COCONUT MILK 3 TABLESPOONS WATER ZEST OF 1/2 LEMON (ABOUT 1 TEASPOON) 1/2 TEASPOON WHITE PEPPER 2 PINK GRAPEFRUITS 6 LETTUCE OR RED CABBAGE LEAVES 6 SPRIGS FRESH CILANTRO

1. With a sharp knife, mandoline, or box grater, cut the jicama, carrots, and red cabbage into fine shreds, and place in a 2-quart bowl.

2. In a blender, combine the lime juice, oil, ginger, peanut butter, coconut milk, water, lemon zest, and white pepper. Add the dressing to the shredded vegetables and toss to combine. Cover and chill.

3. Cut away all the peel and white pith from the grapefruit, then cut alongside each of the membranes to release the grapefruit segments, catching as much of the juice as you can, and add it to the slaw.

4. Serve the slaw mounded on a lettuce leaf and surrounded by a few grapefruit segments. Top the salad with a cilantro sprig.

VARIATIONS

* Substitute napa cabbage, bok choy, or any green that appeals to you, for jicama.

* Chop 1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts and mix into the salad.

* Wash, stem, and chop the leaves from 6 sprigs of cilantro or 2 sprigs of basil and stir into the salad just before serving.

SHRIMP AND RED PEPPERS ON ROSEMARY SPRIGS

* Serves 6 *

DEBORAH REMEMBERS ... When I was a little girl, our family lived for several years on a beach in Tahiti. We'd fish in the lagoon from our dugout outrigger canoe, and more than once I'd wake before dawn to hunt shrimp in the freshwater creek that came down from the mountains. We'd fashion torches from dead palm fronds and walk the shallows looking for deeper holes where we could scoop up shrimp trapped by the lower water level. Then at dawn we'd catch the bus into town and sell our buckets of shrimp at the local market. Of course the shrimp from the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) are very different from Tahitian shrimp, but I love their curled pinkness hot off the grill just the same.

Choose slim but sturdy rosemary sprigs just strong enough to pierce the seafood, or substitute small bamboo skewers. Other herbs such as basil shine in this simple, lovely dish that brings the garden to your plate.

Cooking delicate seafood can be a tricky process. Always marinate the seafood to add flavor and moisture, cook over moderate heat, and most important, don't overcook it!

18 SPRIGS FRESH ROSEMARY (PREFERABLY IN FLOWER), ABOUT 4 INCHES LONG 18 LARGE SHRIMP 2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL 1 MEDIUM SHALLOT, CHOPPED (ABOUT 1 TABLESPOON) 2 CLOVES FRESH GARLIC, PEELED AND MINCED (ABOUT 2 TEASPOONS) 1 SPRIG FRESH OREGANO, CHOPPED (ABOUT 1 TABLESPOON) 8 LARGE LEAVES FRESH BASIL, CHOPPED (ABOUT 3 TABLESPOONS) 1 SPRIG FRESH THYME LEAVES, CHOPPED (ABOUT 1 TEASPOON) GRATED ZEST OF 1 LEMON 1/2 TEASPOON SEA SALT 1/2 TEASPOON FRESH GROUND BLACK PEPPER 1 SMALL RED BELL PEPPER, SEEDED AND CUT INTO 1-INCH SQUARES 1 1/2 TEASPOONS PAPRIKA

1. Strip the rosemary leaves from the sprigs, leaving one inch on top with leaves and flowers. Soak briefly in cold water.

2. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on if you like, and pat dry. Combine the oil, shallot, garlic, herbs, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a glass bowl. Add the shrimp and toss thoroughly with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. Carefully thread a red pepper square onto each rosemary skewer, and follow with a shrimp. Finish with another piece of red pepper. (Use a bamboo skewer to make the holes, then slide onto the rosemary sprigs.) Sprinkle...