Cranberry Relish Recipe

Ingredients:

• ½ cup raisins, soaked in water for 1 hour to soften, then drain
• 6 oz frozen cranberries, fresh if in season
• 2 small or 1 large orange, zested and supremed
• ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp sea salt 

Instructions:

Place all of the ingredients, including the orange zest and flesh, in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. 

Salsa Roja

I love hot things, especially salsa. I have always made all different types of fresh salsas. From tomatillo, habenero, roasted salsa, salsa fresca, etc.. This one is different, you can put it on anything.  I was just taught the exact proportions on my last trip to our place in Scorpion Bay by one of the locals. It is simple and you only need a couple ingredients.

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·      6 tomatoes (medium size like Roma’s)

·      10-12 Serrano chilies

·      ½ white onion

·      3 garlic cloves

·      ½ bunch cilantro

·      salt and pepper to taste

Fill a saucepan with tomatoes, onion, jalapeños and cover with water. Boil until tender, about 10 minutes. (tomatoes should look wilted)

Add raw garlic and all the boiled ingredients to a blender, (tomatoes, Serrano’s and onion) and blend until desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper. Finally, add cilantro at the end and pulse until chunky.

Try it on eggs, tacos, chips, or actually just drink it ;)

Flora Farms- San Jose del Cabo, Mexico

After years of hearing about Flora Farms, we finally made it to the ten-acre organic farm in the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. We pilled in the car after an amazing day on the East Cape, and headed over excited as ever.  The desert all of a sudden became surrounded by a hill range surround by greenery. We had arrived in paradise!

We were kindly greeted by our farm tour guide. We had a 45 minute tour of the property and farm where we learned a lot about this incredible operation. It takes a team of 300 to successfully run the farm, restaurant, grocery store, cooking school and cottages. The day starts at 2am every morning with the bakery staff stocking the wood fire oven in order for it to be 700 degrees. By dinner the oven is hot and ready, making the pizza light, fluffy and amazing. Once its hot they start baking the breads consisting of whole wheat, olive and walnut, and rustic italian. They also have a outdoor grocery store where they sell their homemade scones, bran muffins, breads, sauces, pestos, honey, desserts, eggs, pickled foods, flowers, and of course freshly picked fruits and veggies.

Everything found at the restaurant and  the outdoor grocery comes from their property. They also have a 150 acre ranch where they raise their meat down the way. They have chicken, rabbits, and pigs running around eating organic and that are raised without any hormones or antibiotics.

The  land was bought in 1996 by the owners Gloria and Patrick Greene who are from Santa Barbara. They have spent the last 10 years making it into what is it today. They grow 90 heirloom vegetables, many of which are pulled from the ground the day they are served.

Our tour guide said, "It's like eating out of your grandmother's garden, what we are growing here is what there was before the time of pesticides and GMO's." Once the tour ended we were greeted by a good family friend and  Cabo local, Janet who we quickly came to find out is best friends of the owner Gloria. We were sat at a large table in the back corner. There were no walls in the entire place, but it was sectioned off by greenery, metal star lights, or hanging mason  jars filled with candles. The vast open air  restaurant is perfectly positioned in the middle of the lush organic farm so that you are surrounded by what you are about to eat.  The scene was a mix of locals, both Mexicans and Gringos. The atmosphere was what made it so special. The moon was full, stars were bright and not a cloud in the sky. This was a night i will never forget.

( Hibiscus flowers pictured above laying out to dry) These amazing flowers are used traditionally in Mexico in a juice called Jamaica. You have probably seen it before in a big glass container, served next to the Horchata.  They are also used to make bitters, used in cocktails and  most often mixed with a little honey and lime for an afternoon refreshment.

A small acoustic band played outside the U shaped bar filled with people sipping cocktails made of farm ingredients such as homemade bitters from their Hibiscus mixed with Makers Mark, watermelon and mint rum drinks, and plenty of tequila.

The fat kids had been saving up all day and it was finally time to eat. We of course started off with drinks and I had to order the famous Farmarita, which is served in a mason jar and is made up of heirloom carrot juice, orange juice, lime and of course Tequilla.

The  menu depends on what is being grown on their property at that time. We walked through an herb garden, every variety of lettuce you could imagine, fruit trees, corn, wheat, berries, cucumbers, squash, carrots, things I have never heard of…

Now for the fun part, Dinner… If you have ever eaten with my family you would know that when we go out, we go big. Besides that, we share so that we are sure to taste a little bit of everything. My mom and I discussed the appetizers we wanted and our waiter informed us that the owner was  already sending out her favorites for us to start with. We looked at each other surpassed but of course thrilled to see what was coming. In our family you try  everything, life is too short for picky eaters or to not try and branch out. Thank god because soon enough the waiter brought out charcuterie platters on  2 huge pieces of rustic wood filled with rabbit rillettes, crispy torchone ( I still don't know what this was), chicken live mousse, duck with a poached quail egg, pickled carrots and cauliflower, homemade mustard and berry compote; accompanied with house made bread and balsamic and olive oil. Next a house made burrata (which is a wet, light mozzarella type cheese that melts in your mouth) with olive tapenade. Roasted beet carpaccio with forage blanc.

Then came out 2 wood oven thin crust pizzas that I will be dreaming of. The first one was house cured procuitto topped with arugula. The 2nd was squash blousons, house made ricotta and pancetta.

My sister and I were so full, but we decided to share a couple things.  We started with the pork belly confit with a mango marmalade and garden veggies. The meat melted in your mouth! Then we had an Arugula Salad with marinated eggplant and these bread crusted ricotta balls of heaven.

As for the rest of the gang...

Ricky took our waiters favorite and went with the Pork Chop that was incredible.

Abel got the Rabbit that was cooked in hay and served with a curried cauliflower puree.

Davy got the Cappellini with oysters in a sage brown butter sauce. All of their pastas are made in house that day.

I could go on, but I do not want to bore you with my food obsession and honestly it makes my mouth water as I sit here and dream about that amazing meal.

Visit their website and plan a trip down there, its well worth the voyage!

http://flora-farms.com

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