COOKING LOCAL | WEEKEND GETAWAY
Eat what you harvest at Rancho La Puerta's culinary center
Just five minutes across the U.S.-Mexico border in the town of Tecate lies the 3,000-acre Rancho La Puerta, a spa where the overworked and stressed-out have recharged for nearly 70 years among the cactus, white sage and untrimmed palms.
When Deborah Szekely founded the ranch with her then-husband, Edmond, in 1940, they charged $17.50 a week to camp on the grounds, and guests were required to work in the garden. Tecate is now 15 times larger, and spa-going has become ubiquitous, but at Rancho La Puerta some things have stayed the same.
The ranch remains activity-oriented, with dance, yoga and tai chi classes and daily mountain hikes, but Szekely has enhanced the original concept with a new cooking program and 4,500-square-foot culinary center called La Cocina Que Canta, "The Kitchen That Sings."
"I think we have a moral obligation to teach our guests how to eat," Szekely says, so students cook what they harvest from the ranch's 6-acre organic garden. La Cocina chef Jesús González points out the obvious benefits: Local food tastes better because it retains its nutrients.
He and his staff teach the twice-a-day classes four times a week. The focus is on what González calls Baja-Mediterranean cuisine, and all recipes are approved by an on-site nutritionist. No meat or poultry are used, so the creative menus are planned to satisfy the requirements of a 1,500- to 1,800-calorie modified vegetarian diet. The recipes are meant to emphasize the freshness of the food rather than disguise the natural flavors with salt or heavy sauces.
González grouped the 16 students into teams of two. His introduction was brief. "The most important thing is that I don't want you to be afraid to change things," he said. As he went over each of the 10 recipes, he discussed fresh substitutes that would work instead of the listed ingredients.
"You want to be able to use whatever you have," González said. "I don't like to go to the grocery store."
One team set to work preparing cantaloupe coconut gazpacho, but chipotle powder was substituted for chili powder, and ripe green apples replaced the usual cucumbers. Other students peeled mangoes, slathered yogurt on top of grilled oranges and sliced tortillas into triangles to toast in the oven. González bustled from person to person, checking on their projects.
At the end of the three-hour session, the class finally sat down to a savory meal of balsamic-covered roasted beets, poached shrimp with dill sauce, ranch guacamole and grilled spiced oranges with honey, yogurt and pistachios.
I asked González if he was surprised by the renewed interest in kitchen gardens and cooking what you grow.
"In Mexico City, where I grew up, we always had a garden. For me, it's normal." Then he was interrupted by the arrival of a delivery van. The driver handed him a plastic bag with a large piece of white fish inside, still silvery and cool. He pressed it to my face. "See how fresh it is?" he asked. Even through the plastic, it smelled like the ocean.
GUIDEBOOK
Rancho La Puerta
Weeklong packages at Rancho La Puerta start at $2,690 (not including tax or tip) per person, double occupancy, and include transportation to and from the San Diego airport, meals, snacks and fitness classes. Guests can choose one or more Cocina classes ($125 each) or a four-class package ($425). Demonstration classes ($60) also are offered. For reservations, call (800) 443-7565 or go to www.rancholapuerta.com.
 Should we take offense, order a drink, or what? That depends, of course, on where you think these words turned up. |
 The National World War II Museum in New Orleans dedicates its latest building. |
San Diego: Whale-watching charters for the whole gang
Just in time for the holidays, the migration of the California gray whales will soon be vie...
Read more »
Users' Favorites
Taking restless Southern California on vacation
Los Angeles Times e-mail newsletter, delivered every Thursday
wherever it appears.