Sonoma County Barbecues Serve Authentic Food and Carry On Family Traditions

Bidegain definitely has a weakness for black-eyed peas. This is the restaurant’s Wi-Fi password, written on the board at the host’s booth. When I noticed it, she told me that even her favorite musical group was the Black Eyed Peas.

Cooking by feeling

To share her recipe, Bidegain just told me about it, a bit as if she had learned to cook from her parents, which she did from a very young age.

“Cooking (as a) kid, I didn’t know what a recipe was,” she explained. “You walked into the kitchen and they said, ‘Put some salt in it.’ They didn’t say to put a teaspoon or a tablespoon. (Just) put some salt in it, get the garlic.

It’s also how Edwards and his 22-year-old daughter Kaylie learned family recipes, including her grandmother’s macaroni and cheese, a dish passed down through generations and not written down on a recipe card .

Maybe because the recipes aren’t written down, it gives them the freedom to experiment. Kaylie adapted the mac and cheese recipe with seasoning to suit her taste. Edwards sometimes incorporates crispy pieces of grilled brisket into the dish after it’s cooked, where each bite promises a variety of textures and flavors – creamy, crispy, tangy, spicy and a touch of sweet.

It’s the kind of dish Edwards can’t wait to share as he strives to expand on his father’s legacy, as well as his own.

“I love Sonoma County. It embraced my family and me,” he said. “This gift my father left me is my way of hugging Sonoma County.”

Fourth Generation Mac and Cheese

Makes 6 to 8 servings

This recipe is based on the macaroni and cheese that Joe Edwards’ grandmother used to make. She passed it on to Joe’s mother, who taught Joe’s daughter, Kaylie, how to prepare it. The 22-year-old added her own touches to create a rich mac and cheese with a sweet, addictive heat.

1 pound elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons of butter

6 tablespoons of flour

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce

½ to 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

½ teaspoon of salt

ÂĽ teaspoon onion powder

ÂĽ teaspoon of garlic powder,

ÂĽ teaspoon pepper

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add a tablespoon of salt. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander and set aside while you prepare the sauce.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes until the mixture begins to turn light brown to make the roux. Slowly add the cream and milk, stirring continuously, until it begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Add the seasonings and hot sauce and remove from the heat, making sure the sauce is not too hot when you add the cheese or it will be grainy.

Gradually sprinkle in the cheeses, reserving about ½ cup of each cheese to top the mac and cheese before baking, and stir until combined and smooth.

Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir gently to combine.

Transfer to a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake for 20 minutes. If desired, grill on high for 3 minutes to brown the top.

Saucy Mama’s Black-Eyed Peas

Makes 8 servings

Black-eyed peas aren’t just a New Year’s food for Yvette Bidegain, owner of Saucy Mama’s in Guerneville. Her favorite way to serve this Southern staple is over rice and garnished with garden-fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and green onions.

6 to 7 slices thick smoked bacon (or 6 ounces bacon ends)

2 tablespoons minced garlic, about 6 to 8 cloves

1 cup diced yellow onion

3-4 stalks of celery, diced

1 pound dried black-eyed peas

6 to 8 cups chicken broth

ÂĽ teaspoon ground black pepper

Salt to taste

Dice the bacon or bacon ends into ÂĽ-inch-thick pieces.

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until the bacon has rendered its fat. Add the garlic, onions and celery and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the black-eyed peas and add enough chicken stock to cover by about an inch. Add pepper and increase heat to bring to a boil.

As soon as the pan boils, cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook until tender, adding stock or water if the liquid becomes too low. This can take between an hour and two hours depending on the age of the beans.

Once the beans are tender, remove a cup of beans, mash them and return to the pot. This will make the beans creamy. Taste the beans, adding salt, if necessary (you may not need it as the bacon and chicken broth may have enough to season the beans well) and cook a few more minutes before serving .

You can reach editor Jennifer Graue at 707-521-5262 or jennifer.graue@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @JenInOz.

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