Mole Rossa at Villa Azteca in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Mole Rossa at Villa Azteca in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

Main Street in Salinas, California by the Steinbeck Center has several great restaurants that tourists might like for a flavor of the American West. (Note: There is a reasonably priced parking garage right around the corner from the Steinbeck Center that has a passage to Main Street.) 

My husband Laurent, my daughter Florence Paget, and I have tried Villa Azteca on Main Street Salinas several times for dinner. We like the restaurant’s dishes that are different from typical taquería fare. 

On a recent visit, we began our meal with typical guacamole made with mashed avocado, tomato, and onion. It came in a square, black dish made of porous volcanic rock that made you feel like you were dining in a rooftop restaurant in Mexico City. 

For my main dish, I chose a carnitas enchilada with salsa rossa. Carnitas is usually made with pork rump or pork shoulder braised with bitter Seville orange juice and pulled once cooked like Southern pulled pork. The pork does not taste greasy, because it is made with Seville orange juice. I liked this filling for the rolled enchiladas topped with mole rossa. 

The mole rossa sauce was a delicious surprise. I was expecting a light pink sauce made from puréed tomatoes and queso fresco. What arrived was a pinkish-purple fuchsia-colored sauce made from puréed beets, queso fresco, and a hint of habanero pepper for a little kick without numbing heat. 

The mole rossa was rather mild from the beets, which have a good amount of dietary fiber, vitamin C, iron, vitamin B6, and magnesium according to the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) website. I was pleased with my first-time try of carnitas enchiladas with mole rossa. 

I drank a non-alcoholic Mexican drink called horchata with my meal. This drink is made with ground rice, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Horchata is served chilled. Mexican vanilla is strongly flavored, and made the horchata taste like a cocktail despite being non-alcoholic. 

My family shared a delicious Mexican flan milk custard pudding with a warm caramel topping for dessert.  

This fancy Mexican meal at Villa Azteca in downtown Salinas was flavorful and relaxing. I love having Villa Azteca so close to my home in Salinas, but the nearby train station, Greyhound bus station, and parking garage make it a great stop for tourists visiting Salinas from Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, too.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Seared Ahi Salade Niçoise at Woody's in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget

Seared Ahi Salad Niçoise at Woody’s in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget 

My husband Laurent and daughter Florence took me to my favorite bar and restaurant in Monterey, California for Mother’s Day – Woody’s at the Monterey Regional Airport. 

I have a childlike love for sitting on the outside terrace on the airport’s rooftop and watching planes take off and land. My favorite planes belong to Alaska Air, which have a large image of an Inuit man in a fur-lined parka hood on the tail wings of their planes. (Alaska Air runs commuter planes up and down the Pacific Coast from all-points Alaska to San Diego, California. They are well-liked for roomy seats and leg room.) 

I like many of the items on Woody’s menu. On Mother’s Day, I chose Japanese-influenced Mediterranean dishes for my meal starting with deep-fried calamari, whose breading appeared to be made with crunchy, Japanese panko breadcrumbs. I love the calamari at Woody’s dunked in cocktail sauce made with grated horseradish. The punchy horseradish reminds me of Japanese wasabi. For my main dish, 

I chose the seared ahi tuna salade Niçoise. Ahi tuna was made famous as a Japanese sushi choice. Ahi tuna tastes good with the light sear Woody’s gives it that cooks it yet lets the fish retain its flavor. The seared ahi salade Niçoise comes with sliced hard-boiled eggs, quartered tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, steam green beans, fingerling potatoes, chives, and Dijon shallot vinaigrette. 

The spring lettuce leaves were well chilled and tender. Salads like this make me happy to live in America’s Salad Bowl in Salinas, California. 

To make my fusion Japanese-Mediterranean lunch complete, I received a new Sushi Go! Game and A History of Cookbooks: From Kitchen to Page Over Seven Centuries by Henry Notaker (Part of the California Studies in Food and Culture Series) on Amazon Kindle. 

Woody’s is a welcome sight after coast-to-coast airplane rides and for nice lunches. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Vegetable "Meatballs" for Taste and Savings by Ruth Paget

Vegetable “Meatballs” for Taste and Savings by Ruth Paget 

When I was younger, one of my job duties at several employers was to arrange cocktail party catering that was delicious, elegant, and not too expensive. 

At that time, I would have loved to have had Michele Anna Jordan’s More than Meatballs: From Arancini to Zucchini Fritters and 65 Recipes in Between to use as an ordering reference. She provides traditional Italian fare as well as items like Chicken Kiev meatballs that she serves on a bed of spring lettuce instead of paper doilies to pass with convenient tooth picks poked in them for easy serving. 

