An Improvised Caldo Tlalpeño
I've mentioned Caldo Tlalpeño before. Diana Kennedy has a classic version in her seminal The Essential Cuisines of Mexico.I had some garbanzos and knew I needed to make it but...
The Rancho Gordo Blog
Potato Gratin a la Mexicana
In the 1980s, if you were of a certain age and interested in food, the arrival of Patricia Wells' Bistro Cooking opened up new worlds and was an incredibly important...
A Clarification on Tequesquite and an Update from Marilyn Tausend
One of my desert island books is Marilyn Tausend's Cocina de la Familia. My copy is literally falling apart. She's also worked on several other classics and givesd culinary tours...
Update on San Franciscano Beans, etc.
Well, it looks like you've done it again. We're virtually out of the San Franciscano beans I wrote about yesterday. But they're from the sweetest farmer I met down in...
San Franciscano Bean
In case you missed it in the Rancho Gordo newsletter, our new bean from the Rancho Gordo-Xoxoc Project is San Franciscano. It's most likely a kissing cousin to our own...
Scallops in Achiote Paste
When I first started to explore Mexican food, one of my favorite books was Mesa Mexicana by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. The recipes and ingredients all seemed approachable...
My Inner Hippie Love Child Is Fed
Before I re-invented myself as the height of sophistication, I was a sweet sincere hippie looking for peace and often confused by the cruelty of the world. Actually, I was...
Orange Juice
I just wanted to remind you how delicious fresh orange juice is and how when you buy "juice oranges" from the grocery store, the price is comparable to the cartons...
Souvenirs? Make Mine Pond Scum!
The last time I was in Mexico I was going slower than usual through the market. With both Ruth Alegria and my pal Yunuen at my side, I asked about...
Breakfast at Home
I'm a lucky fellow in that I have a big flock of chickens and gigantic cactus plant. No Carnation Instant Breakfast for me! The beans at the end aren't traditional...
This and That
The Rancho Gordo StoreFirst, the big news: We've signed a lease for a much bigger place here in Napa. The new location is closer to downtown, even walkable from the...
Another Reason to Like Daniel Patterson
Daniel is one of the Bay Area's better chefs, most known for his Coi restaurant and provocative writings that challenge those lazy among us who take the local food legends...