The Eat Real Festival has food for all tastes and diets and this week we offer two pairs of very different approaches to having great meals with pasta and beans from BAIA Pasta and Rancho Gordo plus two meaty repasts from Rancho Llano Seco and friends.

Rancho Llano Seco’s “Offal Wonderful” Recipes Rancho Llano Seco is a 6th-generation family farm with a rich history of balancing agriculture, livestock husbandry and conservation. The Rancho is one of the last intact Mexican land grant properties, a reminder of a lost era when Californian, American, Mexican, and Spanish history intersected. Continue reading →

Two Recipes from Baia Pasta Renato Sardo was the Director of Slow Food International but after eight years decided to move to California where he would help found Slow Food USA and bring the practice of promoting local and sustainable food to the Bay Area. While organizing San Francisco events he met Dario Barbone and they discussed how to put the Slow Food theory into practice. Continue reading →

Rancho Llano Seco’s “Offal Wonderful” Recipes

Rancho Llano Seco is a 6th-generation family farm with a rich history of balancing agriculture, livestock husbandry and conservation. The Rancho is one of the last intact Mexican land grant properties, a reminder of a lost era when Californian, American, Mexican, and Spanish history intersected.

Llano Seco raises responsible pork and beef. They are considered environmental stewards first and foremost, with over 17,000 acres of land secured in conservation and agriculture easements. Animals are raised from “farrow to fork”, directing every aspect of the product supply chain from animal birth through slaughter, butchery, recipe creation, production, marketing and distribution.

The Rancho Llano Seco web site is a fascinating exploration of this unique farm in Chico.

In conjunction with Eat Real Festival and The Butcher’s Guild, “Offal Wonderful” celebrates the innards of every animal and the bounty of whole animal butchery, cookery and eating. “Offal Wonderful” introduces eaters to the delicious variety of the oft ignored, off-cuts and offal, traditionally defined as the organ meat of the animals but including parts in what the Italian’s call the “fifth” quarter: tail, ears, head, and beyond.

This year’s theme is SKIN & FAT. Offal-focused activities at Eat Real Festival include:

Sat 9/19 -1pm -Pork Skin Chorizo and Lard Tortilla Tostata demo with Chef John Blevins of and Clove and Hoof.

Sat 9/19 -6pm -Lard Biscuit demo with Chef Liza Shaw of Merigan Sub Shop.

Sun 9/20 -1pm -Whole Hog Butchery Competition with Llano Seco pig and The Butcher’s Guild butchers competing.

Sat – Sun -Llano Seco booth will be giving away samples of heirloom beans and ancient grains, and selling beans, frozen sausages and bacon dogs, and offal wonderful t-shirts, cooler bags and hats.

Rancho Llano Seco is sharing with our readers the recipes to be demonstrated on Saturday at the Festival.

Chef Liza Shaw’s Llano Seco Lard Biscuits

Makes 24 1.5-1.8oz biscuits

• Ÿ500g ap flour
• Ÿ8g salt
• Ÿ15g baking powder
• Ÿ8oz Llano Seco Lard
• Ÿ4g baking soda
• Ÿ20g brown sugar
• Ÿ16 fl oz creme fraiche or 8oz  cream and 8oz buttermilk

Sift together dry ingredients. Put half of the total dry ingredients on a cutting board.  Put little spoonfuls of ice cold lard onto the dry ingredients, then chop through the mixture with a bench scraper.  Add the rest of the dry ingredients and the creme fraiche or buttermilk.  Continue to chop through, making sure to incorporate all of the dry ingredients into the wet ones, until JUST mixed.  Do not over mix.

Put a little extra flour into a very thin layer on the cutting board and turn the dough onto it, shaping roughly into a square or rectangular block that is about 1-1.5″ tall.  Cut into squares and put onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Chill until ready to bake. Bake in 350 degree oven, low fan, on an ungreased heavy baking sheet, rotating sheet after 10 minutes, cook another 5 minutes until crusty and golden-brown, roughly 15 minutes total.