She also has a recipe for turkey and sage meatballs that you can serve with a tomato coulis dipping sauce. Both the Chicken Kiev and turkey meatballs would pair well with pinot gris, rosé, and sauvignon blanc wine. Those three wines are usually not too expensive an perfect for large gatherings. 

Michele Anna Jordan has meatball recipes from around the world such as Vietnamese shrimp balls, Ethiopian kitfo, and spicy Thai meatballs with coconut and peanut sauce that make cocktail party planning an educational experience for the organizer. 

However the recipes that really interest me from my vantage point in Salinas (California), an agricultural capital with more than 200+ agricultural products cultivated in surrounding Monterey County, are the vegetable ball fritters. 

These recipes include: 

-carrot fritters 

-zucchini fritters with basil and mint 

-spaghetti squash fritters 

-mashed potato fritters 

-parsnip fritters with horseradish cream 

-eggplant polpettine 

-chickpea balls (like falafel) 

Hard cider like Henry Hot Spurs would go well with fried vegetable fritters like these. 

If you have a food processor with a grater attachment, these vegetable fritters are east to make. Generally, you add grated vegetables to breadcrumbs with egg as a binder and form the mixture into balls for frying. 

The meatballs and fritters that Michele Anna Jordan describes in More than Meatballs can be made ahead and warmed up for parties or weekday lunches.

The variety of recipes from around the world in More than Meatballs by Michele Anna Jordan make it a nice addition to kitchen reference shelves. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Great Value Polenta by Ruth Paget

Great Value Polenta by Ruth Paget 

I learned to love grilled polenta slices when my husband Laurent and I ate dinner out on trips to Vicenza, Italy outside Venice when we lived in Stuttgart, Germany. 

I would eat grilled polenta with pork osso buco (braised pork shanks) seasoned with thyme, rosemary, and cloves. The exotic cloves reminded me that Venice grew rich on the spice trade in the middle ages. 

Back in California, I now buy Golden Pheasant polenta and think of the Veneto region to make recipes out of Polenta by Michele Anna Jordan, a Sonoma County caterer and author, who provides 100 polenta recipes in her cookbook. 

Jordan writes that relying on polenta alone for meals can cause pellagra, a rash of dry, rough skin. However, polenta, which is made from corn, is a great carbohydrate to go along with other ingredients due to significant amounts of the following nutrients:  

-vitamin C 

-folic acid 

-magnesium 

-phosphorous 

-thiamine 

Jordan provides a recipe for soft polenta, which can be served as a porridge. Her favorite way of eating soft polenta is with chopped walnuts and gorgonzola blue cheese mixed in it. 

Jordan also gives instruction on how to make polenta firm so it can be cut into shapes including bars that can used as a base for crostini hors d’oeuvres with toppings. Another use for polenta cut into bars is an Eastern European baked dish with melted goat cheese on top. Once polenta is firm, it can be grilled, fried, or broiled. 

Jordan provides 100 polenta recipes in her cookbook, which includes deluxe recipes such as: 

-roast chicken with lemon-scented polenta and lemon-cream sauce

-orange-scented duck with olives and polenta 

-polenta with ragù meat sauce 

-roast pork loin with apricot sauce and polenta pilaf

-polenta with sausages, apples, and mustard greens (I like sausages made by Aidell’s.) 

Polenta requires stirring, but other than that I find it easy to work with for tasty results. Jordan provides cooking methods for baking and microwaving polenta that might be preferable for other cooks. 

The 100 recipes in Polenta by Michele Anna Jordan are Sonoma County secrets for culinary success making the book a very good purchase. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Ranch House Quesadillas at Michael's in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Ranch House Quesadillas at Michael’s in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

Ranch House Quesadillas at Michael’s in downtown Salinas, California are a delight for a light lunch at the office or at home. 

A quesadilla is a large flour tortilla that is folded in half and grilled with fillings. For the ranch house quesadilla at Michael’s, the cooks fill the quesadilla with roasted mushrooms, charred red potatoes, fresh mild chile peppers, and melted cheese. The cooks top off the quesadilla with fresh cilantro and serve it with sides of salsa fresca, guacamole, sour cream, Mexican rice, and black beans. As of May 18, 2024, this delicious menu item costs $15.84 according to the website.  

The quesadilla fillings are very nutritious. Chile peppers regardless of heat contain Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. Mushrooms also contain antioxidants, which help remove free radicals that can cause cancer from the body. 

