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Jan 2010  
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Golden Globes!

California Olive Ranch's extra virgin olive oil to be a featured ingredient at the Golden Globes dinner!
Olio Nuovo FRESH
Chef Suki Sugiura of the Beverly Hilton highlights fresh CA-grown menu
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Health Benefits of EVOO

What are Polyphenols?


Slows Impact of Aging on Brain


Reduces Breast Cancer


Fights Cancer

Aides in Diabetes


Fights Depression


Events in Season

UC Davis Marketing and Language Symposium

Davis  .  CA
Jan 15


Fancy Food Show
San Francisco  .  CA
Jan 17 - 19
VISIT OUR BOOTH #1283!

Julie, Julia & Jamie

Cooking Demonstration
Featuring Recipes of Julia Child

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa
Jan 23-24

Wishing You a Fresh and Healthy New Year!

January marks the arrival of new beginnings.  The new year will bring our "In Season" readers more fresh, healthy new recipes, more in-depth articles featuring chefs that celebrate the Earth's bounty, and a virtual celebration of living a healthy lifestyle.

Now is also a perfect time to send us your comments and suggestions.  Want to be our next featured chef?  What California-grown seasonal item  would you like to learn more about?  And of course, any questions related to extra virgin olive oil, we're more than happy to answer.  Many of our best issues have been suggestions from "In Season" readers. Email [email protected] with your thoughts and comments, and let's start a fresh, healthy new year together.

Again, thank you for participating in our online community!

 It's Orange Season!
Oranges are in Season!

OrangesSo what came first - the color orange or the fruit?  The orange fruit was actually not named for its color.  Instead, the word orange is a derivative of the word 'naru' meaning 'fragrant.'  Believed to have originated in ancient China, the orange arrived in America with Christopher Columbus in 1493.  Thanks to the northern expansion of Spanish missionaries from South America, oranges appeared in the California sunshine in the 1700's.  In 1873, the first Navel orange tree was planted in California, a gift from a Brazilian noble, thus marks the beginning of a flourishing industry.   One of the original trees is still alive today and producing fruit in sunny southern California.

Today, the United States is the second-leading producer of oranges, behind Brazil.  Over 40% of the US orange crop is actually used for juice or frozen concentrate, with only 20% sold as whole 'eating' fruit.  However, there is no waste in the production of oranges.  Essential oils are extracted from all parts of the orange while the zesty peel or rind is often used in cooking.  Even the leaves, twigs and blossoms are used as perfume agents.

Generally speaking, oranges fall into three main categories - bitter, loose-skinned and sweet.   Bitter oranges are typically used in marmalades, while sweet oranges are enjoyed for their juice and for eating.  (Little known fact:  Did you know the Navel orange got its name because the bottom actually looks like a bellybutton? By the way, the bigger the 'navel', the sweeter the orange will be.)  Loose-skinned oranges, such as Mandarins and Clementines, are enjoyed as a savory after-school snack.

To Your Health
Oranges contain carotene, are a good source of fiber and of folic acid, vital in proper growth development.  These little balls of sunshine are low in fat, are both sodium and cholesterol-free and are an excellent source of antioxidants.  Some varieties provide up to 150% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C, helping boost the body's immune system.  In essence, they're just plain good for you.  

Feel free to showcase your salads, salsas and even desserts with the orange's jewel-like colors.  Blood orange's hint of raspberry is wonderful with roasted or grilled meat and poultry, offering a dramatic look with maroon undertones.  I tasted a Blood-Orange Olive Oil Brownie the other day that was simply unbelievable. Our January Featured Chef Jamie West favors "the Ojai Pixies - sweet, easy to peel and have no seeds. Of course I like to use the blood oranges when in season, as they add great color and flavor to a dish."

But do use your oranges soon after harvest.  Unlike many other fruits, citrus does not continue to ripen after being picked.  So now orange you hungry?
 Featured Orange Recipes
Paired with CA Olive Ranch EVOO


Orange PeelGrilled Chicken Breast with Tangerine Honey and Chipotle Glaze
Serve with Olive Oil Crushed Potatoes and Green Beans
Courtesy of Featured Chef Jamie West

Orange Chicken and Mixed Green Salad
Courtesy of Chef Justin Wangler, Kendall Jackson Family of Wines

Blood Orange Olive Oil CakeBlood Orange Olive Oil Cake with Blood Orange Syrup
Courtesy of Chef Trey Foshee, Georges at the Cove

Pan Roasted Turkey "Roulade" with Green Asparagus, Orange and Avocado Salad
Courtesy of www.CaliforniaGrown.org

Fresh Orange SlicesAllen Susser's Pan-Roasted Red Snapper with
Orange and Mango Salsa
Courtesy of FoodFit.com

Clementine and Olive Oil Cake
Courtesy of http://cafefernando.com


Bon Appetit!
 Featured Chef
Chef Jamie West
Ojai Valley Inn & Resort
Most would jump at the chance at having an array of fresh ingredients grown just outside their kitchen door.  For Executive Chef Jamie West, this dream is a reality.  On the beautiful, serene property of Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, a 5-Diamond luxury resort tucked in the Ojai Valley just north of Los Angeles, Chef West grows a two-acre Chef's Garden.  This garden provides fresh herbs, fruits, salad greens and other vegetables for what he describes as "cuisine inspired by the bounty and driven by the season."  

