Artichoke bread in Pescadero, CA

Arcangeli Grocery Co. - Norm's Market

Sensational artichoke garlic herb bread.  Piping hot from the backcounters of Arcangeli grocery, this might just be the most memorable bread I've had. Yeasty and chewy on the inside with a slight crunch on the outside.  Perfect amount of salt, and most importantly sweet hot artichoke hearts on the inside compliment the bread perfectly.  Truly memorable and definitely TTT approved.  Buy multiple loafs is my recommendation.

Gas Station or Delicious Mexican Restaurant?

Mercado & Taqueria De Amigos

So is this a gas station or a Mexican restaurant?  It's both.  You can kill two birds with one stone by getting your Mexican fix at Mercado Taqueria in Pescadero, Ca while or buying some batteries all from the same counter!  The food here was delicious.  The major difference was the tomato sauce which tasted similar to a san marzano tomato sauce.  It was light, sweet, slightly acidic, had some hints of mexican oregano and a bit of heat.  This was the foundation of the delicious mexican food we sample hered.

We ate

Trio of Tacos -  All Tacos had a bit of the spicy tomato sauce which made them awesome.

Fish - tasted like Cod.  It was fresh, seared perfetly, slightly sweet, and really delicious

Carnitas - Crunchy, flavorful, however nothing too different than other Carnitas

Lengua - AKA beef tongue wasAwesome.  Stewed to perfection.  Tasted like a cross between really delicious beef tendon and stewed short ribs.

Tamales - Pork tamales had a nice and light masa, pork was soft and succulent and taste true, but most imoportantly the delicate tomato sauce really completed this dish.

Definitely TTT approved.  If you don't want to wait at Duartes for an expensive overpriced meal, come spend $10 bucks here and you will not regret it i promise.  Remember to get some gas too for the ride home!

Spicy Sausage Orecchiette Pasta with Baby Kale

This pasta recipe is easy and amazing.  Orecchiette is in the shape of a ear, and the pasta shape cups little bites of sausage perfectly. The baby kale provide a nice refreshing bitterness to balance the heat and fat from the sausage.

Thank you Duy for this delicious recipe you got from the del.

4 large handfuls of Baby kale (from Costco)
2 hot Italian sausages (T.J.)
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 large three finger pinches of shaved parm (T.J)
1/2 bag orecchiette pasta (T.J.)
1/2 tablespoon red chili flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pair with Italian primitivo zinfandel from paso.

Instructions

Slice 4 cloves of garlic razor thin and saute in olive oil and along with the red pepper to infuse the oil.  Boil  the orchetta pasta 9 minutes of 75% of the recommended time to allow it to finish cooking in the pan. Add sausage crumbled into the pan and brown.  Take a paper towel and wipe up half of the oil.  Add kale into pan along with 1/2 cup chicken stock to cook down all flavors and until kale is slightly wilted.  Add orchetta pasta to pan.  Cook all together for 2 minutes.  Add 3 three finger pinches of shaved parmesan and toss.

 
Serve with an extra drizzle of EVOO, a slice of lemon, and top with some shaved parm.  Pair with a robust zinfandel to counteract the spicy sausage and you in for a treat!  TTT approved!