 Chef Liza Shaw left A16 to use her East Coast roots for making the sandwiches you dream about become a reality at Merigan Sub Shop in San Francisco’s South Beach.

Read about Liza here.

Chef John Blevins’ Lard Pork Skin Chorizo & Lard Tortilla

 Chorizo Verde:

• Ÿ2.2 lbs Llano Seco Pork Butt
• Ÿ250 g pig skin (blanched)
• Ÿ18 g salt
• Ÿ1 Tbs black pepper
• 1 Tbs Cayenne
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• Ÿ1/2 tsp corriander
• Ÿ10 g garlic
• Ÿ50 ml white vinegar
• Ÿ1 x ground bay leaf
• Ÿ2 Tbs cilantro
• Ÿ2 Tbs jalapeno
• Ÿ2 Tbs pasilla pepper
• Ÿ2 Tbs roasted tomatillos
• Ÿ1/4 cup spinach (blanched and squeezed)

Grind half of the pork butt at 1/4″ and the other half at 3/8″. Poach the pig skin until tender then freeze before grinding at 1/8″. We like to use the skin from our smoked bacon bellies for extra flavor.

Mix all spices and finely chopped herbs and skin and vinegar into the meat. Let the mixture rest overnight.

*   *   *

Lard Tortilla:

• Ÿ2.5 cups AP flour
• Ÿ1 tsp salt
• Ÿ1/2 tsp baking powder
• Ÿ1/3 cup Llano Seco Lard
• Ÿ1 cup hot water

Mix dry ingredients. Combine dry ingredients with lard until crumbly. Add water slowly while kneading until dough achieves the proper texture. Allow to rest for 25 minutes.

Portion into small balls and roll out into round tortillas. Cook on a very hot griddle.

John Blevins (4505 Meats) and his partner Analiesa Gosnell (Cafe Rouge) opened Clove and Hoof to focus on locally sourced, whole animal butchery. The shop is all about locally sourced, whole-animal butchery. Both have extensive experience in the field and to prepare for their opening in 2014 they studied charcuterie in France.

Read Luke Tsai in The Express on Clove and Hoof.

Two Recipes from Baia Pasta

Renato Sardo was the Director of Slow Food International but after eight years decided to move to California where he would help found Slow Food USA and bring the practice of promoting local and sustainable food to the Bay Area. While organizing San Francisco events he met Dario Barbone and they discussed how to put the Slow Food theory into practice.

They learned that most of the wheat used by Italian pasta makers is grown in the US but it was difficult to find dry pasta of fine quality here and if you could it crossed the Atlantic twice. And thus was the start of BAIA Pasta.

Sardo explains, “We combine the art of traditional Italian pasta making with great American-grown grains and produce short cuts of pasta in 5 different organic flours (durum, whole durum, spelt, whole spelt, and Kamut® khorasan wheat). We are inspired by our roots in Piemonte (Northern Italy), where food is a passion, a language, an emotion; food is everything. All we do is dictated by the principles of the Slow Food movement: to provide people with delicious food that is good for them, good for the people who grow/produce it, and good for the Earth.”

 

The pair is also inspired by the Bay Area food scene with its many local farmers, artisans, chefs, and retailers. They have a production facility in Jack London Square as well as a small shop selling their pasta and a range of other local products. The fresh pasta being made provides a wonderful smell for shoppers.

BAIA Pasta will be at the Eat Real Festival featuring their Mac ‘n Cheese

The team at BAIA Pasta has offered you two delicious recipes.

