PasoTours: Adventures in California's Central Coast Wine and Farm Country
The Erogenous Rhônes at Denner Vineyard
On a beautiful Saturday August 21, 2010, bright and early in the morning, a small group of wine enthusiasts gathered to enjoy the first educational seminar at Denner Vineyards. While it was still a bit overcast in Templeton, it was a clear and crisp morning in this unusually pleasant Summer we have been having in Paso.
We met everyone at the back of the large 120+ acre vineyard at a large barn. There was a small group of wine enthusiasts there including a few friends. Faith from Hospice du Rhône, William from the Simple Hedonisms Blog, and Matt and Annie from Hoot 'n Annie's Blog along with a few others.
Last Updated (Monday, 30 August 2010 14:47)
Hospice du Rhône 2010 iPhone App released
Monday, 05 April 2010 05:40 | Author: Administrator |
We are proud to have worked with the Hospice du Rhône 2010 crew to create an iPhone guide to the 2010 event. It is now available from the iTune App store for the iPhone and iPod Touch as a free download. Check it out at: Also to sign up for this amazing event on April 29 - May 1, go to http://www.hospicedurhone.org/
Last Updated (Monday, 05 April 2010 14:59) Olive Harvest and Cure 2009
Saturday, 21 November 2009 19:33 | Author: Administrator |
We have ten olive trees on our property that I have planted over the past five years. The oldest of which is a California Mission tree with a mixed variety of Italian, French, and Spanish trees for the rest. Last year, we harvested around 2 gallons of fruit which we decided to use a dry salt cure on. They were quite good and made the wrinkled black and leathery style. This year, however, we decided to use a lye cure for green ripe olives as described by local farmer Bill Spencer in the book California Rancho Cooking. We started out by harvesting the olives. Luckily the cat was there with us to watch for ground squirrels.
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New Mexico style Chile con Carne
Saturday, 07 November 2009 22:05 | Author: Administrator |
One of our favorite regions of food is New Mexican. This is really distinctive from Mexican as anyone who has been there knows. However, it is surprisingly hard to find good restaurants in California that serve New Mexican food. There is the classic Anita's in Fullerton and the not quite as good Zia Cafe in Santa Barbara. But that is about all I know of. And neither are as good as you can get at the small Duran's pharmacy lunch counter in Albuquerque. This year, we bought and roasted 25 lbs or so of New Mexican green chilis (which we can luckily get now in bulk in season in CA) and made green sauce. That has been great. But it got me in the mood for a red sauce as well. The sauce is really easy. I buy a bag of New Mexican dried red chilis at the local carniceria. You can mix and match the dried chilis if you want. But I just use a dozen or so of these. 1. I toast the chilis on a cast iron skillet until I have peppersprayed myself into a coughing fit, then put let them cool. Then cut them open and remove seeds and cut the dried out meat into strips. These go into a small pot with boiling water. Once all the chilis are in, I add enough water to cover and let simmer 15 minutes. 2. This all goes into a blender. Careful, because the liquid is hot in temperature and chili heat. Blend until it is all broken up and liquid (3 minutes or so). 3. Pour this into a strainer and press all the liquid through into a bowl. There will be some skin and solids left in a paste that you discard. 4. Next, saute a small onion and clove of garlic in a small pot. Once soft, add the chili water. 5. Add 1 tsp Cumin, 1 tsp salt, and simmer a bit. 6. Take out 1/4 cup of the liquid and add 2 tbsp flour and make a paste. Add that back into sauce to thicken. 7. Cool and store in the fridge and use for great enchilada sauce or for my other favorite... Chile con Carne. PasoTours IPhone App is online in App Store
Friday, 16 October 2009 00:22 | Author: Administrator |
Over 200 wineries, olive ranches, farms, and restaurants. Our next steps are to add in the ability for users to write reviews and comments on the different locations. Use the Map view to navigate around the locations. Quickly zoom downtown or show the whole region. It is free so check it out now on ITunes. Contact us with the feedback button if you find problems or would like to see new features.
More pictures after the jump: |
