Olive Oil

Our favorite oil man hails from Delphi, not Dallas, and his oil is made for people to guzzle, not cars. Descended from a long line of Greek olive growers, George Petrou uses the old traditional methods to make some of California's finest olive oil that he occasionally sells at our Laguna Beach Farmer's Market, as well as 28 others around the area. His grandfather taught him the craft that he had learned from his own grandfather, who learned from his grandfather, etc. He guesses his family has been growing olives for 500 years.

The first recipe is based on the wonderful tamales at the Laguna Beach Farmers Market, the ones in the corner by Sam?s fabulous fresh fish and the Indian specialty foods. ? TAMALE FRITTATA Serves 6 for dinner Frittata: 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ onion chopped 2 large chile cheese tamales, chopped in ½-inch pieces ¼ cup canned mild green chilies ½ cup feta cheese crumbled by you (not the pre-crumbled yucky stuff) ¼ cup grated cheddar 1 dozen eggs Sauce: 1 glass jar of Trader Joe?

SPICY LEMON CHICKEN LINGUINE serves 4 2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided4 lemon cilantro chicken sausages 1 pound linguine 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped (or to taste) 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic 1/4 cup chicken broth 1 cup ricotta cheese 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (stems removed), chopped zest of one large lemon, grated 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated salt to taste DIRECTIONS 1. Put the two teaspoons of olive oil in a pan that will accommodate the sausages.

Terry Markowitz and Elle Harrow Every Saturday, for almost a year now, Kao and Yeng Her get up in the middle of the night to make the long journey to the Laguna Beach Farmers Market from their farm in Fresno to sell their vibrant vegetables. This couple, originally from Laos, have been farming here for four years. You will not find them on the farmers' market circuit; only in Laguna. When asked why they sell exclusively here, Yang replied with a shy, sweet smile.

Here is Gabriella Sunheart?s basic recipe for flatbread pizza. Get creative! FLAT BREAD/PIZZA DOUGH (Serves 4) 1-1/4 cups water 1 egg 3 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine water and egg into a large bowl, beating egg and mixing at same time, with a fork. Add flour and salt and continue to mix by hand. Dust hands with flour to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Have a hankering for hummus, a taste for tabouli or a thirst for tzatziki? Climb the steps to the Aegean Café and find a piece of the Peloponnesus on Pacific Coast Highway. This bistro, looking out to sea if you're sitting in the right place, has the classic whitewashed walls and Mediterranean blue accents of almost every taverna in Greece. There is a wooden floor for dancing, a small bandstand for the musicians and a fireplace separating the main dining room from the bar. The glassed-in outdoor terrace is an especially nice place to sit on a summer night to watch the sunset.

Lauren Vane Walking down Forest Avenue on a Saturday evening, the patio at the Sundried Tomato Cafe invited me in. The outdoor tables were filled with friendly chatter and the patio twinkled with warmth like a Roman piazza. Suddenly the appeal of comforting Italian cuisine commanded my senses and I made a beeline for the restaurant. When asked whether we wanted to sit outside or in, the outdoor patio was an easy choice. Seated next to a trickling fountain and underneath a cozy heat lamp created the atmosphere of a romantic cafe somewhere in Italy.

Glori Fickling Still something of a serendipity as a dinner retreat, Zinc Cafe is that long popular breakfast and lunch respite launched on Ocean Avenue in 1988 by enterprising John Secretan. His concept was so inviting, the delightful little sidewalk attraction and its innovative menu garnered as much attention from out of towners as it did locals that it came as little surprise when the place was cloned not long ago in nearby Corona del Mar following a 1994 version built in not so near Solana Beach.

Glori Fickling A reputation for exquisite cuisine, fabulous fashions and diversified art has been the focus of Anastasia, which has gained wide popularity since its debut on Ocean Avenue Downtown in 1996. With the recent appointment of innovative chef Jerry Baker, enterprising principals Amir and Gore Garavi have further expanded their creative concept. Thus, dining choices now include a specialized take-out menu noted as ANASTASIAway, for which appetizers, entrees and desserts are packaged in attractive two compartment containers ready for your microwave oven.

Two years ago, Gabrielle Sunheart found herself standing in line for government assistance. Only a few months before, she had been living a comfortable life with a decent income, but then her husband left and she was denied access to the funds from their family business. Among her many other stressful decisions, she wondered how she was going to feed herself and her three small children. She applied for government assistance, but unlike most people, cried with joy when she was given $150 a month in food stamps.

Here is Gabriella Sunheart?s basic recipe for flatbread pizza. Get creative! FLAT BREAD/PIZZA DOUGH (Serves 4) 1-1/4 cups water 1 egg 3 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine water and egg into a large bowl, beating egg and mixing at same time, with a fork. Add flour and salt and continue to mix by hand. Dust hands with flour to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Reaching ever closer to a state of bliss, Nirvana Grille keeps refining and expanding its menu in pursuit of perfection. Executive Chef Lindsay Rosales watches over her two restaurants, one here in Laguna and the other in Mission Viejo, with a careful eye. Her partner and husband, Luis, creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere as soon as you walk in the door. In fact the entire wait staff is friendly and accommodating, making for a very pleasant dining experience. Exemplifying that geniality was our waitress, Danielle, who happens to be a family member, namely Lindsay?

Natalia Olenicoff has fond memories of her brother Andrei, an adventurer and philanthropist who exposed her to the many nature activities in Laguna Beach as a young child, and conveyed the importance of helping others through his own generosity. “He’d always take me to Diver’s Cove after school and we’d hang out on the beach and explore the tidepools all afternoon,” she happily recalls. “We also liked to ride mountain bikes together.” When Andrei died in a car accident in 2005 at age 32, Olenicoff wanted to find a way to honor his memory.

The first recipe is based on the wonderful tamales at the Laguna Beach Farmers Market, the ones in the corner by Sam?s fabulous fresh fish and the Indian specialty foods. ? TAMALE FRITTATA Serves 6 for dinner Frittata: 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ onion chopped 2 large chile cheese tamales, chopped in ½-inch pieces ¼ cup canned mild green chilies ½ cup feta cheese crumbled by you (not the pre-crumbled yucky stuff) ¼ cup grated cheddar 1 dozen eggs Sauce: 1 glass jar of Trader Joe?

"Honor to a Spaniard ... is as real a thing as water, wine or olive oil." — Ernest Hemingway "Yeah, make that a double, Nick... with two olives and a twist." — Anonymous From the desert to the sea, the olive tree has become an icon of Southern California. And rightfully so. The beauty of its gnarled trunks and willow-like foliage has been appreciated for centuries. The olive was brought to Mexico by Spaniards and then on to Alta California for its oil. The olive tree is remarkably long-lived — some of the original trees planted by missionaries are still in existence.

Our favorite oil man hails from Delphi, not Dallas, and his oil is made for people to guzzle, not cars. Descended from a long line of Greek olive growers, George Petrou uses the old traditional methods to make some of California's finest olive oil that he occasionally sells at our Laguna Beach Farmer's Market, as well as 28 others around the area. His grandfather taught him the craft that he had learned from his own grandfather, who learned from his grandfather, etc. He guesses his family has been growing olives for 500 years.