An outdoor feast from Santa Barbara County - recipes

Sunset, Nov, 1994 by Christine Weber Hale

A potter and a vintner celebrate with rosemary smoked turkey and a spicy squash soup

The picturesque town of Los Olivos is nestled among low-lying mountains 25 miles north of Santa Barbara. Situated in the heart of horse and wine country, it's home to Jim Clendenen and his wife, Sarah Chamberlin, owners of Au Bon Climat Winery.

Jim's culinary expertise and creativity are well known among the winemaking community, and he cooks in the kitchen of his eclectic ranch-style home with contagious passion. The Thanksgiving meal at the couple's home is hearty and full-flavored, with vegetables and herbs harvested from their extensive garden. Jim's specialty is chili peppers: he grows several varieties, and even smokes his own jalapenos to make the chipotle chilies used in the spicy squash soup. Rosemary branches for smoking the turkey come from an enormous rosemary plant that shades an edge of the garden.

While Jim marts the kitchen, Sarah, a ceramic artist, provides the feast's setting with her stunning hand-made majolica platters, plates, and mugs. Sarah's ceramics are sold under the Art in Your Home label, and are all made in the studio adjoining their house.

Sarah and Jim's entertaining style matches their lifestyle--casual and comfortable--and Thanksgiving dinner is no exception. Weather permitting, the appetizers and first course are served in the yard or on the sheltered porch. Guests move indoors to the big wooden dining table for the smoked turkey and trimmings. When asked what wines he serves with dinner, Jim quips, "They are copious, local, and mine."

Spicy Squash Soup

2 large (about 4 lb. total) butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded 3 pounds banana squash, seeded and cut into large pieces 1 dried chipotle chili 5 cups regular-strength chicken broth 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder or 1 large (about 1/2 oz.) dried ancho chili, stemmed and whiffed in a blender or food processor until finely ground 1 fresh habanero chili, stemmed and seeded (optional) 1/4 cup lime juice 2 medium-size (about 1/2 lb. total) zucchini, ends trimmed, diced Two-color chili garnish (recipe follows) Sour cream or unflavored yogurt (optional)

Place butternut and banana squash, cut side up, in an 11-by 17-inch roasting pan (or divide squash evenly between two 9-by 13-inch baking pans). Add about inch of boiling water to pan; cover tightly with foil. Bake in a 400[degrees] oven until squash is very soft when pierced, about 1 hour. Remove squash from pan, drain briefly, and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Place chipotle chili in a small bowl; add boiling water to cover. Let stand 5 minutes; drain.

Combine chipotle, broth, ancho chili powder, and habanero in a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove chipotle and habanero chilies; discard.

Scrape cooked squash from rind. Whirl squash in batches in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Add squash puree and lime juice to broth mixture. If making ahead, cover and chill up to 1 day.

Add zucchini to soup and stir often over medium-high heat until soup simmers and zucchini are tender when pierced, about 10 minutes (20 minutes if reheating).

Ladle soup into 1 large bowl or individual sewing bowie. Top decoratively with chili garnish and sour cream, or offer both to add to taste. Makes about 8 cups.

Per serving: 183 cal. (15 percent from fat): 6.2 g protein; 3.1 g fat (0.5 g sat.); 39 g carbo.; 69 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Two-color chili garnish. Stem and halve 2 large fresh green jalapeno chilies and 2 large fresh red jalapeno chilies or 1 small (about 6 oz.) red bell pepper; discard seeds. Set chilies cut side down in a 10- by 15-inch baking pan. Broil 4 inches away from heat until chili skins are mostly charred, 10 to 15 minutes. Set chilies aside until cool enough to handle; coarsely chop.

In a 10- to 12-inch pan, combine 1 small (about 1/4 lb.) chopped red onion and 2 teaspoons salad oil over high heat. Stir often until onion softens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in chopped jalapenos. Use warm.

Rosemary Smoked Turkey

3 tablespoons olive or salad oil 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary 1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 turkey, 16 to 18 pounds 3/4 pound fresh rosemary bunches, rinsed and drained

Mix together oil, minced rosemary, parsley, and pepper; set aside.

To prepare turkey, remove and discard leg truss. Pull off and discard lumps of fat, and remove giblets. Rinse bird inside and out; pat dry. Rinse giblets, drain, and reserve for gravy. Insert a meat thermometer straight down through the thickest part of the breast to the bone.

In a large barbecue with a lid, mound and ignite 40 charcoal briquets on firegrate. When briquets are dotted with gray ash, about 15 minutes, divide in half and push to opposite sides of firegrate. Place a metal drip pan between coals. Add 5 briquets (10 total) to each mound of coals now and every 30 minutes while cooking. Set grill 4 to 6 inches above coals.