No summer plans.

We don’t have a summer vacation planned this year. It’s the first time in years that we haven’t spent a week or so in some warm, lovely place. I’m not sure if it is the Great Recession that’s keeping us grounded or simply apathy since we don’t even have a plan to take time off and stay home.

What we have committed to is spending as much time as possible in our garden, enjoying the glories of Minnesota summer, and recreating great meals we enjoyed on previous vacations.

Here’s a perfect summer recipe that we’ve dug out recently. It recalled a terrific vacation to Napa and Sonoma a couple of years ago with some good friends. We rented a house in Sonoma and spent one day traipsing around Napa visiting favorite wineries. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in St. Helena that we’d read about called Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. Turns out that Cindy is Twin Cities-native Cindy Pawlcyn, who made her way to California and culinary fame by founding three well-known restaurants in the San Francisco (Go Fish) and Napa Valley (Mustards Grill and Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen) area.

Thanks to Cindy for the great lunch we had that day and the recipe we’ve enjoyed since.

Grilled Artichokes

Serves 6-8

Blanching liquid for artichokes:

1½ gallons water

1 quart white vinegar

1 large onion diced

3 bay leaves

10 peppercorns

5 coriander seeds

5 garlic cloves

½ cup lemon juice

½ cup salt

6-8 medium artichokes

Place all ingredients in large pot and bring to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes. Start checking after 30 minutes. Artichokes need to be fork tender to the heart. Cool and drain artichokes upside down to remove all the water. Cut artichokes in half and scoop out thistle.

Preparing the artichokes:

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

2-4 tablespoons butter

Artichokes from above

3-4 lemons, halved

Heat oil and butter in saucepan until hot. Add artichokes and lemons cut-side down and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Roast artichokes and lemon halves cut side up in roasting plan in 500º oven for an additional 8-10 minutes until caramelized.

Serve artichokes with lemon halves and your favorite aioli.

Perfect served with Hanna Sauvignon Blanc.

If you’ve actually made vacation plans this summer and find yourself anywhere near Napa, add Cindy’s to your itinerary.

Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen

1327 Railroad Avenue

St. Helena, CA 94574

Reservations: 707.963.1200

http://www.cindysbackstreetkitchen.com/