A Rare Trip Outside My Kitchen...The Fremont Diner

   Why did I not know about this place? How could I have been going back and forth from Sonoma to LA and back for so long and have this elude me?? Why did I have to hear about it from E-gullet and Chowhound and my blogging friend Erin from The Endive Chronicles which happens to be way over the hill in Petaluma? I'm a Sonoman, I should know what's in my own backyard. Who has been keeping this from me??

Me as it turns out. It seems as though it's no mystery. The Fremont Diner is not Brigadoon vanishing into the Wine Country mists only to appear and reappear every hundred years or so. It's elusive quality is all a matter of the road less taken. In my case Highway 121, the main thoroughfare turnoff from Highway 37 to Napa and all points beyond. The Carneros Highway.

It turns out that when we go to Napa in search of a nearby Trader Joes, or Office Depot, or Bistro Jeanty, you know all the little necessities of life,we always travel by the Old Napa Road and so have missed it! No more! This is a place you don't want to miss. They have hush puppies.

Hush Puppies With Remoulade

   The Fremont Diner used to be known as Babes' Burgers and is close by the Sonoma Skypark aka Sonoma Airport. And little further on down the Road is Stornettas Dairy and Laura Chenel Cheese. Once you find the trail there you will return again and again. Of course when Irving was visiting last week, that was the first place we had to hit.
 The Fremont Diner is not very large. There is counter space inside...

Counter Service

 Which can fill up quickly depending on the time of day.

 There are about half a dozen large tables inside.

Headless Doll Decor

Boxes of games and toys ( Mr. Potato heads) and puzzles to keep the kids happy before the food comes, and if the weather is nice, ample outdoor seating.

Al Fresco Dining In The Vineyards

  The way it works is one lines up at a service window and puts in the order, then finds a seat somewhere. Names are called out when the food is ready. It's self service at it's most efficient.
   As to the food, it is well prepared down-home comfort food with primo ingredients. Out back, there are chickens to supply the fresh eggs and other "poultry matters." Pigs can also sometimes be seen (I've seen them) though the only pork in evidence the other day was slow cooked and on a bun.

The "Whole Hog" With Rancho Gordo Beans

  The beans  featured in the dishes and for sale in bags are Steve Sandos' Rancho Gordo heirloom beans, the same as found at the celebrated French Laundry .

Cincinatti Chili

 However, this is most definitely NOT the French Laundry either in price or formality!

The Farmer's Breakfast Toast spread with Goat cheese is a light delight

Farmers Breakfast Toast

 There are thick homemade milkshakes in flavors I'd never dreamed of.

Shake And Float Menu

And homemade jams, jellies and sauces are for sale.

Jams, Jellies And Beans

  So far I've been here for breakfast and lunch, the two meals that they serve. The cheesy grits are insane though I was disappointed with the scrambled eggs. Having started  life as a short order cook in a diner dive in San Francisco, I am picky about My Scrambled Eggs and these didn't make the cut. There were so many other wonderful breakfasty things to try, such as ricotta pancakes and waffles that I really didn't miss them.
  For lunch, toss in brisket and burgers and pulled pork and a whole field of fresh salads, mac and cheese, breakfast items too, and something that Irving ordered called Cincinatti Chili. Being a native San Franciscan I'd never heard of  it before. It consisted of mac and cheese topped with what else but chili made with Rancho Gordo beans. Frosty iced tea is served in jelly jars.

   If you're visiting the Wine Country and are planning on going to Fremont Diner, get there early if you're going on the dot for breakfast or lunch. Weekdays are better when one is contending with the likes of us hungry locals. Weekends...as I said, get there early!
  So what else can I tell you about this place? The prices are fair and the portions ample and yes, unlike so many other little roadside joints, they do take plastic.
  Coming up next a whole bunch of stuff that culminates with me participating in a Burger Contest on Sunday. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Dip Those Momo And Anything Else! Quick Tomato Chutney.

