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Food for Thought:  The Slow Food Orange County Newsletter, October, 2010

In This Issue
Simultaneous Suppers
Dig in! National Day of Service
Thanksgiving Potluck
Mexican Masa and More with Gabbi Patrick
Quivira Vineyards and Winery
Join the Slow Food Movement!
Membership Discount through October 15th!
$25 will get you a year's membership to Slow Food USA! 
We invite you to join the Slow Food movement! Slow Food Orange County is working hard to preserve and protect local foods and food traditions. Our convivium plans events and programs in places across Orange County-anywhere from community gardens, taste education dinners, and farm tours-join the network and become active in planning and participating in these diverse initiatives.  Click here for Benefits of Membership. Send us an email if you have questions ([email protected])




Simultaneous Suppers Selling out!

When: Saturday, October 16th and 23rd
Where: Slow Food Member Homes throughout Orange County
Cost: $65 per person, benefiting The Grain Project.

Join us for one of the 2010 Simultaneous Suppers, multi-course dinners served and prepared by Slow Food Orange County hosts in their own homes this October. Small teams of volunteers will prepare and serve seasonal, locally-sourced and home-cooked meals, fully embracing the ideals of Slow Food. Each dinner will be an intimate gathering of like-minded people enjoying food and wine together in a private home.

Proceeds support The Grain Project, a Santa Ana-based nonprofit committed to promoting unified, healthy, sustainable communities through farmers' markets, community gardens, and public art.

Enjoy great conversation and a connection to food and friends that will leave you wanting more!

Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.

Hosted by Roger & Sharon McErlane - Laguna Beach

Cheese-Stuffed Nasturtium Flowers ~ Cucumber and Cheese Tomato Snack
Fresh made, hand-cut pasta with Garlic & Olive oil
Boeuf a la Mode - Grass-fed Beef Pot Roast Simmered in
Red Wine and Bouillon for 4 Hours
Creamed Mash Potatoes and Carrots & Peas in Butter Sauce
Butter Lettuce Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil
Berry and Hazelnut Squash Pudding, topped with Ice Cream

SOLD OUT

Hosted by Linda Lewis Elbert - Laguna Beach

Appetizer Trio of Homemade Artisan Bread
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Root Vegetable Chips                                        
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette                                               
Ancho Chile Braised Short Ribs served with Heirloom Black Beans
Fresh Corn Cakes                                           
Seasonal Fresh Fruit Tart and Homemade Ice Cream

To buy tickets for Linda's dinner,CLICK HERE.

Hosted by John & Lesley Cox, Livi Lehigh, and Wayan Kaufman - Los Alamitos

Tray-Passed Small Bites
Locally Caught Seafood Cocktail with Made-From-Scratch Cocktail Sauce                                                           
Rosemary Dijon Rack of Lamb with Homemade Mint Jelly,
Yukon Gold Potato Cake & Wilted Greens                                    
Heirloom Lettuce and Fris�e Salad with Fuyu Persimmons and Toasted Hazelnuts
Apple Crumble with Homemade Ice Cream       
                                                                 
To buy tickets for John & Lesley, Livi and Wayan's dinner, CLICK HERE.

Saturday, October 23, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.

Hosted by Teryl & Claudia Chapel and Cindy Dupuie - Laguna Beach

Pesto Veggie Melt
Saged Butternut Squash Soup
Arugula Salad                                                                                                                     
Oriental Lamb Chops Served Over Brown Rice and Saut�ed Asparagus
(vegetarian option available)                                                                                                     
Selection of Cheese
Apple Tart

SOLD OUT
                                                                                                                                                                                
All dinners are $65 per person and include wine.  Spots are going quickly!
If you have questions or are interested in volunteering for the Simultaneous Suppers, please contact Wayan Kaufman.



Dig in Work
Dig In!

On Saturday September 25th, over 30 volunteers from Slow Food Orange County and The Grain Project joined forces as part of Slow Food USA's Dig In! national day of service. The group broke ground, built and planted a large raised bed in the Jerome Park Community Garden in central Santa Ana and then prepared and shared a meal at the end of the day. Over 250 chapters of Slow Food USA participated in similar projects nationwide.

Student volunteers from Los Alamitos High School, Orange County High School of the Arts, and the Santa Ana Library Garden Buddy program joined with members of Slow Food OC and the Grain Project, under the direction of Grain Project board member Nick Spain, in the creation of a beautiful and accessible raised garden bed in this idyllic setting.

