Stern Jane - Southern California Cooking from the Cottage: Casual Cuisine from Old La Jollas Favorite Beachside Bungalow

Southern California Cooking
FROM
the Cottage Jane and Michael Stern
with recipes and headnotes by Laura WolfeFor John, Spenser, and Merrin Kate,
my happily ever afters now and always.
And to my dad, who made it possible. 2004 by Jane & Michael Stern Recipes and foreword copyright 2004 by Cottage LJ, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means
electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other
except for brief quotations in printed reviews,
without the prior permission of the publisher. The authors and publisher of this book assume no liability for, and are released by readers from, any injury or damage resulting from the strict adherence to, or deviation from, the directions and/or recipes herein. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Stern, Jane. Southern California cooking from the Cottage / Jane & Michael Stern ; with recipes by Laura Wolfe. cm. cm.

Includes index. ISBN-10: 1-4016-0147-2 (hardcover) ISBN-13: 978-1-4016-0147-8 (hardcover) 1. Cookery, AmericanCalifornia Style. 2. Cottage (Restaurant) I. Title. Title.

TX715.2.C34S76 2004 641.59794dc22 2004007493 Printed in the United States of America 07 08 09 10 11 QWM 6 5 4 3 2 CONTENTS DRESSINGS, SAUCES, SALSAS &
ACCOMPANIMENTS M any people dream of having their own restaurant, including my husband. However, when opportunity came knocking, we both answered. Little did we know when we were making friendly conversation with a restaurant broker at a two-year-olds birthday party that our destiny was beginning to take shape. We knew it was for us. Our first experience at the Cottage was a memorable one; we left without eating due to the long lines, but we knew it was for us. Since then, our restaurant has become a second home for us as well as for many of our customers.

Our adventures with the Cottage have allowed us to be touched by so many peoples lives, and we hope we have touched theirs. Having been in the restaurant business we knew some of what to expect in having our own restaurant, but nothing has prepared us for the incredible locals that frequent the restaurantdaily, weekly, monthlyand have become family. We wanted to create an inviting atmosphere that allows people to laugh out loud, sit, talk, reflect, enjoy the sunshine, make memories all the while having a great meal. Some of our best memories have been made and shared here. I am thrilled to have written this book. It has allowed us to have some of our favorite meals at home and now share them with even more people.

The Cottage started with John and me but has taken on a life of its own. It is no longer about us but about the customers and staff that keep it alive. Their commitment to it, their dedication and fondness have helped create this wonderful place that many call home. Pam Elmore has dedicated herself to the customers and the restaurant, but we are mostly grateful for her helping us realize our dream. Jim Reeds kind words and optimism have been invaluable. And we are very thankful to John Anderson, our current co-owner, for seeing the greatness in the business and wanting to be a part of it.

Bill Goldblum has been a treasure with his quality, imagination, and food direction. All restaurants are about food. The Cottage wouldnt be what it is today without our chef and co-owner Teodoro Ortiz. While rarely seen, it is his influence, dedication and consistency in the kitchen that keep customers coming back for more. And many thanks to the staff that has made it a better place to work and to dine: Lindsay, Billy, Adolfo, Mario, Abraham, Delyn, Beth, Pedro, Emily, Fernando, Dave, Adrian, Alex, Guillermo, Monica, Jenny and Mary Kay. While these mentioned are but a few, we want to thank them all for their hard work.

To our customers we are forever indebted. Without them we are nothing. Their loyalty throughout the years has always been valued, their encouraging words appreciated, and their honesty treasured. You make us want to come to work and see your smiling faces. Although we dont see your smiling faces anymore you are not forgotten, James R., Howard L., Hiram and George. John and I thank John, Ann, and Emily Vertel.

Your hospitality has gone unmatched, and we thank you for never making us feel like rotten fish but always like family. My sister Lee and mother Lenore, thank you for your constant encouragement and support. We would like to thank our publisher, Larry Stone, and editor, Geoff Stone. We thank Jane and Michael Stern who have been so eloquent in their descriptions of La Jolla and have done justice to what old La Jolla is all about. We thank them for their notice and confidence in us. Please take the time to read the stories they have written about the area.

You will get a flavor for La Jolla and hopefully make a trip out here and visit this lovely area and perhaps have a meal with us. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for recognizing the Cottage and us and for making us feel like superstars. Laura Wolfe L a Jolla is a sunny paradise, so it would have been a pleasure spending time there regardless of the project. But the days we spent with John and Laura Wolfe, at the Cottage and touring their favorite local beaches, were sheer delight. John and Laura are enthusiastic not only about their restaurant but about their climate and their community; and the positive feelings they exude are contagious. The wonderful restaurant that expresses their culinary values is part of what continues to make La Jolla one of the nicest places on earth.

We thank Rutledge Hill Press for having made a reality of our dream of commemorating favorite restaurants around the country in a series of Roadfood cookbooks. In particular, we are grateful to Roger Waynick and Larry Stone, who share our passion for great meals around the country, and whose support and belief in this series make it happen. We also thank Geoff Stone for his scrupulous editing and Bryan Curtis for his good ideas to spread the word. The friendship and guidance of our comrades at Gourmet magazine are a constant inspiration as we travel around the country researching our Roadfood column. Like many writers, we tend to write with particular readers in mindreaders who motivate us to do our best. In this case, Ruth Reichl, James Rodewald, and Doc Willoughby are muses who are always at our side.

We never hit the road without our virtual companions at Roadfood.comSteve Rushmore Sr., Stephen Rushmore and Kristin Little, Cindy Keuchle, and Marc Brunowho constantly fan the flames of appetite and discovery along Americas highways and byways. As the Web site has grown, we have found ourselves part of a great national community of people who love to travel and explore local foodways as much as we do. For the support and encouragement of all those who take part in the ongoing adventure of Roadfood.com, we are deeply obliged. Thanks also to agent Doe Coover for her tireless work on our behalf, and to Jean Wagner, Jackie Willing, Mary Ann Rudolph, and Ned Schankman for making it possible for us to travel in confidence that alls well at home. F rom a quiet corner in the seaside village of La Jolla, California, through a flower-tangled trellised archway, step into the bright patio of a restaurant called the Cottage. If its morning, there will be customers reading newspapers under the shade of the tables umbrellas.