Cows Gone Wild and Bird on the Barbie

Highway 5 is the main artery for travel between northern and southern California, a flat straight shot throughout he heart of the San Joaquin Valley--growing fields for a quarter of the U.S. agricultural production and former stomping grounds of writer John Steinbeck. You can still see traces of his world, while whizzing by at breakneck speed, in little farming communities like Los Banos with rusted tractors, faded signs and barns. But mostly one sees  mile after mile of farms, watered by a Byzantine and archaic system of levees, dikes and canals that channel water from the Sacramento watershed. Signs saying "Congress Created Dust Bowl" have sprouted up along the highway as the third year of drought and water wars continues. Midway, the massive Harris Ranch stockyards are perceptible by your nose miles before the eyes see them reach towards the horizon. The Harris Steakhouse is famous for their beef but we decided this time to continue onto the windmill of Andersen's Pea Soup in Santa Nella for a tureen of the green stuff before continuing on to family in Redding.

     They have a ranch tucked away in the wooded hills south of town and us "city slickers" had the chance to wrangle the cows from one pasture to the other. We made a bit of a mess of things as we stupidly stood in the path of the cows, confusing them and ultimately causing them to run off in the opposite direction. Not a good thing as the back acreage extends for miles and takes over 4 hours to travel by quad. Turning them meant running up the slippery, rocky slopes to try and get ahead of them and turn them by flapping our jackets. It seemed like fun until a thousand pound monster ran at me full speed and I jumped behind a tree. So much for being a cowgirl!

    The Thanksgiving turkey was cooked on the bbq--stuffed with onions and herbs, coated with olive oil and cooked 12 minutes per pound over coals. Note the drip pan under the turkey with the coals around the outside to prevent drippings from catching fire. Our host also has an oil can that he uses to cook chicken (see photo at left) The coals go on the bottom and half chickens are hung on hooks on the bars across the top, the oil can lid is put on and the chicken slowly cook/smoke until done.

      On the way home, we stopped in Napa for a day and found a new favorite restaurant: Celadon on the riverfront which is rated #1 restaurant in Napa by TripAdvisor. Reviewers raved about the goat cheese and fig appetizer; it deserved the praise--warm goat cheese in a macadamia nut crust with sliced apple and figs infused with port. Yum! The acai/basil gimlet has an excellent sweet/tart balance but we found the cactus fruit margarita too sweet. We sampled crispy coconut shrim p and halibut with Manila clams which was perfectly cooked. The creme brulee was one of the best I've had--topped with baked banana. Napa is lovely in the autumn, the weather was crisp and the sunshine brilliant. Grape leaves are turning color--it's New England on the vine.

SALMON WITH RIPE CHERRY GLAZE:
2 lb. salmon cut into four fillets
1/3 cup cherry preserves
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup red wine
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. minced ginger
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Mix preserves, juice, wine, sugar, and ginger in a glass bowl. Marinate the salmon fillets, skin side down, for two or more hours. Coat the bottom of a large frying pan with the oil and heat over medium flame for a minute. Carefully place the fish, skin side down, in the pan with long tongs (to avoid being spattered with hot oil). Reduce heat to low, cover with the lid and cook until the fish is nearly opaque. Remove the fish with a spatula to a serving dish and cover with the lid. Remove any skin left in the pan but keep any brown bits. Add the rest of the marinade and the red wine ; turn the heat up to medium. Deglaze the drippings: stirring in the liquid and scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan to mix well. Reduce the sauce by half, then spoon over the fish and serve with the 2007 Ernst & Co. Pinotage. Serves 4.

*Regarding this week's wine pairing for the recipe, if you havent' heard of Pinotage: "In recent history South Africa has been known for Pinotage, a varietal developed in 1925 by Professor A.I. Perold by crossing Pinot Noir and the Southern Rhone blending-grape Cinsault. It tends to make a chewy, tannic, medium-bodied wine with pungent fruit aromas." (Jim Clarke, "Cape Crusaders", StarChefs.com)