Red skin potatoes contain Vitamin A, which is important for good vision, the immune system, growth, and development according to the National Institutes of Health website. Cheese contains protein and calcium, which promotes tissue and bone health. For all these reasons, I think the ranch house quesadilla is a great buy for lunch. 

Michael’s in downtown Salinas delivers, making the ranch house quesadilla an affordable, delicious, and nutritious lunch option for the office or at home. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Mango Fusion Shrimp Tacos at Stonies in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Mango Fusion Shrimp Tacos at Stonies in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

One of my favorite treat lunches is mango fusion shrimp tacos at Stonies Taphouse and Bistro in Salinas, California. 

The combination I make with these shrimp tacos is one mango fusion shrimp taco, one garlic butter shrimp taco, potato salad, and coleslaw. Market town Salinas means that you get cool and crunchy shredded cabbage with your soft and thick corn tortillas in these tacos. 

I love eating this combination at home with the patio door open as I drink a chilled Firestone Walker Cerveza from this California brew pub located 2 hours down Highway 101 outside Paso Robles. For a beer closer to home, I like IPAs from Alvarado Street Brewery, which has locations in downtown Salinas and Monterey. 

Stonies has excellent appetizers to go with its many beers on tap like Cajun corn on the cob, Bavarian loaded pretzels, and crispy fried artichokes from Monterey County, the world’s artichoke capital. 

Stonies is well-known for BBQ – low and slow fire smoked meat. For lunch, they feature a Davis rib lunch special, which comes with 3 ribs, garlic bread, and one side of your choice from a selection of coleslaw, potato salad, bacon BBQ beans, Cajun corn on the cob, French fries, or side salad. This costs $18 as of May 15, 2024. 

The shrimp tacos and ribs are great picnic choices for take-out. Toro Park and Jack’s Peak Park are located a short drive away along Highway 68 going towards the Pacific Ocean. Stonies has indoor seating as well as an outdoor patio area with tables with umbrellas. (it is usually 10 degrees warmer in Salinas than it is on the Monterey Peninsula.) 

The ABC Salad is for avocado lovers. (California has avocados in abundance!) This salad is made with avocado, bacon, and chicken slices, cucumbers, Parmesan cheese, and topped off with Caesar dressing. 

At home, I eat Stonies lunches with radishes and strawberries from the garden. Tourists wishing to do the same can easily buy organic produce at Nob Hill and Star Market, which are located close to the restaurant. 

Stonies Taphouse and Bistro makes living in Salinas, California an enjoyable experience. Tourists might enjoy a neighborhood restaurant away from home as well. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Antioxidant Onions by Ruth Paget

Antioxidant Onions by Ruth Paget 

Mark Kurlansky writes about everything onion in his book The Core of an Onion. Kurlansky begins by writing that though onions do not have as much protein, which builds and repairs muscles and bones, as other vegetables they do have some. 

They also contain significant amounts of other nutrients such as the following; 

-Vitamin C – an antioxidant that helps remove free radicals that may cause can cancer from the body 

-calcium- a mineral associated with healthy bones and teeth 

-iron – makes hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the brain

(Additional information obtained from Betterhealth Victoria – Australia, Harvard Medical School, and the National Institutes of Health) 

Kurlansky also writes that as late as World War II, onions were used to dress wounds to prevent infection by the Russian army. 

The fun part of Kurlansky’s book are the 100 historical recipes that he has put together. 

Two of the onion soups he writes about should be in everyone’s culinary repertoire. 

The first soup is Missouri-Kansas-Texas Onion Soup – a railroad classic. This soup contains diced onions, which are sautéed in butter until brown and added to boiling chicken broth. The chicken broth is seasoned with parsley, garlic, bay leaves, and Worcestershire Sauce.The soup is poured over croutons and topped off with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This soup is an American pantry classic. 

The second soup is a French Vichyssoise, a chilled leek and potato soup that is puréed with milk and cream. I made this soup often in Stuttgart, Germany when I lived there. When it was 30 below outside in winter and windy, all soups seemed to chill naturally. Sometimes I even made vichyssoise with onions, which gave it a more velvety texture without too much difference in taste. 

Other recipes that Kurlansky write about look especially good including: 

-onion bread 

-Welsh onion and potato tart 

-creamed onions to go with steak or roast pork 

The best thing about cooking with onions is that they are less expensive than most other vegetables, which makes The Core of an Onion by Mark Kurlansky a reference cookbook for the budget minded. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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