Sonoma County Wow Dishes: BBQ Pork Spring Rolls from Simply Vietnam

Next up on my list of Sonoma County wow dishes is BBQ pork spring rolls from SimplyVietnam in Santa Rosa. The restaurant is in an odd location – right in the middle of an industrial area – but don’t let that stop you.  The BBQ pork spring rolls are terrific!  Each roll contains barbequed pork, vermicelli noodles, lettuce, and I believe a hint of cilantro, all wrapped up in soft rice paper. On the side is peanut dipping sauce which has some sweetness to it and chopped peanuts which add some crunch. They are the perfect thing for a light lunch or for an appetizer for a party.  My friends and I have also gotten several orders of them and used them as snacks for book club meetings.

Sonoma County Wow Dishes: Burrata Cheese from Rosso

Burrata cheese from Rosso in Santa Rosa

I put together a list of several of the “wow” dishes from some of my favorite restaurants in Sonoma County. None of these restaurants are fancy. Several are in sort of odd locations.  But they all have in common at least one dish that is delicious and memorable.  I’ll be rolling out this list over the next few weeks so stay tuned.

Here is the first entry … Burrata cheese from Rosso Pizzeria.

 Rosso Pizzeria has sort of taken Sonoma County by storm. They opened their first restaurant in Santa Rosa a few years ago and now have another restaurant in Petaluma and a thriving catering business. Their mobile pizza oven is a fixture at winery “pick up parties” – parties wineries have where their customers can pick up wine, taste a bit (current releases, barrel samples and library wines are all fair game) and have a bite to eat, preferably catered by the great Rosso team.

The pizza at Rosso is terrific but what makes it special is the house-made burrata cheese.  According to Wikipedia, the name burrata means buttered in Italian and that’s a pretty good description of the cheese. The outside of the cheese is a thin layer of fresh mozzarella that has been rolled out.  The thin outer layer is then filled with a mixture of mozzarella cheese curds, fresh ricotta and mascarpone cheeses, along with salt, pepper and olive oil.  

The freshness hits you first. Then the creaminess. Then the smoothness of the olive oil that you douse it with. Then the pepperiness of the pepper. Eat it “neat”, no bread, no distractions. Try not to lick the plate. 

An Early Morning Run Through Dry Creek

I ran through the Dry Creek area of Sonoma County last Saturday as part of my training for the Water to Wine Half Marathon next month. It was perfect running weather – overcast and cool but not cold. The vineyards are heavy with grapes and there are some early signs of fall even though it’s late July. I thought I would share a few of the things I saw on my run. Enjoy!

Most of the leaves on the grapes are still a vibrant green, love the contrast with the lighter plant on the ground

Grapes are not the only things growing here - I saw peach trees, apple trees and olive trees

Love this mailbox - very appropriate for a country road

Old vine Zinfandel - I can tell because the vines are thick and gnarly

The yard ornament above is made from the metal hoops off of an old wine barrel

It's not uncommon to see signs advertising flowers, eggs or produce for sale, sometimes on the honor system

And here are the zinnias that were advertised

These grape leaves are just starting to change color

I love the way the red roof of this barn contrasts with the green of the vineyard

This is so fun and whimsical!

I hope you have enjoyed this short pre-harvest tour of Dry Creek. Have a great week!

A trip to the Farmers Market

Last weekend I went to the Windsor farmers market. We are very lucky to have several farmers markets close by on both Saturdays (two in Santa Rosa and one in Healdsburg) and Sundays (Windsor).

I got my first heirloom tomatoes of the season, some kale, peaches and nectarines, both lemon and regular cucumbers, and the prettiest heirloom carrots I have ever seen. Here are some photos of what I made with my produce.

Salad with kale and white peach

Salad with cucumber, lemon cucumber, cherry tomatoes and heirloom carrots

Pretty heirloom carrots are good in a salad or all on their own

Spa Water: Trio of Lemons

I love to make spa water - you know, the sort of water with cool things in it like you would see at a fancy spa. My current pitcher of spa water has a trio of lemon flavors - lemons, lemon cucumber from the farmers market and lemon verbena from my herb garden. It’s a very fragrant, a bit tart and very refreshing on a hot day.  Have a great week!

Try This: Sonoma Brinery Pickles

Outrageous Bread & Butter Pickles from Sonoma Brinery

Barbeque season is in full swing here in Sonoma County and it will last well into the fall.  Given the long season, I periodically tweak my standards because if not, things can get old.   

I recently made Sonoma Brinery’s Outrageous Bread & Butter Pickles my go-to pickles for burgers and I could not be happier. I first discovered them in a restaurant as a side to what else, a burger. I tracked them down and found out that they are sold at my local grocery store.

Packaging for Sonoma Brinery pickles

The Outrageous Bread & Butter pickles are simply pickle chips and thinly sliced bits of onion.  They have a bit of heat and bit of sweetness and are downright addictive.  I like that they are local (the company is working on national distribution, go here to check where in your area you can buy them) and they are fresh (look for them in the refrigerator section of the grocery store).  The pickles are great with a burger and are also good chopped and stirred into tuna.  Or, you can just eat them straight out of the container. I won’t tell.

P.S. July is national pickle month, so yet another reason to expand your pickle repertoire and give a Sonoma Brinery Pickle a try!

Easy, Healthy Coleslaw Recipe

Barbeque season is in full swing right now. If you are looking for a healthy side dish for burgers, steaks or ribs, consider a healthy coleslaw. The recipe that’s below is very flavorful and healthy too.

Here are the instructions for making one serving, you can easily increase this to make more:

1 tablespoon lowfat or nonfat plain yogurt

1 teaspoon mayonnaise or olive oil*

 ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

A few handfuls of pre-shredded cabbage and carrots

Mix the first four ingredients in the bottom of a bowl and then add the cabbage and carrots.  I usually dress the coleslaw and serve right away. You could also let it sit a bit to let the flavor set. 

*You can actually make this without any fat. However, I think the addition of a bit of fat really adds to the flavor and smooths it out.

What is your go-to for a healthy side dish in the summer?