    I love chutneys and dipping sauces of all sorts. There's a certain zen state I get into when I'm canning things, and since nearly all my stores of chutney have been demolished because of all the holiday feasting, I need to get started and make some more. Like yesterday. I'm going to be participating in a burger cooking expo in the Plaza this coming weekend. I'm making kheema and I'm also going to be making some condiments to go with it. How all this is going to go down in a crowd I have no idea, but it should make for some interesting (read embarrassing) pictures.      
   While I worked that out I was faced with making some sauces that would be appropriate for the various momo I served last week at Tim and Irvings' party. I made two types of momo, vegetarian and for those who wanted it, chicken. The vegetarian momo turned out to come from a rather lazy idea of mine.
   One of my favorite Indian salads is a cabbage and carrot salad garnished with roast peanuts, (My version uses peanut powder.) It's quick and easy and always a big favorite at our house. For my purposes I've  changed only two things in this recipe:
 1) I shred the carrots instead of slicing them on a mandolin.
 2) I use peanut powder instead of whole roast peanuts.
 Other than that the recipe is the same, and I've found it makes an amazing stuffing for vegetarian momo.

   The Tamarind chutney I made went perfectly with the cabbage and carrot momo. The tartness of the tamarind with a hint of jaggery, or piloncilo, or brown sugar if you haven't got it was just what the sweet vegetables in the momo needed. But what of the chicken momo???  I decided to make a second chutney since of course I have all the time in the world... not. I was looking for something fast and something that would work with everything else I was making. The answer, Tomato Chutney.
  The great thing about this chutney is that it makes up fast and you can have it on the table quick, quick, quick. I used canned tomatoes as right now we're not exactly at the height of tomato season. this works fine as long as you use the best quality canned tomatoes you can get.

Indian Style Momo Dumplings

Here's what to do:
 In a large pan or kadhai heat up 2 Tbs of vegetable oil. I  use coconut oil. When the oil is hot toss in:
 2 cups of thinly sliced onions
 4 dried red chilies seeded and crumbled up
 1 tbs chopped fresh ginger.
 Stir this all around, cooking it for about 5 minutes or so until the onions  get a bit soft.

 Add in:
 canned tomatoes equal to about 4 or 5 chopped tomatoes.
 Salt to taste (if you're using canned tomatoes, remember all of them have salt unless you buy the unsalted variety as I do.)
 Cook the tomoatoes for about 5 to 10 minutes until they're cooked through and softened.

 Put the tomato mixture into a blender or food processor and grind it up to a chunky consistency.
 Put it into a bowl  and set it aside.

It's time for the chaunk or seasoning:
In a small skillet heat 1 Tbs of vegetable oil.
When the oil is hot toss in:
 1 tsp black mustard seed
 1 tsp urad dal (this is optional)
 and 8 or so fresh or frozen curry leaves if you have them.

 When the mustard seeds start to pop, pour everything into the tomato mixture and stir it up well.

That's it. This makes about 3 cups of chutney. This goes with a whole lot of stuff, everything from momo to samosas to whatever, either Indian specialties or Western dishes.

   Coming up next, I'm finally getting around to mushrooms cooked like meat. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Where I've Been...Recovering From Too Much Fun!

   I've been eating out every day since last Monday, indulging in all manner of tasty bites. I've been up past 2:00 A.M. most days/nights? I have been in short, enjoying myself. Now I am paying the penance in laundry, dish washing, vacuuming and general all around food discipline. Well, okay I admit today the family is celebrating Easter and instead of me cooking, my parents had an alternate suggestion. We  are going out to of all things an Austrian restaurant. Speatzle is exactly what my ass is calling out for right now! Yes, indeed. That and more strudel. It's not bad enough that Sift has opened a branch right over the county line in Napa, a mere 10 miles from my house (nothing in terms of seeking out a great cupcake) so there's that to contend with.
   I closed out this week of gorging with a party and sent Irving and Tim back to LA with their bellies full. Tim spent most of the visit breaking down a script (getting it ready for shooting...)

...while Irving and Alan and I ate, drank and made merry through most of Sonoma County, finishing up with ice cream and ruby grapefruit sorbet at home.

Friday night I had my very own personal photo shoot. Irving spends most of his time filming movie stars, so he said, "Why don't I take some pictures of you? You can use them for your blog." Why not indeed. I did not want to put make up on or wash my hair (it was that kind of day) and once I found out only my top half would show and I wouldn't even have to put on real pants (get out of my yoga pants) the game was on.

Of course all the posing aside, bright and early Friday night we started cooking as a party was brewing. Between the two of us, we turned out a lot of food. Samosa cups...

Vegetarian momo...

Chaat...

Chutney...

And it wouldn't be an Indian buffet without Pizza Margarita(s)... lots of them.

