Synopses & Reviews
The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook, based on Cooking Off the Grid, also by Nadia Natali, blends 126 tasty, healthful recipes with lively tales of the Natali familys adventures living close to the land—in the wilds of Californias Los Padres National Forest. Nadia Natali's varied dishes, suitable for any group or family, are presented in a simple style that makes them both visually appealing and effortless, as a sequence of ingredients that correspond to numbered directions. Each chapter opens with a vivid account of the familys trials and triumphs at Blue Heron Ranch, followed by a particular category of recipes, arranged in seven groupings. Whimsical illustrations adorn the recipes and embellish the sometimes poignant, often hilarious stories about raising a family in the wilderness, running a meditation center, and facing natures seemingly endless challenges—with the Blue Heron Ranch kitchen being the center around which these events unfold. Recipes include Blue Heron Ranch Potato Leek Soup, Saturday Market Quiche, Miso Pine Salmon, Ojai Bouillabaisse, Early Morning Rice Cream, Aunt Evs Cardamom Bundt Cake, and Honey Almond Chai. The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook offers culinary and spiritual sustenance to anyone who wants to experience, or revisit, the pleasures of comforting, communal meals at Zen and other retreat centers.
About the Author
Nadia Natali is a mother, a Zen practitioner, and a long-time cook for numerous Zen retreats on Blue Heron Ranch. The stories she tells of the triumphs and tragedies of her familys life in the wilds of Californias Los Padres National Forest and her profound appreciation for the land are at the heart of her recipes. She has an M.A. in dance therapy and is working on a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She and her husband, photographer Enrico Natali, live in Ojai, CA.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 8
Preface 9
Introduction 11
Menus for Family Gatherings/Retreats 13
Food and Supply List 16
Our Arrival 19
Vegetarian Dinners 23
My Favorite Tomato Sauce 24
Grandma Elizabeths Polenta 25
Lasagna from Enricos Family 26
Lasagna Layering 27
Matilija Manicotti 28
Pizza with Goat Cheese 29
Seasoned Rice 30
Blue Heron Beans 31
Adzuki Beans and Rice 32
Black Bean Enchiladas 33
Ojai Chili 34
Sauteed Vegetables with Rice 35
Special Vegetables with Almonds 36
Vincenzos Risotto 37
Carrots and Tofu 39
Lentils and Mint 40
Curried Lentils 41
California Split Pea Dahl 42
Puccis Potato and Egg Curry 43
Sunday Stuffed Potatoes 44
Spinach and Anaheim Chilies 46
Baked Eggplant 47
Saturday Market Quiche 48
Garden Vegetable Quiche 49
Fish and Chicken Dinners 51
Kobuns Rice Balls 53
Miso Pine Salmon 54
Escolar 55
Millennium Paella 56
Chicken with Chard and Noodles 58
Franciss Chicken and Curry 59
Westport Pineapple Chicken 60
Apple-Baked Chicken 61
November Stuffing 63
The Floods 65
Soups and Stews 69
—Vegetarian
Simply Miso Soup 70
Rainy Day Tofu Soup 71
Blue Heron Ranch Potato Leek Soup 72
Cross-Country Lentil Soup 73
Garbanzo Soup with Tomato 74
Winter Minestrone 75
—Chicken and Fish
Southwest Chicken Stew 76
San Francisco Chicken Stew 77
Blue Heron Chicken Stew 78
Rainy Day Chicken Noodle Soup 79
Ojai Bouillabaisse 81
—Chilled
Summer Borsch 82
Avocado and Cucumber Soup 83
Maricas Gazpacho 84
Poor Mans Gazpacho 84
Yogurt Soup 86
Our Teepee 89
Salads and Dressings 93
Frankie s Salad Dressing 94
Blue Heron Salad Dressing 95
Baby Green Salad 96
Sackets Harbor Summer Salad 97
Santa Barbara Salad Variation 97
Cool Cucumber Salad 98
Potato and Bell Pepper Salad 99
Mixed Bean Salad 100
Rice Salad 101
My Roasted Red Bell Peppers 102
Goat Cheese Salad 103
Cloved Fruit Compote 104
Two Fruit Salads 105
Raita Salad 106
Fire 109
Breads and Muffins 113
Whole Wheat Bread 114
Rosemary Corn Bread 117
Garlic Bread 118
Tortillas from South America 119
Naan from India 119
Banana Bread 120
Weiner Sisters Popovers 122
Golden Scones 123
Maricas Biscuits 124
Quick Ginger Molasses Muffins 125
Breakfast 127
Sunday Pancakes 128
Hearty Breakfast Crepes 129
Delectable French Toast 130
Birthday Waffles 131
Sesshin Oatmeal 132
Early Morning Rice Cream 133
Home-Baked Granola 134
Home Schooling 137
Puddings and Custards 141
Black Bear Apricot Pudding 142
Andreis Favorite Bread Pudding 144
Brown Rice Custard 145
Coconut Rice Pudding 146
Mexican Rice Pudding 146
Mocha Mousse 147
Zabaglione Cassis 148
Pies 151
Two Delicious Pie Crusts 152
Blue Heron Apple Pie 153
Blueberry Peach Pie 154
Persian Mulberry Peach Pie 155
Genevieve s Lemon Meringue Pie 157
Mitzis Chocolate Pecan Pie 158
Autumn Pumpkin Pie 159
Apple Crunch 160
Living Off the Grid 163
Cookies 167
Cardamom Cookies 168
Blue Heron Chocolate Chip Cookies 169
Genevieve s Butter Walnut Cookies 170
Cakes 173
Aunt Evs Cardamom Bundt Cake 174
Lemon Cranberry Bundt Cake 175
Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake 176
Chocolate Apple Sauce Cake 177
Birthday Coconut Cake 179
Persian Mulberry Cake with Goat Cheese 180
June Apricot Cake 181
Pear Upside-Down Cake 182
Meyer Lemon Half-Pound Cake 183
Carob Coconut Brownies 184
Tiramochamisu or Tiramintmisu Cake 185
Vincenzo and Kanas Wedding Cake 186
Wedding Cake Filling and Icing 187
Our Zen Center 189
Sauces 193
Ginger Honey Sauce 194
Matilija Tamari Sauce 194
Ojai Lemon Sauce 195
Green Enchilada Sauce 196
Pesto Lemon Sauce 197
Mushroom Garlic Sauce 198
Marinated Ginger 199
Desert Hummus Sauce 200
Festive Cranberry Sauce 202
Frankie s Hot Fudge on Ice Cream 203
Drinks 205
Robins Chai 206
Teepee Hot Cider 207
4th of July Lemonade 208
Christine s Punch 209
Honey Almond Chai 210
In Remembrance of Andrei 213
Index 217