Puttanesca with Anchovies, Olives, and Capers

Ingredients

• 1 lb. of Baja Pasta Ajo&Olo
• 4 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 1 carrot (finely chopped)
• 4 anchovy filets (drained)*
• 20-25 oil-cured black olives (pitted and coarsely chopped)
• 3 tbs. capers (rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped)
• 3 tbs. tomato paste
• 1 – 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• grated Pecorino Romano (optional)
• * vegan option: 1 tsp. aka miso

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, onions, garlic, and carrots. Allow veggies to release some of the water, then after 1-2 minutes reduce flame to low and slowly fry until all the veggies are golden and the onions are translucent. This low and slow browning process of the “soffrito” (5-6  builds a good flavor base for your sauce.
2. Turn the flame up to medium again and add the anchovies, olives, and capers. Saute the soffrito mixture until the anchovies melt into oil and all the flavors are melded (4-5 minutes).
3. Add the tomatoes and oregano. Bring the sauce to a bubble, reduce heat and simmer on a very low flame for at least one hour with the lid on to reduce evaporation (you may add water if the sauce gets too thick).
4. Adjust the flavor with salt and pepper to your taste. We like to do it at this point because the salt in the anchovies, olives, and capers can be unpredictable. The sauce, when cooked, can be stored in the fridge for up to three days (it will potentially taste better the day after).
5. Bring a large pot of water to the boil – you want those noodles to have ample room to swim.
6. Add a good amount of salt (almost at the levels of sea water) and cook the twins, stirring occasionally.
7. Cook the pasta one minute shy of “al dente” (5-6 minutes).
8. Then drain them and toss them into the sauce to integrate the flavors (no need to stir like crazy, a low fire and a gentle shaking of the pan will work well).

Twins tossed in this slow-cooked puttanesca is good enough for us, but feel free to add some freshly-grated Pecorino Romano.

Vino? Nothing fancy, choose a young and racy wine. Think zero wood and vanilla tones. You need an acid note to cut through this deeply flavored sauce that has intense tang from the olives and capers. Buen appetito!Pasta e fagioli

• 1 lb Baia Pasta
  (flour: organic durum or spelt, cut: sardinians or ringlets)
• 1-1/2 lbs. cooked Rancho Gordo cranberry beans
• 1-1/2 lbs. cooked Rancho Gordo Royal Corona Beans
• 4 cups bean broth from the cooked beans.
• 4 oz. pancetta, cubed or roughly chopped
• 1 tbs. lard, or 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 celery rib, chopped fine
• 1 carrot, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. tomato paste
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Directions

1. As you prepare the beans, make sure you have plenty of liquid on hand when they are done as this will be the basis for your sauce.
2. While the beans are cooking, prepare the soffrito. Melt the lard (or olive oil) in a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Slowly fry the pancetta until fragrant and chewy and then remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and let rest on paper towels. If needed, add more olive oil so there is enough fat to fry the aromatic vegetables. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and onion and fry until the vegetables are soft and onion is turning golden colored. Add the tomato paste and pepper flakes and cook for a few minutes until the paste is heated through and the tomato flavor is intensified.
3. Add the bean broth and rosemary sprig and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking on a gentle simmer for 15 minutes or so. The liquid should start to reduce.
4. Cook the pasta in a large stockpot in salted water for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Drain.
5. Add the drained pasta, beans, and reserved pancetta to the soffrito broth mixture, mix well and gently cook for a few minutes to marry the various flavors.
6. Serve immediately with a splash of peppery extra virgin olive oil.
   Pass around a bowl of grated Pecorino Romano cheese for your guests.

Read Renato’s full story on the Bi-Rite website.

Visit Baia Pasta’s fascinating website or visit in person at 431 Water Street, Oakland (510) 336-6044.

Baia Pasta on Facebook and Twitter.

For more about Rancho Gordo Beans, click here.

Read our comprensive coverage of the Eat Real Festival in Oakland’s historic Jack London Square:

• Preview of the Eat Real Festival
• Wondrous Legumes: Four Recipes from two Eat Real Festival Presenters
• Lentil Underground, an excerpt from the book by Eat Real Presenter Liz Carlisle
• More About the Eat Real Festival