   I'd show the cake but it was eaten too quickly. Anyway, once I've recovered my strength, (tomorrow) I'll be sharing a recipe that starts as a salad and ends as vegetarian momo. Oh, and my stove's new switches go in tomorrow also. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Sauce For My Momo! And 'Mo 'Mo Face Stuffing

    It has been one mad whirl around here since Monday. We've had company. Our buddy Irving arrived from LA for a visit and general plowing through the regions' culinary offerings.

Irving raiding the cheese case at Vellas

   Irving was my cooking buddy in LA and we were always exploring all the corners of the Big Smoggy Basin at all hours looking for new and interesting food. Up here in Sonoma, I try to control myself. I have  jeans that I love and I have to be able to get my ass in them on a regular basis. So, most of the time since I cook at home and cook Indian food, I'm pretty careful about what goes into my pie-hole. Basically, not a lot of pie. Let's leave it at that.
   Of course when company comes, it's another matter entirely. My careful, organic, locavore-mainly veg eating turns into a free-for-all and unwillingly I find myself channeling Guy Fieri. Talk about separated at birth!

Me, with "Whole Hog" at the Fremont Diner

Guy With God-knows-what

   The last several days I've been found far outside my comfort zone, ingesting things I never even dream about. And speaking of dreams, after eating all of the above plus hush puppy,s I dreamt that night I was being arrested for piracy on the high seas. I have no idea why. I call them "meat dreams".
  After stuffing my face for the last two days I thought, I'd better cook something. Irving had asked for momo and I was wanting to try an all veg momo recipe. And so momo it was. How about 2 kinds of momo? Why not, chicken and veg? And of course one cannot have momo without proper dipping sauces, both Tamarind and Tomato, and I had to make those also. That is how I found myself eating momo at 10 pm. The sauces are quite simple and what took the time was getting up the energy to cook after all the other eating I'd been doing.
  So here is one very simple dipping sauce that goes well with anything that needs dipping. I'll give you the other one later as I have a pressing appointment with some tamales at El Molino Central. The stuff there is insanely good and can also be found at the Ferry Market in San Francisco. We're talking Blue Bottle Coffee kids.

Tamarind Chutney

  Soak 2 Tbs of tamarind pulp in 1 cup of hot water.
  (I didn't photograph this because there is no way (at least I haven't found one) to keep soaking tamarind pulp from looking like something that doesn't belong at the table.)
  Tamarind can be found at any Indian or Asian market, and also one can find tamarind concentrate in a jar at any Hispanic market. Even Safeway carries it.
  If using the concentrate, no soaking required. Just mix it with water as per the directions on the jar. You won't need as much tamarind as it's been concentrated.
  If using tamarind pulp, pour it through a sieve into another bowl and mash the tamarind down with a wooden spoon rubbing all the pulp you can into the hot water. Now set the tamarind mixture aside.
  In a small bowl mix together
 2 Tbs of chickpea flour (besan flour) with 2 Tbs of cold water. Stir this together to make a paste then add in:
another 2 Tbs of cold water to make a smooth batter. Set this aside too.
 In a skillet heat :
 2 Tbs of vegetable oil
 When the oil is hot add in:
 1 tsp black mustard seeds
 When the mustard seeds start to pop toss in:
 1 tsp of fennel seed

A minute later add in:
1/2 tsp of Kashmiri chili (or 1/4 tsp of cayenne 1/4 tsp of paprika)

1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of turmeric

Then add in:
the tamarind liquid. Bring it to a boil

 Then pour in:
 The chickpea flour batter

 Mix it in well. Add 2 Tbs of sugar or jaggery and stir it up.

 Let it boil for about 5 minutes then turn down the heat and simmer it for another 5 minutes. It will be a thick, dipping, glossy sauce that goes particularly well with the vegetarian momo recipe I'm going to be posting as soon as I return from the days pigging out.

  I have to run now as we need to take our guest foraging among the hand-ground masa and Blue Bottle Coffee. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

It's A Book, It's A Video, It's A Vook!

   I love being asked to try new stuff, who doesn't? I'm extremely geeky and anything new fascinates me, so when I got an email last week asking me if I'd like to road-test a Vook, I said "Hell yes!" The next question was "Uh.... what's a Vook?" Turns out a Vook is a cross between a book and a video, a downloadable app for your phone or iPad that not only gives you recipes but will allow you to watch an actual chef, in this case Ali Loukzada the chef at Buddakan in New York City as he demonstrates and explains some of the techniques and recipes he uses.

