GLADDEN PRODUCE

One of the best food stores in Santa Barbara is Gladden Produce, located at 5342 Hollister Ave, in the mini-mall opposite the Goleta Valley Hospital just west of the Patterson intersection. (The landmark water store used to be in the same mini-mall, and it's now been replaced with a 7-11.) Gladden's is both a store to get special ingredients for your own cooking and a wonderful deli with prepared entrees, soups, salads, dressings and more available every day except Sunday when they're closed.

I've recommended Gladden's to my Santa Barbara friends over the last few years and a number of them have become regulars who tell me how much they love shopping there. What makes it so special? First, it's a small store packed with wonderful local produce. Second, it's that the owners, Jared and Carrington Gladden, curate everything they sell very carefully.

Jared picks from among the best vegetables and fruits, and if he tells you that a Yukon potato is great, it is. That potato will have what the French call gout de terroir (trans: taste of the earth) that a Yukon you might buy at Costco or TJs just won't. If he says this pick of strawberries are ultra delicious, they are. And if you aren't happy with something you buy he wants to know. Carrington's prepared foods are fresh, delicious, healthy and seasonal. (To pre-order Carrington's prepared dishes visit their website here and be sure to get on their mailing list for first picks at what's going to be offered each week.)

Besides produce, Jared carries local vinegars like Bragg's, McConnell's Ice Cream, nuts, granola, eggs -- even sometimes local quail eggs -- Watkins meat (I've bought marrow bones from Jared to make stock) and Mallea pork.

There are spices and nuts as well. I especially like to buy his raw cashews and make bar nuts with them. Here's my recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1 box of Gladden's raw cashews

cinnamon

sugar (don't use honey)

smoked paprika

turmeric

salt (preferably sea salt)

ground pepper

wasabi oil

coconut oil

DIRECTIONS:

Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 

In a bowl, toss cashews with cinnamon, sugar, smoked paprika, turmeric, salt and pepper.

When the oven is heated, spoon coconut oil onto the aluminum foil in the pan. Put in the oven until the oil is melted. Take out, put cashews onto the aluminum foil and combine with the coconut oil.

Roast in the oven, watching them to make sure they're browning but not burning, and turn them over to evenly bake all sides of them.

When they're nicely browned, remove the pan, let cool, return to the original bowl and toss them with additional salt and pepper as needed and then toss with wasabi oil.

Store when completely cooled in an airtight container. They'll last nicely for a week but you will probably eat them all within a day.

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