Bi-Rite Market owner Sam Mogannam, author of “Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food,” will share the secrets of responsible shopping and cooking from noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Ram’s Gate Winery in Sonoma.
Guests will also go on a walking tour of the winery’s culinary garden with Executive Chef Taylor Behnam, who will cook some of Sam’s favorite recipes from the cookbook.
The event costs $75, which includes a copy of the cookbook, an hors d’oeuvres and sparkling wine reception and a lunch of Pan-Seared Wild Salmon with Summer Chickpea Succotash paired with wine and a Blueberry Buttermilk Upside-down Cake with Bi-Rite Creamery Ice Cream.
To reserve your spot at the table , call the winery at 721-8700. Ram’s Gate Winery is located at 28700 Arnold Drive. Here’s a recipe from the cookbook and shopping guide for a spring salad.
Roasted Beet Salad with Pickled Onions and Feta
Serves 4 to 6
¼ small red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
Kosher salt
1 ½ pounds (about 5) beets
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon honey
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
Combine the onion, vinegar, and a couple of pinches of salt in a small bowl and set aside.
If using baby beets, leave the skin on but halve or quarter them as needed so that they’re all about 1 inch thick. If using medium or large beets, peel and cut into 1-inch chunks.
Fit a steamer basket in a large pot, add water just to the bottom of the basket, and arrange the beets in a snug single layer. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer. Cook until the beets are completely tender when pierced with a skewer, about 30 minutes. (Keep an eye on the water level during cooking, and add more if it threatens to dry up.) Remove from the heat and let cool. If you’re using baby beets, slip the skins off as soon as they’re cool enough to handle.
Reserving the liquid, remove the onion from the vinegar and add to the beets. In another bowl, whisk together the oil, mustard, honey, 1 tablespoon of the reserved vinegar, and a few big pinches of salt.
Add the dressing, the parsley, and all but 2 tablespoons of the feta to the beets. Toss well and taste; season with more salt or vinegar as needed. Garnish with a sprinkling of the remaining feta on top.
Note: The beautiful hue of beets will stain your hands and clothes. Wear gloves and an apron if pink isn’t your color!
Tip: Use any color beets you have available; if you choose to use both golden and red beets, toss them with the dressing separately to keep the red beets from staining the yellow ones.