Support came from Conor Fitzpatrick of Mini Farm Box, who built the garden boxes for planting and supplied the organic soil. The digging was overseen by Dr. Bill Roley of the Permaculture Institute and Transition Laguna, who came out to help former student and garden supervisor Shadi Shariat. Refreshment was offered by local coffee roaster Steve Lehigh of Common Man Coffee in Costa Mesa, and by Jeff Church of NIKA Water, a company that donates 100% of its profits to global clean water initiatives.

The Grain Project's staff has brought the love and dignity of growing food to a great number of people in Santa Ana, the most remarkable being the children who were waiting patiently outside the gates of the garden when we arrived. These children are educated in all aspects of gardening and act as ambassadors and interpreters for non-English speaking friends and family during the twice-weekly food distribution held in the garden. Under the watchful eye of teen volunteer Sonora Ortiz, the kids worked diligently all morning carrying supplies, watering the plants, weeding, turning the soil, churning the compost and helping with food preparations. They were thrilled to know that so much of the food they would share at lunch they had grown themselves. Imagine 5-year-olds eating swiss chard!

Dig in Meal

After a full morning of digging, planting, harvesting, turning the compost, and distributing food to the neighborhood's families in need, a delicious lunch consisting of locally grown food, including produce from the garden and eggs from backyard chickens, was served in the shade of a gorgeous jacaranda tree. All the volunteers broke bread together in the spirit of fellowship and in gratitude for all that the good earth provides. Grain Project founder Lara Montagne shared the story of the Jerome Park Community Garden with the Slow Food volunteers and long term plans for the restoration of the Farmer's Market in Santa Ana were discussed.

The Grain Project's mission to educate and bring healthy food choices to local families is perfectly aligned with Slow Food principles, and to this end a donation toward building a secure storage for garden implements and precious gardening soil was presented by Heather Westenhofer, Chair of SFOC.

To learn more about Slow Food Orange County and upcoming projects and events, visit our website. 
To learn more about The Grain Project and how you can help, visit the website here.


 


Thanksgiving Potluck Feast at the Home of Ted        Wright & Nina Macdonald
Thursday, November 25, 2010 at 4 p.m.
 
For many of us our Thanksgiving tradition includes a large family feast. 
For those of us that find ourselves away from family for the holiday, 
Ted and Nina are graciously opening their home in Irvine to the Slow Food family 
for a potluck feast starting at 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. 
They will provide a LARGE, organic, roast turkey 
(or maybe this will be the year to try a turducken!). 
Guests are kindly asked to bring a dish to share that is critical to 
or closely associated with their Thanksgiving tradition.

To get directions, rsvp for this event by emailing Ted and Nina. 
Space is limited so your early reply is appreciated.


Mexican Masa and More with Gabbi Patrick, Chef/Owner of Gabbi's MexicanGabbi Kitchen in Orange
December 5th, 3 pm - 5 pm
Sur La Table, Newport Beach


Join us for this hands-on class where we will delve into Mexican regional cuisine and learn how to make our own masa, along with its uses in such dishes as traditional tamales as well as empanadas and sopas. Gabbi will also share her special Sangria recipe. Mark your calendars now, as you won't want to miss this class and there will be room for only fifteen students. Tickets go on sale October 11th and all proceeds will benefit Slow Food Orange County -- Gabbi Patrick has graciously donated her time and Sur La Table has generously donated the space. For more info about Chef Gabbi, you can visit her website and click here for more info about Sur La Table.




Slow Food Spotlight: Quivira Vineyards and Winery

Quivira Vineyards and Winery poured the perfect summer varietals at the June Orange County Slow Food Barbecue; Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, named for the majestic 130-year-old Black Mission Fig Tree that grows in the vineyard, and the classic yet compelling Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel.

Quivira has been a Demeter-certified Biodynamic and organic winery since 2005 and is guided by a deeply-held principle of careful stewardship of the land. Biodynamic farming is an agricultural system that views the farm estate as an entire living organism. A healthy environment and healthy, balanced vines have the capability of producing truly outstanding wines. Environmentally conscious winegrowing and winemaking is a way of life at Quivira and has been the result of more than twenty years of progressive and industry leading farming. The difference can be seen at the estate and tasted in the wines.  

The Quivira estate has a total of 93 acres of vines and a Biodynamic and organic garden. The garden includes 120 raised garden beds, growing a wide variety of fruits and vegetables from Slow Food's Ark of Taste list, supporting their movement to protect endangered foods. Quivira shares Slow Food's belief that a way of eating and drinking is also a way of living, making our wine a natural fit for this lovely outdoor occasion.

-Quivira Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, California
-Our tasting room and gardens are open daily 11 AM-5 PM

Quivira Wines are available at Whole Foods and Wine Exchange in Orange County