  How did I get this Vook? The Vook folks sent me a code so that I could download Vegetarian Indian Cooking from iTunes to my iPad and check it all out. Boom! Instantly I was in Harry Potter land where I was reading and a chef was talking to me and cooking and wow, why can't all the magazines I read be like this?!
  So exactly what do you get when you get a Vook? What does a Vook cost? The Vook I was given costs $6.99 to download. And what do you get  for your $6.99? In this case 9 chapters, each one containing one recipe, information about the recipe and a short video explanation from the chef.
  The recipes are all vegetarian, simple and easy to follow. For someone who wants to try Indian cooking for the first time but doesn't want to invest in the cost of a cookbook, this might be just the ticket... or download for you. It's sort of Indian cooking with training wheels, good basic beginner  recipes. From here if you like what you're cooking and eating, you can go on to more complicated dishes and move out into the broader world of Indian Cuisine. Would I try another Vook? If the price is right and the subject interests me, you bet.

    So, talking books aside... Thanks to Jose from  Sears, after a week without one I finally have a working stove. He's coming back next week to replace some switches, but he got 'er working and just in time.

One of my best friends and favorite old cooking buddy is coming from LA for a visit. He arrives tomorrow. The two of us have managed to get into all sorts of trouble in the kitchen over the years, so it should be interesting (don't ask about the pupusas). We'll be checking out some new eating spots and cooking some new stuff as I take the stove on a post-servicing maiden run. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

A Hot 'n Steamy Smooth 'n Creamy Afternoon Delight..Idli!

   Get your minds out of the gutter! Afternoon Delight has many meanings... well, at least one other when it comes to tea time or tiffin or snacking or whatever you choose to call it. What's hot and steamy, smooth and creamy if it's done right??? Idli that's what!
   Idli are little steamed buns, sometimes plain, sometimes spiced, traditionally served with sambar, as part of breakfast. But they can also be enjoyed for lunch and of course as a terrific tea time afternoon delight.

   As with anything worth waiting for, idlis take time and a slow hand. Of course there are all sorts of modern shortcuts to idli making, using all sorts of instant gratification tools like... baking soda. But !'m talking about old school, fermented over one long steamy hot night idlis. You know what I'm talkin' about. Served fresh and hot out of the steamer with a delicious chutney and hot cup of chai, you are in business and in an immediate get-out-of-here-and-leave-me-alone-with-my-idlis frame of mind.
    So... wondering how to get from batter to idli plate? It takes at least 24 hours. Idlis can be made from semolina, ground rice or rawa which is a sort of cream of rice powder. Rawa is what I used.

Idili

Here's what to do:
Soak 2 cups of Cream of Rice (rawa) in 4 cups of water.

 Soak 1 cup of urad dal in 2 cups of water.
 Leave both of these to soak for about 4 to 5 hours.
 Drain both the cream of rice and the urad dal.
 Put the drained urad dal in a blender or food processor and grind it into a batter

 Put the drained cream of rice into a food processor and blend it into a thick batter.

Mix the two batters together in a bowl and add some salt to taste.

Now set it aside in its' bowl to ferment overnight. I wrapped the bowl in a towel and stuck the whole thing in my oven to stay out of drafts and cozy overnight.

   
Steaming The Idli
This is actually the easiest part of the whole thing. I have an idli maker  which looks like a giant egg poacher, so I imagine an egg poacher would be the perfect substitute.
Spray the little pockets of the idli maker with non-stick spray and added the idli batter in.

Drop the idli mold into a large pot filled with a couple of inches of boiling water and slap on the pot lid. !5 minutes idli!!!!
Now if you don't have an idli mold or a pressure cooker you can make these using any old steamer. Just roll your idli batter into little balls and flatten them a bit. Pop them into any steamer and cook them.

Serve them up with a soupy sambar for a breakfast treat as they do in India, or with a coconut, fruit or cilantro chutney piping hot at any time a pick-me-up is needed. There. Wasn't that worth waiting for??
  This weekend I'll be waiting for the stove repair person and getting ready for a houseguest from LA (my favorite old cooking buddy) who's coming for a visit. There'll be lots of feasting and cooking of course, plus I review my first Vook. Read all about it and follow along on Twitter@kathygori