This garden, as well as other locally grown foods, is what Chef Jamie Westinspires the seasonal menus Chef West creates for not one, but all four of the resort's restaurants.  "Having a garden allows us to have produce that is at its peak freshness, that is the best! Shopping at the farmers market keeps you in touch with the season and what is available locally."

One of six children, Chef West grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and credits his family kitchen for his culinary roots.  "Growing up in a large family was fun, and dinner was always interesting.  My mom would let each of us pick a night on the weekends, and she would fix our favorite."  

Fresh, seasonal ingredients also served as a foundation for Chef West's future culinary success.  "I remember going to my grandparent's house, having tomatoes and corn grown in their garden.   To this day, whenever I smell a tomato on the vine, I think of that experience.  The corn was so sweet - we would make a mess eating it, but it was delicious.  I have tomatoes in the [Chef's] garden.  Having a garden here is a great inspiration for me."


A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Chef West's successful career includes positions held at L'Auberge in Del Mar, CA,  the Silverado Resort in the beautiful Napa Valley, CA and the 5-Diamond Mayflower Inn in Washington, CT.  Prior to joining Ojai Valley Inn, Chef West harvested an organic vegetable, fruit and herb garden on the property at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, CA.

This fall, Chef West was honored as the guest chef at the James Beard House in New York, his second appearance at the center of culinary excellence.   His culinary work has also been prominently featured in Bon Appetit, The Wall Street Journal, Sunset Magazine, Art Culinaire, Appellation magazine, as well as an appearance on CBS' "The Early Show."

Julia Child and Jamie WestOne of Chef West's proudest experiences was working with the acclaimed Julia Child.   "She would often come to the restaurant and I would occasionally spend time at her apartment in Montecito discussing food or talking about upcoming events. I went to Carmel with her for the Masters of Food & Wine where we did a demonstration together.  I did the work while she talked.  When people would come up to her and talk to her, I was amazed at how humble she was.  She never felt that she was too busy or too famous to talk to anyone. I think that she probably had more influence on cooking in America than anyone else ever has."

This month Chef West will pay homage to Julia Child in a special event entitled Julie, Julia & Jamie.   "The event will feature recipes from Julia Child, with Julie Powell [author "Julie & Julia"]  talking about her experience as she cooked her way through the book. I will be doing most of the actual cooking along with my staff here at the Inn."

Another recent event on our featured chef's property, the Celebrity Chef Classic, sponsored in part by California Olive Ranch, was a golf and dining experience benefiting Share Our Strength.   Chef West was joined by acclaimed chefs Todd Gray, Ming Tsai, Alan Wong and Budi Kazali.   "The Celebrity Chef Classic was great.  It was an honor and a treat to host this event. It was fun to have all of them in the kitchen.  We all did our own dishes, but came together to help each other out as well.  There was a great camaraderie and interaction both in the kitchen as well as on the golf course. There was defiantly some friendly competition, especially on the golf course."


Back in the resort's kitchen, West's seasonally driven menu of modern American selections is complimented by using bold, exciting flavors.  "I use EVOO on my dishes to finish and to give flavor to a dish without using a heavy sauce.  Everything from salad and vegetables to fish and steak.  I think that a good quality EVOO adds great flavor to almost anything."  His most interesting use of EVOO?   "Avocado and EVOO Sorbet served with Tomato Gazpacho, Basil and EVOO Sorbet served with a strawberry tart.  EVOO Polenta Pound Cake with balsamic-marinated strawberries."  All sound simply delightful.  Anyone have a spoon?

We can look forward to the spring 2010 debut of Chef West's Herb Garden Caf�.  And, in the meantime, if you need a sophisticated escape to be pampered by casual elegance, start your new year off right by visiting Chef West in person at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.  Your body, mind and taste buds will thank you.

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa
905 Country Club Road
Ojai  . CA  .  93023
1.805.646.1111
http://ojairesort.com
 Thank You

Happy New Year from all of us at California Olive Ranch!

California Fresh COR