By Andrea Blum ( @myamericanpantry ), Montalvo Culinary Artist
Four nights a week at the LAP, we gather around the table for artist dinner and experience the taste of place. The Montalvo grounds provide endless foraging possibilities to add local flavors to our meals. The California Bay Laurel ( Umbellularia californica ) is a favorite of mine. Its leaves are much more pungent than the dried leaves we find in the stores, and it’s a variety never found in the spice aisle. I pick the leaves directly from the trees and add them to soups, sauces and even desserts. The tree also provides seeds and nuts at different times of the year (stay tuned!). This evening I added bay leaf to a chickpea stew that I simmered in the LAP’s wood-fired oven with garlic, rosemary from the garden and smoky paprika. I topped the stew with lamb sausages that I charred in the flames. It was a true comfort meal, welcome on a cool winter night.
Click the images below to see enlarged versions.
Photos: Jennifer Johns and Tina Case .